How To Get Work Done From Home | tonebase Tips
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It has always fascinated me, the idea that lots of people show up to their jobs in the morning and that just by their presence they are classed as ‘working’.
Music as a job often has few moments where we really need to show up, the job description requires us to instead chip away at work ourselves over time and on our own terms.
This can be tricky.
In the modern world, where there are so many things that aid procrastination, we really need to set ground rules for ourselves about where home life ends and work time begins, especially if we are required to do both our living and our working within the same space.
Here are five tips for how to work from home and actually get work done!
1. Create A Routine
Wake up early and get going!
Working from home shouldn’t mean that our dreams of staying in bed all day can become a reality. Having a clear and enforced routine is the one thing that most of us miss from school or office jobs.
Freelance work offers a lot of time to bargain over, and if we aren’t careful we may fall into habits that will hinder our work progress and ultimately make us feel lazy.
I divide my working day into three sections with breaks and meals at the same time each day. That way waking up early becomes part of the routine, I sleep better, and I only get distracted by thoughts of food when I know I will be eating. If I’m focussing, I’m focussed!
2. Set Goals and Achieve Them
Prioritising your work load is important if you are a freelancer. Just seeing the work you have to do written down on a piece of paper can help you visualise the amount of work in front of you.
Try dividing your goals into heavy tasks which can be done at the beginnings of your work segments and lighter tasks that can be completed nearer the ends of your work time. That way you will get everything done without feeling that you are losing momentum.
With three planned surges of energy, that also align with your blood sugar levels after eating, you will get a significantly larger amount of work done than if you work without goals.
3. Leave The Bed For Bedtime
Beds can be tempting, but no good work ever gets done in a bed.
Even during your breaks it is important that you stay away from your sleeping space, not only because it could help you lose momentum in your work, but also because if you fail to make mental barriers between the energies in your living space, you may find it more difficult to sleep, which will leave you tired and less likely to get good work done.
4. Watch Your Screen Time
This is the kind of lesson that we know already, but one that we often ignore because screens are so addictive.
There are key moments when we should distance ourselves from our phones and laptops, before sleep and during practice. Nobody has ever practiced well while watching a double bill of Friends. Trust me.
Leave screens for your breaks, and try and allocate time during your breaks where you vow to also put the phone down and get a breath of fresh air.
5. Invest your Down Time in Social Contact
Maybe it feels obvious, but life as a musician can be quite isolating, we spend a large amount of our days working on ourselves with only ourselves for company.
Lack of social contact can double your chances of developing mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, so it’s a good idea — even if you rarely feel like it — to spend your free time socialising, preferably face to face.
During the quarantine, take a moment to FaceTime a friend or family member, go for a walk with a friend whilst keeping a 2 meter distance, but try to see another person every day.
Here at tonebase we hope that wherever you are you are staying safe and healthy, and listening to and following the government guidelines in your country. It is more important than ever to stick together and offer each other all the support that we can, these will be tough times for many. Stay safe!
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