Today marks the end of my first month at Braid Creative. It has simultaneously flown, and languorously rolled, by.
Moving to a geographically independent job has been a life-changer. Truly. Not only have I loved working from home this last month, I'm eternally grateful that Tara and Kathleen have given me the personal responsibility to structure my own work day. We stay connected through Google Hangouts and shared to-do lists, but as long as I get my work done, I'm free to take breaks throughout the day to take a yoga class, or make ice cream, or rearrange all the furniture in the house... you get the idea. It suits me. If I'm struggling on a piece of copy, I can stop and very constructively procrastinate by doing a load of laundry or raking the yard while my brain subconsciously sorts itself out. (As a beneficial byproduct, my house is pretty damn clean all the time now. I don't think I'd be able to focus properly if it wasn't. So much so that it's worked itself into my morning routine. Speaking of!...)
I've also restructured my morning routine. I still rise before Micah and enjoy a tiny Bodum-ful of coffee. But now I also "walk to work" for about 30 - 45 minutes each morning. I wind around the Old West and Watts-Hillandale neighborhoods of Durham, pretending each of the houses are mine, imagining what I would change about each of the front yards, and watching the season change one day at a time. By the time I get home, my muscles feel loose and warm, and my brain feels like I've got a headstart on the day. It's nice to stretch and awaken physically before sitting down and using my mind-muscles for awhile. Balanced. I make myself breakfast, tidy up (make the bed - put any dirty dishes in the dishwasher - put up any palette that might be lingering from the night before), and sit down to check my email and begin.
It should be noted that I only worked part-time this past month. Full-time starts next Monday! - and while the workload will increase, the personal responsibility and flexible schedule will stay the same. I'm curious to see how I will continue to adapt to said flexibility. What other activities will I start to schedule regularly? (I'd like to become a little more connected to the comings and goings-on and eatings and drinkings of Durham.) Will I ever take a nap in the middle of the day? Will I ever need more space for my "office?" Only time will tell.