Guilty Pleasures of Working From Home
I am a big fan of working from home. It gives me the luxury of a quiet space with:
- awesome internet
- standing desk
- external monitor
and two wonderful dogs to keep me company.
In addition to getting to hang with furry buddies, I’ve got a short commute and can treat myself to fun, semi-productive activities throughout the week.
Here are the perks I’m currently enjoying:
Hikes
I live right off of the Green Belt in Austin, TX. This makes it is easy for me to take a quick hike or run to reward a good morning work session. My puppy Morty and old man Gus are big fans of this guilty pleasure.
Tacos
The famous ATX Taco Deli is a few blocks away from my place. On top of bombdotcom breakfast tacos, Taco Deli has bottomless self-served coffee and no internet. The lack of wifis makes it a great spot to get some distraction-free writing or reading done.
Gym
Once or twice a week I’ll get the afternoon brain fog. Trying to push out work when my IQ is down 20 points is silly. I use that mentally foggy time to get physically fit by running over to my gym for a cardio or weight lifting session.
Hammock
I often need to read books or listen to interviews as prep for podcast interviews. Might as well do this reading and listening while swinging in the sun.
Tug
Short breaks between working sessions increase your ability to focus. A quick game of tug (in addition to some tricks and pets) is a fun way to keep me and my dogs strong and sharp.
Dance Party
I’ve got an Amazon Echo (Alexa) in my living room.
Alex’s synced to my Pandora account that has all of my favorite music stations one request away. Jumping around to a little LCD Soundsystem is a proven strategy* for getting the creative juices flowing. *Proven by me, not scientists.
No Pants Party
I typically don’t have any calls until the late morning/early afternoon. This means pants aren’t a requirement until late morning/early afternoon… if ever.
Lunch and Learns
Alexa for the win again. I’ll request a podcast or an audiobook while I cook and eat lunch.
Mr. Maid Duties
My fiancée Nikida works long hours as a public school teacher.
I try to help her by keeping our place tidy and throwing in a load of laundry in between working sessions. This gives me the benefit of an organized work environment AND a happy partner.
How About You?
When you work from home, you have complete control to craft your perfect work environment.
This means you can add pockets of fun that make your days and weeks more enjoyable. Hikes, tacos, gym, hammock, tug, audio learning, laundry, dance and no pants sessions are few of my guilty work from home pleasures.
What about you?
I’d love to hear about your guilty pleasures. Let me know about them on the Twitters.