As I’m typing this post, I am sitting drinking milk tea and munching on crunchy toasted bread in my favourite cheap cafe.
I have learned early on that it is a hopeless endeavour to try and blog at home. My kids would jump onto (and on) my lap, expecting me to open PlayHouseDisneyChannel-Asia.com (an address which even my 2-year old could memorize), play their favourite music video (right now they’re into Korean artists, either Wonder Girls’ “Tell Me” or 2PM’s “10 Points Out Of 10”), or something else, like going to the loo, getting them a glass of water, opening the packets of their favourite crackers, dinner, lunch, snacks… you know, the whole parental duties and other things that either make you sigh or pull your hair out.
Drinking tea and eating toast in this particular cafe actually helps me focus. Within two hours, I was able to finish three 1,000-word articles. And now I’m in the middle of finishing this blog post.
When I’m focused, it takes me another 15 to 30 minutes before my creative vibes kick in. The hustle and bustle of this cafe only adds to the excitement of completing my writing assignments (did you know that JK Rowling also prefers the cafe when writing her Harry Potter books? Coincidence? I think not! SHOW OFF!)
Now, programming is another thing, for some weird reason.
My environment needs to be very quiet and office-like before I can totally commit to my coding. This is why my home office has to be very de-cluttered and bare-bones; I prefer just my netbook and wireless mouse in front of me — I don’t even need a PC. My WiFI printer/scanner/copier would be another thing sitting at the corner of the office.
But even when no one is at home, my home office is one very distracting place. It’s too convenient for me to get a quick snack, or to run off to do my laundry (a one minute load-into-the-washer thing often turns into a 15-minute dry-hanging and folding of clothes to top it up), or do the dishes, or quickly make dinner 6 hours in advance.
Or maybe just an hour of Oprah. Then an hour to catch up on House. Add another hour of Lie To Me.
You see that?
I really don’t know whether this is the state of mind I condition myself into, or that the environment is what shaped my mindset.
Distraction and focus is the main theme here, I guess. Whichever affects either or both of these will determine whether I can blog or write or finish whatever’s in my to-do list that day.
Do you have your favourite place to blog? Does blogging at home work for you?
BTW, here are some blog posts from WebGrrrl.net readers who are taking on the PostAWeek 2011 challenge:
- 1 ring to rule them all! (link removed, site no longer exist) by LaViaP The Geek
Check out my other posts: « WordPress PostADay Challenge: are you game? / The Top Commentators Widget and Subversioning »
I prefer blogging from home since I can have all the time I need to draft an entry. But then again, I like it at home because I have yet to have distraction in the form of children.
Doing house chores while blogging, I think that’s great! Multitask bah hehehe
for me, anything that doesn’t have interruption in the form of TV is fine. so i guess home is not a good place for me. but since idea just popped up anytime and anywhere, i just write it down and piece it up together at a different time.
Here’s my PostAWeek challenge for this week 🙂
Nothing works better than the ol’ under-rated pen and paper, don’t you think?
I blog and provide link building services from everywhere. LOL! I use my HTC myTouch 3g phone when I am not carrying my Dell mini netbook. I blog from home, but I also blog in the minivan when I’m waiting for my kids (community service or sports). I can also be found at Panera’s or McDonald’s blogging. I am a mom to 7 kids, so I am always on the run.
I remember when my kids were young, but since I am the only parent I didn’t have the luxury of leaving them with anyone. So, I did what I had to do and worked online at night, when they slept. My youngest is now 9, he’s also autistic so he’ll be in my life forever. However, my other kids are 12, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21. So far, one left the nest-US Navy. Only 6 more to go…
Enjoyed your blog!
*Gasp* You definitely got your hands full! Yes, those smartphones and netbooks are a Godsent aren’t they. Thanks for dropping by, and all the best, from one mom to another.
@chegu: I’m getting too old for multitasking… this brain isn’t working as well as it should be, I’m afraid. My attention span is getting shorter and shorter. I need to focus better now if I were to complete anything the way I want it to.
I often found it helpful to set a timer, let’s say you decided to work for an hour and then rest for 15 minutes. You set the timer for 1 hour and work without distraction – no email, YouTube, Facebook anything that is not related to work, after 1 hour do whatever you want for 15 minutes. I found it being more productive.