Tag: #workingfromhome

A Simple Habit

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There’s a purple, leather notebook laying open all day. A silver and purple pen rests on top of the pages ready to write. The dark purple ribbon lays across the page marked with today’s date.

This is where I write my tiny things attributing to the self-trust cultivator, or as you fondly call it, The Done List. I’m moving into week 4 of self trust, and week 3 was THE best week. It was the week that I could see it becoming a habit.

Procrastination has left the building. Now, to stick with it.

success

They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit, and I believe that. What they don’t elaborate on is how long it takes to instill it. How long do we have to continue before it becomes a new portion on our plate of life? Well my darlings…it takes months.

Week 4 will be interesting. That is the week the newness wears off, and the excuses arise. I’m going to stick with it though because I’m building to Month 2, where I get to do it all over again!

After 2 months, it will be a habit, and feel natural.

I’ve been thinking a lot about habits. What works for me is to start off small. I would like to have more physical activity in my life, like walking. Yes, it’s been hot, but that shouldn’t keep me from walking. I start out small, and tell myself, “Just walk to the end of the street Barb.” To the end of the street is simple.

As a matter of fact, I did that, but got to the end of the street, and the over achiever in me showed up. Instead of turning around and walking back home, I took a left and walked another few blocks. That killed it because it started to feel like exercise. Here I was with no water bottle, sweating and panting my way home!

Round 2: Barb tries again and keeps it simple.

consistency

I walked to the end of the street, turned around and walked home. No hesitation at the intersection this time, just followed the simple instruction. Victory! It was amazing the difference in the way I felt. It wasn’t that I had completed a marathon, it was that I kept my word, and didn’t disappoint.

We make it a priority to keep our word to others, but what about ourselves? I encourage you to stop putting your desires last on the list. You get this one life, so make room by creating and implementing a simple habit.

Rise to It

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Bella Donovan Hero. The name of the coffee in the featured photo. The photo has been on my desktop for a month as something to aspire to.

The man I work with lives in California. He usually sends an email while I sleep, outlining the day’s assignments. It’s customary to wake up and view the email to help plan my day, but Tuesday morning, there was no new email. I took it as a sign.

Take a day Barb. Just take a day.

And I did. How freeing to let a Tuesday unfold all on it’s own. Recently, I was reminded that before we even get out of bed, God already has our day planned. We can watch for treasures hidden throughout the day, but to do that, I needed to slow the pace.

My morning coffee was treated as an event. I broke open the seal of the box containing two glass cups along with bamboo coasters, purchased a week ago. Swiping this photo from the Bluebottle website, I noticed they are now unavailable.

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Cafe Cup & Saucer for Two

They arrived over the weekend in a box that looked like an over sized jewelry box. I slid open the lid to take a peek. What I saw made me a little bit nervous. The cups looked so delicate, compared to the ceramic mugs we normally use.

The photo inspired me to drink coffee from something delicate, instead of durable.

They looked safe in the box, or I guess you could put them on display, but we don’t display items. Everything is to be used, and enjoyed in this house, but looking at these cups you could tell. They were designed to be a moment, even on a Tuesday.

Life is an occasion. We are designed to rise to it.

Keep Washing Mugs

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It feels like I’ve been washing coffee mugs all week. Walking through the house, making my way to the kitchen and picking them up on the way there. I’m not complaining my darling.

It’s actually a blessing. Used coffee mugs equal out to really good coffee consumed, and magical moments. When the tray that holds our mugs is empty, I see it as a good week!

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Empty mug tray.

The tray for the mugs is a cake stand.

I fell in love with it at first glance. Knowing it was a cake stand made it an even sweeter purchase, (‘cuz you know how I feel about cake), but I envisioned it holding our mugs on the coffee bar. When it’s empty, it’s a beautiful reminder of what it holds.

This meme has been on my mind.

becomemoreaware

I was given a subscription to Blue Bottle Coffee for Mother’s Day. Micheal, over at Kuched, reminded me a while back of the French Press. Mine had seen better days, so I ordered a new one for Mother’s Day. The color I wanted was out of stock, but I believe it’s worth the wait. It’ll be here tomorrow.

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Caribbean Blue by Le Creuset

Life doesn’t gets much better than mugs full of Blue Bottle coffee. Walking through the house picking them up to wash, was like gathering up moments. Becoming more aware my darlings of what’s truly worth your one, short, important life.

I’ll keep washing mugs.

Greet the Day

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Each day is unique and treated as such.

The first thing I do, after waking up, is walk through the house and open all the blinds on the windows to let the light in. My day varies from there. I have no set routine, but there are certain rituals that enhance my morning.

Yesterday, I made a cup of green tea, but today I went straight to coffee. Yesterday, I was greeted by the sun and today it’s cloudy. Yesterday, I turned on my little fireplace, but today the house is at a comfortable temperature. Yesterday morning, my phone didn’t ring, but this morning a delivery guy called at 8:00 am inquiring where to dump a truck full of sand. I called for help.

It’s the last month of the year and the change in who we are begins now for stepping into next year. This is not a Blog Challenge, it’s a personal challenge which I’m fairly practiced at. The biggest challenge so far is to find that sweet spot in my morning to write.

When everything falls still and the only sound I hear is the tapping of the keys. This is a new way to greet the day.

gray laptop computer on white surface
Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.com

Watch Your Step

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My daughter thinks my LG Health app is hilarious.

I’m pretty sure it thinks I’m not real. This app is on my business phone, which stays on my work table, until it needs recharging. I’m encouraged by this.

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Just 8131 more to go!

This app encourages phone attachment, but it’s confused that I don’t carry it around with me. Most days I don’t even know where my personal phone is! At least now, having a business phone, I can call my personal one to find it!

I helped a friend in her house cleaning business for a month. She taught me how to make every step count. She encouraged me to put everything needed in my cleaning caddy, and carry that from room to room. The mop, and vacuum were by the front door, because they are used last.

The tool caddy, and apron are designed for efficiency.

I still use what she taught me in my own home.

Instead of running around the house grabbing what is needed at the time, I look around in the area of the house I’m standing in, and see if anything needs to be done while there. After pulling the trashcan down the driveway for trash pick up day, I walk across the street, and get the mail.

Just like running errands in our vehicle, we can focus on our steps. Instead of feeling physically worn out at the end of the day, you will feel accomplished! Make every step count, and be productive instead of busy. Watch your step.

Working From Home (SMS)

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I walked into the bathroom, and there was the eye cream laying beside the sink. My daughter had left it for me, even though she normally takes it with her on the weekends. She knows I love that eye cream because it has shimmer in it, and it was a small, selfless act that showed great love.

My daughter returned home last weekend, and excitedly walked into her room. Normally, I spend the weekend doing small things all around the house to make our lives better, prettier, and more balanced. Her room might receive a new candle, or fresh flowers depending where I go that weekend. Last weekend, I stayed home and relaxed.

She said, “There is something different about my room, but I don’t know what it is.” Little does she know, I didn’t touch her room last weekend. It was exactly as she left it.

I’m working from home 7 days a week now, and it’s been an adjustment on many levels. We can still take time to care for one another, it’s just finding a balance. This weekend, I mopped the entire house, and you can feel the difference. I took the time to care for my daughter, even though she wasn’t here, but she will see it when she returns home.

I needed to strike a balance between work, and being present. The first week of the job, my daughter ran the errands, and figured out what was for dinner. She has enough to do, so this couldn’t last. This small act helped bring balance into our lives, and it was found in the kitchen!

How do you get away from the work when working from home? Step away, and walk into another room.

When I ran into an obstacle with a client, and needed to pause, I made cookies. By the time they went into the oven, God had revealed the solution. If the phone became quiet around 4:00, I started dinner. Choosing recipes I could walk away from if the phone rang. Some days, I let it go to voicemail, but returned the call after my break.

My daughter thanked me several times for cooking, and especially the cookies. She didn’t realize cooking was saving my sanity, and being therapeutic.

When she returns today, her sheets have been washed in the Tyler wash we have come to love. A candle is lit in her room, so it smells like home when she walks in. Just like leaving the eye cream for me to enjoy; taking the time to do small things for her, brings a smile to working from home.

Plug Into Life

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I’m really trying to plug into this little community.

That means leaving the house, and making myself visible.

After moving here, my daughter announced, “Hey Mom. You can always go hang out with the bikers on the weekends!”

Now, it’s one of my favorite things to do. A restaurant called Rolling Thunder Roadhouse is less than a mile from my home, and I go there often to sit and read, or engage in conversation. The owner’s Roger and Donna have pretty much adopted me.

Roger is a French Chef, and his wife Donna has done a little bit of everything. We had an instant connection, plus, they make the best cold brew coffee!

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Cold brew and Chocolate Biscotti. On my way!

When my daughter and I moved here in January, I was pondering what should come with me. Do I really want to continue doing everything this year, that I had been doing last year? Was it a fruitful path?

I had a job offer last week. It would still be working from home, but the company would have their calls forwarded for me to answer the calls. The owner knows I have phone skills, and will pay good money for them. A friend of mine busted out laughing when I told her my initial response.

I don’t know. I think I want to harvest seeds from the Hydrangea flower, and grow them to sell to my neighbors.

The company didn’t really have a response to that. 🙂

Do I want to continue Blogging? That has been the big question this year. I’ve posted more this week, than I posted the entire month of April. January through April, I posted one a week, and that used to be daily, so there’s progress.

Maybe I will go see Roger and Donna this morning, and take a book I’ve been reading with me. It’s a gorgeous day outside, and I just want to be out there, instead of in here.

It’s time to unplug from the computer, and plug into life.