Tag: howiwork

Having a blog that’s more than a few posts might need some sort of organizing. I say “might” because it’s not really necessary to create categories and tags. It’s personal preference.

All the blog platforms have some form of organization.

I see categories as a way of keeping different kinds of content away from each other. It’s like having a tour guide on my blog saying, “Look over here at this, but ignore that.”

Today I didn’t use the Pomodoro Technique. It wasn’t so much a planned thing, but just how the morning worked out. I wanted to get right to work on an outline for a longer project. I dove right in and didn’t start my pomodoro timer.

I had my other timer running, the one I use for tracking billable time1. So, there was a running counter in my menu bar. My first thought was to just look up at it, and take a break every half-hour or so. That really didn’t work out as planned.

Todays 10 days to a better blog assignment is about the writing environment. I found this to be surprisingly on target. I’ve recently made sweeping changes in the how and where I work.

My desk was in the corner of my bedroom, with a window facing westward. I had it set up with a laptop stand, wireless keyboard, a decently wide monitor, USB hub, desk lamp, and a Wacom tablet. The cables were routed cleanly, with only the surge protector cord reaching the floor. I put effort into building something I would like. It was probably the cleanest desk setup I had ever put together.

Dividing up my day can be the hardest part about being a work-from-home freelancer. It’s easy to get distracted, by all the things.

I forgot where I first heard of this, but it’s really been a huge help is how I manage my day. Its creator, Francesco Cirillo, has a site that explains it in detail. He also sells the little tomato shaped kitchen timers that gave him the idea. (Pomodoro is Italian for tomato.)