Nobody described the dangers of working from home better than author Jessamyn West who said, \u201cWhenever I\u2019m writing a book I never get out of bed, because if I get out of bed I always see something that needs dusting.\u201d<\/p>\n
I know the temptation all too well.<\/p>\n
My way of dealing with homebased distractions is to cluster domestic duties on Saturday. Just as I have a different\u00a0 business project assignment for each day of the week, personal projects have their day as well.<\/p>\n
After being away from home for the past five weekends, my house was dangerously neglected. I decided nothing was a better use of my time this weekend, than putting things in order.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m even throwing in some extra chores, things that only get done occassionally, like polishing all my furniture with almond oil (which smells delicious).\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I\u2019m tackling the bane of my existence–my stone tile floors. We drag in a lot of dust and dirt here in the desert and keeping up with it is time-consuming.<\/p>\n
To get inspired for this undertaking, I\u2019ve spent the past several evenings browsing a wonderful book called Where Women Create<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Jo Packham. I first heard about this book a few weeks ago when Steven Pressfield raved about it.<\/p>\n Packham has \u00a0gathered interviews with 26 creative women who talk about their personal workspace. There are tips, favorite quotes and, most of all, gorgeous photographs.<\/p>\n I especially enjoyed the diverse opinions are being organized versus enduring creative chaos.<\/p>\n For further inspiration, there was Mark Fauenfelder\u2019s piece in the Huffington Post<\/em> today: <\/a><\/em>The Courage to Screw Up–Why DIY is Good For You<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Years ago, I was living in a dreary little duplex on a busy street in Santa Barbara. I was also frustrated and stuck.\u00a0<\/p>\n One day I had a thought\u2014totally new to me at the time\u2014which went something like this: \u201cBarbara, if you don\u2019t take care of what you have, how do you expect to get more?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n I swung into action, putting my house in order.\u00a0<\/p>\n Then I grabbed a pruning shears and tackled the messy pepper tree by the driveway to our cul du sac which made it difficult for drivers leaving our street to make a left turn. As the pile of branches grew on the ground, I found myself smiling as I thought about how this simple task was going to make life easier for my neighbors.\u00a0<\/p>\n When I look back, I can see that the decision to care for what I already had, was a turning point in my life. New opportunities began to appear and before long I wasn\u2019t living in this dreary house anymore.<\/p>\n So although you may be spending this holiday weekend in quite a different way than I am, I want to share this thought from Thomas Moore: “The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.”<\/p>\n After all, cleaning a house can be a dreaded chore\u2014or an opportunity to practice genuine gratitude. I know which one I’ll pick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nobody described the dangers of working from home better than author Jessamyn West who said, \u201cWhenever I\u2019m writing a book I never get out of bed, because if I get out of bed I always see something that needs dusting.\u201d I know the temptation all too well. My way of dealing with homebased distractions is…<\/p>\n