| A good use for some worn-out shoes |
Ego aside, my advice-giving comes from a good place. Without sounding too much like a Miss World contestant, I like helping people with their problems. Part of the reason I write blogs about self-employment and working from home is to be a useful (and hopefully entertaining) resource to anyone that comes across them.
However, like a lot of people, I’m crap at following my own advice. Ever heard of the phrase ‘physician, heal thyself’? Or ‘the cobbler wears the worst shoes’? They both ring so true with me, because cheerfully doling out guidance is so much easier than sorting your own shit out.
I’m thinking about one recent post in particular that I wrote a couple of months back called ‘Working from Home – the Essentials’, where I listed all the things a home worker needs to be happy and productive. Lately I’ve been guilty of ignoring two quite important tips from this article, due to being busy, and, I’ll be honest, lazy.
The first is ‘clothes that don’t make you depressed’. I’ve been a slob lately and couldn’t twig why I was feeling so uninspired and unmotivated. It’s a vicious circle: you’re busy, you’re tired, you can’t be bothered to pick out an outfit when you’re ‘just working from home’, you put on slobby clothes, you feel crap. Must try harder.
The second is ‘the outside world’. I need to get out more. I need to network more. I’ve been busier lately (good) so I’m letting these things slip (bad). I was chatting with a good friend who used to freelance, and she suggested I look into co-working spaces. I’ve always dismissed this idea as being an unnecessary cost, but now I’m thinking one day a week could help to relieve the cabin fever, give me a reason to get dressed and put on make-up (how do I mascara?), and mingle with other people.
So I’m going to make a concerted effort to improve both these areas, which may involve shopping. Nobody ever said working for yourself was easy!
