HambliDesign

How to Get Back to Work

The holidays are nice: we take off some time, eat some great food and generally get a break from the grind of freelancing. But the holidays don’t last forever. It can be tempting to fall into a holiday routine that keeps going well after the last present is opened, perhaps even after Auld Lang Syne is sung. Enjoyable as it might be, that routine won’t keep clients too happy.

Sooner or later, we have to get back to work. We have to readjust to the schedules and workflows that keep us productive during those parts of the year when we’re not celebrating. Getting back to those routines can be difficult, but it is possible.

Jump Back into Your Routine

Many freelancers know what their ideal routine is already — we don’t need to build new routines after the holidays end. We just need to get back into those good habits we had before we started on this year’s holiday season. It’s like going to the gym: it’s not necessarily as enjoyable as the alternative, but the easiest way to start going to the gym after a long break is simply to go.

Don’t worry about finding the perfect starting point. It’s easy to get in the mindset that we have to start back to work on a Monday or we really can get back to work until all the decorations are put away, but the fact of the matter is that the right time to start getting back to work is right now.

It can take some time to get back in the habit of working, so don’t worry about getting entirely back into your routine today. Just do what you can today, do a little more tomorrow and shortly you’ll be back up to speed.

Get Out of the House

If you work from home, it can be especially hard to get back to work. There may be new toys to play with, relatives still home on winter break and leftovers begging to be eaten. Heading out can provide a break from the pressures that can keep you distracted. Even an hour or two at a local coffee shop can provide an atmosphere different enough to let you get some work done. This may be the right time to try out a new co-working space or check out what facilities your local library offers.

The alternative can be to change up your work space at home: if you’ve got anyone home for the holidays while you’re trying to work, getting them out of the house may be more helpful than leaving yourself. It doesn’t have to be an all day affair — sending an adult with vacation time to a movie or a kid off from school to a play date may be just enough of a break.

If the distraction is less a matter of the people around you and more about the holiday routines you’ve settled into and now need to break, cleaning out and reorganizing your office may provide a way to break up your calendar. You’ll probably need to start thinking about details like tax preparation soon: while gathering the records for such tasks may not be as fun as celebrating, it doesn’t always feel as taxing as an assignment for a client.

Enjoy the New Year

It’s easy for clients to come back from the holidays bursting with energy and new ideas — along with hopes for fast turn-arounds. Whether or not you can match that enthusiasm, it can be an important factor in how fast you get back to work. You’ve got a year of opportunity in front of your, chances to grow your freelance business and take on new projects. Getting back to work doesn’t have to be a question of drudgery: if you’ve got goals in mind for the new year, along with a project or two of your own that has you excited, you may be able to move faster on getting back into the swing of things.

ThinkGeek Giveaway: Star Trek Interactive Tribbles

There is no doubt that freelancing–particularly the sector made up by developers–attracts a large number of lonely nerds. We’re hoping that this Christmas we can help take away some of your loneliness by pandering to your nerdy side. Today’s giveaway is a Star Trek Interactive Tribble from ThinkGeek:

“These tribbles, when they’re not busy being cute and purring, were prodigious breeders. As one country-doctor once quipped, “Well, the nearest thing that I can figure is that they’re born pregnant – which appears to be quite a time-saver!” In fact, their ability to multiply is so incredible, they can fill an entire cargo hold in three days – that’s one million, seven-hundred seventy-one thousand, five hundred sixty one tribbles… assuming one tribble with an average litter of ten producing a new generation every twelve hours. That’s some impressive breeding, right there. It would make any man want to high-five any tribble, except tribbles don’t have arms.”