Blogging can become a chore if you don’t have the right work space. I was on a flight, and I learned a couple of ways to improve my work in the home setting.
For some odd reason, I was able to get a lot done and I actually popped out 4 blog posts and still managed to get a nap in.
There is no way I could do this at home, well at least that’s what I thought. I have never done this before, but oddly enough, I did it on my flight from Guam to Hawaii.
It was a 6 and a half hour flight, and I was able to get what would’ve been 4 days of work if I were to do this from home.
With all this work done in so little time, I have figured out a way to get my working environment at home to be just like it was when I was on my way to Vegas for the Wealthy Affiliate Conference.
Distractions – it Happens
We all get distracted as bloggers. For some of us, we are parents and our kids are a big reason of our unproductiveness.
Can’t complain though, as these little brats are the same reason I set out to find a way to work from home (link here) in the first place.
However, with all the pros of working from home, come the inevitable, absolutely must deal with, distractions that come with the job.
Fixing the Problem
Being on this flight, I learned a bunch of things that could help me become a more productive blogger, and I thought I’d share it with my fellow entrepreneurs.
A lot of the things I learned were probably stuff that I already knew, but the problem was putting my finger it.
Here are some of the ways you can create that perfect blogging environment so that you too can be productive as well.
Getting in the Zone
This is really the ultimate goal when getting a blog post out of the way. It’s not the easiest thing to stay focused so, we need to do everything we can to make that happen.
Although we can’t create the perfect blogging environment, there are some minor and/or major changes that you can do to help you be a more productive blogger.
Here are some things that I actually found that has helped my blog tremendously.
Getting Comfortable
I know riding in a plane is not the most comfortable thing, but as a blogger, I think it puts you in a perfect position from which you can stay focused in.
As a regular traveler, you are looking to get comfortable so you can get some shuteye or watch a flick to keep you busy.
As a blogger, sleep or keeping up with the Kardashians was the last thing on my mind, so the word comfort was a little different for me on this flight.
Being that I was going to be busy for about a week straight, I knew I had to get some work done or I’d fall back with my business and you all know what that means. Less money.
The Homefront
At home, it is not the easiest thing to get a seat and tray top like they have on a plane, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get that same feel.
Before I experienced the whole blogging in a plane thing, I used a typical office chair, which came with wheels and a nice little hydraulic lever, which I played with every time I got bored.
After that flight, I knew that rolling around was one of the reasons I couldn’t be as productive as I was on the plane.
The Fix
I grabbed a chair from the kitchen. Not only did it keep my butt still, but it put me at this upright position that allowed me to focus more on what I was writing rather than try to stop myself from rolling around.
This is something that has worked for me and it may or may not work for some of you.
The lighting
I never could put a finger on whether or not I worked better with the light on or the light off.
After being on this flight, I figured out exactly why I didn’t know if it were better if I had the light on or off.
It’s because I didn’t need the light on and I didn’t need the light off either. I needed the light to be dim!
With a couple of windows open on the plane and some closed, it really allowed me to focus on my work.
I was able to see around me (enough) and I was still able to focus on my computer screen.
The Homefront
Depending on what time of the day you plan on blogging, will determine how you create the perfect lighting.
All of our houses are different and not all of us have the same window setup at home, so we all need to go about this differently.
The Fix
In the day, I would close the curtains and blinds completely because leaving just one window open allowed too much light into the room.
I actually found out that my desktop put out enough light for me to get that same lighting that I had in the plane.
For the most part, I blog at night or very early in the morning before the sun comes up. I find it best for me to concentrate at this time of the day.
Noise Level
I don’t know about you, but sometimes having complete silence is not the best thing. Whether it be blogging or even going to sleep, I need some type of background noise.
Of course there was no one yelling on the plane and I hope no on is yelling on any of your flights either.
It was very peaceful as the majority were just trying to get some rest.
There were two kids that cried every now and then, but that wasn’t a distraction at all. It did make me miss my baby, so I can’t wait to see him and my big boys of course.
The Homefront
Definitely not the case at my home. You see those two kids that weren’t a distraction on the plane? That was just because they weren’t mine.
At home, I would have to stop what I was doing and cater to them immediately or I would have to stop completely.
Whether it was preventing my baby from crying or doing a little discipline, there was always something to get me distracted.
The Fix
Headphones. It is almost a must when you travel and it can definitely help you to get you the perfect blogging noise level.
I use the regular old headphones that came with my iPhone and they seem to work just fine.
you can get all fancy and get you some noise canceling headphones, which will definitely help get the noise out of your way.
Me Time
Don’t get me wrong, I would very much rather have my kids on that flight more than anything in the world.
I did learn a valuable lesson and although I knew this problem existed, I now put it into action and I get a lot more done with my blog.
The Homefront
There was no one to bother me on the plane and that is definitely not going to happen at home.
The problem I had at home was that my office was in the living room! Although I will be getting my own office when we move to our new place, I had to deal with what I had.
You can’t just kick the kids out of the living room while they’re watching their favorite shows right? Or can we?
The Fix
Once again, this one flight has shown me the light and there is really a solution to every problem.
The new rule is this. “When daddy’s working, you will stay in your room and watch TV there until dad is done”.
It may sound like I’m being selfish, but you have to remember that this is still a job, and it still requires work to be done.
Without your blog posts, you won’t make any money. So rather than having to stop and do a quick lecture, you can get that post done and then focus on the kids later.
Conclusion
You can keep dealing with these problems while trying to get a blog post done, but you can also expect to get the most unproductive work out of it.
Rather than having a mediocre post due to these distractions, get the work done first and then worry about other things later.
Following these tips will allow you to create a quality post, get it done faster, and ultimately be more productive.
I hope these tips have helped you in one way or the other and I hope that you can have more productive blogging days ahead.
We all have our tricks of the trade, and these are just some of mine. What works for me might not work for you. What are yours?
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