What’s on the iPod: Conductor by We Were Promised Jetpacks
I had yet another weekend where I was glad to see Monday. Had a great time, but it was a busy time. On Friday, my husband and I met in the city for First Friday. It was probably the slowest train ride I’ve had in a long time — 5 pm is not the time to go anywhere around here. Luckily, my stop is pretty far outside the city, so I had a seat. By the time we got to 30th Street station, it was standing room only. The train was late for that reason — three people would get off the train, 20 or so would pile on. Still, it was better than the usual gridlock on the Schuylkill expressway.
Had a nice time and then a nice dinner. We got home around 10:30, then I was up again at 6 am to meet a college friend in the city for breakfast. What fun! We haven’t seen each other in 15 years, but there we were talking like we’d just seen each other five minutes before. We then went off for a walking tour of the city, where Abigail Adams talked about the women who helped shape the city and its politics. Great tour given by a wonderful historical actress, Kim Hanley. She appeared also at Valley Forge’s Washington Memorial Chapel last year, telling of her time (as Abigail) in a new country. Great presentation then, too.
Yesterday was all about the kitchen. Again. We’re finally to a point where we’re ordering things and getting prepped for new appliances,countertops, and replacement cabinets. I’m thrilled, but nervous. I’ve lived through major renos before, and the kitchen is the toughest. You don’t realize how much that room is the center of your life until it’s in pieces in different rooms. Hopefully doing much of the work ourselves and in piecemeal fashion will lessen the pain — but I doubt it.
Today is all about projects. Well, I hope. We have someone coming in to assess the airflow of the house (furnace issues still). The idea is to install a fan on the front door opening and let it run all day. That means no AC, I’m sure, and it may be too noisy to work. However, I plan to try. If nothing else, I can pull up my project on my Surface and head outside to the swing. If it doesn’t rain, of course, which it does look like it may any moment.
It makes me wonder about those interruptions in our day that can’t be helped. If we work in an office, there’s little that can happen to drive you out of your office. That’s not to say interruptions aren’t there — my husband says his days are usually most productive after 5 pm when the meetings are over and everyone goes home. But amid the meetings and impromptu visits by coworkers, there’s still a space to get work done. But what happens when your space disappears? Here are a few things I’ve done:
Seek out WiFi elsewhere. I love a good coffee shop for the free Internet.I’ve learned to avoid libraries (too noisy) and to choose places where I can spread out on a table (McDonald’s and Burger King) or have access to an outlet (Steel City Coffeehouse or Starbucks). If I need reference books, there’s no place nicer than Barnes & Noble. It’s a great impromptu library, and the one nearest to me has a Starbucks inside.
Move to a different room. Today may get kind of hot for me, so I’m prepared to head to the basement and work. There are desks down there in storage, and I could clean one off and get to work. Or if it’s a day where the heating/cooling is still operating, I can go to the kitchen, living room, or library for a while. That will happen when we get the new floors installed — I won’t be able to access the study.
Work before or after hours. In my brain, working beyond 5 pm is like asking a dying man to make you a sandwich, but some people can caffeinate and keep going. Still, if you know there’s an interruption coming, you can plan to work before the interruption arrives (we’ll have this guy here all day, so I’m working now) or after it disappears. Plan work to obtain the most impact — schedule each project with a specific time limit so you don’t feel at loose ends.
Phone a friend. Maybe you can take your work to a friend’s house (a writer friend would be best as they get you can’t sit and chat).
Take a day off. You can, you know. It’s okay to allow life to get in the way, even if you’re on deadline.
How do you adjust for an interrupted work day?
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