Don't Work From Bed...and other rules

I started teaching online and have had a few struggles. On Monday I spent the entire morning in bed, in pajamas, with my laptop and had big plans for work, but instead found myself watching cat videos on YouTube with Guiri (this one is adooorable! and this one is in French!), then napped, and then painted my nails. To make up for all that lost time, I ended up working late into the night on Monday. Yesterday was better, but still distracted. I had my morning classes at SDSU, which forced me to get up and get dressed, but then I came home to work on my online class and instead spent a significant amount of time checking and re-checking the 2 Evil Fs (Facebook and the Fridge.) Again, up past midnight finishing work after a less-than-productive afternoon.  I need structure. Time to set some ground rules for working from home:

Don't Work From Bed
I'm a big believer in only using the bed for sleep, romance and sometimes reading - we don't have a TV in our room for that reason. So, not sure why I thought it was okay to work in bed, but no more.

Take a Shower/Get Dressed Up/Put on Makeup
I did this today and was waaay more productive. I think my brain needs a shower to wake up, and when you look the part, you get more done.

Create an "Office"
I made an office out of our kitchen table, complete with cheery flowers, a note pad, and some freshly sharpened #2 pencils. Is anything more blissfully nostalgic than classic #2 pencils? I think not.

Also, I had lunch and breaks away from this space, so I could have some distinction.

Set Work Hours/Deadlines and Stick to Them
I set a lunch hour for myself, and regular working hours. During working hours, no social media, no obsessive fridge-checking. Work only. I made a to-do list and deadlines, so I could get everything done on time.

I followed these rules today and had a productive and enjoyable day. Turns out, teaching online is kinda fun, and creative in a different way. I got all my work done by 4, which meant I got to take my baby girl to the beach. Working from home isn't so bad.