Breaking away from your Mac.

J

jonparadise

Registered
I'm after a bit of advice if anyone's got any to offer.

Over the last few months I've been busy setting up a part time web design business, on top of my other full time job.

It's all going well, however, as I work from home, I'm having real trouble 'switching off'.

I went for my yearly medical the other day and the Doc said it's very important to give myself defined hours to work in, and then to stop, or I'll be working day and night.

So I have 2 questions, I find once my creative juices start flowing, I work until I drop. Do other people do that? Or is it best to give yourself a limit.

Secondly, does anyone have suggestions on how to 'snap' your mind out of design mode at home, and relax. I find my mind works 24 hours a day if I let it!

Cheers
Jon
 
Generally, it's a good rule of thumb to listen to your doctor. In this case, he's right.

I've gone on 36 and 48 hour straight sprees before for no good reason other than I could...not heathy one bit, but it's just too darn hard to "break away" from it sometimes.

Only way I can think of to snap the 'design mode' problem is to get you a wife (or girlfriend) who's outspoken and not afraid to hassle you over how much time you're spending with the computer and how little time you're spending with her. They can be very effective with that for some reason...<G>
 
Hi Jon,

what kind of sports do you like? what kind of sports options do you have around where you live?
i started going to gym a few weeks back. i needed it. do 1-1,5 hours of consistant workout (ok, i use minimum weights but still) ... then relax a moment in a sauna etc, and you are pretty much done. i feel great after that (i'm not a big sauna fan, but apple is blessed with saunas, so might as well ..). then home, sit down, have 1 glass of wine, and fall asleep. :)

i have always had the how to switch off thing. i can't - wehn the things i do are very similar. say, fix macs for your work .. and do for macs freetime to. i can't. i enjoy it, but unless i have SOMETHING totally different, it will not work out. so macs and macs ... then i'd need to go out with fun friends, cook .. or go out, hiking .. or fishing, or take a week off and take a train to china ... just need soemthing that is DIFFERENT. ie mental / physical or something like that.

while i studied (ie mental process), i had often to work the same time to get money (more physical action at work). it was busy, but it just recharged me. and getting you sometimes so tired that you just fall asleep helps too.

hope that helsp. ::)
 
When I accumulate over-over-over time... I need a break (a few days, a week if possible) somewhere with no cell phone, no pda, no computer (like visiting a city or in a chalet in the mountains), then I decied about by plan for the next weeks, with working time, time for walking (I don't like gym anymore, but a good walk is exactly as good), time for eating (no fast food), time for family, time for sleep (you can change the order). And I try to stick to it during a few months.

My main break is the walk.... very good for the health (and for the brain).
 
I started my business at home while working a full time job as well. the important thing is to set "hours of operation" or "work hours". make a schedule and stick to it. this makes it easier to "switch off". when you are getting close to that time, treat it just as you do your full time job, spend the last half hour or so cleaning up, jotting down notes for the next day and getting ready to "leave". I found that if I spent this time organizing for the next day, and leaving a clean workspace, it was so much easier to jump right back into it the next day. many of the small business coaches that i have talked to suggest this "administrative" time to keep you focussed on the business itself, not just the "widget".

Gia is right, do something totally different to take your mind off of it. I also work out at the gym usually about 5 times a week. I've even read some articles/studies linking job productivity to the level of social activity that people have. Go out, have fun with friends, get a drink somewhere (and take care of your bartender! ;) ).
 
Jon,

I know exactly what you're talking about. I call it getting into the groove, although it is likely very focused concentration combined with creativity. Whenever I experience this, I always go with it until I drop, though I admit it's probably not healthy. I do notice that my consumption of carbohydrates increases rather rapidly; i.e. lots of coffee sweetened with natural honey. One minor distraction that I find helpful with long periods working at home in front of the computer is the consistent and sometimes annoying pleas by my cat that he get his attention and play time. It's during these times that snap out of the uberfocus and realise how much time has passed or that I haven't eaten in a while. If I've been working like this all day and I finally collapse and go to bed, I hear fragments of words, consonants, and vowels, jumbled like a vocal static at about the same volume of a "ringing in your ear." When I wake, the vocal fragments are gone. Strange experiences with uberfocus! I wonder if this means I have some schizophrenic characteristics or if this is due to mental stress/exhaustion?
 
It's also important to remember that not all computer work has to be done in front of a computer. For example, I design a few websites here and there, and sometimes, even if I'm in the "zone" or on a roll, it's a good idea to break away and go sit on the porch with a pen and paper and sketch out ideas for my next stint at the computer.

And just because you're not within "working hours" doesn't mean you have to stop thinking about the project. I write code too, and sometimes, instead of writing and testing code, it's good to take a break and do something else -- more often than not I find that taking a break and getting my mind off of coding actually helps to solve some of the tougher coding problems I run into. Lifting weights or excercising, walking the dog, going to the store -- all these things help to get my mind back into "coding mode." I'll be in aisle 3 picking up some bread and pickled okra at the supermarket when BAM! The solution to a coding problem will just pop into my head. That rarely happens when I'm actually coding, well, because my mind is focused on coding rather than problem-solving.

I'll bet that the "binge workers," like myself, could cut their working time down by 1/3rd by taking a few breaks here and there and recuperating. Instead of pulling a 12 hour straight working binge, pull an 8 hour working binge with a few 30 minute breaks, and I'll bet you'd get the same amount of work done.
 
Pure unadulterated 2 cents:

Personally, i've been in the situation where near certain times of the year I'm doing 18-20 hour work days, telecommuting a lot in the process too. Switching off is a huge thing.

A few things that helped me:

Recently, (this year around Jan) I made a conscious effort to better define "work" vs "home". If you blur that line by working at all times even if you're home, you will sacrifice your downtime for the sake of perceived productivity.

Don't fall into the trap of "more time working is better". If you consistently work 18 hours a day, you may only actually be performing 12 hours of real work after a few days, and that decreases to longer you're at it. So define work times and tasks...

On downtime?

I work out, i do an hour or so of weights and cardio daily that gives a real nice endorphin release.

Also, I agree with the above posts that socializing is good. Bi-weekly poker games are fun in my case. Or something that breaks up any kind of work thoughts. Then again, now i chat someone and my mind is completely out of anything work related :p

Don't scrimp on sleep... Will mess you up badly.

Final advice... Do something that makes you feel totally immature and not grown up. Too many people take life so seriously that it can grind down happy people into just shells of existence. Go read comic books, play loud music, be a general goof, life is way too short not to enjoy it in unique and freaky ways :)

Regards.
 
Well, thanks guys. It's reassurring to know that this is quite a common problem, and one that probably hasn't been publisised much yet as it's all still quite a new phenomenon.

I'm a member of the local gym, so it looks like I'll have to start using that membership, and tell the other half to give me a swift smack if I look like going into the 'Zone' for too long....!

I find the biggest side effect is my sleep, when I've been working, even when I'm tired, my head is spinning with so much information that I can't settle for a very long time. That then impacts on the next day, and so on.

I think I should accept that occasionally when I'm on a roll I'll be working long hours, but when there are quieter periods, I should used some discipline and structure my days alot more,

Once again, thank you for all your imput, it's invaluable.

Cheers
Jon.
 
A puppy helps me take breaks during the day. When he gets bored he is likely to pee. He has already chewed through my ethernet cable (coming out of the cable modem) and my iPod firewire cable (which was fortunately not plugged in).
 
.. and how would that "home" vs "work" division work out, Dorn, if you would be with the same persons home AND at work? :)
 
Plug your Mac into a lamp timer, and set it to pull the plug 5 minutes after your work day is done. That should give you just enough time to save your work -- then CLICK!

No more web design until tomorrow...
 
Giaguara said:
.. and how would that "home" vs "work" division work out, Dorn, if you would be with the same persons home AND at work? :)
Click to expand...

never do THAT !
 
brianleahy said:
Plug your Mac into a lamp timer, and set it to pull the plug 5 minutes after your work day is done. That should give you just enough time to save your work -- then CLICK!

No more web design until tomorrow...
Click to expand...

Or, set the scheduled startup and shutdown times in the Energy Saver Preference Pane -- you know, that way you don't do an improper shutdown, which we all know can hose a system beyond repair!
 
I have to aggree, with a few things i have very little willpower, but i can sit down in front of a computer or be in my darkroom or woodworking for hours on end and dont even realize it. i spent 18 hours straight in my darkroom once because there was no clocks (well none that told the current time). I have to force myself to stop sometimes even though my creative juices are flowing. If it is to the point of your health being at risk, definately set limits and try to stick to them.
 
you have a darkroom? very cool. any interesting pics you care to share with the class? I am a bit of a photo nut, love b&w, have a Nikon F3 and can't wait to get a darkroom to get back to developing again.
 
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