Later that morning Cory and I started talking at The Hive; he mentioned something about having/not having a “soundboard” and being able to bounce ideas back and fourth with the potential of letting them grow; building upon a base or coming to the conclusion that the idea won’t work out and moving onto the next. This simple, beautiful process went away after a long lapse of time in the casa solo. I had lost the “Hey, what do you think of this?” factor.

Finally, something rang a bell. It was like a breath of fresh air into my lungs. The simple act of conversation was back. I was energized again, full of drive.

Refinements are in progress. Having an actual office where the computer stays and doesn’t follow me home sounds good. This gives separation between “work” and “home”. Working in a social environment that doesn’t include talking to a dog seems healthy as well. Some others:

Getting Outside the House

“By 8:30, I’ll be at…” instead of being cooped up at home.

Don’t Lose Fun

Fun for me is riding a bike, so I’ll continue biking as my jam to the office space. I’ll pop some wheelies for you, brah. Working on things that won’t put me to sleep sounds good too.

Socialize

People are doing some cool things; I like cool things. Maybe we could do cool things together and call it “work”.

Home | Work

When I get home, work is over. My body and mind will be clocking out and it will be time to celebrate the things I have. Having a blast and being stoked with what I got, that’s it.

Now some may disagree that work is never over in the creative industry, but I am using the word “work” very strongly in a traditional sense this time. After a day of work the things that take up my mind should be new ideas and fun, not the business side of things.

Working for yourself can be tough. These are just a couple of ways I’ve coped with being my own boss. Things like these are essential to not only putting out good work but for yourself as a human being in general. Thanks for being my soundboard!

Guys. Don’t miss me too much while I swim around with sea creatures off the sandy beaches of Maui. I’ll be more than happy to bottoms up for you. See you in a week internet.

Being in the house day in and and out doesn’t fight for the cause either; this may be a primary reason I feel pressure. Things are becoming too dull with the same sights and routine, especially when I’m not catching the outdoors for a decent chunk of the day. I’ve lost social interaction and some sort of self-preservation that gives reassurance, which in return brings confidence — whether that comes forward in general life or the layered process of design & writing.

If the first thing on my list entails code, then I’ll open a text editor. If it’s graphics, then I’ll open a graphics editor. When I do this kind of stuff my day becomes easier because I remain on a single track without flipping a biscuit. Because I can actually think about what I’m working on as I ease into the day. It’s less of an explosion going off inside my head and more like a lightbulb turning on.

Before I could say anything, the checker swiftly puts the batch of banana’s in a plastic bag. Was that necessary? Great, now I’m walking out with this stupid plastic bag holding a single item that could have very well been carried out on it’s own. Motivation: empty. Let: down.

At least show some courtesy and ask if I would like paper, or better yet ask if I need a bag for this item. Isn’t this called moderation? I’m guessing other shoppers (some more than others) would have a similar reaction, “No thank you, I’m good as is.”

What about when going through the drive thru and getting thrown a handful of condiments & napkins on your way out. Most of that “stuff” ends up staying in the fast food bag and getting dumped as “trash” anyway. I guess this is a part of growing up, thinking of where stuff ends up.

via ZLOG Blog

from Visual28

There’s some others around the internet,
like these guys: http://patterntap.com/tap/collection/notice.

Have any other examples?

Tools

What do I need to finish this job?

Toaster, bread & butter, a plate & knife with something to wash it all down, yes? Fruit Punch will do.

Think Process & Flow

Everything has layers and goes in a certain order. Understanding how something works gives me control & confidence.

Plug in toaster > grab bread, butter & utensils > plop bread in toaster and pull slider down to begin toasting.

When the toast is done, it pops up to let you know. But never dismounting out of the toaster, I wish.

Spread butter > Eat.
…take awesome nap.

Talk to Myself

Seriously. This won’t require yelling–or even talking for that matter. Walking myself through the process will better clarify and expedite the current task at hand, by holding my hand.

“Okay, I need to grab the bread out outta the fridge (stays fresh longer YUP), take out 2 slices and pop these in the toaster.

Set the time. Grabbed the butter, plate and utensils on the way back through the kitchen. Now I’m set back at the micro, let’s do this toaster.

Trial & Error

Greatest idea ever.

My toast is burnt, WTF!
I came back just a second ago and now the shits burnt.

Try again, turn the timer down a bit so the bread isn’t heating for so long.

Communicate & google things

…better

Structure my question fully & clear with the proper details. How would I like to be talked to? What really helps when someone asks me a question?

Burnt toast using toaster.

My toast is burnt, I am using the Toaster 5000 model with the dial set to “4.”

Enough with the toast

It’s easy to get intimidated when I’m learning something new. New is foreign, and that’s scary because it takes time and I could probably fail. But what is my other option, bail out of an idea? We made the technology, therefore we better control it.