My Front Porch Philosophy

2 weeks ago, I shared this post about the struggles of working from home. I was overwhelmed (in the best way) with the response I received and decided a “part 2” post was in order!!

I heard from so many of you that you struggle with the same things I struggle with – finding a balance of discipline & creativity. How do we stay motivated to do the work, while also allowing ourselves the freedom to let our creative juices flow?! 

The first few months I worked from home full-time felt like absolute bliss. I could sleep in, wear my pajamas all day, work from bed & watch Friends all day. And, to be honest, there were a few days I did just that.

I didn’t give myself structure, I didn’t discipline myself, and I worked whenever the heck I felt like working.

Here’s the downside to that lovely little system – there was no system.

And while the majority of us are creative-brained & therefore need some wiggle room in our regular work day (and that’s a big reason while cubicles & corporate-ladder jobs didn’t appeal to us), we ARE running a business! Therefore we have to have a system – even if it’s an unconventional one. 

I realized pretty quickly that I needed to figure out what that system would look like for me, and I needed to stick to it! I’m not saying there aren’t still days I work from bed with Friends on TV and Diet Dr Pepper in my tumbler (real life – I’m doing that right now as I type this!)!! However I realized that there are certain systems/schedules I can put in place to keep me motivated & disciplined throughout the day.

One thing that throws off my entire day is when I start the day feeling stressed. When I was working for someone else, I hated jumping up each morning & rushing around the house. I disliked leaving in a hurry, coming home exhausted & constantly felt like nothing was getting done.

Enter my Front Porch Philosophy.

It’s pretty simple actually. And even if you don’t have a front porch, you can incorporate this philosophy into your routine – I promise. 

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If you follow me on instagram & therefore watch my insta-stories, you may have noticed quite a few posts about my Front Porch. It’s quickly become one of my favorite areas of our home; now that the mornings have been a bit more bearable in terms of temperature, I’ve found myself out there starting my day from our front porch swing.

When you think of Front Porch’s what do you think of? For me, I think of southern hospitality. I think of sweet tea, porch swings, white wicker chairs & magnolia trees close by for shade. I think of words like inviting, welcoming & relaxing. Who wouldn’t want to start their morning off that way?

I’ve never, ever been a morning person. EVER. (Just ask my little brother about all the pillows I threw at his head when he tried to wake me up growing up, ha!)

But I’ve realized that if I get up at 7:45am when Matt leaves for work, grab a cup of coffee and start my work day with ease, I get so much more done. When I sleep until 9am, I wake up more panicked, thinking about how much there is to do & how much I could have already done.

A typical day at home looks like this:

7:30am My Alarm goes off and I hit snooze approximately two times (anyone else need that extra few min?!)

7:45 I’m up, in comfy clothes & grabbing Pumpkin Spice coffee from my Keurig

8:00 I’ve made it to the Front Porch with a cozy blanket & my laptop

8:00-8:15 I take a look at Google Calendar & Trello so I can get a firm grasp on my day & share my morning Instagram post.

8:15 I tackle priority emails first. I then have the rest of my day block scheduled according to what’s on my calendar!

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This isn’t rocket science, but it’s a system that works. I want to challenge you to do incorporate your own Front Porch Philosophy for 5 business days. 5 days. That’s it! Maybe you don’t have a Front Porch – find a spot in your home, someplace inviting, relaxing & intimate. A place to go to start your day on the best note, and therefore allowing the rest of your day to build off of that!! Give it a try for one solid business week. Allow yourself time to sink slowly into your work day vs. jumping up in a rat-race you hate.

Does anyone have a similar morning routine? Are you planning to give my Front Porch Philosophy a try? I can’t wait to hear how it goes!:) 

xo! kat

I'm a biz coach and integrator for creatives! My job? To help you dreams & dailys happen every week. Rinse and repeat.

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