In the mind of Joseph Z.

Up and at 'em

I lost my job in February, after the company I worked for moved out of state. My plan at the time was to start a great new freelance writing career: make money working for myself without having to go into an office. But without a clear idea of how to start, my dream floundered. In the meantime I’ve checked the job listings and called a few temp agencies to try to find work.

I realized that my major problem was motivation. When you’re working for someone else they give you your motivation, either positive (I really like this place/work and want to do well) or negative (I hope I don’t get fired). Sitting at home without a clear idea of what you’re doing or anyone to police you, motivation is harder to come by.

So, what’s the answer?

The short answer is: I don’t know, but I’m going to try to find out.

I’m going to try different methods (some my own, some cadged from productivity blogs and books) to get myself up, working, and successful. This post is the first step in that direction.

The Great Outddors

Came across this story via zenhabits): Bye-bye classroom. I was intrigued because one of my rarely indulged interests is progressive education.

The article talks about a nursery school in England that focuses on unstructured play, and keeps the children outside all the time. The article goes into the pros and cons of this approach (some people are against it), but I found it an interesting read.