Hello all! Thank you for joining me here at Love Bytes for my monthly post. It’s hard to believe it’s already April. I remember when it was New Year’s Eve and I was thinking about the year ahead.

Despite how busy my schedule has been since 2015 started—I had one release in February, a cover reveal the month before, a blog tour the month of release, edits, attended a conference, an author’s workshop, plus I had deadlines, among other things—April officially kicks off the rest of my year release-wise. From this month onward, it’s pretty much full-steam ahead. I have roughly one release a month—perhaps more—between books and audiobooks. Along with releases there will be cover reveals, blog tours, events, conferences, commissions, edits, and deadlines.

Of course we all know that’s just the writer side of things. There’s also life happening around me, friends and family. I might possibly be moving home during all this. Thank goodness for Wi-Fi and hotspots, though I’m sure there will come a point where I will be *gasp* without internet. The thought alone is enough to give me cold sweats.

Meanwhile, my schedule remains, and despite everything going on, I have to do my best to not let my timetable implode on itself. That’s what being your own boss is. You have to manage your career, your business, and your home life.

A lot of folks think working from home means sitting in front of the computer all day in your pajamas, lounging, and browsing the internet.  Okay, so that also happens. I have family members who have trouble understanding my self-employed status or what that entails, despite my gentle reminders.

Being my own boss is the best job I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t want to change it for anything. It’s also one of the toughest jobs I’ve had. It’s pretty scary. Success and failure rests on my shoulders. I’m responsible for everything. I don’t have employees to delegate tasks to and it’s still early days for me which means no assistant as of yet. Unless you count my mom who helps me put conference swag together, but then she’s paid in hugs and tasty treats.

Working from home takes some getting used to. At first it seems like you have an infinite amount of time on your hands [insert maniacal laughter here].  I’m still learning and working out my schedule so that I can get the most amount of work done in the time available. I work far more hours now than any of my previous jobs, which I think says a great deal about what I’m doing and how much I enjoy it.

When I first started working from home, there were certain things I had to do in order to feel like this was a business, to get me into that frame of mind. Although my work is creative in nature, creating is my business. It’s what pays the bills. It’s pretty terrifying. I’m fortunate enough that I get to do what I love for a living, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a heck of a lot of hard work involved. Here are some of the things I needed to get sorted out in order to stay on the right track.

1. Workspace. I’m an office nerd. I love desks, computer equipment, and especially stationary. Love is probably an understatement where stationary is concerned. Anyway, I needed a designated area. I envy those authors who could write anywhere anytime. Nope. If I can’t get into the zone, it’s not happening. I need my own space, somewhere I feel comfortable. After I’ve had my coffee—because nothing happens before coffee—I go to my desk, and each and every time I sit down in my La-Z-Boy Executive chair, I feel great. The chair was a Christmas gift from my parents, the first ones to embrace my crazy decision to be self-employed. It supports my back better than any chair I’ve had before, which is a huge deal for me as I’ve always had lower back problems. A really great chair can be very expensive, but when you spend hours on end sitting, it’s worth the price, believe me.

It’s amazing what my little workspace has done for me and my productivity. I have everything where I need it to be. Everything is filed and easy to find. I keep a 32oz Contigo water bottle on my desk to keep myself hydrated.

2. Organization. On my desk, I have a large desk pad calendar and my open agenda. I’m a visual person, so having a calendar in front of me helps me keep track of everything. Writing everything down twice also helps me retain that information. Yes, I have a Google calendar that syncs to my phone, but when I’m working at my desk, all I have to do is glance down and I can see what’s going on for the whole month rather than having to pick up my phone. It also means I can jot things down quickly. It’s all color coded as well. So I know anything highlighted in orange is a deadline. Anything highlighted in purple is a guest at the Purple Rose Tea House. Pink highlights are personal appointments, green is a book promotion event, and so on. These colors also match my Google calendar. 

Every morning I look at my calendar and see what I have going on for the next two weeks. I then have a look at my To Do list for that week. The tasks are jotted down in order of priority and I go down the list, crossing things off as I complete them. Tasks that are ongoing or take longer than a week—such as a manuscript deadline—will go at the bottom of the list, so it’s still visible but not part of my immediate tasks.

3. Goals. It’s important to set goals, no matter how small. I have a goal for the day, week, month, and year. I look at the now, but keep an eye on what’s ahead. The longer I do this, the more I get a feel for what works for me and what doesn’t. I didn’t start off with a designated workspace. I started off with a small desk and a PC. As I went along, I started adapting things, making changes depending on what I saw that worked for me or didn’t. After a while, I moved to a slightly larger desk, added some equipment, and moved my space. Sometime later, I re-evaluated everything again, made the necessary upgrades and changes. For me, being my own boss and working from home means always evolving, looking for a way to improve myself and the way I do things, the same with my writing. It’s important to keep growing and not let yourself get stuck in the same old thing, unless that’s what works for you.

Well that’s it from me for this month. If anyone has any questions, feel free to leave a comment or contact me whichever way you prefer, whether it’s PMing me through Facebook or dropping me an email.

Do you work from home? What’s it like for you? If you don’t, would you ever work from home?

Charlie Cochet is an author by day and artist by night. Always quick to succumb to the whispers of her wayward muse, no star is out of reach when following her passion. From Historical to Fantasy, Contemporary to Science Fiction, there’s bound to be plenty of mischief for her heroes to find themselves in, and plenty of romance, too!

Currently residing in South Florida, Charlie looks forward to migrating to a land where the weather includes seasons other than hot, hotter, and boy, it’s hot! When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading, drawing, or watching movies. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

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