A fresh start

How to get back to work after a long break + FREE wallpapers

Happy New year - I hope you are all rested, recharged and refreshed for a jump into 2023!

Here’s me, at my desk on January 1st, pretending I am sooooo ready to start the New year when in fact it took me another week to send out this first Substack.

When you are self employed, it is sometimes hard to get back into the work rhythm after a long break, a holiday season, a vacation or any other absence from daily routine. I admire people who are super organised because I am not one of them - given an opportunity my mind will quickly get distracted and wonder off another direction, no matter how many to-do lists I write and how many colourful markers I use.

I always try new things to improve my productivity and last year I started bullet journal method which has been quite a game changer - my weeks are now more structured and I keep all of the appointments and important tasks in one notebook instead of several calendars, journals and loose post-its…

But writing a list of tasks down and actually completing them are two different things. Working from home means we are surrounded by distractions; doorbell, laundry, TV and leftover Christmas chocolates …

And even if you have a large dedicated workspace or a studio away from home, there is always that pesky distraction device you carry with you - the phone. Before you know it, you pick it up and flick through some of the apps, “just checking …”, and there goes the concentration.

I use focus feature on my iPhone and during work hours it blocks phone calls, messages and notifications from anyone outside a chosen list of contacts (I can still be reached by immediate family, school, etc.). That means I don’t get distracted UNLESS I pick up the phone to, you know, just check something …

Luckily some android phones have the option of blocking certain apps during scheduled work time and iPhone’s focus feature allows us to set a different wallpaper for each type of focus, changing the immediate appearance of the phone - here is my WORK wallpaper:

If you are like me and need a little nudge to remind yourself to put the phone down, or you just think these birds are cute, you can download any of these three FREE wallpapers from the links below.

And if nothing else, may they bring a smile on your face the next time you pick up your phone!

Get back to work wallpaper

Bedtime wallpaper

Coffee break wallpaper

PS

This article was written as a part of the Illoguild question of the month; if you want to know how other artists deal with this topic, head over to the Illoguild Substack to read more.