The photo booth gig last weekend went great. The hours before it were some of the most stressful of my life, but when I got to the venue everything smoothed out. The funny thing was that the bride wasn’t even expecting me. My booth was so popular that she was more than happy to write me a check at the end of the night.
The last few days, though, I have gotten nothing done. My evenings have consisted of coming home, making food, and sitting in front of the TV. It also doesn’t help that I moved my computer to the living room because that’s where I have my mixer set up. The last three days may have been the least productive in the last month. It’s all because I couldn’t tear myself away from the tv.
The ironic thing is that I don’t even pay for cable. If I want to watch a tv show I either do it on my iPad or iPhone. Most of the TV I watch is either a movie I’ve seen a few times, or a TV show that I have on DVD. Somehow that’s enough to keep me on the couch and off my computer.
This is a pattern I have noticed before. When I was in graduate school I would grade papers in front of the tv. That would only go well if there was a football game on. Every other time I wouldn’t get any work done. It may be the very reason why I didn’t finish my degree.
When I quit my job at the bar this winter, and was trying to get my online business off the ground, I would do most of my work on the couch with Netflix running in the background. It’s no surprise that all of my attempts to make money fell flat on their face. When I was working at the bar I would come home from work and spend the rest of my night with my laptop in my lap in front of the television. I probably would have gotten to bed before 8 am if I had skipped the distraction and worked at my desk instead.
When I started my personal blog I made a decision. Instead of trying to get my work done in front of the TV, I would use my second bedroom as my study. All of a sudden I was getting more done and seeing more results than the last 6 months combined. I had finally figured out one of the big things that has been holding me back.
This evening has been different than the last three. Instead of putting on the next episode of House, I sat down with my iPad and started working. With the only distraction being my cat chasing a bug across the living room, I’ve gotten everything done that I haven’t done since Saturday. Lesson learned. The TV is a reward for when the work is done, not something to have in the background to make the work more interesting.
Getting rid of this distraction has helped make me more productive. What are some of the things that are holding you back from getting things done?