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One of my favorite things about working from home, and basically being my own boss, is being able to work at my own pace and choose my own hours. Not only that, but I also love having control over what I work on, how I work, and when I work on specific projects. I could go on and on about everything that I love about doing my work from home, and even more so being my own boss. However, some of my favorite things about working from home can also become its downfall if I'm not careful, as it can be easy to lose the balance between work and play, which is actually a mood-killing habit for me. So that being said, it's easy for me to either find myself working way too much, with almost no breaks, or not doing any work at all and not getting anything done. And both ends of the spectrum are equally stressful.

Overworking myself, to the point I'm not taking breaks and working late into the night, is stressful for reasons that I am sure I don't need to elaborate on. Procrastinating and blowing off my to-do list is also stressful because of that nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I should be working on something. Hence why not having a balance between work and play tends to kill my mood and why it's crucial to have a balance between work and play, no matter how much you might enjoy your work. Or no matter how much you might not feel like working, let's be honest. It's also necessary to find a way to create a clear separation between work and play when you work from home. Even (and especially) if your work is also your also hobby, and usually feels more like play than work.

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For as long as I could remember, I have always been an introverted homebody, and usually, I am more than happy to stay home. I prefer to do most things from home. Sure, there are a few exceptions to the rule, and I do enjoy getting out of the house from time to time, but for the most part, I spend the vast majority of my time at home. Honestly, I spend so much time at home that the "stay at home" order that was put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 has hardly disrupted my daily routine at all. Not only did I already know how to easily stay entertained at home, but I was also already doing my work from home, so for the most part, my daily routine is almost exactly as it was before. I just have to practice a little extra mindfulness now, which isn't entirely a bad thing, and now I have no one telling me that I need to get out more and be more sociable. As a matter of fact, despite the seriousness of the situation, it's almost been nice not hearing that.

But anyway, I digress, because I know that this is not the case for the vast majority of people. Most people are having to either adapt their routines to work from home, or they're unable to work at all because their job can't be done from home if their job isn't considered essential. Not only that, but many people are finding their other daily activities, such as going to the gym, disrupted as well. Even as a homebody, it feels like my world has been turned upside down a little bit, as I was planning on 2020 being the year I started to get out a little more, but now that's been put on hold. I'm going to have to wait for a lot of the things that I want, just the same as everybody else. I can't allow myself to feel too sad or distressed about something that I can't control, especially when I know that I'm not alone in this.

All of that being said, I have found over the years that it's still necessary to maintain a relatively consistent daily routine, even when you're spending nearly all of your time at home. Not only does it keep you productive, but I have also found that it actually helps with stress to have some sort of daily routine in place, as you're not stressing over what to do next. Plus, it gives you a sense of normality, even if things are far from ordinary. So with that said, if it could help anyone build a new daily routine for being at home, whether they're stuck at home during the quarantine or choosing to work from home in the future, I am happy to share my daily routine.

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I absolutely love being productive! The feeling of working hard and getting a lot done is just amazing. Whether it's something you kinda have to do or something you just want to do because you enjoy it, or perhaps a little of both if you've turned your passion into your career, nothing beats getting on a roll and crossing a lot of tasks off your to-do list. But sometimes, even if you're super passionate about something, there's likely to be a point where you hit a metaphorical wall and can't seem to get much done. Even though you just want to get it done so that you can be done with it because the task at hand is really stressing you out and your patience is fading fast. If you still have any patience left, that is. You may also find yourself questioning why you even started in the first place, as you've likely lost a lot of your original passion and motivation for whatever it is you're doing. It's not unlikely that your only motivation at this point is to get it done just so you can finally be done with it.

Okay, let's be real for a second, there are some tasks you just want to be done with from the start, such as cleaning the house, yard work, or any other task that you have to do but never actually want to do, but I think you get the idea. Regardless of whether it's something you have to do or something you just want to do, there comes a point when it's time to take a break. Or when it's well past time to take a break, let's be honest.

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As someone who absolutely loves to create, and is rather particular on the small details, I am constantly trying to take up new skills so that I can figure out a way to create whatever it may be that I want to create on my own. Whether it's designing and coding my own layout for my blog, or creating graphics and artwork, I absolutely love being able to do it on my own (while also utilizing whatever tools and resources I have available of course). I suppose you could say I'm a little bit on the ambitious side; though I think all bloggers are in one way or another, and that ambition is a good thing!

The only thing is, taking up a new hobby or skill, especially one you know next to nothing about, can be rather overwhelming when you're doing it without any formal help. Not to mention if you're taking up something where even the smallest error could throw everything off such as with HTML/CSS and JavaScript coding. I could go on and on about the frustrations that can come along with taking up a new hobby, and being 100% self-taught because you don't really want to pay for formal training or classes, without knowing whether you'll really stick to it or not.

But even though taking up a new creative skill without any formal training or help can definitely make the process quite a bit more difficult, as well as frustrating or even stressful at times; it definitely can be done as long as you have passion.

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Can I just say that some of my hobbies and interests can be absolutely frustrating sometimes?! Especially since I tend to gravitate towards things that not only require a lot of creativity, but also a lot of focus; as well as attention to detail. Not to mention, I don't really have any formal training in any of my hobbies or interests, and Google and/or YouTube tutorials are my only real helpers in a lot of cases. So when something doesn't go right, and I still can't figure it out after hours of Googling, or sometimes not even knowing exactly what to type for my Google search, it can get really stressful, really quickly. Even when it's not something that I have to do, but just want to do. 

If you're a creator, and especially if you're a coder (or you're working with technology in general), you definitely know what I'm talking about. Really though, any hobby that requires a lot of focus or skill can get rather stressful; especially when you're pretty much on your own when it comes to troubleshooting problems. Or simply getting it just right, and up to your standards; even when it's something you're doing just because you enjoy it, and not as a job. I've personally found myself getting rather tense over my own personal projects on multiple occasions, often to the point where I'd feel the tension in my body. Sometimes I'll even become moody and snappy over something that I usually enjoy doing. 

And if you're anything like me, when you're super passionate about something, quitting is not an option. Even if the process is currently making you want to rip your hair out.

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I admit it, I spend way too much time on the internet; to the point where I'm probably way too dependent on it. Although I know I'm definitely not alone here, many businesses in the US will actually close when their internet isn't working; gotta love first-world problems. But seriously, I'm almost always using the internet for something in one way or another; even for my workouts, as I mostly workout from home using YouTube videos. Probably the only thing I don't primarily do online is my shopping, I actually do still like going to the store and buying things in person, but I still browse the online store before going to get a general idea of what they have. 

Needless to say though, my life pretty much revolves around a Wi-Fi connection; so when the internet goes down, there's a serious issue. Of course, I'll go through the process of resetting everything and checking my internet settings, but when that doesn't work after so many tries, I usually come to realize there isn't much I can do about it; and all I can do is wait for it to come back on. A lot of the time the issue is resolved within an hour or so, but sometimes it's down almost all day. So then what do I do?

Of course, I could just sit there sulking and staring at my screen, waiting all day for it to come back on; but then all I'd be doing is wasting the day away. So why not make the most of it instead? Although it's definitely an inconvenience and super frustrating, it's the perfect opportunity to do some things you normally wouldn't. Seriously though, there's a lot you really can do without a Wi-Fi connection (and without using your mobile data if you don't have unlimited). Besides, taking a break from the internet is never a bad idea anyway. 

Here are a few of my favorite things to do when I can't get on the internet (or when I just need a little bit of a break from it).