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I frequently joke that I’m “unemployable.”
Yes, it’s a joke. Mostly.
But there is a sliver of truth to it, and it has everything to do with how I’ve built my daily routine, how I stay disciplined, and how I hold myself accountable. I’ve been working this way for almost 20 years, and at this point, I know exactly what helps me do my best work… and what does not.
Why I’m Unemployable
I have a very structured process for my day because, quite honestly, if I don’t create structure, certain things simply will not get done. That probably sounds contradictory because my schedule does not always look structured from the outside. I do not necessarily sit down at the same time every morning, work for eight uninterrupted hours, take lunch at noon, and shut everything down at five. My structure is built around how I actually work, not how someone else thinks I should work.
Working from home is one of my favorite things because it gives me the flexibility to let my brain ebb and flow. Some days, I can begin working at 6 a.m. and accomplish more before breakfast than I might during an entire conventional workday. Other days, it takes until 1 p.m. for my brain to fully engage.
That does not mean I lack discipline. It means I have learned how to recognize when I am capable of producing my best work and how to organize my responsibilities around those patterns.
I also get to spend quality time with my pups, who become very sad when I am not home. I can work during unconventional hours without disturbing anyone. My office is truly my space. I have the right chair, the right lighting, the right-sized desk, multiple screens, and an arrangement that does not leave my neck and shoulders hurting at the end of the day.
These details may sound small, but they matter. When your environment supports you, you spend less energy fighting discomfort, distraction, and frustration.
I do not follow many conventional work structures. Once I stopped trying to force myself into them, I found my flow much more easily and, most days, I can get there almost immediately.
Moving From an Employee Mindset to a Founder Mindset
One of the hardest parts of working from home was learning how to work without supervision. It was learning how to stop thinking like an employee.
An employee mindset often revolves around being present, following a schedule, completing assigned tasks, and waiting for someone else to establish priorities. A founder or leader mindset is different. There is no one standing over your shoulder. No one is necessarily going to tell you what should happen next. You are responsible for identifying the work, deciding what matters most, and making sure it gets done.
That shift took time.
I had to stop measuring my productivity by the number of hours I sat at my desk and start measuring it by outcomes. Did I move the business forward? Did I complete the work that mattered? Did I solve a problem, support a client, make a decision, or create something of value?
I also had to become comfortable making decisions without constant validation. Leadership requires trusting yourself enough to move forward, while still being willing to adjust when new information appears.
The freedom of working from home is wonderful, but freedom without responsibility quickly becomes chaos. The founder mindset taught me that flexibility only works when it is supported by ownership, accountability, and follow-through.
Protecting My Energy
I did not fully understand how much energy I was spending simply being around people until I stopped working in an office. Offices can be noisy, socially demanding, and full of interruptions. Even on a relatively quiet day, there are conversations, meetings, background noise, unexpected questions, and the constant awareness that other people are nearby.
For some people, that energy is motivating. For me, it was draining, exhausting and energetically debilitating. When I got home at the end of the day, I was physically and mentally checked out. That had other ramifications but I’ll save that for another day.
Working from home gave me more control over how I used my energy. I could think without being interrupted. I could take a few minutes to reset when I needed to. I could move between different types of work based on my concentration level instead of forcing myself to appear productive simply because other people were watching.
The result was not that I worked less. In many ways, I became more productive because I was no longer spending so much energy managing my environment. I was able to direct that energy toward problem-solving, creativity, client work, strategic thinking, and the countless decisions that come with running a business.
If It’s Not on the Calendar, It Doesn’t Exist
Timeblocking is how I live.
My motto is simple: “If it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist.”
That applies to meetings, project work, administrative tasks, errands, personal appointments, follow-ups, and sometimes even rest. If something requires my time or attention, I need to see it. A to-do list tells me what needs to happen. A calendar tells me when I am actually going to do it. Setting my schedule up this way changed everything for me.
Timeblocking keeps me from creating an unrealistic list of 25 tasks and then feeling frustrated when only five of them get completed. It forces me to consider how long something will take, what kind of energy it requires, and where it realistically fits into my day. It also helps me protect uninterrupted work time. If I need several hours to concentrate on writing, planning, or solving a complicated problem, I block that time just as seriously as I would block a client meeting.
Of course, my calendar is not carved in stone. Things move. Priorities change. Emergencies happen. The point is not to follow every block perfectly. The point is to make conscious decisions about my time rather than allowing the day to make those decisions for me.
Transitioning Without Making Myself Crazy
Working from home is not for everyone but in order to successfully transition to working from home requires some experimentation. I’ll be very candid here: it was VERY HARD in the beginning.
I did not wake up one day with the perfect schedule, the perfect office, and an entirely disciplined routine. I learned through trial and error.
One of the most important things I did was stop copying routines that were designed for someone else. There are countless articles telling people to wake up at 5 a.m., exercise, meditate, journal, drink a green smoothie, and complete their most important work before the rest of the world is awake.
That may work beautifully for some people. It does not work for me.
I paid attention to my own patterns. I noticed when I was most creative, when I was best at administrative work, when I needed quiet, and when I was more likely to procrastinate. Then I built systems around those realities. I also learned not to overhaul everything at once. Small changes were easier to maintain. I created a dedicated workspace. I established a few essential routines. I began blocking time on my calendar. I added tools when I had a clear need for them.
Most importantly, I gave myself permission to revise the process.
A routine should support your life and your work. It should not be the energy vampire that sucks the life out of you. No amount of misery is worht that.
Using Technology to Stay Accountable
Technology made working from home significantly easier for me, but only when I used it intentionally.
Cloud storage meant I could access the files I needed without wondering which computer held the latest version. Project management software helped me track deadlines, responsibilities, conversations, and next steps. Shared documents made collaboration easier. Digital calendars allowed me to organize my time and create reminders before important tasks disappeared from my mind. These tools became an external accountability system.
I did not have to rely entirely on memory, and I did not have to keep every detail in my head. I could document decisions, track progress, and see what needed attention. That reduced stress and made it easier to step away from work without worrying that something important would be forgotten.
Technology does not automatically make someone productive. In fact, too many tools can create more confusion. The goal is not to adopt every new platform. The goal is to choose tools that solve real problems and make your work easier to manage. For me, the right technology created visibility. It showed me what was happening, what was falling behind, and what needed to happen next.
The Gift I Gave Myself
Believe it or not, learning how to work this way was one of the greatest gifts I have ever given myself.
By the time COVID arrived and millions of people were suddenly forced to work from home, my systems were already in place. I did not have to figure out how to communicate remotely, access files, manage projects, structure my day, or stay accountable without being in an office.
I simply kept going.
That does not mean the pandemic was easy. It means one part of my life did not have to be completely reinvented during an already overwhelming time.
The routines, tools, and discipline I had built over the years gave me stability. They allowed me to continue working in a way that was already familiar and sustainable.
Working from home requires self-discipline, but self-discipline is not the same thing as forcing yourself to behave like a machine.
It is knowing yourself well enough to create an environment where you can succeed. It is building systems that support you when motivation disappears. It is deciding what matters, protecting time for it, and holding yourself responsible for the outcome.
Maybe that makes me unemployable. Or maybe it simply means I finally learned how I work best.
Signing off until next time,
There’s More
If you’re curious about other articles that tell you more about the interworkings at GivMoo – you can read more from our founder, Martiel Beatty. READ MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS!
