Work partayyy.

This is the face of a girl whose housemate forgot about their work party this morning. face

My coffee's still darn tasty, so it's not a total waste!

As a freelance artist, I'm a big believer in work parties. Though, as a relatively social person, sometimes it's hard for me to remember the ~work part of work parties.

I first started having work parties in college with my friend Tori. We'd meet up at coffee shops in the village and work on scripts together. She was specking the crap out of everything, and I was working on my thesis. At the end of each party, we'd be heavy chested, and needing a break from all the hullabaloo around, and in us. It was awesome.

Here are a few of my tips to having a successful work party!

~*~*~

HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH AHEAD OF TIME. 

I would suggest making a physical list, or something else you can stay accountable to. I get a rush checking things off of a to-do list, so that really helps me. I also have a lot of problems staying focused, so having a list of what I want to get done is really helpful.

DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT TO WORK PARTY ALONE, OR WITH FRIENDS. 

Like I said earlier, being a social person, it's hard for me to have a work party with others without getting distracted and chirpy. Work parties with my housemate are usually half chatting, and half working. (Even though we already live together!) The benefit to having a partner or a group with you is that you can bounce ideas off of each other if you're feeling stuck. You also can pass your work around to get a fresh set of eyes, and a new perspective. It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish. 90% of my work parties are solo, but it's awesome to have someone else around if I've been working on something and I need some notes on it. Yay for a support system!

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO WORK? HOME, OR SOMEWHERE ELSE? 

I absolutely *cannot* work at home. It's impossible. Everyone is different though, you may need to lock yourself in your office with a Chemex and self control running in the background. Do whatever works best for you! I like to have work parties at establishments where I can get coffee and tea. Living in Portland is way conducive to this need! Figure out when you and your work partner(s) want to get together, and where would be the best place to accommodate your needs.

IF YOU NEED TO TAKE A BREAK FROM WORKING, IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. 

Listen, we can't be accountable to breaking all the bones in our body from working 24/7. If you need to stare at the window for a hot minute, or get up and stretch, or take a long sip of coffee, or chat with your partner for awhile, DO IT. I promise you the sky's not going to crash down on you, the world's not going to implode, nothing is going to go seriously, irreconcilably wrong. Take a break, then get back to work. You can do it!

Even though my work partner forgot about meeting up today, I was super productive. I got to a bunch of things I wouldn't have remembered to do otherwise, and it feels awesome.

Happy working~!

-Mac