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Temptation

One of the other things I've found challenging in getting used to this whole home office set up is the constant temptation of food in the kitchen next door. Sure, in an office setting you've always got people bringing in foods or office pot lucks, but it's not quite the same as having the fridge and all its treasures staring right back at you - ALL THE TIME!

Case in point: I made brownies two days ago and I've already managed to eat more than half of the brownies in the batch. Just me alone!!! IN TWO DAYS!!! My husband has been out of town all week so I can't really blame any of this on him. It's just so hard to try and forget them when they're sitting just a few feet away looking delicious and chocolaty!

Sure, working from home saves money on lunches, but is it really necessary that I stuff my face with chocolate in the process of doing so? Oh dear - I need to work on my self control when it comes to chocolate!!

For my fellow chocolate lovers out there, here's the recipe:

Classic Brownies

1 cup of margarine
cup of baking cocoa
2 cups of sugar
1 tsp of salt
4 eggs
1 ½ cups of flour
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt margarine
Stir in baking cocoa, sugar and salt. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each
Add flour, baking soda and vanilla. Stir well
Pour into a 9-13 baking pan
Bake about 30 minutes

Stuck in my old ways

I recently transitioned from a "regular" office environment to a home office in downtown Chicago. The month and a half that I've been doing this have been interesting, to say the least. While there have been plenty of uninterrupted and insanely productive workdays, there have also been the occasional meltdowns and moments of loneliness. From time to time, I also wonder if I'm doing this all "right" - is it odd, for example, that I'm still sticking to the rigid 8 to 5 schedule with a one-hour lunch at noon? Here I am with all this freedom in my workday and I can't seem to shake the routine that we're all so accustomed to.

My workload has been on the lighter side this past week, yet I still dutifully pull myself out of bed in the morning to make it to my desk in time by 8 a.m. Why? If I don't have a project to work on why am I getting up in time to make sure that I make it to my desk in time?  Sure there are a number of emails in my inbox that need answering, but usually it's not something that can't wait until 9 or maybe even 10 a.m. After all, isn't that the beauty of being able to work from home: setting your own hours and working when it works BEST for you?

I guess I'm still finding my rhythm in all this. I'm still stuck in the "traditional office" mindset, which I guess isn't a bad thing. We'll have to see how this all plays out over the next few months...