Tips for working from home?

[gerryonline]

In about a months time I will be working full time from home on a business that I am starting.

The business is mainly online and I will be spending a lot of time in front of the computer.. no different to now really!

But what I think I am going to find hard is having my house as a place of work and stuggling with either turning off from the business... or the opposite of getting easily distracted and not working..

Do any of you work from home? How do you deal with this.. any tips?

[tycoon1]

Have a dedicated workspace preferably a separate room
treat your business as your place of work
i.e. start work at the time you usually would if you were working else where etc.

make a list of to-do's and stick to it.

also since you are in front of the computer a lot you might want to install this

F.lux: software to make your life better

[Carl Taylor]

Great question that so many work from home businesses struggle with...

Here's my top 3 tips:

1. Create a morning ritual that teaches yourself that you are at work.

I know of someone who actually goes out and has a cup of coffee at a cafe then comes back to the house and that means she is now at work (she's gone to the office)

2. Get Dressed For Work

Another idea is change your clothes, get dressed for work, and then when you are at home get dressed for home.

3. Work Time is for Work

Don't allow yourself to get distracted by TV, chores around the house, etc.. When you are at Work, only allow yourself to do Work thing.

Good luck

[silkinteriors]

It's an exciting time ahead for you, gerryonline.

I've got a few of tips but I was a terrible work-from-home freelancer in a previous life. I'd feel like a bit of a hypocrite if I contributed suggestions. I worked from early AM to late PM to get a regular 8 hours of work done, and in my PJs (tsk tsk) - I was constantly distracted by all manner of things I let intrude in my day. In the end I took out some office space in a shared/collective environment because I missed company and having somewhere to go. It helped

Feeling a bit lonely and isolated was a major barrier for me - I'm a bit of a social critter and like to be around people. Some people thrive in a home office environment - hopefully you'll be one of those. If not, see if you can source some office space in a similar type of collective environment.

Good luck!

Sandra

[HWT]

Our home is terrible to work from home in and we work from home in it. The worst thing is you have to walk through our entire toy-strewn child-infested house to get to the kitchen, which is where our study is. And the kitchen tends to be no less toyful than the rest of the house.

We are building a new house with a dedicated study at the FRONT of the house. I'm really looking forward to it.