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I’ve been working at home for some time now and I’ve learned all the good things and bad things about working this way. I know lots of people have strong opinions on home working, some just don’t understand and assume you loaf around all day, others thing you are so lucky to be doing it. But the truth is working from home can be hard too, you have to be extremely disciplined, you have to be able to manage your own time well and sometimes you can feel very isolated.

But despite all that, I love working from home and I wouldn’t want to be back in a busy office if there was any way at all to avoid it. So here are some tips from me on surviving home working.

1. Environment – If you’re planning on spending a large percentage of your time working at home, a laptop on the dining table or a little desk in the corner of the lounge isn’t going to work out. I know everyone can’t have the luxury of a dedicated office but you really need to try and get as much a personal space for working as you can. Somewhere you can shut the door and cut off the world outside when you need to. A spare bedroom maybe, a loft, whatever you can manage. Personally I feel this is vital to long term home working.

2. Planning – When you are your own boss of your own time, it is extremely important to plan your day out well as it is so easy to get distracted. At the end of your working day plan your next day’s activities, try to reserve times for general tasks like emails, book keeping etc. Also the thing I find effective, is to put those horrible jobs, the ones you like the least at the top of your list and do them first. Once they’re done the whole rest of your day will feel better. Also when planning your next days list, try to keep it sensible, put down enough tasks that you know you can achieve in a day, don’t make it impossible for yourself.

3. Take Breaks – When you’re at home, especially alone it can be so easy to lose hours working and then suddenly you realise your thirsty, your eyes are tired and your brain is no longer working effectively. Don’t be afraid to take breaks, your working at home to give yourself flexibility so use it. I advise though not to go turn on the TV, it is too tempting to pass too much time once that box is on. If it’s nice go and sit in the garden for ten minutes, or do a little gardening, if it’s not then maybe a little housework or DIY. This brings me onto the next point.

4. Avoid Distractions – When I am working at home I have found that I have to be very disciplined with myself in terms of distractions. I have no TV in the office or games consoles, when I am working I allow myself Internet Radio or iTunes but nothing else. I know some people can cope with the TV as just background noise, but for me I just find it far to distracting.

5. Enjoy It – Always remember why you chose to work from home. Keep that thought in your mind when you’re struggling with it, when you’re feeling isolated or tired, or frustrated. Think of the freedoms it gives you, enjoy every cheque that comes in, knowing that it is only you that earned yourself that cheque. Just remember the alternative is driving through rush hour traffic, being told how to run your day, hardly seeing the family.

Well these are the things that I have found to help me with working from home, I hope something here might be useful to you. Feel free to comment, I’d love to here of your experiences of home working.