I work from home three days a week and I have to completely remove myself from my family (and trick my toddler into thinking I am out of the building). My biggest thing is having technology WORK for me. A printer that works, great internet, and everything at my finger tips. Also, the time setting thing is important. I have a to-do list that I have to accomplish everyday. Work doesn't stop until it is done.

I work from home 2-3 days a week, and some of your suggestions made me smile in recognition. In our house, the tv is off until 4 p.m.--fewer potential distractions. I have to shower and get dressed before I start work, something that makes my students laugh. And I am lucky to have a home office away from the rest of the house--it makes it so much easier to focus.

I've worked from home for twenty years and I can say with all honesty, I wouldn't know how to act if I had to drive to an office. We've just purchased a new home so my new "commute" will be drastically shorter -- five feet instead of 25. I can't wait!

The way I've been able to stay focused and productive all these years is to set the goal of not eating alone as much as possible. On average I have lunch with clients three days a week. By now most of my clients are also my friends so this is relatively easy. But it still forces me to get dressed. Although I love working in sweats I would never let anyone see me that way, nor would anyone want to see me that way.

I've been an online trainer out of my home for a company 3 states away for 5 years now. I love it and would not be happy working in a real office environment if I had to again!

I work from home full time and I find that my biggest challenge is getting people to understand that I'm not available during the day. I really have to keep regular daytime hours because of meetings - I'm certainly free to work MORE, but I really can't just stop in the middle of the day.

I break so many of these rules :-/

I work from my sofa with the TV on. I have an office, but it's not as ergonomic as it should be. I feel it's important to have though because when I'm done working the laptop goes back in the office and the door is closed. Plus, it's nice to have the printer, files, etc. out of the main living space. I find that psychologically necessary.

Good on you, Jason! Admirable. I think I would spend my whole days looking at funny pictures of cats with captions, or something like that. x

Oh yeah, the cabin fever thing is bad. I work from home full time and I'm currently in search of a cafe for a couple hours a day. And it's true, you can get more done that way. Not sure what it is, perhaps just not being surrounded by home distractions.

thanks for this! I'd love to see more about working from home in the future. I'm an assistant editor who works from home too! I totally agree that getting dressed, sitting at a desk, going to cafes, etc. are all key to staying on task. I'm wondering what your experience has been in terms of feeling isolated (or not)?

love this, well put. one word of advice (and this coming from someone who lives in a studio apt)...if you can keep your office away from your bed. that way when you want down time you can go in your room and literally shut the world out. it's my next goal, to get into a 1 or 2 bedroom, so i have a designated office or at least office corner (that is not the first thing i see when i wake up).

I work from home sometimes as well- I love my office, but sometimes they can be so distracting when I need to get some writing done!

Usually, I work upstairs in what I call "the study", which is a second bedroom with books, a piano, a desk, and a futon... just what I need for work (and no more). Sometimes in desperation, I do head to either the coffee shop or the library.

I wholeheartedly agree with "no TV"! I find them to be rather pointless distractions. Except on game days, when my team is playing.

In response to bethanynauert, having a two bed makes this so much easier. When I had a one bedroom, I had my "office" in a corner, separated by a large Expedit. Sometimes (when I had guests or was really stressed) I'd put up a screen to screen off the office stuff.

I work in IT from home for a company based half way around the world from me. So I also contend with a time difference of around 8 hours. Switching off chat and Skype when I've gone to bed it very important! As they often forget the time. I find the biggest perks are flexibility. I can run out to grab my kids from school or catch the school assembly without having to explain myself. Flexibility is very important for working moms! The biggest down side is lack of interaction with colleagues. Not just the sharing of ideas and challenges but the day to day 'water cooler' chat that I just miss. I haven't found a way around that one yet! My biggest piece of advice is don't "quickly check your email" whilst you are cooking dinner, it will burn!

I work from home 2 days a week. I rarely have the tv on but I will say that I need to make myself close facebook instead.

Ha! I break so many of these rules, and I've been working from home for six years now. I do get dressed, eventually, but often not until I've already finished an assignment or two. And I do have to sit at a desk and keep the TV off, but I've started listening to more public radio in the background.

The biggest thing for me that's not on here, but perhaps of a similar theme to the no TV rule, is to try to limit my perusal of shiny things on the interwebs. I can get so distracted by Facebook and Apartment Therapy, as well as countless other websites! The nature of my job is piecework, with assignments coming in very sporadically, so I try to limit myself to browsing only when not working on something, and to keep track of my time when I am working. Since I started doing that, I've found my productivity has shot up.

Also another important tip: don't let the cat on your lap when you should be working. Nothing kills productivity quite like a cuddly, purry, furry lump of love.

The most important thing is getting dressed. I generally put on my "house pants" for work, which are sweats that are distinct from pjs.

Love the flexibility, but you have to fight the boredom/isolation.

I've found listening to classical music (CBC 2 here in Canada) really helps me focus and avoid boredom. I guess it simulates the office buzz...

is this a repost with a different picture? if so, i loved the desk from the prior post....so old school, well built, and functional. while the work space may have been a bit dreary, the desk had so much potential. i would love that desk for daughter, it would be a great piece for her to do her homework. can i have it?

I got all flustered after reading that there are offices where people take hour lunch breaks away from their desks and couldn't keep reading...

To make sure I 'get going' in the morning, I don't need to get dressed. I just need to sit at the computer immediately, do a solid hour of work (I'm a transcriptionist), and then take a break for breakfast and personal matters. I then take a 10-minute break every hour to stretch out the kinks and do a chore. Lunch is always away from the desk, I take a longer mid-afternoon break to go for a walk, and when the work day is done, the office door gets shut and I got hang out in the kitchen/living room in the evening.

Libraries and community centers can be great alternatives to coffee shops.

great tips!

wearing a jacket, rather than a cardigan, puts me even more in a work frame of mind.

reading AT is what i do during lunch hour.

*Waves hello to fellow transcriptionist TravelingRae*

I just transitioned to working from home full-time in July and it's definitely been an adjustment. I have a separate room for an office, that is nicest so I have a place to "leave" at the end of the day and feel as though the work part is done. I run with a friend and take classes in the morning to get some socializing in and then make sure I get out of the house at night. I don't want to turn into a hermit! Good tips, good reminders.

Working from home is challenging and it isn't for everyone, but these tips make it easier to set up shop at home. Another tip is to make sure your neighbors, family and friends understand that although you have a home office, you're still working. Some people have no problem asking the person working from home to wait for the washer repair company or run errands for them during the day.

haha. ditto WorkingNaked! I worked from home for seven years, and loved it. However, a combo of cabin fever and difficulty separating work and home were the biggest challenges for me. Having 4 kids at home, an office with a door was HUGE for my sanity. Now that I am back in the work place, I'm really enjoying being out in the real world and then truly being at home. Enjoy!

Completely agree with having the right technology! Including a door lock. ;)
I use GoToMeeting on a daily basis when I am working from home and also GoToMyPC to access my home office network files, and I could not work without those.
I also agree with 7. above. I need to go into the office or a coffeeshop on occasion. As much as working from home is a great option, I thrive on the stimulation an office provides too. It's all about balance.

i'm working from home today. so naturally i'm sitting in my pyjamas with a dvd on my desktop and surfing between at and fb on my laptop... i know i shouldn't, but i can't help it! setting my own schedule is what i love about working from home and i usually find the pressure of an imminent deadline is enough to kick my butt into gear.

These are great tips that I also worked out over the years of intermittently working from home. So much of it for me is psychological - getting dressed (in professional clothes that I would wear to the office) and having a separate office space puts me in "work" mode and also allows me to keep "home work" separate from home life in my mind. I need to work on keeping it tidy though :) My office is kind of a mess but I try to make sure that at least my desk is clear on days I'm working from home.

The desk looks west elm.

Totally off topic, but where did you get that amazing blue wing back chair? (And, if I may ask, how much did you pay for it?) I love the idea of using an upholstered, brightly colored wing back for an office chair, and have been inspired by this picture since the article was first posted a couple months ago. However, I've been able to find similar chairs only at Restoration Hardware, Ethan Allan, and West Elm, with prices ranging from $600ish to $1,200. Where did you get yours?

These are all really great tips, especially turning off the TV (btw, Netflix and Hulu are just as dangerous).

I have to ask, which all in one computer is this?

Worked from home for 3 + years in my last job. My office was in a separate bedroom, I worked in pj's (showered on my lunch hour - had to take an hour lunch each day) and closed the door at the end of the day. Going from an office of 300+ to 1 was heaven...I loved the peace and quiet and loved loved loved being a hermit during the day, cause it forced me to get out and meet new people at night (I'd relocated to Denver where I knew not a soul).

Definitely miss working from home. And peace and quiet. And being a hermit :-)

I'm a furniture maker with a home shop. I tend to put my head down and not look up until 3pm. I need to remember Rule #9 EAT LUNCH. I will eat lunch tomorrow. I give you all my word. Ha!

I'm still learning how to work at home effectively. I sometimes find it hard to stay focused and on task when I'm only responsible to myself.

These are great tips! I work from home, and I often struggle with staying focused and productivity. I must admit... often I am distracted by Apartment Therapy! :)