Share tips on working from home with Direct Line for Business – win £300 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[RebeccaEMumsnet]

Whether you run your own business or work for an organisation, working from home can sound like a dream. Without being tied down to a traditional office or workspace, benefits of home working can include a non-existent commute, a better work-life balance and the ability to be closer to your family.

However, working from home comes with its own challenges, and Direct Line for Business want to hear your tips on how to make it work for you. How do you separate your work from family life when you’re based at home? Do you stick to a strict daily work schedule, or have a dedicated ‘office’ space?

We’re also interested to hear from Mumsnetters who run (or are thinking about running) their own businesses from home. What were/ are your main considerations when starting up a company from your spare room?

Whatever your tip on working from home, Direct Line for Business want to hear it.

Everyone who posts a tip on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Standard Insight T & Cs Apply

I converted my spare bedroom into a study, it's my own little space & I'm very organised with a big desk & lots of desktop accessories & storage space so the study is always kept tidy

working from home, especially when your a parent requires a good deal of organisation, a place of quiet to work and limited distractions. so plan, organise and make it work to your advantage.

Keep all distractions away from you, social media especially. And plan a quiet area where you won't be interrupted. Well, you want to keep your job, don't you?

Get dressed! Having a 'normal' morning routine and getting out of your pyjamas does make a difference

Get out of the house at least once a day. I take the dogs for a walk at lunchtime and getting away from my screen and having some fresh air makes me brighter and more productive in the afternoons.

I work from home one day a week and it's my most productive day when I can crack on and not get interrupted by people stopping by my desk, meetings, chat etc - I have an office upstairs but sometimes camp out in the kitchen to be closer to the kettle.

I have a list of things to get through and save admin type tasks for the relative peace of working from home.

Don't have the TV on, use a designated area to put your work on so the kids/dog/husband/neighbours don't wreck or misplace it!!! Stretch your legs every hour to stop the boredom, regular breaks are good! Have healthy snacks in rather than eating junk food😀

I have considered running a business from home, but this is problematic for me as as per the terms and agreements of my local housing association landlord, I am unable to do this, as it would be in a breach of my tenancy and risk losing my home.

Maybe in the future when we move to rent privately - but then again, I would have to read that landlords T&Cs too.

A separate Office, a Coffee Machine close to hand and definitely the most important thing is discipline!

When I work from home, I make sure that I'm dressed as if I was going to the office, it helps me to get into "work mood".

Be resolute in your working hours so that it doesn't take over your life. But at the same time don't allow life to distract you from work. Okay to put the washing machine on, but when you find yourself basking in the sunshine slowly hanging the washing out on the line, watching the birds and the bumblebees and looking up at the sky...maybe you've let it go too far hahaha!

I would love to work from home running a small online shop and hopefully growing it into something big. Right now its a pipe dream as I wouldn't be able to get start up costs however i'd love to do it. I'd set aside a standard time per day, say 8am - 7pm for working and the rest of the time is for me to relax. However i'd probably keep working if needed

Designate a separate area/room for work. Make sure to make the effort to leave the house at some point for a change of scenery and fresh air. Set yourself a timetable to stop getting distracted when you should be working.

I work at night when the house is quiet like I have a night shift job. Then I sleep from 6 am till 12. It works for me as I don`t have young children.

Try and have a structure to your day. Perhaps have "work clothes" or something that tells you now is work time. Enjoy the commute. :)

Let your kids and your OH know that you are actually working and now is not a good time to play, do the garden, fix wonky pictures etc

Have a room that is designated for just work .

Dedicate one place in your house to work from, so once work is over you can shut it away at the end of the work day

Strict schedule, dedicated work area (hang a do not disturb sign!) and ensure have break times for cup of tea / lunch / fresh air

Thoroughly research your area you are going into, do not try to start too big, have a decent internet marketplace,set aside time for no interruptions, routine, routine, routine!

Buy a combination padlock for the biscuit tin and get someone else to set the code and lock it.

at the end of the working day go for a walk to buy a paper/loaf of bread/post a letter

A separate working space/office ( and a door that can be closed when necessary for conference meetings via phone.) Keep a clear boundary between work and home

have an office space, try not to do household tasks when your working

Treat you work time as if you were at an office. Switch off the mobile and focus on what needs to be done.

Be disciplined and set out a realistic working day.