motivation / concentration / discipline / isolation when working from home?

[inconceivableme]

I'm an employee, not self-employed or a freelancer but posting here as it seems an obvious place for replies.

I work part-time and am home-based due to my employer not having an office anywhere near where I live. While I love not having a commute etc, I struggle with motivation & concentration over half the time I'm at work and also find it very isolating working in solitude for most of my working hours.

How do others manage and overcome these issues please?

I think some people work better than others alone, myself for example I don't mind being alone and not having that interaction all the time but I know a lot of people miss and need that.

I think the best way to stay focused is to set tasks and almost deadlines to get it done. I also do try to get out, and I'm out for the school run so I'm not sitting all day at home. It depends on what your doing obviously because my work is quite flexible it allows me to do this.

It's funny how so many people seem to want to work from home but the reality is it can be quite isolating.

Can you manage your own working time or are you tied to office hours? I organise my diary round when I know I'm most productive - beginning and end of the day mainly. Also diary, lists, tasks, deadlines, and rewards for work completed (i.e. 'WHEN I have completed xxx I can have 10 mins on Mumsnet').

I take mn breaks :)

Seriously though, in an office you'd have a chat every couple of hours. I get up after a defined task, make a cuppa, have ten mins fb or mn and then get on with my next task.

Dividing the day into tasks with a big to do list on an a4 pad helps me with this.

Do you have anywhere else you could work from? There are various co-working places springing up near me that rent out desks, catering to freelancers/homeworkers. It gives you a more formal office environment, some people around to chat to, but you don't have to be there, so can use them quite flexibly. It might be worth googling for co-working spaces or events. Even just heading out to a coffee shop or library for a couple of hours can give you a change of scene and a different dynamic.

Apart from that, I second what other people have said. I also use apps on my PC such as StayFocused that will block certain internet sites during certain hours so you can't waste time on them. Because clearly, left to my own devices I have no willpower!

After 5 years of freelancing I am really struggling with the isolation aspect ATM. I keep telling myself the grass is always greener, but there's no doubt it's tough. Setting little rewards and breaks, walking round the block at lunchtime or popping out to pick up a coffee (even though there's a perfectly good kettle downstairs) all help. As does walking to school with ds in better weather - finding the lack of light very hard these days.

Can you Skype with your colleagues?

I second the setting of deadlines. I also made sure that I had one weekly catch up meeting.

hi,
Know what you mean about the difficulty in motivation.
I've been working from home self employed for exactly one year now.
I work in a "virtual contact centre."
My work intervals are ad hoc, with most of the work happening between 9 and 12, then an afternoon lull then busy again between 5 and 8pm.
Difficult to schedule things in advance as I have to select from pre determined intervals according to the demands of the business. Exercise helps me to cope and short walks ( or even sitting ) outside for ten minutes helps. Can't pop out for a coffee though as I am in a rural location. Any other tips on coping when home working in rural locations greatly appreciated!

Routine helps me.

Wake, exercise, shower, dress, breakfast.

Water bottle from freezer (it stays cold for ages) so that I remember to keep hydrated.

Computer on and log in

Some of my work is immediately reactive - taking messages - and some is maintenance like typing emails and letters.

I set little challenges like typing a long letter as quickly as possible (always typo-free or it doesn't count).

Breaks and lunch are announced by a little kitchen timer set for 2hr intervals, so I start at 8am and it sounds off at 10. I take a 15 minute break and set it again for lunch.

Probably sounds really boring, but I take 45 minutes for lunch which gives me time to run 2 miles, shower and eat. The run clears my head a bit.

Afternoon is very much like the morning.