People who work from home - how do you manage it?

[Earlybird]

After a long career of working for corporations in an office setting, I have recently started a business that allows me to work from home. As a single mum, I wanted increased availability/flexibility to be with dd.

I'm struggling to find a balance. Previously, my work day was defined by the time I was physically at the office (with infrequent exceptions). Now, I seem to veer between ignoring work that needs doing (usually the more tedious stuff that isn't deadline sensitive), or ignoring dd because there's always something that needs doing for work. Don't know if it's the lack of formal structure, but some days I have trouble getting started, and some days I have trouble turning off.

I also find a strong temptation to Mumsnet more than I should when the job at hand is challenging (and I'm unsure about how to approach something), or boring (so I distract myself/procrastinate). Equally, the fact that I've only got to walk a few steps to be 'at work' means I tend to work instead of doing relaxing things at home - such as read a book for pleasure, or watch a telly show.

Other people who work from home - how do you manage to define the boundaries so you've got some semblance of a balanced life?

Set targets.
Always start with the grim stuff and save the more interesting work for later on
Use MN as a reward for say 3 jobs completed.
Working from home is tough to manage.
Good luck

It is tough,

Home stuff:
I leave all the househould stuff until the kids are back from school and try to stop work then (not always possible).
Leave 90% of the shopping and washing etc till the weekend. May do a little as I need to.
I have a cleaner (fantastic) which helps the nagging feeling of everyting is out of control, as I know it will get done at some point.

Go back to work sometimes when they are in bed.
No lunch break as such.

MN:
Im on mn between phone calls and set myself targets like anteater. If it isn't mn it would be another web site as I have to have Mac and PC on all day.

Go straight to the 'office' as soon as I am back from school drop off.

It is a real mulittask way to live, but the benefits are the best I have had, as I am around for the dc's.

I think, from what both of you say, I'm going to have to become more disciplined about my 'work day'. Far too often, I go for coffee with one of the other mums after drop off. I can see that, while an enjoyable thing to do, it cuts into my work day too much. Maybe set myself a limit of doing it once a week?

I can see I've got tendencies to act like a SAHM, rather than a work-from-homer!

Coffee
BEFORE you even start

You have to be very disciplined.

As my work comes in I keep a planner (a gant chart thingy) so I can see all the projects I have on the go and when they are starting, finishing and where they overlap.

I write out a strict 'rota' of work if you like, to make sure I get all my work done and I factor in to that the other things that I have to do (PTA meetings and sorting stuff for events, reading in school etc).

I have very set hours in which I can work so I just have to get on with it or else I would miss deadlines, not get paid and never get asked to do work again! Soooo, it's not an option really! I just do it!

I fly around in the mornings before school and get the kitchen tidied, washing on, dishwasher emptied, that kind of thing. If I feel I've "cleared the decks" I concentrate much better on work while DS is at school.

I plan out each project and work out how long it is going to take up to my deadline, then aim to do a bit more than I need to each day to finish before deadline.

Only mn during a short lunch break or before or after school.

Take a break every hour or so just for five minutes, wander round the garden or make a cuppa, it refreshes you.

If I have people at home I try to go into another room to work.

And I ignore housework until I've completed what I set out to do that week. If DH doesn't like it, he does a bit of housework himself. In the gaps between projects I clean my house and do all my jobs so that when more work comes in I am ready.

I've tended to use the time when dd is at school to do errands/chores. When do all of you fit in food shop, etc? It's so much quicker to do without dd, that I tend not to take her, but it really cuts into the working day...

anteater - agree about coffee, I have mine sitting at desk (like the idea of walking around garden though).
My day starts when I walk back in door from dropping dc's off at school. As you can see I am back from school pick up .

I have had invites (i do have friends) for coffee mornings and I decline, they understand that I work.

I see my mates in the evenings or if I am back working late I will also be checking mn. TVs rubbish most of the time.

You have to seperate work and home, otherwise you get nothing done at all. Work is in a small room, child free.

Earlybird - I have been known to shop when they are in bed (DH around). Or I go on my own at the weekend.

You could always shop online, I have doen that too.

I could not do this without my cleaner who is very house proud, she comes Thursays and just gets on with it. We always chat for 5 minutes, but she whizzes around and is fantastic.

Some-one said I whousl ask her to do the ironing, but that would be a waste of her skills.

I do that myself - weekends again.

yes it is very hard isn't it?

i go straight into the study/office as soon as i get back from drop off. i don't go near the kitchen! Do you have a separate room?

i have 3 days where i work "full on" and the others where i am free to do other things (though keep an eye on work too)

when i leave to pick up the children i turn the computer off. it only goes on again when they are in bed. I found myself ignoring them in the evening, still in work mode, and i decided they deserved some quality time with me instead.

I ignore the housework. completely. put the odd load of washing on but that is it.

i schedule in 2 x gym sessions - but only if i have completed certain things.

i never go near a supermarket. Ocado comes on a saturday morning, a couple of 10 min trips to M&S for top up.

amidaiwish - sounds like you have got it sorted.

I want to get the gym visits into my week. It was OK for a bit.

It does help getting out and a change of scenery.

Maybe I should get of here more

New plan for next week coming up.

well i don't feel like i have it sorted!
however i have acknowledged to myself that it is much harder than i ever thought and am trying to be more disciplined.

meant to be at gym at 4pm today before nursery pick up... hasn't happened

I do pretty much as anorak says.

Re shopping, if I've got space for it in the week I do it while I'm child free. If I just don't have the time, dh runs to the supermarket on his way home from work.

He is brilliant tbh, I couldn't do it without him.

I only work at home 2 days/week and am in work the other 3. In this position i find that actually i achieve more actual work at home and still manage to do washing/ironing/tidying kitchen/empty dishwasher/etc - oh and catch up with a couple of taped programs.

I think quite possibly when "at work", there are more face-to-face meetings which often go on a bit and achieve little, whereas "at home" i am more focused.

Totally love sitting outside working when it's warmer altho i find the birds singing and the passing trains occasionally interfere with conference calls.

Not really a helpful post for your situation i guess, but shows it can work.

I work from home all the time and love it. Yes, I am on mumsnet now, but I still work hard, do the washing, let the cleaners in, all of the other stuff that needs doing.

What my DH made me do which has been brilliant is move my office. it was just next to the lounge, is now further away, so I have to come in here. I also now have a plug in here for all mobile phones / blackberries so I cannot sit typing emails whilst watching nip/tuck.

I have defined work time and non work time and set silly goals, like answer 10 emails or do this thing that I have been avoiding then make tea.

I would never ever go back into an office enviornment, this is too lovely....

Earlybird, I know exactly what you mean about acting more like a SAHM rather than a work at homer! Lots of other mums I know are SAHM so it is tempting to think I can fit things with them in and PTA type things too. But then I always feel like I'm not managing to do anything in any department. We've just moved so it has been a nice chance to be able to meet new people for coffees and things but I guess there comes a time when reality sets in!

Wotzaname, I think a cleaner may be a big thing as I can always see what needs doing and my work and home to do lists always feel like hey merge. I had a cleaner when I worked in the office but don't now, think I may need to look into it. We've moved to the south though and cleaners seem much more expensive!

Are some good tips here though, it helps to hear how others do it to motivate me to be more disciplined. I don't work for myself and I think that doesn't help with motivation.

Having said that, I am desperately trying to continue to work at home as it is an ideal arrangement in most ways when have school age children

Actually just reread my message and think it does not sound like me.

Some days I work from home but really cannot be arsed. end up spending most of the day surfing the net, doing chores, maybe even having a snooze. Today, sore back so I had a bath at 2pm....shh, dont tell my boss

other days I am like a demon at work and I get through so much stuff.

It is all swings and roundabouts, as long as I am ahead of the game on most things, it's OK.

One top tip I have, NEVER EVER EVER let DS near your work laptop. I found my nice neat little Dell with all of the keys off the keyboard, all of the little springs underneath too. When I went to put them back, some were missing. 24 hours later and my boy is complaining of a poorly tummy and sore bottom.....that should teach the little sod.

..I'm never tempted to consort with other mothers or hoover the house....
I think having separation between work and non-work day is useful. I go into my office once the children are at school when I'm working here. I don't leave it except to get drinks for most of the day every day but then the email/phone are going all day anyway and today someone was with me for six hours and I had a conference call arranged for 5pm. The nanny leaves on school days at 6.30. I try to avoid answering the home telephone line. I know what I have to earn each day.

Do the worst job you have to do first.

what about the lure of the internet though Xenia?

I left work and started working from home four weeks ago. My children are teenagers so I'm lucky in the fact I don't have to do the school run but the house is still a mad house before 9 and after 3.30. I have set my start work time at 9.30 as this gives me time to load the dishwasher, put a wash on etc. so I feel the mess is cleared away. I always make sure I have a dinner break about 1 for about 30 mins and go out in the garden to eat it if I can otherwise I know I'd be sat at the computer. Forums are hard to ignore!Having worked full time I didn't participate in forums much but now I am at home I see them as friends. I have just joined mn and have spent the last hour reading threads instead of working but I look at it as research It has got easier over the weeks as I try and get myself into some sort of routine and I also do my shopping online so that saves me some time, oh, and I take Friday afternoon off, because I'm worth it!

I am about to start working from home. Does anyone have experience of trying to work from public places (as a way of imposing a work discipline on themselves IYSWIM). e.g. library, internet cafe, coffee shop, etc. I'm thinking there may be fewer distractions that way (although clearly not all jobs are suited to that kind of set up...)

I've got some challenging, non-deadline work to do. So, how did I spend my day? Sorting through dd's outgrown clothes and rearranging her closet/shoes/drawers so that she's ready for the warmer weather. There is now a huge bag of clothes by the door waiting to go to the charity shop.

Productive day, but not what I needed to be doing!! Anyone else decide to launch into long delayed projects in order to avoid difficult work stuff? I've got to learn to be more self-disciplined when I don't have the external pressure of deadlines/a boss.

yes earlybird, but were you thinking about the work while you were doing it? you probably were, formulating your thoughts, thinking it through. maybe you just weren't ready to start?

or maybe you were just procrastinating?

ask me another time, i'm on a deadline... or search for me here desperately looking for someone to talk to at 3am for the last three days.