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Original poster

Anybody else struggle with working from home?

361 replies

staranise · 16/06/2008 16:45

As in, I'm meant to be working right now and am paying a fortune in childcare to enable me to do so but just can't get motivated, especially when I work sitting on my bed plus keep jumping up and down to put another load of washing on, tidy up some toys etc etc.

I normaly ban MN on work days but feeling weak today...

Wouldlove some colleagues to keep me focussed...

OP posts:
PortBlacksandRegeneration · 03/07/2008 16:07

This is me

Someone kick me up the backside and into the studio - i'm terrible when commissions don't require a strict deadline. Also - doing stuff for competitions / exhibitions - i soon find myself drifting computerwards.......

laundrylover · 03/07/2008 16:39

Well done on the shopping tho Star!

Just got distracted by your lovely website Port...ho hum.

kingfix, we may be in the same line of business! Maybe we should all post a bit about what we do (or are supposed to be doing!) if we are going to keep this thread up and running. Kind of in line with the stats on ante natal threads?

Ooohhh am excited about such a distracting new thread. Must collect girls from friend's house.

thebecster · 03/07/2008 16:53

Love your work Port, very beautiful. Know what you mean about not having a deadline - at the moment my work is either self-starting or has a deadline far into the future, and it's so very difficult to keep up the momentum. But it's a startup so if I don't get my arse into gear and get it moving now I just won't make enough money to carry on working from home and will have to go back to wage-slavedom.

Now must go & pick up DS, have only done 2 items on my job list of 5 items, and typically it has just started to bucket down with rain - bah! Think I might try to get a bit more done after he's gone to bed...

bettythebuilder · 03/07/2008 16:58

Oh, now see I promised myself just a couple of minutes of mn before putting in a half hour of work to at least have a vaguely productive day... then I saw this thread...and now I'm posting. I have zero forum willpower, which is a problem.

Although I have done 2 washloads today. But then that's not getting things made,advertised,promoted or indeed sold

bettythebuilder · 03/07/2008 18:06

ah, pulled it out of the bag with a productive half hour. And now I'm talking to myself, which is another side effect of working on your own

thumbwitch · 03/07/2008 23:07

Well, I have only just made it onto MN now because I actually did quite well today - finished putting together my journal this morning, having had to give up last night because my eyes were just closing on me, and then spent the afternoon in work, negotiating how I am going to work from home when my maternity leave finishes at the end of July. Yes, I have written that correctly - all the time I have been on maternity "leave" I have had to maintain my role as subeditor and creator of this journal. Bizarrely, now I am ready to go back, my boss has found 2 other people to take over 2/3 of my role - the other 1/3 is still up for grabs and I expect I will get to keep that. Yay. But at least she is finding me work I can do from home so I still get to faff on MN for the rest of the year at least!

thumbwitch · 03/07/2008 23:10

ooh Port, just looked at your work, isn't it good! Wish I could do that...

PortBlacksandRegeneration · 04/07/2008 10:18

Thankyou for your lovely comments . It is hard when you work in a room in your house on your own!

I talk to myself all the time!

BeckyBendyLegs · 04/07/2008 11:35

Hello! Glad I am not the only procastinater out there. I work from home (as a freelance editor and project manager for book publishing) and I find it really hard to juggle, children, house, work, trips to and from preschool and childminder. Ahhhh! What should I be doing right now? WORK! What am I actually doing? Looking for DH's sunglasses as he has lost them and writing this message on mumsnet!

BeckyBendyLegs · 04/07/2008 11:39

I've just looked at your website Port lovely. I paint too but nobody pays me to paint unfortunately . I'm thinking of doing a fine art course when I've finished having babies (TTCing for number 3 at the moment). Your artwork is great! Keep it up!

PortBlacksandRegeneration · 04/07/2008 11:44

Hi Becky,
Just clicked on your name and noticed you are moving to my part of the country. I live just north of Shrewsbury - it's lovely here.

PortBlacksandRegeneration · 04/07/2008 11:44

x posts!

PortBlacksandRegeneration · 04/07/2008 11:45

There's some great fine art courses in Woverhampton & Brum.

Sufi · 04/07/2008 11:49

Hello! I'm a freelancer too, can I join this thread?! Am not working today (I work Mon & Tues ATM, with my 8mo going to the childminder). I was dead good to start with, being super focused, but now I've slipped back into procrastination... gah.

Is anyone still wondering about maternity allowance while working freelance? I've just finished my MA period so have all the info if anyone has any Q's... my top tip would be to use your ten 'keep in touch days' to ease back into work and not have a big gap between your last MA payment and first invoice.

thumbwitch · 04/07/2008 12:06

have achieved one massage today, despite being desperately tired (own fault for staying up too late on MN last night ) and should really be doing some journal work now BUT sadly Ds needs feeding and I can feel a lying-down-in-the-bed feed coming on... [zzzzzzzzzz]

hattyyellow · 04/07/2008 12:20

Port I love your work - you're very talented.

I can see for those of you without clients breathing down your neck it must be really hard to get going. At least I have the world's biggest ice-queen phoning me several times a day to get progress reports (and I still procrastinate!)

Becky how lovely to "see" you. Come faff with us. Loads and loads of luck for no 3. Hope you're doing okay.

Have had a reasonably productive morning...found some good leads and finished a proposal.

Sufi how handy!I think there are several of us who are pregnant on here.

I'm just starting to look into maternity allowance as I'm due in December. Do you know at what point you have to decide your last working day?

My accountant was asking me but it all seems so far off at the moment! Didn't know about the "keep in touch days" - what's all that about then?

BeckyBendyLegs · 04/07/2008 12:24

We're moving to Shrewsbury at the end of July - not sure how I'm going to manage to fit in 'packing house' with everything else!

Thanks for the info about courses. I left school after A levels and did a boring academic degree instead of what I should have done which was foundation art course and have been meaning to go back and do it, money permitting, time permitting, ever since.

I have my DSs back with me now so must go make them lunch! I hope you don't mind me joining this thread.

BeckyBendyLegs · 04/07/2008 12:38

Ooooh hi Hattyyellow! How's it going? I can remember moaning about work with you a few weeks ago on the Dec 08 thread! I'm doing fine - back on the TTC bandwaggon again now and we're just taking it easy - see what happens.

I was freelance when I had my DS2 and I claimed maternity allowance. It seemed quite straight forward to arrange it. I filled in a long form about me and the usual details plus how many hours worked, etc.

Sufi · 06/07/2008 10:30

Hello. Hattyyellow - you set your own date for starting (and finishing) MA and I think the only proviso is that it can't be before a certain date (ie. too early in your pregnancy). I'll have a look at my notes on it when I'm back in the office/attic tomorrow and let you know for sure.

Keep in Touch days (KIT) are normally given when you're an employee. Your employer can ask you to work for up to ten days, paid or as part of your maternity pay, during your maternity period.

However, I did some research into it and as a FL or self-employed, you can also work for ten KIT days. These are, obviously (as you're working for yourself), paid days. This means that I worked during the MA period and was able to top up the (pitiful) payments with bits and pieces of work - and also didn't disappear off my clients' radars altogether.

You need to tell the benefits office that that's what you're planning and keep them informed throughout. Also, keep a really good paper trail so that if they query it in future you can prove that a) it was as part of the KIT scheme and b) you had their agreement.

It worked for me as I'm a copywriter/journalist/communications consultant, so I was able to desk-based work that fitted round DS1.

HTH

Original poster
staranise · 06/07/2008 13:25

Ooh Sufi - does that mean I can earn 10 days' worth of money while on MA?

One of my clients gives me very little work but when they do it's very well paid and so I would love to keep them on if possible. If I took 6 months off I'd probably lose them. 10 days would probably cover me. Will definiteyl check this out, thanks!!

OP posts:
BeckyBendyLegs · 07/07/2008 08:26

That sounds like a good scheme. I'm sure they didn't have KIT days when I had DS2 (2 1/2 years ago).

laundrylover · 07/07/2008 09:51

Those KIT days do sound like a good idea. I did bits of work thorugh both my Mat leaves and just got the clients to invoice up front or after six months... a bit naughty but MA is such a pittance.

OK this morning I am going to DO THINGS!!! I have a big list and am going to attack it. Will send a progress report later.

thebecster · 07/07/2008 10:29

Morning fellow faffers!

I'm in exactly the same boat, laundrylover. Have got far too much to do today, which has led to lots of avoidance tactics so far... But am now about to get to it. If you see me on MN before 5pm today give me a boot up the backside

When I next come on this thread I will have...
Replied to prospective's new client's e-mail answering all her questions
Contacted my accountant and set up a meeting with him
Written 3 sections of current project
Read & written notes on a training book that I got out of library

See you all later [becster shuts down computer and bustles off]

BeckyBendyLegs · 07/07/2008 14:54

I've managed 1 1/2 hours work today. Mondays are not good work days for me as DS2 and I go to Toddlers in the morning. It's raining here and has been raining for ages it feels like.

hattyyellow · 07/07/2008 15:44

Becky I too wish the rain would stop!

We have mountains of wet laundry sitting damply over radiators and doorways and that always feels really depressing - particulary in July!

Have been reasonably productive, but slooooowwwwwwww all day. Finished one research list and half way through another but it feels like I'm on a go-slow.

Sufi thanks so much for the maternity info, that's really helpful. The KIT days sound ideal, I often get odd days of work and that would fit in perfectly.