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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:
SheikYerbouti · 08/07/2008 17:25

I work from home too.

BeckyBendyLegs · 08/07/2008 17:57

This is what I do when the DSs are at preschool / childminder:
Watch previous night's big brother on laptop
Watch rubbish daytime TV
Feed cat
Do ironing
Check Facebook
Check MN
Tidy toys up
Stroke cat
Phone mum
Hang out washing
Paint (oil pictures - at the moment lots of seascapes as for some reason).

This is what I should be doing:
Work

SheikYerbouti · 08/07/2008 18:02

I'm still farking well here

thumbwitch · 08/07/2008 18:21

aha, just managed to get DH to take DS out to Tesco so I can get on with some work - bless him, DS did manage an hour and a half nap today while my client was here, but that used it all up so no time for journal work until now! And I was doing so well until just now....

Original poster
staranise · 08/07/2008 18:23

Well, after my good start this afternoon have done nothing since 5pm except look for holiday cottages to no avail (is EVERYwhere booked up for August?!) Where are we going to go on holiday to then? Not that I deserve a holiday, barely doing enough work to deserve a weekend break, never mind two weeks off.

Right, off to tell my boss I'm pregnant as penitence...

OP posts:
thumbwitch · 09/07/2008 00:07

aha ha aha - I have FINISHED my journal work at last! Yay! I now have the rest of July to do NO journal work until my maternity leave is over and I have to start again in August.

Still have to see clients but that's much easier and doesn't involve the computer - but being on MN for the next 3 weeks will be guilt-free for me! Unless of course I start neglecting to feed/change DS because of being on some vitally important thread

GColdtimer · 09/07/2008 10:24

well done thumbwitch, good for you! I haven't been around for a while because all of our childcare let us down at the same time. Anytime I managed to get on to the computer I didn't even come on to MN [smug emoticon]

Now I have a list as long as my arm so I should get on really.

Perhaps see some of you for a coffee break a bit later?

Welcome all new fellow faffers

PortBlacksandResident · 09/07/2008 13:48

Coffee? I have custard creams??

Tidies up a bit. Moans about weather.

lucykate · 09/07/2008 13:50

should be working today but ds has been sent home from nursery, he's been sick. although, you wouldn't know it, i've put a dvd on and he's supposed to be lying on the sofa but he's playing thomas aquadraw right now

BeckyBendyLegs · 09/07/2008 14:13

I am wet. DS1 is wet. DS2 is wet. We went on a preschool outing this morning to a farm museum near where we live and it rained and rained and rained. So we had 30 wet small children. Now I am at the lappy to do some work. I could do with a coffee and some custard creams, yum!

GColdtimer · 09/07/2008 14:22

coffee and custard creams for me too please.

Is it raining? I am so engrossed in my work I hadn't noticed

Well, I think we have all done pretty well today. Port just faffed in and out and did some tidying up whilst she was at it and lucykate you have a legitimate excuse for not doing anything with an obviously poorly child round your feet.

I have finally written some copy for a journal flyer - it is deadly dull but it brings in the money. Better get on with something else to bring in the money now.

BeckyBendyLegs · 09/07/2008 14:45

Haven't got any custard creams but have got some McVitties chocolate digestives with caramel.

stallfinder · 09/07/2008 17:44

I've worked from home for a few years now but I've found I get a lot more done now that all my kids are at school full-time. Since I launched my website in March I sometimes find it hard to switch off and spend far too much time on my laptop. I sometimes miss having work colleagues but I like being my own boss.

thumbwitch · 09/07/2008 23:03

Twofalls, very impressed at your willpower and resistance to the call of MN... and also of course for achieving on the flyer!

DS wasn't very helpful today in terms of letting me get on (suddenly realised I had actually got a couple of administrative bits still to do) but I have now almost finished those as well, to the best of my ability until I get replies to 3 emails.

Am feeling a little smug (bad) and have had some lovely G&B chocolate as a reward (also bad! )

BeckyBendyLegs · 10/07/2008 09:32

Good morning fellow freelancers!

I feel justified in being here this morning as work is slow today so far - I have nothing pressing (waiting for an email that contains something pressing). DS2 and I are waiting for two more removal men to give us quotes for moving us and all our bits and bobs to a new house. A fun packed morning ahead! Just dropped DS1 at preschool. The sun is shining for a change.

TracyK · 10/07/2008 10:58

Morning BBL. Weather here in Scotland bit of everything. ds back to nursery - had him off for 2 days as he is getting really fed up being there. So sposed to be getting loads done this morning so I don't have to work tonight.

But I'm logged onto my pc at work and it keeps disconnecting me each time I want to connect onto the bank for 5 mins. So I pop on here and waste 15 mins!!

PortBlacksandResident · 10/07/2008 11:01

Morning!

I'm on here again. I sooooooo need to get somewhere out of my house to work! .

TracyK · 10/07/2008 11:04

I've managed to wean myself off moneysavingexpert.com as another time waster. His site is pretty slow and I got fed up waiting for pages to load - but quite easily spend a couple of hours on there too!

thebecster · 10/07/2008 11:05

Mmmm caramel McVities... Don't have anything that interesting here I"m afraid. Lots of coffee in the pot though - help yourselves

Have just started faffing around on other threads... And today started so well. Stop, becster, step awaaay from AIBU and Chat threads! Must crack on have got so very much to do. I did finish my list that I put up on Monday by the way, so I think I'll do the same again. Before I come back on this thread I will:-

Write 3 sections of current project
Create my accounts spreadsheets
Reply to latest client e-mails
Read 2 very dull research papers which I've been putting off for ages

Okay, see you all soon. But not too soon

TracyK · 10/07/2008 11:12

first step becster - well done - more than me.

fil has just found out I am in the house and he is typing and emailing letters - so have had my first (one of many I'm sure) phone calls of - help - I highlighted my whole letter and pressed enter - and it's all disappeared!!! Thankfully I installed logmein.com on his laptop so I can connect to his and sort it rather than trying to sort it out over the phone to a 75yo.

Bugger it - I am off to make a coffee and have some shortbread.

Wordsmith · 10/07/2008 11:16

Reading this makes me wish I was still self employed. Now, when I'm working at home I'm usually NOT getting paid for it as it's stuff I've brought home from the office.

Re maternity leave, one of the things I did as a freelancer when I wanted to work during ML was agree with my clients that I'd date the invoice for after my maternity leave (or before if it was early on.) Gets round problems if you can wait a bit longer for payments, asnd as long as clients are willing.

Does anyone find themselves working into the night purely because they were faffing around so much during the day when they should have been working? I did that all the time.

wingandprayer · 10/07/2008 11:27

Oh yes, regular 10 p.m. working here when I've been arsing around all day. Been quite productive today though amd now at a point trying to decide what boring thing to do next (VAT return or tender response - hmmm....) and can hear a large bag of maltesers calling me from downstairs.

TracyK · 10/07/2008 11:33

yes - usually find myself working from 6-7am and 8-10pm when childfree and deadline pressure from skiving all day!

BeckyBendyLegs · 10/07/2008 11:37

Oh all the time! And like TracyK I have also found myself getting up before the DSs and doing half an hour's work at 6am.

Where has the morning gone? Almost time to get DS1 from preschool. We had two men come round to quote on the house move and poor DS2 got very upset because they didn't bring boxes - he'd thought we were moving today! He'd even selected two of his toys he wanted them to take with them to the new house. An episode of In The Night Garden helped him get over his distress though. Poor little man.

TracyK · 10/07/2008 11:41

I know - morning has disappeared. Dilemma now whether to work on a bit and leave ds at nursery (bored and pissed off) or go and get him and get no more work done.