I put effort into getting ready for work in the office- at home I don’t. I have mixed feelings about that, it’s nice not to have to make the effort but it can get out of hand. The biggest surprise to me is that I find it easier to sit at my laptop and work than take care of things around the house. When it gets really busy I start feeling like a junky…I’m unwashed, dishes and clutter are piling up…

Like your 5 points – a great summary of the cons of working from home…also checked out your 13 ways to liven things up and I would wholeheartedly agree with getting a good start to the day. If I don’t get out of my PJs, even if I have my coffee, I really don’t get anything done! So step one is get dressed & brush my hair/teeth etc…then an hour for a healthy breakfast (for long lasting energy) and coffee, while checking e-mails and planning my ‘work’ day.

Daily ‘goals’ definitely help – usually I have a top 3 – things I must do today and another 2 things I would like to get done as well (this does also depend on the top 3 and how long they’ll take of course). I’ve found doing small chunks daily means I really get more done in the long term though I still often find myself staring down the barrel of a looming deadline!

I usually set alarms to go off at regular intervals, so I have a sense of where I should be at, so the day doesn’t get away from me and I plan my work around my family and the household chores I tend to get lumped with because a) I’m mum & b) I’m at home all day! ;-) That way I can work around having two young kids and being the main breadwinner of the family fairly easily. Though, like many entrepreneurs, I do find myself working in the wee hours of the morning while everyone else sleeps, particularly when there’s a deadline looming. Good thing I’m a night owl and work well under pressure!

The only other problem I find about working from home is that my friends forget I work. (My husband occassionally forgets to which can be quite frustrating!) Or they remember, but don’t really take my ‘career’ very seriously. I’m not sure if this is because a) I’m a mum or b) I’m at home all day! Hehe. Anyway, what I’m saying is, a little validation would go a long way…cause well, at the end of the day I do work and I do pay the bills. I don’t really have a solution for getting this though – do you?

Thanks once again for your post and making me feel less alone at home!

@Melissa – Any excuse to get out of the house will work to rejuvenate your working spirit. Adding in a workout schedule is even better because it’s good for you too! Just one thing – what’s a CVS and a SO?