you know another exercise that gives the brain a good wor...

you know another exercise that gives the brain a good workout? daydreaming and visualization! works wonders - gets one out of the daily rut and it actually seems to enhance creativity.

T.O. I'm going to try this exercise! I do a version of i...

T.O. I'm going to try this exercise! I do a version of it once in a while, to weed out all those niggling to do list items that won't go away (they really are weeds). This technique reminds me of the GTD advice to consciously decide what you're *not* going to do. When you leave a task on the list but never do it, it's taking up what Allen calls "psychic RAM" and getting in the way of what you do want to do.

If you are already in the Firefox habbit, don't switch ba...

If you are already in the Firefox habbit, don't switch back to IE! IE still has it's issues. Instead, create a second profile in Firefox (via the Profile Manager), and ask it to ask you which profile to use each time you start the browser.

Interesting comment re: trying two browsers. I think this...

Interesting comment re: trying two browsers. I think this is a neat idea that could really help manage the personal vs. business web-surfing done by folks who work at home. I would recommend Firefox for business browsing due to its superior functionality, and Internet Exlporer for personal browsing.

I find that taking a 30 minute commute up and back down t...

I find that taking a 30 minute commute up and back down the freeway (for no particular reason), really helps get me in the mood. That, and a poorly lit (by fluorescent blubs, nonetheless), cubicle, far from any natural light, enhances my productivity as well. You can find these at your local office surplus store. Sure, it will look out of place in your home office, but it'll really help you "get into the zone," if you will. In all seriousness though, I don't know what companies are smoking to not let their employees telecommute. I've been doing it for SproutIt.com for the past 3 months and could not go back to working full-time in an office. I've even turned down repeated requests to interview with Google to keep this setup. (Google frowns upon telecommuting, I hear) ...

I work from home 1-2 days a week and have two kids (5 & 1...

I work from home 1-2 days a week and have two kids (5 & 10). I took an old bicycle brake light and installed on the wall outside my office. Whenever I get on the phone, I flip on the light from a switch on my desk. The house rule is: If the light is on, don't bother Dad unless you're bleeding !! Works very well....

The getting dressed routine really helps me. Even if it'...

The getting dressed routine really helps me. Even if it's changing from 1 t-shirt to another, the act of changing and the feeling of a fresh shirt just makes me wake up. That and putting my contacts in are the 2 things I have to do to wake up and start feeling productive.

Early morning is my sharpest time too. Up at 5, change f...

Early morning is my sharpest time too. Up at 5, change from night pajamas to work sweatpants then put on some coffee and come out of the office around lunch for 30 minutes or so. Wife and kids are generally running aroung while my extra insulated office keeps me safe from the havoc.

I agree with one of the above posters -- it's not 'trying...

I agree with one of the above posters -- it's not 'trying to learn how to work at home', it's knowing when to STOP working. I get up fine, get working fine, work well when I can, but it's hard to shift gears to being "at home" instead of "always at work". I have a separate office which is on the main floor of my home, next to the front door. I don't use 'an extra bedroom', dining room, or kitchen table. This is a dedicated room for business - I don't even have any video games. I know other business people who do the same thing: work at home. I have to FORCE myself to make the adequate transitions that would normally come in an office environment. Equally, there are people who know I have an office at home - and will call me at any time (even 9pm at night) for a business call. Some people are even annoyed that I did not return email between 10pm and the next day's 8am. Here is my solution and also my professional advice to my own clients, for work/life balance: 1) Set your alarm and get up 'as if you are going to work' elsewhere. This is because you are a businessperson with duties. 2) If you tend to spend time in forums and chat areas, only do so in "breaks" from work. If you find yourself drawn into online drama, note what of your own work falls into the cracks. (It will, believe me). Pull back from the drama and delve back into your work. 3) Take needed breaks! Working at home still means that you have to walk away from the computer... but you have the added advantage of going to water plants, taking a walk, whatever. 4) Don't skimp on your own needs. Most attentive work-at-home people I've met will skip shopping or other self-care to OVER-PROVE their worthiness to be at home. Schedule these times into your week... getting guilt feelings are as bad as not doing these things. 5) Have a drop-dead time that you will 'leave the office' at night, unless there's an important deadline. This may be different every day or the same every day. If you have an office door, close it... or keep the light out. Make sure that you have a difference between the WORKER-YOU and the HOME-YOU. This may not seem important, but that's because this society has conditioned up to want more-more-more. That's fine, if you have decided that your own 'life' is worth nothing. 6) Have a signal with your spouse, roommate or kids, that if you are on the telephone, it's "quiet time". I am constantly on the phone with businesses or clients, but my housemate knows to mime to me or just wave.... however, I consistantly hear home-clients screaming at their kids, "Can't you hear I'm on the phone? Why do you always bother me when I get on the phone!?" This is not hard to teach to children even at an early age, especially if kids (and spouses) are feeling attended at other times of the day. 7) Make your decisions early on who and what you value the most... what will make you turn from business attention? I decided early that my long-distance partner takes precidence when he calls, unless I have a scheduled appointment. My working at home means that I can take a few minutes extra away from work to speak to him, since we have limited time together. This is my value and it's precious to me. 8) Give your other business dealings the same respect as you give your life. I know one home-office who would repeatedly cancel business appointments because he would oversleep to the afternoon, or other excuses. Save yourself the problem of excuses -- just keep the same business respect as if you had a separate office: which you do, it's just a shorter commute. My thoughts, Lauren Muney ...

"Get dressed for work" is common advice for us home worke...

"Get dressed for work" is common advice for us home workers, but I disagree with it (YMMV, of course). I get up early, way before anyone else in my house is up, throw on some PJ's or comfy clothes, and work until the house begins to awaken. Then a couple of hours off while we eat breakfast and get the kids off to school. Then back to work. Morning is my sharpest time, so I don't want to waste 30 minutes of it showering and getting dressed. Generally I shower after lunch; the shower helps shake off that post-lunch urge for a siesta.

"Get dressed for work" is common advice for us home worke...

"Get dressed for work" is common advice for us home workers, but I disagree with it (YMMV, of course). I get up early, way before anyone else in my house is up, throw on some PJ's or comfy clothes, and work until the house begins to awaken. Then a couple of hours off while we eat breakfast and get the kids off to school. Then back to work. Morning is my sharpest time, so I don't want to waste 30 minutes of it showering and getting dressed. Generally I shower after lunch; the shower helps shake off that post-lunch urge for a siesta.

T.O. that is a terrific post! One of the biggest and leas...

T.O. that is a terrific post! One of the biggest and least talked about challenges of running a home-based business is disciplining ourselves to actually spend the time needed for build our businesses. In other words - work work work. My solution for #3 is to have a written schedule - that doesn't work for everyone, but it may help those who like seeing their schedule on paper.

As a fellow blogger on this site,I was browsing some of t...

As a fellow blogger on this site,I was browsing some of the other columns and stumbled upon yours. Because I work from home 90% of the time and have done so for a number of years,I know the challenges a business owner faces. Not only do I not miss working in the office,but my blood pressure has improved dramatically(it used to be sky high) and has remained consistent. I find that I follow my mood,energy and schedule accordingly. For example,as I write this I am have a productive but more leisurely work day,While tomorrow may be more active and frantic. The point is ,find what works for you so long as it's productive. You're the boss ...run with it. BTW I agree with Frank. Great post T.O.!!! Tony Wilkins ...

I agree that it is sometimes hard to get started but I ha...

I agree that it is sometimes hard to get started but I have found the opposite problem to be more daunting after 20 years in a home office. That is not having a boundary between work and home. The commute takes less than a minute but I make it before breakfast and after supper. Of course there is always more to be done in any small business so when do you draw the line?

I am one to say that quality not speed is the most import...

I am one to say that quality not speed is the most important thing. When typing a few thousand words out one could say that it may save you 20 to 30 minutes of time if you could hammer out 25 words more a minute, but think of the time you have to invest in practicing proper technique. I think in the case of 10000 words you may want to outsource your typing if you are concerned with saving time. I know some people who would gladly loan out their typing services at a fairly decent rate.

I think it's more than ideas. Idea is absolutely, no dou...

I think it's more than ideas. Idea is absolutely, no doubt one of the most important things. But don't discount the power of planning and execution. A savvy entrepreneur must have all three of them. There must be a personality that comes up with new and fresh ideas and what can you achieve with those ideas. Then there must be a personality that comes up with a PLAN about how do you want to achive it. Lastly, you have to be able to EXECUTE. Now this is the most difficult for any entrepreneur. Execution makes all your dreams happen. If you don't execute, you ain't got nothing.

"t that the numbers would remain about the same for a lar...

"t that the numbers would remain about the same for a larger group. More than half of the people who have answered have said that they don’t set aside thinking time, though they would like to." Really sad picture. Well I must admit that I do not put aside seperate time for thinking but I do think a lot everyday. Best time for me is to think when I am sleeping or when I am eating lunch or dinner.

That's a good comment about time use resulting from "deci...

That's a good comment about time use resulting from "decisions we make (or ones we fail to make)." Often people get sucked into doing work that comes to them from others, or answering email or phone calls. They wait until they "find some time" to do the other important, but not urgent, work. What they don't accept is that found time gets eaten up by other things. The time to do important work has to be scheduled in, consciously set aside.

Very refreshing and balanced viewpoint, T.O.! My work...

Very refreshing and balanced viewpoint, T.O.! My work takes me out of the office, and I have deliberately refused a wireless hookup on my laptop; I know what I would be doing with any ?spare minute? or break I might find?I would succumb to the urge to check and respond to e-mail. I CAN actually be present in whatever my current assignment may be and spend less time feeling guilty about my unwritten, on-line correspondence! Thanks for linking into the Stephenson article?a reading well worth my time. Kate ...

Hey T.O., welcome to the AllBusiness blog center. Glad to...

Hey T.O., welcome to the AllBusiness blog center. Glad to have you aboard! I'm going to go out on a limb here but I'm thinking the "get a gun" suggestion falls into the extreme category? Actually, I like the "stand up and walk toward them" idea. I used to do this and it always worked. I'd just pretend I was leaving to get a cup of coffee or whatever. By the way, if you don't tell us what "T.O." really means, we might have to have a contest and let our readers decide for themselves what it stands for!