
How To Work From Home Like You Mean It  - ifearthenight
http://www.fastcompany.com/1806307/how-to-work-from-home-like-you-mean-it
======
nvk
I've been working from home for many years now.

What gets me trough:

\- Wake up at the same time everyday.

\- Shower and change!

\- Have breakfast.

\- After lunch try to go work from a cafe or a public space where you have
some "humanity" noise. Keeps you sane.

\- Make work dates, we are social.

\- Make sure you leave the house at least a couple times a day (even in the
winter).

\- Stay away from having a tab open with Social Media, block it on your main
browser :P

\- Learn to love podcasts.

\- Invest in a very expensive espresso/coffee machine.

\- Invest in Tea and a very large teapot.

\- Learn how to cook, it's a good break too.

\- Live downtown, so that you have things and ppl close by.

\- Have a place with at least a balcony so that you can get some air and work
from there too.

\- Get a laptop, if you are going to not be in a office, don't replicate a
cubicle in your house. Change up where you work, dinning table, sofa, desk,
floor, etc...

\- Buy a bike, and bike to the cafe in the afternoon.

\- Make friends with other telecommuters/freelancer/artists/etc...

\- Keep your place organized and clean, you spend a lot of time there.

\- Meet close by ex-coworkers/friends for lunch.

\- Stop working everyday at the same time.

Remember, it's not a vacation! But it's not an office setting either! Focus on
getting the best out of each. You have a blank slate for you to create _your_
best work environment now. Don't be afraid of trying different stuff and
routines. You worked in offices for many years (school is part of that) it
will take some time to get use to the new environment with lack of "forced"
structure. You will be amazed about how much more you get done.

Happy working!

(edited for formatting, excuse any grammar erros and typos)

~~~
rgarcia
_\- Invest in a very expensive espresso/coffee machine._

If you don't want to drop a ton of cash, but still want fast and delicious
home-brewed coffee, then I would suggest getting an aeropress instead:
[http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-
Make...](http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-
Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK)

~~~
nvk
Those are great contraptions, but you will still need a grinder or ask the
shop to grind.

~~~
sc68cal
I actually prefer grinding just before brewing coffee. It's a $20 investment,
and well worth it.

[http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-CBG100W-Coffee-
Grinder/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-CBG100W-Coffee-
Grinder/dp/B000UWDBWM)

~~~
JshWright
A blade grinder like that won't do a terribly good job for something like an
AeroPress. Grind quality is one of the most overlooked aspects of good coffee.

You really need a decent conical burr grinder to get a consistent fine grind.
I like my Capresso grinder that I picked up for something like $70, but a
quick googling turns up several well-reviewed burr grinders in the $30 range.

~~~
nvk
Yes, ideally made of ceramic.

There is no point in spending money on good coffee if the other variables are
not up to spec.

(This is totally my personal waist of money, in no way diminishing anybody's
taste and budget)

~~~
suking
Coffee snobs!

------
marknutter
I've been working from home for the last four years, and maybe I'm an outlier
but I literally have no issues with it. I am productive, I have a good
separation between my work and personal lives, I never have an issue getting
motivated, and I don't feel lonely.

It probably helps that I love my work, but I don't have any issues with
distractions. I actually appreciate the fact that there are distractions
around home, because if I need a break from work it's as easy and heading to
the living room to play some games or kick back and relax to some tv on my
comfy couch. When I need a change of scenery or human interaction, I just head
to a coffeeshop to hang out and work alongside a friend or two who have also
flexible work situations, or I go to a co-location workspace in the city.

I waste no time commuting, my workstation is setup exactly how I want it to be
(complete with a Geekdesk and two 27" cinema displays), and I control the
temperature. And if I need to "stay late at the office" it's not hard on my
wife because she knows I'm just downstairs. Heck, she can even hang out in my
"office" and read or do whatever while I work.

Every 6 weeks or so I will fly to the offices of my current contract to work
on location, so it's interesting to compare that experience. I do end up
getting into sync with the rest of the team a _little_ better when I'm
physically there, but not by too much since we heavily utilize collaborative
tools like skype and join.me to great effect. What I do find is that I get
pulled aside WAY more when I'm on location and my workflow constantly gets
interrupted; I'm way less productive. I always end up with back-pain issues
too because I'm working at a substandard workstation. I do admit it's fun to
BS with my cohorts though, but I don't know how important that is to the
project.

I know there are benefits to working on location, but honestly in my opinion
working from home is better on almost all fronts.

------
rglover
These seem like pretty obvious details, right? I've never understood why
someone wants to sit around in pajamas all day or waste time playing
games/watching tv all day (don't get me wrong, I love doing those things, but
I'd much rather get my work out of the way and then hang out). Just because
working from home is an option, doesn't mean you're suited for the gig. A lot
of people derive structure for their day from the physical act of going to and
being at work. There needn't be any "hacks" or "fixes," you'll know almost
immediately whether or not the lifestyle is appropriate for your working
situation.

~~~
jinushaun
Obvious, but easier said than done. Like the author states, it's a slippery
slope into the condition described by the Oatmeal:
[http://s3.amazonaws.com/theoatmeal-
img/comics/working_home/6...](http://s3.amazonaws.com/theoatmeal-
img/comics/working_home/6.png).

I work from home, and it's amazing how effective it is to simply "dress up" at
8am and "dress down" at 5pm. If I didn't do this, it's easy to fall into the
trap of starting at 8am in your underwear and spreading out 8 hrs of work all
the way till 11pm. It's fine when you're single, but a recipe for disaster if
you are in a relationship.

~~~
bmj
Agreed. Since we homeschool our kids (and my wife does a large percentage of
the schooling), when I work from home, I am relegated to the home office or
the cafe for much of the day.

My typical work from home day starts around 6:30 AM, and I work 'til roughly
8:30, when the kids wake up. I help them make breakfast, and sit and eat with
them. Around 9:00-ish, my wife starts the school, and I disappear 'til early
afternoon. I'll typically stop working around 4:00 PM, and if necessary, work
for an hour or two later in the evening, after the kids are asleep.

The schedule seems to work well for all involved, and gives me extra time to
be around my family.

------
kennu
He doesn't mention flow, as in
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)>. Without it, you're pretty
much wasting time whether you're at home or at the office. It might be easier
to force yourself to do some menial tasks at the office, but it's much easier
to get into the flow in peace at home, and then you'll be 10x more productive
and able to do real work.

~~~
janus
The big question is, how do you train yourself to get ´in the zone´ when you
are working in a project you don´t like with tools you don´t like?

~~~
boofar
I've almost finished reading "The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of
Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work".[1]

It's based on scientific results, so it's not yet another esoteric self-help
book.

Now, back to your question: If you expect it to suck, it will suck. The author
explains with princile #2 (the fulcrum and the lever) how this negative
priming turns this into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now, it might be, that the
particular job simply stinks, but usually you can find something positive and
just thinking about that shortly before will make that negative feeling go
away. My explanation might make it seem simple and useless but I can't
possibly replace all the valuable advice from the book. And it works. Give it
a shot.

It's a very good read and I recommend it very highly.

[1] [http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Advantage-Principles-
Psychol...](http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Advantage-Principles-Psychology-
Performance/dp/0307591549/)

------
j45
Discipline.

This entire article is about building one core skill, entirely summed up in
one word. This core skill helps create all other required skills.

That's it.

Sadly it seems to dance around discipline, like we may, avoiding saying it to
not to hurt anyones feelings.

Discipline forms habits. Discipline keeps habits. Poor discipline, poor
habits.

Not having and always working on your discipline makes it hard to work from
home.

Fast Company; I'm available for hire.

~~~
astine
I'm pretty sure that they are not trying to avoid hurting people's feelings.
The problem with "discipline" is that people see the word and assume that
we're merely talking about strength of willpower. The key to discipline is
building good habits and sticking to them, not mere willing yourself to do the
right thing. People often make this mistake.

~~~
j45
Interesting.. I think we might be saying something similar.

I think I've noticed most people cringe from the word discipline. They feel
building discipline like it's some life / breath sucking black hole that kills
all creativity and freedom. Maybe to procrastinate.

Wherever I've found anyone with:

\- academic discipline (brilliant in a field of research)

\- professional discipline (great at their job)

\- social discipline (knows how to get things done with difficult people)

\- physical discipline (exercises)

\- dietetic discipline (eats well)

\- emotional discipline (well balanced)

\- mental discipline (don't suffer from analysis paralysis)

\- spiritual discipline (can take the good from everything, learn how to
meditate/focus, get into flow easier)

I find one amazing thing. We call them successful at what they do. It's tied
to their discipline. Discipline of creating, maintaining and building on good
habits.

In a way, discipline leaves you free to create and succeed.

~~~
nvk
I couldn't agree more.

------
tluyben2
I have worked from home most of my working life and these things are
important, however, I discovered that, at least for me, I have to like the
work i'm doing even more than I have to like it in 'an office'. For me it's
much easier to procrastinate when I don't like what i'm doing/don't believe
in. And really, procrastination can make you hate yourself, so it makes me
drift towards things I like and believe in, much more than towards money. This
has been working for me for over 20 years now up to a point were I really
don't understand anyone doing it differently (most notably, people going to
jobs they don't like for the money, as most people do
[http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/poll_most_in_us_don_li...](http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/poll_most_in_us_don_like_their_jobs_4iRFvxrVqLk3mxtMVmCULO)
(there are similar polls in EU countries)). Life is too short for that.

~~~
ifearthenight
What do you do when you start to feel your interest/passion fade? Is it time
to look for a new gig or do you have good ways to bring back the spark?

~~~
Spearchucker
The awesome thing is that my ineterest/passion never fades. There's an endless
list of things I want to try, do or test out that if my interest ine one thing
fades I immediately pick up the next. When that's worked itself out, or
interest goes, I find my interest in the first task is renewed.

My girlfriend, on the other hand, will not work from home because she thrives
on having people around her. I guess we're all different.

------
matwood
I have worked from home for the past 2.5 years. The freedom is great, but the
downside is that I found I work a lot more. There just ends up being so little
separation between work and home that is all just blends into the same thing.

I'm taking a job soon where I'll need to go into an office and I'm excited.
Now that I have done years in an office and out, I think the best solution for
_me_ is an office job that has flexibility to show up in a time window (been
8am and 10am for example) and the option to work from home when needed.

~~~
j45
Learning to stop yourself is a hard skill.

I worked from home for 3-4 year in 2000-2004. 7 days a week, 16 hour days with
the odd day off to catch up on sleep quickly became a norm because no one told
me I had to stop.

I found better balance finding some time at a coworking space. The act of
leaving the house and being surrounded by other similar entrepreneurs helps a
lot.

------
jiggy2011
One of the hardest things from working from home is if you share your living
space with people who are unemployed and stay home most of the day.

Much more difficult to stay motivated when your house is full of people in
pajamas who are surfing facebook , playing guitar hero and smoking pot.

~~~
driverdan
Sounds like you need to find some new roommates. Surrounding yourself with
losers is only going to bring you down.

------
Roboprog
Thank God for our detached garage. I walk out there in the morning (my
commute, 2 days a week), and I am "at work".

I have to take frequent early morning calls (I am in California, everybody
else in my working group on the East Coast or offshore), so I usually barely
make it, but I do make it, and grab breakfast later. This is a bit awkward,
but it works for me, and I usually finish the day at a decent time, even if I
start the first hour or two in my sweats. I'm violating the preconception of
wearing the costume and being ready first thing, but if I had to eat breakfast
at 6:00 in the morning, I would be sick. Ugh. TMTOWTDI. (I don't have the
luxury of starting at 9:00)

------
ed209
I've been working from home since 2003. Holy crap, I just read back that
sentence...

Lately I've been thinking that I can't do this forever. But like all things
that people do for a long time it's hard to find a way out.

Despite the fact that I can easily not leave the house for days at a time (and
worse - not even notice) I'm a happy, social person. I have a wife, daughter,
lots of friends around.

However, this year I've decided not to be such a hermit and mix it up with new
people. So I've booked myself some conferences (inc sxsw) and local get-
togethers and see what it leads to.

Nothing worse than getting into your own safe little world - one day you'll be
too scared to leave it...

------
zerostar07
In art form, for the aspiring home-worker:

<http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home>

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co_DNpTMKXk>

It's amazing how efficient working from home can become. What's even more
amazing is when you realize how much time goes wasted in an office environment
due to constant interruptions. The downside is that you end up with a lot of
empty time to fill in.

Word of advice: Get a second part-time job/education/daily activity. Have a
cuckoo clock on your PC (helps to bring you back to reality)

------
nsxwolf
What I've found has helped the most is moving into a house with a real office
in it and only working in there.

My condo was a work free-for-all. Working variously in the kitchen, bedroom
and living room imbued the entire place with an emotional vibe that made it
feel like I was always at work, even on weekends.

Also: Laying down the law and getting family to respect that you are at work
when those office doors close. No requests for chores, no constant pop-ins for
idle chit chat or (much worse) picking fights.

I've found these things work whether I'm in my underwear or not.

------
adrianmsmith
IRC.

I worked for home for 18 months. What made the most difference for me was
having an IRC session open all the time with my 8-9 colleagues. We only talked
about work issues there (more-or-less). It gave me what I missed, which was:

\- the casual non-formal interaction mechanisms with my colleagues (like just
popping over to their desk to ask something),

\- it made me feel less alone

\- gave me a reason to get up and start work in the morning (as others would
see when I logged in, a bit like when others see when you get to the office in
the morning)

\- it made me feel part of the team.

------
deweller
> ..."arriving" on time, eating lunch on a rigid schedule, shaving, brushing,
> and so on seems pointless at first.

It did seem pointless to me at first. And then I tried it for a while and
learned how to have a healthy separation between work and the rest of my life
at home. And now I realize that most of these things are pointless for me when
I work at home.

------
spiredigital
Been working from home since early 2008, and found one of the most critical
things to do is to separate your work space from the rest of your "normal"
life. For a while, I was waking up 24" from my laptop. I'd work non-stop all
day, and much of the night. There was no separation, no respite even in my
dreams. I don't care how awesome your project/business/start-up is, you need
to occasionally come up for air.

Having a separate work space I could leave and return to was great. When I was
"at work", I got stuff done. When I needed a break or was spending time with
my family, I wasn't sucked in by work laptop screen within sight and was able
to be, for the most part, fully present.

The best of both worlds.....

------
hopeless
Why is "working" in quotes?

~~~
ifearthenight
Just because the article is about working from home but not necessarily
actually getting any work done. (and how to cope with the common problem)

------
pan69
What seems to work best for me is to have a todo list. I write this list at
the end of the day for the next day. Not only gives it me something to focus
on the next day, it also allows me to start thinking about the potential
problems I might need to solve so that when I sit down at the keyboard things
sorta flow better.

<http://www.lukeschreur.com/posts/productivity>

------
potomak
I found very productive to split my working time into slots called pomodoro,
the famous pomodoro technique. I built a tool to help me getting things done
and don't waste time called Tomatoes [1].

[1] <http://tomatoes.heroku.com>

~~~
ifearthenight
If you built this while you should've been working on your day job then you
are my new procrastination hero!

~~~
potomak
Ahaha! Yes I am!

Well, this tool made me work instead of procrastinate so I think it was kind
of "good" procrastination, wasn't it?

------
krallja
Amazing how people who directly link to Neven Mrgan's blog still manage to add
vowels to his last name.

------
funkah
I've been working from home since August 2010.

The part where you get up on time, shower, shave, dress well, etc, is very
important, as the author says. It's psychological - you're gearing yourself up
for a day of work. If there is no physical differentiation between a work day
and an off-day, the two will start to blend together in icky ways. For this
reason, even though in general I am a very lazy person, I always do this. I
always clean up, always dress properly, and have a part of my home I only use
for work. I also have meetings every day on Skype, so if I look like a hobo
people will know about it.

On the other hand, I do clean and sometimes cook during the work day. I make
sure to get my work done, but since I'm at home I try to get some mundane
things done so I don't have to do them when I'm off. I work for a place that
encourages a balance of life and work, so this is more in line with what
others at my workplace are doing (ie, I'm not slacking relative to my
coworkers).

Being social is still something I am struggling with. Since I work alone and I
don't have nerd friends, having someone to talk tech with is kinda missing
from my life right now. The tech scene in my city is good but I just haven't
been taking advantage of it by going to events and meeting people. In general,
being around people is less frequent now, so it's more distracting when it
happens. I have been sort of letting this happen rather than trying to fix it.

~~~
gameshot911
>I have been sort of letting this happen rather than trying to fix it.

Fix it - make it a priority. You've already recognized that it's an issue,
just need to take the initiative to act on it. And not only is it an issue
that you know needs to be addressed, but it's an important one. Treat it as
such, as you would any important work goal.

