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[lorelei]

I do not have an office at my new institution. So, looks like I'll be working from home for the foreseeable future. I have bought a desk and set up some office space, however I have never been good at working at home. Procrastinating, remembering that I should do the laundry/clean the fridge/cook something complicated for dinner - yes. Working, not so much.

So I'm asking if anyone who works from home regularly has any discipline tips to actually get down to it?

[gennimom]

Set up a calendar with hours of the day listed? You put the household chores down on specific times and you are not allowed to do them except during those hours.

My problem is, getting my husband to recognize those "working from home" hours. He wants to go shopping and stuff. Grrr.

[collegekidsmom]

I have been working a lot from home, and I have to leave the house and go to library, coffee shop, other local place for specified hours to get my work done. I live in an area where I can do that, but growing up I had the same problem doing homework in my house. I always end up baking, playing outside, stuff like that. I have very good luck with my other approach, and very much enjoy it. My laptop is always with me along with a backpack full of other materials. I don't know why I can't work well at home-it is very difficult for me. If I have to get something done at home, I try to set specified hours-time and place for doing it.

[missemily]

Set regular hours and keep them. Set a regular break time if you must, and stick to it. Don't answer the phone, don't answer the door, and don't check your nonwork e-mail.

Devise a reward for yourself for keeping to your work schedule (chocolate, jelly beans, a TV show, etc.) and a punishment for when you don't keep to your schedule (no sugar that day, skip your favorite TV show, no NPR, etc.).

You will soon get into the habit.

[zuzu_]

Get a laptop and go to a coffee shop.

[dr_strangelove]

What helped me be productive working from home was:

(1) Making my home office space truly adequate for the task. For me this meant a second desk (really a table) so that I could have one desk for a computer and one to write on/grade papers, etc. It also meant an adequate computer with a good way to transfer files to and from my office machine, a reliable high-speed internet connection, adequate bookshelves, and the right set of books at home. This made by far the biggest difference for me, once I got everything set up.

(2) Devoting the equivalent of my commute time to doing anything other than working, guilt free. (Obviously this won't help if you have a very short commute, or already work during your commute time.)

[msmicrobe]

Get a digital timer that counts up. Set a reasonable goal. Say between 8:30 and 12 noon, I want to have put in 4 solid hours of work.

Put a notepad on your desk.

When you sit down to work, start the timer. If you stop to answer the phone, refill your coffee, answer the door, etc. you stop the timer. It will keep you honest.

Any time you notice or think of something you need to do- say knock down the cobwebs, clean the fridge, bathe the cat, or anything else that appeals to you more than what you are supposed to be doing, write it down.

When 12 PM rolls around, you are free to do anything on that list you still find urgent. And if you hit your 4 hour goal at 12 PM, you have EARNED a reward. Perhaps a half hour walk with the dog, a lunch that is leisurely and consumed while reading the newspaper, etc. Make the reward valuable enough you want it.

The timer keeps you honest, the notepad keeps track of tasks you really do need to do but later, and the reward provides motivation and positive feedback for staying on task. Do build reasonable goals. You DO need breaks and a few minutes to stretch your legs now and then. If you set reasonable goals, however, once you have done what you need to for that period, you have earned your reward guilt free. Savor it.

This method has saved me from a heap of procrastination trouble. --And I'm the queen of procrastination. It is amazing what I can be motivated to do if I know the reward isn't just more work but is something I actually want. I've been known to have goals of "Get this project done and you can go buy (and read!) that awesome new book that came out." Somehow, that stack mountain of grading is now just an obstacle I must climb to get that book. I want that book and will work to earn it. And then, I relish the time reading it because I got the job done.  

Sticker charts work with my kids. No reason why they can't work for me!

Good luck to you.

[hegemony]

Msmicrobe's suggestions are great, except that I think it would be hard for anyone to get in four solid hours of work between 8:30 and noon.

[msmicrobe]

I know... I caught that after posting and it didn't let me edit. I can do basic math. Usually. :-)

[clean]

Go to the 'office', shut the door and do your work.  If you were away from home you could not do the laundry.  This is just something you have to do.

I wrote my dissertation in 3 hours a day.  Nine til noon you are in the office, with no internet, phone, laundry or other distractions.  THEN when the time is up, (and this is the important part) you get up and leave the office.  It doesnt matter if you are in the middle of a sentence, or only part way through the data manipulation, you leave.  That way you are excited about returning to the office. 

Discipline! 

Just Do it!!

[tmeao]

And while I think all these are fantastic suggestions, I also have to throw in their that even if you can't set aside set hours/have a nifty home office/ignore other distractions, etc. discipline and a desire to get it down can work wonders.  Given my family (2 babies/preschooler), financial (minimal), space (tiny urban apartment), and schedule (umm, maybe nap time if it happens, or Sunday night or that hour spouse went to park with kids - and I had do do the laundry at the same time) while writing my dissertation several years ago, I rarely had an ideal environment.  But I wanted to get it done so I did.  And I think that attitude alone carried me through a lot.  Good luck

[lifeisgood]

You've gotten some good replies about how to do the work, but I've found that I have the most success when I pay attention to defining the work that I'm doing. If you have a vague sense of the things that you need to accomplish, you'll probably waste a lot of time trying to figure out exactly what actions you need to take, and that's a lot of opportunity to get side-tracked. I keep my tasks in Outlook and (this is going to sound stupid) the subject line of each is required to contain a verb and a full thought.

Not: "Work on SOP."
But: "Write the first draft of the SOP for application to university #1."

Not: "Do research for paper."
But: "Search online for archives with resources on Topic that I can use for my paper; develop a spreadsheet of relevant location, identification, and access info."

No time wasted getting my head around what needs doing. I can start right away. And getting started is the hardest part. If the next step is known, I'll write it in the task body. As I complete the first part, I already know what the new task should be.

Subject: "Write the first draft of the SOP for application to university #1; then..."
Body: "Next steps: Polish and and send to advisor for comment."

It's hard, but doable. I've worked at home for 7 years; it just takes some getting used to. Good luck!