If you work at home and you have done so for some time, you might find, like me that you get into a routine. That’s great. Working at home can mean you have so many distractions that it can be hard to get focused on your work to start with. Eventually though you’ll have realised that you need to buckle down and get work done and the easiest way to do that for me was to find my routine:

• Try and have all child stuff out the way and be ready to work for 9AM.
• Then work for the rest of the morning.
• Get out for a run or a bike around 12, at least a couple of days a week
• Have lunch and be working again by 2 at the latest.
• Knock off at the same time each night.

That’s pretty much the way I work but sometimes it’s just not efficient. Some days I’m just not firing on all cylinders and the amount of work I’m getting through is pitiful for the amount of time I’m spending in front of the screen. At this point it’s time to shake up the routine. Here’s some of the things you can do:

• Get out. Switch off the computer and try doing something different for an hour
• Take the kids to the park
• Go for a haircut
• Go to the post office
• Go buy some groceries
• Go for a bike ride or a run

Chances are that by doing this you’ll energise your brain, feel better about the work and be more productive when you get back to your desk. 1 hour at full productivity is probably worth 3 when you are just messing about at your computer. Sometimes when you work at home it pays to slack off now and again in order to get more work done. Is that enough of an excuse to get out in the sun?