I know that lots of people want to work at home but often never have an idea that really inspires them to take the plunge. This page from Sun.Star in the Philippines has a lot of ideas if you are looking for inspiration.

Came across a new work at home Dad site today at www.entrepreneurdad.com - nicely laid out with lots of good articles. Currently running a competition to win an Ipod - what a great way to get people to visit your site. Much better than a hundred quid of advertising in some dreary magazine.

The site itself is well laid out and contains some very good articles.

This from their press release:

EntrepreneurDad.com was created by Justin Powell, who works from home as a web designer and cares for twin boys. “When I first started out as a work at home dad, I found useful information was minimal and scattered,” says Justin. “I was looking for a single location online that addressed the needs of work at home dads but found that such a place didn’t existed. I felt a there was clearly a need for this type of resource, so I decided to create an online destination just for dads who work from home and care for their children.” 

There is a lot more buzz online about work at home mums than work at home dad’s but in reality it’s not that different.
This is a sweet article about a mum working from home and I pretty much identify with it all…

“Leigh DeLozier is a freelance writer who writes, edits, and proof reads for different publications across the nation, all while she juggles play time with her daughter and the loads of laundry that sometimes pile up in her laundry room.” more…

This is a silly post, but probably one my wife would agree with. Lists keep you sane and allow you to sleep when you work at home.

Sometimes when I’ve got a lot of jobs on, I spend the majority of time that I’m not working thinking about working. It’s ridiculous, it might just be half a dozen things I’ve got to do, but in my mind’s eye I’ve got a hundred things to remember to do and I better not forget any of them. It even keeps me awake at night.

So these days I’ve taken to noting down everything that is still outstanding at the end of a day on a post-it and sticking it to my keyboard for the next morning. I even prioritise it with the important stuff at the top.

As soon as that list is made, the pain of remembering everything leaves my head and I know I’ll get a decent night’s sleep that night.

Told you it was a silly post.

Some days you’ll sit at your desk and wonder what to do next. You’ve got a stack of paperwork covering every square inch of that desk and it seems like a million things to do. The rest of the office is probably not much better with lever arch files competing with jackets, kids toys and stuff put there just until you figure out what to do with it.

Switch off your computer. Unplug your phone and start tidying and organising.

Clearing your home office and making it a pleasant place to work can really do good things for your head. Removing the clutter and getting a bit of organisation will actually make you more efficient.

First off, get rid of the junk from everywhere except your desk. Old magazines, tools, boxes, toys etc. If it’s stayed there long enough to get spiders web on it then it could probably go to the skip without anyone noticing it. Clear a bit of space an make sure you can walk to your desk from the door. Be ruthless though, simply moving stuff around probably isn’t enough to change things and the mess will reappear quickly.

Next is your desk. How can you concentrate on one task at a time when you’ve got a hundred bits of paper, post-it notes CD’s and other junk littering your desk. Take one piece of paper and a pen. Go through the pile of stuff on the desk and make a note of what needs done. Bin everything else and put all the required papers etc in a drawer. Then you’ll just have one bit of paper which, if you’re ultra organised you’ll even input that to-do list into your computer.

Right, now it’s tidy take a look around. What would improve your quality of life in your home office. Try some new pictures on the wall, maybe a moving feature like a water feature or a windmill outside the window. And plants - I know they just site there and suck your water, but they are good for the mind, and being organised enough to keep a plant alive might just keep your head in the right place for keeping your business ticking over efficiently too.

Now you’ve done all that, go make a coffee, come back to your desk and get started on that list. You’ll get through it much faster.

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?