For the home office worker distractions are rife. With no clients looking over your shoulder and only your own discretion between you and an unwarranted break, discipline is key.

Perhaps you’re the freelancer with an unfathomable desire to watch daytime television? In which case you need to know how to switch off the TV and switch on your freelancer mind…

### Set aside your working day

It’s crucial that you set aside your working day (including start time and end time), plan your breaks and how much you plan to achieve. When you know what you need to achieve and how to go about achieving it, the ability to both motivate and discipline yourself will be far greater.

Breaking down tasks into manageable chunks will also help maintain your focus, there are a whole range of free online time-management tools which can help with this.

### Understand yourself

If you know when you’re at your most productive, you can plan your working day accordingly. As a result you can do menial tasks at your least productive times and the bigger tasks when you’re at the peak of your freelancing powers.

### Have a good home office set-up

A good clean clear desk is a must. I’m a believer that too much junk on your desk puts junk inside your head. Or at least leaves your mind a little more muddled. Simply take the stuff on your desk that you don’t need and shove it in a draw or place it in a pile in the corner of your room – don’t keep it in your line of vision.

Talking of vision, ensure that you have plenty of light and maybe an inspirational picture with a suitably inspiring caption, such as: ‘Concentrate: if you get distracted, your dreams won’t be enacted.’

### Your computer

When you’re trying to get the work done, only keep open the applications that you need, everything else can be closed. In the same way that your desk needs to be clear, so does your desktop.

Personally, I feel that a two screen set-up is the most efficient way of working at your computer. This means far less fiddling about with opening, closing, minimising and maximising windows – and far more time with the information and programmes you need, right in front of you.

### Family, friends and house haunters

So, you’re not alone in the house. Maybe you’ve got a partner and kids. Or maybe just a partner. Or maybe just kids. Alternatively, you may just have housemates. Whoever they are, they’re a potential distraction.

In such cases, you must let them know when you’ll be working and when you should be left alone. It may seem unsociable, but reassure them that by concentrating on your work over a set period of time you will ultimately be able to spend more quality time with them. Sweet.

You can help smooth this process by hanging a sign on your door which reads: ‘DO NOT DISTURB: FLAILING FREELANCER ATTEMPTING TO DO SOME WORK!!’

### Accommodate your own idiosyncrasies

Or in cliché speak: it’s horses for courses! Maybe you like a death metal accompaniment or Bach, or a bit of talk radio in the background. Whatever it is that helps you work, go ahead and do it – take advantage of the freedom of home-working!

#### In reality there’s no universal right or wrong for freelancers, only what works for you, and ultimately your business. Home-working allows you to what you do best in the way most suited to you.

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###### Image by [Rennett Stowe](http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomsaint/2987926396/) ~ [cc](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en_GB)