How To Leave Work On Time

It's Friday, you've had a busy week and you really don't want to be leaving late today. Here are a few tips to get you out of the office and finishing work on time or even early.

• Start by giving your work colleagues and your boss a heads-up that you need to leave early to reduce the risk of last minute questions or urgent work requests.

• Plan your day - make a list of the tasks you absolutely must get done today. Allocate time slots in the day when you're going to do them.

• Prioritise your list - what's important, what could wait until Monday? Can anyone else help or do the task for you? Be realistic about how much you can complete in the time available.

• Work backwards from the time you need to leave. Manage your time and plan the tasks on your to-do list accordingly.

• Stay focused - avoid any distractions or interruptions that stop you from getting on with your tasks or delay you e.g. lingering for a chat by the coffee machine, interruptions from colleagues etc. Work in short bursts - you'll stay focused and be more productive.

• If you can't avoid Friday meetings altogether, avoid last minute or late meetings. Keep them to the morning. If they run over you'll be under even more pressure to complete any follow ups or actions before you need to leave along with your now delayed tasks.

• Make phone calls or send emails that need a response in the morning to allow time for them to reply and for you to action. Remember to add this requirement in any requests.

• Stop work at least 10-15 minutes before 4pm to give you time to clear your desk, file any paperwork, shut down your computer.

• Book an important personal appointment that means you absolutely must leave on time. You're less likely to start 'just one more thing'.

Set the intention of leaving on time and treat the end of the working day as a 'deadline' not a movable timeline where you just keep working until you've finished.

Creating a definite end-time will help you stay focused.

Keep Calm - Don't Stay In, Get Out ...

... after what's been an emotional couple of days.

There are many more important things in life that remain unchanged regardless of what goes on - family and friendship, your health and wellbeing (unless you choose change). The sun will still rise, rain still falls, flowers continue to grow.

At times of stress, overwhelm or loss, it's really helpful to get outdoors into the fresh air. Reconnect with nature when things get tough. Get a sense of perspective, rebalance and realise there is much still right with the world beyond our narrow view of it.

Nature doesn't care about #Brexit. Wildlife knows no boundaries. Gardening is good for the soul and grounding in more ways than just getting soil under your fingernails.

At the low points in my life it's been a source of calm and inspiration. It motivated me to start my first blog (not this one ... this one) as a way of getting out of myself, doing what I enjoy and focusing on something positive.

When all around are losing their heads and emotions are running high as a result of the recent EU Referendum, remember 'this too shall pass'.

By all means have an emotional rant with your friends but don't dwell too much on what might or might not be.

Go for a walk, sit in a green space, look at the sights and sounds around you.

Regain your sense of calm.

The Power of Good Health

I recently heard a great reason for you to look after your health and well-being.

A testimonial from someone who was middle aged, relatively sedentary, overweight, diabetic and had high blood pressure. Their doctor advised them they would need to be on medication to manage their blood pressure and insulin to manage the diabetes.

They had a choice.

Carry on as they were and even with medication managing their various symptoms, effectively 'sit around and wait to die' or ...

Do something about it!

They chose to change. By totally committing to their health and wellbeing. In just 9 weeks:

• They lost over 20lbs
• Lowered their blood pressure to that of a much healthier, younger person
• Dropped several clothing sizes
• Are no longer diabetic
• No need of any medication to control either their diabetes or high blood pressure.

They worked 1:1 with a personal trainer who prescribed a programme of diet and exercise, adjusted and modified to their needs and worked with them to achieve these amazing results.

Yes, it takes hard work, dedication and a commitment to change but what would you rather do? Live the rest of your life on prescribed medication with it's own inherent risks and side-effects and not solve the underlying problem? Or take control of your own health and change for the better?

You only have one life - live longer and make the most of every happy, healthy minute!

5 Reasons To Green Up Your Life

A day out and enjoying nature tamed and in some cases designed within an inch of it’s life. Not always my particular style of gardening but like a fashion show for gardens, great for inspiration and ideas.

The gardens and exhibitors were built around this year's theme of Greening Grey Britain. Using the outside space for living, bring the outdoors in or creating a link between the two.

David Austin roses

Research has shown that taking time to smell the roses (I could wander through the David Austin display all day), weeding, planting or picking your own vegetables provides a positive boost to your mental and physical well-being.

• Growing plants from seed gives you a sense of achievement as you nurture, grow and produce flowers or fruit from a tiny seed into a beautiful plant.

• You get a sense of perspective and it takes you away from the busyness of everyday life as you focus on the task in hand.

• Solve a problem - doing something unassociated with the report you’re trying to write, the complexity of a project, the screen you’ve been staring at unproductively for the last half hour.

• Reduce your stress - digging or pruning. The exercise is good, release your pent up emotions for good, rather than bottling them up or taking them out on someone else. It releases feel good hormones and reduces your stress hormone.

• You can relax and unwind. Whether you’re working in the garden or just enjoying the space.

Summer is the time to get out and enjoy your garden or if you don’t have one, someone else’s or a park. Even the smallest of spaces can grow a few herbs, a tomato plant in pots, hanging baskets or on a windowsill.

Gardening doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. Garden with nature in mind, which isn’t neat and tidy, you’ll benefit wildlife and the enjoyment of seeing birds, bees, butterflies and more come in to the space.

And, as part of your overall health and wellbeing a couple of hours in the garden is time well spent.

Green up your life and see the benefits.


Related articles:

Can gardening improve your health? (BBC Radio4 iPlayer)

A Journey of Self-Discovery

I recently returned from a workshop with a difference.  A Journey of Self-Discovery led by David Ferrers. It was an amazing, life-affirming experience held in Kerala, India.

When you want to make significant changes in your life, it helps to take yourself out of your usual environment and step out of your comfort zone. There is no better place to do this than in a different country, climate and culture.

Being abroad is a wonderful way to get away from day-to-day life.

• You avoid the distractions of the office, being mostly disconnected from technology and social media, puts you into a different mindset.

• You're able to focus on what’s really important in your life, without the daily interruptions you have in your usual environment, especially if you're in a different timezone.

• You have time to think about your own needs, without the pressure of outside influences that usually eat into your time. 

• You have new experiences, connect with people who enrich your life and learn to understand yourself better. 

The workshop was very different from the usual learning and self-development workshops you may have attended or heard about.

There were only a handful of slides over the whole week. There was very little in the way of being 'taught' (talked at). There were no handouts - we created our own notes or took notes for each other.

Working mainly in pairs or groups of three, we were coaching each other right from the start, a much more powerful and immersive way of learning. We came together as a group to share what we'd learned about ourselves and from each other.

As there were only 10 of us in total - the beauty of a small group means you have a more intense, personal experience and get more out of the time you spend together. 

We were able to dig deeper by asking questions, trusting our own intuition and being gently challenged and guided by the skilled interaction of our coach, David Ferrers and each other. 

Plenty of ‘down-time’ is just as important to learning and development. We had time to relax between sessions, to consolidate our thoughts, open up to new ways of thinking and behaving. Time to observe and interact with the people around us. Opportunities to experience new things, share a beer or two and eat great food.

After a few days, a group of strangers had quickly established bonds and become close. Sharing some of our deepest thoughts, we realised we all have the same needs and challenges, even though we come from different backgrounds and cultures.

We were in a safe, creative and inspiring place. We discovered things we didn’t know or had forgotten about ourselves. We were challenged and came away with a greater understanding of who we are and where our strengths lie.

As with any journey, it all begins with the first step. We are all more powerful, capable and happier as a result of what we discovered together as we now take our next steps.

If you want to start your own journey and learn how to restore the natural balance in your own life, get in touch. 

What makes you happy?

It's the International Day of Happiness - so how happy are you and what makes you happy.

The sun has come out - that makes me happy.

• A lovely bunch of flowers - freshly delivered or picked from the garden - that makes me happy.

• Chocolate (good quality) - that always makes me happy.

• Watching the birds in my garden - that makes me happy.

• Listening to my favourite music or an upbeat song - that makes me happy.

• Children and babies - they make me laugh and smile with their wonder at the world.

There's more of what makes me happy on my Facebook Page.

Whatever you do in life - be happy! :)

I'm working late are you?

Occasionally I receive an email sent either very early in the morning or late at night (nothing to do with different timezones).

What does this say about the person's working patterns or workload?

In many organisations, there's an expectation that if other people are working late, then perhaps I should be too.  These people are quite likely to expect a response or will make a call outside 'normal working hours'.

It's great to have the flexibility of working at a time that suits you.  However, if you're spending a lot of time working late or having to get up early to either get ahead, catch-up or clear a backlog, this will impact your productivity and stress levels.

The pressure of today's economy means more and more people are working later and later in to the evening and over the weekend.  If you work late or you see your boss working late, an expectation is set with your team.  You extend the working day way beyond normal office hours and can end up exchanging emails and even phone calls with colleagues at silly o'clock.

If you want to work flexibly - that's one thing but respect other people's time and don't expect them to be keeping the same hours as you.  Even if you're the boss - lead by example.

Keep your work and communication with others to 'office hours'.

What can you do to redress the boundaries and avoid burning the candle at both ends?

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Surviving the half-term holidays

It's half-term week and parents are busy juggling work and home life.

Not only does this create a challenge for business but also for families planning childcare around their busy working lives. So, how do you cope and how can you make the most of both work and holiday time.

Firstly - don't even attempt to cram a normal working week into four and three day weeks.

Secondly - stay focused and be selective. Not only are clients, customers and providers likely to take some time off but you want to spend time with the family too.

Plan WHAT needs to be done over the week and WHEN you're doing to do it.  If you're planning to have time off with the children - PLAN your work time and family time.  Just because there are fewer working hours available, doesn't mean your productivity and what you can achieve should drop in the time you spend working.

Prioritise - select the 'most important' things you need to work on. What's the minimum you need to do to keep things moving? You'd be surprised at the results you can get when you focus on the right things.

If you work from home, share childcare with friends and family and return the favour when they need a few hours or a day off.

A few focused hours is a far more effective use of your time than being distracted or trying to juggle work around family commitments and ending up feeling guilty and overwhelmed as you split yourself between work and family.

Identify the key tasks and actions you need to do over the week and fit them into the time available.

Set time limits on tasks, so you'll get things done quicker and be less distracted if you only have a limited amount of time.  You could get a lot done in one or two hours a day, leaving the rest of the day clear for family time.

TIP: Use a kitchen timer if you want to be REALLY focused.

Enjoy quality time with the family and a break for yourself.

Some "slow children at play" signs just say "Slow" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Four Day Work Week

We work some of the longest working hours in Europe and this is linked to increased stress levels, sleep issues, reduced productivity and increased sick leave.

According to recent surveys in order to reduce stress levels across the workforce, we need to start working a four day week.

Sounds like a great idea, after all, in reality we probably only work at 60-80% productivity which would equate to four days (or less) in a normal working week.  So, if you increased your productivity you could get the same amount of work done but still be able to work just 4 days.

There's a lot to be said for reducing working hours down from the levels that I see and hear about on a regular basis.  Usually far more than the standard or contracted hours.

The European working time directive says that workers don't/shouldn't have to work more than 48 hours.  Although this doesn't apply to several sectors, where people either have control over their own hours.

Many people work far more than this, I've worked with people who were regularly working 80-100 hours.  Many people in senior positions often work long hours or find themselves working in the evenings and at weekend.

How much time do you waste in the average working week - either because you have too much to do and either spend time switching between tasks or you're distracted or constantly interrupted?

You could decide to work the same amount of hours but in four days and have the fifth day off.  This does result in longer working days but you get an extra day in the week to spend time with your family and friends, exercise and get a decent night's sleep which could all reduce your stress.

Greater flexibility around working hours leads to a happier, more motivated and productive workforce.

Increase your productivity, focus on what's important and you too can reduce your working hours.

Get in touch to find out ways to reduce yours.

Image Stuart Miles / FreedigitalPhotos.net

Look Up And Leave Your Smartphone Alone

It's been doing the rounds for a few months now but just in case you haven't seen it - I only came across it recently.

Pause for thought ...

Technology is great but it has it's place and real human interactions shouldn't be forgotten or ignored.

Get in touch if technology is taking over your life.

The Right To Flexible Working

From June this year all employees in the UK (who've been employed for 6 months) can now request flexible working.

Just because they can, doesn't mean they will or that it will suit every employee or business.  Don't panic - this could be great for your business.

Flexible working allows people to work in a different way:

• reduced working hours - either permanently or temporarily
• compressed hours - contracted hours in fewer (longer) days
• park time working
• overtime - to cover peaks in demand
• working from home - full-time, part-time, occasional
• job-share
• different start/end times (flexitime)

You can attract the right people for your business - not everyone wants to work a standard 9-5, five days a week or your business might not need full-time staff.

You'll have a more productive, motivated and loyal workforce if people are able to work hours that fit around their lifestyle or other commitments - childcare, carer, life changes, study etc.

Saves time for travel and commuting which can be quite significant for many people.

Having a flexible working environment in your business could enable you to extend your business hours outside a standard working day by having staff who start early or finish later in the day.  Good for businesses with overseas customers or providers, as they can cover a broader timezone.

Reduces overtime and overhead costs, potentially freeing up office space or reducing the need for expansion.

You build a level of trust with your employees.  Once you've got over the idea they'll be sitting around watching daytime TV, they'll actually get a lot more done if they're working flexibly from home, away from the everyday distractions and interruptions in the office.

What you need to consider:

• additional costs involved
• reorganise, managing the existing workload
• recruiting temporary or agency staff
• skills and potential within the business
• impact on quality and performance

Consider the needs of the business and your staff member before making a decision on whether flexible working is appropriate.

Useful resources:

The Right To Request Flexible Working (ACAS Guide)
Code of Practice (ACAS Guide)
Liberating or isolating - working from home
The benefits of flexible working

flexible (Photo credit: darkmatter)

The Importance of Taking Breaks

When you're too busy to stop, you often end up working right through the day without taking a proper break.

While I spend most of my time enabling people to get more done in their busy day, I also emphasise the importance of taking regular breaks.

You might think you're too busy to take a break, after all there's so much to be done, if you can squeeze another task in to that 5, 10, 30 minutes - it's another thing ticked off the list.

Actually taking a break can increase your productivity.  Your efficiency drops the longer you work on a task.  You lose focus and are more easily distracted.  Especially if it's not something that absolutely grabs your undivided attention.

Take a break at least once an hour for a few minutes and then a longer break every 2-3 hours or so.  Ideally a break every 20-25 minutes is better.

Make sure you take that lunch break.  Skipping lunch or eating at your desk does you no good - physically or mentally.

With more frequent breaks - not only will you be more productive when you get back to work but it's good to switch off mentally every now and then.

It's when you take a break or go and do something different that your sub-conscious often pops up with a solution to a problem or a great new idea ... you know those Eureka moments.

The longer you work, the more tired you become and the less productive you are, so it's wasted effort.  Better to stop before you get over-tired, take a decent break and come back refreshed.

So go on, take a break - you need it and you deserve it.

If you find it hard to take breaks - get in touch.  It's easier than you think.

work caffeine (Photo credit: #9)

Work Life Balance - how's yours?

New working practices have been introduced in France and Sweden to improve the lives of workers.

In France it's now illegal for workers in the digital and consultancy sectors to respond to emails after 6pm.

That would probably see most UK employers breaking the law on a daily basis, as so many people these days seem to spend long past the 6pm cut-off working, never mind tackling their emails when they're at home or late at night.

Not responding to your work emails out of office hours is good general practice - although making it a law is perhaps a step too far.  You need to create boundaries around your work day and just because you can be contacted and read your email outside of work hours doesn't mean you should.

When you do, you set a precedence.  Set customer/client expectations and clear boundaries.  In reality, what difference will it make whether you respond late in the evening or the following morning?  (Unless, of course you're working on a time critical project but this should be the exception not the norm.)

I've heard many stories of people being contacted late at night, over the weekend or even when they're on holiday and there's been little they can actually do because it's 'out of office hours'.

In Sweden they're trialing a six hour work day - 30 hour working week, on the basis that productivity decreased the longer employees work.

True!

The longer you work without a break, the less productive you become - especially if you're working long hours and getting more and more tired and inefficient.  You'll probably get as much done with focused effort in six hours as you would with interruptions, distractions and a lack of focus in eight, nine or ten hours.

What do you do to maintain a good work life balance?

Balancing Act (Photo credit: Digitalnative)

Related articles

• Work-life balance: what changes could help improve yours?
• These Countries Are So Much Better Than America When It Comes To Work-Life Balance

Is your smartphone depriving you of sleep?

Many people are far too attached to their smartphones at the best (or worst) of times, never mind taking them to bed with them.

If you insist on having your smartphone in the bedroom - at least use the Do Not Disturb/Nighttime  settings, so that you won't be pinged, alerted, called or otherwise disturbed when you should be asleep.

While a lot of people like to catch up on email or social media at the beginning or end of the day - the bedroom is for sleep.  If you absolutely must check your email as soon as you wake up - get up and out of bed first.

If you need an alarm to wake you and that's why your smartphone is on your bedside table - buy an alarm clock and leave your phone in a different room.

If you want to get a decent night's sleep:

• Stop all computer use - smartphone, tablet, laptop ... at least two hours before bedtime.
• Eat a banana or have a hot milky drink (not coffee).
• If you lie awake worrying about what you have to do - write it down.  If you wake in the night with similar thoughts, do the same thing.
• Have a warm bath - this will help you relax ready for bed.
• Eat your evening meal before 8pm to give your body a chance to digest it before you sleep.
• Lavendar and chamomile are good for relaxation use a few drops on your pillow
• Try meditation - there are simple apps to guide you through a short meditation to relax your mind and switch off your active brain.  Take a look at Mindfulness Daily or Headspace apps.  Yes, I know they're apps on your smartphone - use them before you go to bed (and during the day).

Main health effects of sleep deprivation 

Too little sleep has a detrimental effect, not just on your physical and mental performance but on your immune system - making you more susceptible to infections, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and possibly cancer.

If you're tired during the day you're more likely to have an accident or make mistakes.

You'll be less productive at work if you're tired and suffering from sleep deprivation, particularly the longer it goes on.

Related articles

• Six in 10 Brits now sleep deprived because of smartphones and computers
• How dangerous is your lack of sleep?
• Step Away From The Smartphone

You really want to do this ...

... but you're just too busy.  You'll call in a couple of months when you've caught up ... cleared this backlog ... finished working on this project ... have more time (!) ...

Whatever the reason, you really need or want to make a change but you're so caught up with everything that's going on that you simply feel you're too busy to do anything about it  'right now'.

While it might seem a precious waste of time to take a break when you're feeling overwhelmed or have so much to do, it can actually be just what you need.

How would it feel to be more in control, to be able to see the wood for the trees, your desk beneath the piles of paper?  Would you like to have more clarity, focus and direction?

How would it feel to have a structure that means you can have a better work life balance while working more productively and effectively?

Unless you decide to take action at the time you're actually having the problem you'll carry on in crisis mode and keep repeating the pattern of behaviour.  Once you get over the crisis you quickly forget what you went through last time, you think it will be different.  But if nothing has actually changed, it will happen over and over again.

If you need to make a change, don't put it off.  By taking action sooner rather than later, you could save yourself time, money and wasted effort in the future.

To move from crisis to calm or to turn your overload into productivity - why not get in touch take the first step to making that change.

Just click the Contact Tab at the bottom and let's talk.

Overwhelmed (Photo credit: puck90)

There's more to life than work

"Life happens - very often when we're busy elsewhere.

When you spend your time working, it's easy to get sucked in to putting in long hours or working in the evenings and at weekends just to catch up.

While you want to do your best and put in the time and effort to build up a successful business or progress your career, it helps to take a step back every now and then and put things in perspective.

How balanced is your life? Are you spending long hours at work and missing out on spending time with family and friends? Are your stress levels increasing and your health decreasing.

Maybe it's time to reassess what you're doing, how you're working and what you're trying to achieve."

Read the rest of this newsletter article here or subscribe here and receive it direct to your inbox each month along with a free report - 7 Essential Time Tips for Instant Results

Brighton Summit - The Pleasure Hour

The first ever Brighton Summit took place on Friday 19th April and what a great event it was.  The theme was "Doing business in a city built for pleasure".

Different from many business events with a varied and inspiring selection of speakers and different panels and sessions for people to get involved in, as well as the opportunity to network.

Just before lunch was The Pleasure Hour.  The opportunity to do something a little different for an hour.  There was a choice of: joining a choir, chocolate making, a walking tour, gaming, visit a secret garden and meditation.

OK, so I didn't opt for something completely different but it was the 'secret' element that attracted me as well as the opportunity to get out into the fresh air for an hour.

The forecasted showers hadn't appeared and a short walk from the Clarendon Centre is The Garden House. An amazing and delightful garden set behind a terrace of houses, complete with chickens, a vegetable patch and a wonderful garden room (ideal for workshops).

There's no better way to spend an hour and take a complete break from the busyness of business.  Something that can be applied back in the workplace - whether in the office or at home.

We all felt refreshed and revived returning for the afternoon sessions - a very appropriate adjunct to the work life balance aspect of my own talk.  A reminder that an hour's break out in nature can give you a physical and mental boost and reduce stress.

So, make the most of the sunshine, as and when it appears.

Are you too busy to be stressed?

We feel stress when we're under pressure, tense, anxious and frustrated. When demands on us are too much to deal with and we feel we're not able to cope or feel overwhelmed.

While many people enjoy the demands of a busy job or being able to juggle several projects at one time, symptoms of stress often go unnoticed or are ignored until it's too late.

Too much stress leads to reduced efficiency, poor performance, feelings of overwhelm and eventually burnout or illness.

Read the full article: 'Are you too busy to be stressed' in October's newsletter - here.

Each month's newsletter gives you tips, information and resources to help grow your business and improve your work life balance - direct to your inbox.

You can get the latest issue and a Free Report - "7 Essential Time Tips" by entering your details in the box on the right.

Top Three Blog Posts

Here are a few of the most popular blog posts in recent months: 

Babies in the office.  Sounds like a great idea for Mums worrying about childcare - taking your baby or toddler to work with you but is it? Well, knowing the impact that young children have on Mums who work from home and are juggling their business around looking after small children - the idea of bring babies and toddlers into an office environment sounds like a recipe for disaster and disruption ...

Give yourself an MOT. We MOT and service our cars regularly and they're only lumps of metal and plastic - so why not MOT yourself. ... Make sure you have regular check-ups to keep on top of your health. Your health is the most important asset you have and unfortunately years of abuse, poor diet and lack of exercise lead to longer term problems ...


Is the Olympic Games playing havoc with work?  Events like the Olympics really capture the imagination and have a nation on the edge of their seats as their athletes compete for those precious gold, silver and bronze medals.  ... So how do you keep yourself and your employees focused on work, while still managing to get involved with some of the triumphs and inevitable disappointments of the games? ...

Each month's newsletter gives you tips, information and resources to help grow your business and improve your work life balance - direct to your inbox.

You can get the latest issue and a Free Report - "7 Essential Time Tips" by entering your details in the box on the right.

Read the full blog posts

• Babies in the office (clareevans.blogspot.com)
• Is the Olympic Games playing havoc with work? (clareevans.blogspot.com)
• Give yourself an MOT (clareevans.blogspot.com)

Liberating or Isolating - working from home?

I was listening to Woman's Hour while driving to a meeting in town yesterday and caught the discussion about working from home.

Having worked from home myself for several years, I've seen both sides.  Whether you work from home as a freelancer or as an employee.

In some ways it's totally liberating, as you can work in your own environment, create your own boundaries around your time and it allows you to work flexibly.

• If you're working around children and a family it can be a good way to adjust your hours so you work around school runs, nursery and childcare but that also has it's challenges.

• You avoid the hours spent on the daily commute into work - delays in traffic or sitting on cramped, crowded public transport - too hot in summer, freezing cold in winter.

• You're your own boss - you won't get distracted by the other people around you or constant interruptions at your desk.

• You don't have to put up with sandwiches for lunch everyday or unhealthy options or temptations in the staff canteen.

• Because you can work flexibly - take the opportunity of breaks during the day to do the shopping, clean the house, walk the dog, pick up the children but don't use that as an excuse to put off work.

It can be isolating if all you see day in day out are the same four walls and have little interaction during the week.

• Social media has helped to change some of the isolation - at least you can connect with other people during the day and even get some of those 'water cooler' moments.

• You might miss out on the buzz (and distraction) of having other people around you, so make sure you don't become isolated at home.  Get out and about for meetings.  Meet up with friends for lunch or coffee a couple of times a week. 

• Go for a change of scenery every now and then.  Often it's easier to focus and be productive in a different environment - coffee shops, libraries or hotels offer an alternate space in which to work or you could try hot-desking or co-working.

• You can find yourself getting distracted by chores around the house rather than focusing on work.  If that's the case - take a break for a while before getting back to work.

• It can be difficult to draw a line between work and home and there's a temptation to work much longer hours.  It's important to have a cut-off point.

Be realistic about working from home - if you have young children or a spouse who's around all day - don't expect to be able to stick to a strictly 9-5 working routine.  You may only have a few uninterrupted hours a day in which to run your business, so make sure that time counts.

It's not for everyone - what's your experience of working from home?

 (Photo credit: atconc)

Related articles

• Working from home: why I miss the office (guardian.co.uk)
• 4 things not to do when you work from home (cbsnews.com)