•Focus on one area of your life that’s organized. Think hard. There has to be something in your life that’s organized. Maybe you’re an impeccable dresser, or you keep your favorite supplies in one place. Consider everything you’re doing now to get organized, no matter how small it may be, and pat yourself on the back. Who cares if no one notices the changes you’re making? It’s your life, not theirs.

•Consider your priorities. If something is important to you, you’ll change it.  If not, you won’t— and in some cases you shouldn’t. If you make only a few changes in the way you work, you could be more productive and maintain your creativity.

•Ask yourself why you’re having trouble getting organized. Instead of beating yourself up over missed appointments or postponed decisions about paper, face it: you may be someone who thrives in a disorganized environment.  Work around your need for a bit of disorganization and designate one place to put your keys every time you come home or figure out one place to keep track of appointments and enter them as you make them.

Before you throw in the organizing towel, realize that being right-brained doesn’t doom you to a life of chaos. If you change the way you think, you’ll reduce your stress level and leave yourself open to accomplish more.

• Learn some stealth moves. If you decide to leave the room during the call, make sure it’s during a time when no one will notice. When you’re the next one on the agenda, it’ll be fairly obvious to everyone on the call that you’ve left your computer.

• Don’t post messages on Facebook during the call. When co-workers have access to your Facebook account, they’ll know whether you’re spending more time on your wall than on the call. They may even point it out to everyone during the call, as in “Did you just post something on your wall?” which can be a bit embarrassing.

• If you have a dog, put him outside, send him to a neighbor’s house or give him a Kong filled with peanut butter to keep him busy and quiet. No one wants to talk over a barking dog, especially when the dog barks as loud as mine.

• When you’re waiting for everyone to connect to the online call, make sure others can’t hear you talking on your cell phone. Maybe I’m being picky but I don’t want to hear about what you’re wearing or what you want your spouse to wear (or in some cases not wear) later that evening. Some icky things you hear, just can’t be erased from your mind.

The final thing I learned during the call is that I like audio chats better than video chats. The best part is that I can sit at my desk in jeans and a t-shirt (makeup optional) while I know that the corporate execs on the other end of the line are dressed for work. When you work from home, every day is Casual Friday!

This home office is the perfect example. On one side of the room are a large, built-in oak desk and a three-drawer file cabinet.  Along the opposite wall are oak bookshelves with storage cabinets below.

Bev, the small businesss owner who uses this home office more than the rest of her family, replaced the carpeting with oak hardwoods. In the middle of the room, her carpenter installed a diamond pattern made from three different types of hardwoods. Instead of using traditional drapery, she chose an oak arch that fits perfectly above the arched window. The large recliner by the window is the perfect place for her to take a break and catch up on a little reading.

This well-designed home office makes use of every square foot of space. And with the beautiful hardwoods surrounding the space, this is a home office built to last.

I talked with other home office professionals who enjoy the freedom of working from home. When they’re lonely, want to escape from the kids or need a change of scenery, they leave their home office too.  Surprisingly, a coffee shop isn’t their only option.

“I’ve moved out to the 1966 Airstream that’s in our yard, and it’s worked out OK because it’s broadband-and-bathroom equipped, and has a lovely view of the surrounding fields.”
—Tom Bentley, The Write Word Writing and Editing Services

“Yesterday I was on my deck catching some sun in my bathing suit/lounge chair with laptop on my lap, while writing a major strategic marketing plan for a corporate client. Spots I really enjoy are quiet nooks in hotel lobbies. The only minor challenge I face is when I have to print something, I have to wait when I come home. But lately I am trying to hard to stay “green” and only print what I really need and do any editing/review on my computer.”
—Maurisa Turner Potts, Marketing & Public Relations Strategist

“I love to work from our public library. It’s usually quiet and empty in the mornings, and I get a chance to focus away from my 5 children and use the lightning-fast Wi-Fi. Between my iPhone and my laptop, there’s really nothing I can’t do there.”
—Linsey Knerl, The Freelance Farmer

Guest post by San Sharma

I live in London, where – at this time of year – the daily commute usually involves travelling at temperatures officially too high to transport cattle. Luckily for me, I work at home. So, while commuters cram into stuffed carriages, I’m keeping cool in my home office – one of the many benefits of working from home. But the downside, for some, is the feeling of isolation that comes with working alone. Here are some ways to overcome that.

1. Close the door
   Working and living in the same space can lead to cabin fever, which is why it’s important to make a distinction between your work space and your personal space. If possible, set aside dedicated space for your work – a study, a spare room, a garden shed, even! – somewhere you can close a door on at the end of the day.
2. Walk to work
   One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard about working from home is this: trick your brain into thinking it’s “going to work” by leaving your house in the morning, walking around the block and returning to your home office. It helps set up a routine, get into a mindset and kick-start a creative thinking cycle!
3. Always have an excuse to leave the house
   Another benefit of working from home is not having to shop at peak times. Do your grocery shopping when everyone else is at work and beat the checkout lines! But don’t do all your shopping at once. I used to do a weekly shop when I worked in an office, but now I pop out when I need something, as it gives me the excuse to get out of the house.
4. A homeworker’s best friend
   Keeping a pet is a great way to overcome isolation when you work from home. I talk things through with my cat, which doesn’t make me feel as crazy as talking to myself! Dog owners have the perfect excuse to get out the house and get a little exercise and are, statistically, more likely to make friends.
5. Use Twitter
   If you work from home and don’t already use Twitter, you really must! It’s great for camaraderie and for sharing ideas – two things you might not associate with working from home.

San Sharma is online community manager at Enterprise Nation, the homeworking website, as well as the voice of @e_nation on Twitter.

Related article: Working from home alone.

Between the orange walls (Benjamin Moore Soft Glow) and paw prints climbing up the walls and across the ceiling, this isn’t your typical home office.  But don’t be fooled by the whimsical look of this space.  If you look closely, you’ll find plenty of organizing systems in place (yes, I tend to look at that first).

Dwight’s desk holds a laptop and two monitors, while his printer is off to the side and in the corner (the best place to put a printer because it’s out of the way but still accessible). His open hutch has room for a hanging file rack, books and personal photos. These items are within reach but aren’t cluttering his desk.  The two-drawer file cabinet gives him additional storage space on top.

There’s even room in his home office for a “junior” work area complete with a small desk and a laptop for his kids to use. A tiger rug and tiger-striped draperies finish off the zoo-themed look.

Who needs a traditional home office when you can bring out your wild side and run a business from home?

One day I realized that my drive to succeed was creating one unhappy employee: me.  That’s the day I made a few changes.  Consider these tips for making it easier to work for you, the boss.

Take time for lunch. Whether you take 15 or 30 minutes, leave your home office and eat lunch. Time away from your computer and your home office can be a welcome break.

Set a specific quitting time every day and try to stick to it. During my “boss from hell” days, quitting time was 6 pm every day (including weekends!) and then I went back to my home office after dinner to work a few more hours. Now (most of the time) quitting time is late afternoon and I don’t go back into my home office until the next morning.

Take off one afternoon a week. Go to a movie, spend time with your spouse or make plans with a friend.  If possible, shut the door to your home office and don’t go back until the next morning.

Give yourself extra padding for deadlines.  Projects usually take twice as long as you think they will. Add as much time as you can to any deadline, without annoying your client.  When you finish earlier than expected, your client will be grateful, thrilled and may even do the happy dance.

Stop answering your phone after normal business hours. If you babysit your phone (many of us do), it’s hard to ignore an incoming call from a client after hours. Unless you know your client can’t wait until the next day to talk with you, take the call.  Otherwise you’ll train your clients to call you 24/7 and you can say goodbye to your personal life.

My changes have paid off. I’m more productive, more excited about working every day and best of all, I like my boss.

During my last business trip, I saw several folks tapping away on their iPads, which made me want one even more. This is a true case of technology envy. My MacBook is lightweight and easy to pack, but it’s not as thin, sleek and well, not as cool as the iPad.

In Shira Levine’s article “Can the iPad Replace Your Laptop for Business Travel?“ she shares several irresistible reasons for using an iPad on the road.  Some of her better arguments include:

The iPad is lightweight. The multi-tasking device clocks in at just a pound and a half – no more shoulder and back pain for those who were carrying around bulkier 3-10 pound machines. Weight matters, especially when you add luggage to the mix.

The iPad has a long-lasting charge. The iPad banks up to 12 hours in battery use between charges, which come to about four times the battery life of a notebook and two times the battery life of a netbook. During my last trip, thanks to the Samsung lounge I had a place to recharge my laptop and iPhone when both were dangerously low.  Not having to worry about a device dying on you can make your business trip a little less stressful.

The iPad is airport security friendly – mostly. “You don’t have to remove it from the case and place in into a separate bin,” a security person at JFK airport in New York says. Anything that makes going through security easier gets my vote.

It’s another Apple product with exciting applications. If you have an iPhone, you’re probably already familiar with many apps.  With an iPad you can use these same apps but now you’ll see them on a bigger screen.

Maybe it’s time to rethink my wants vs. needs tug of war.  I’ll make sure I do that while I’m revisiting the Apple store.

• Work surfaces that are the wrong size. A desk or workspace that’s too narrow, too deep, too tall or too short can affect your productivity. Instead of using that space as a place to work, you may turn it into a dumping ground for papers and supplies.

• Cheap filing cabinets. Drawers that don’t glide open, get stuck, or don’t open completely can put a damper on filing. Instead it will be easier to stack papers on top of the cabinet until you’re ready to fight with the drawers.

• Furniture that doesn’t fit through the door, up the stairs or within your home office. Know ahead of time how large your home office furniture can be. Otherwise you’ll waste time shopping for the wrong furniture and you’ll waste money on delivery fees.

• A home office space that initially seems ideal but turns out to be too hot or too cold, too noisy or too quiet. Avoid moving your equipment, furniture and supplies several times by trying out your new home office space for one month. That should give you enough time to decide if you’ve picked the right place to set up shop.

Is there anything you would do differently if you could start over and set up your home office today?