Comments on: The Right Way to Work at Writing from Home – Guest Post

By: Sharon

Sharon — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:11:25 +0000

Spooky, isn’t it, how Kelly seems to have peeked inside our lives?

By: Allena

Allena — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:41:28 +0000

Seriously? The kitchen thing? Have you been watching me or soemthing?

By: Lisa T.

Lisa T. — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 01:50:27 +0000

Great tips; thanks so much!

My problems is the Internet, without a doubt. I love to do research, and once I get off on a tangent, I can waste 30 minutes to an hour shopping or chatting. I’d love to see more tips on how to stick to a 9 to 6 schedule every day!

Here’s a tip: Sometimes I get out of my house and go to the university library, where it’s quiet and I can have a laptop and no distractions.

Lisa T.’s last blog post..She walks in beauty

By: Michele

Michele — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 05:31:34 +0000

Sound advice, Kelly! I rarely do the chat thing anymore. I do have a Twitter account but I try to just drop when I really need a break and I don’t even try to read all the tweets.

People don’t realize how distracting all the little things can be and how much wasted time it can add up to. Not that they’re not worthy of our time… but you know what I mean. One day, someone said to me: Why can’t you just spend a couple hours a day on that computer and just be done with it? I’m like, what???!!!

Some people just don’t get it…

*sighs*

Michele

Michele’s last blog post..5 Tips for Writing a Quality Article That Will Leave Editors and Clients Salivating for More!

By: Danielle McGaw

Danielle McGaw — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:54:17 +0000

Thanks for the great reminders Kelly. I’m starting to write full time starting in January so I hope I can keep these things in mind!

By: John Lister

John Lister — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:05:16 +0000

Some rules I find helpful (even if I struggle to follow them at times…) are:

1) If the door to our second bedroom is shut, it’s the office and I’m at work. In that situation, my wife treats me as if I’m out of the house and only knocks on the door if there’s a situation where she’d call me at a ‘normal’ workplace.

2) No non-work internet use during work time. (Great in theory, not a chance in reality!)

3) While my working hours are fluid, I try as much as possible to avoid working before breakfast or after dinner.

4) Breaks are taken in a different room (and most importantly, away from the computer). Internet surfing does not make for an effective break.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:33:03 +0000

I try to do most of my work when my husband is at work, but it doesn’t always happen. There’s always something to do! But when it comes to my business, the dishes can wait. At least that’s what I tell myself! Don’t know if I’ll listen…

By: Sharon

Sharon — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:42:02 +0000

Thanks for your comments, everyone. I think Kelly makes some great points in this guest post.

Malcolm, you are right about ‘training’ our families. I’ve been working on that with my six year old. She now thinks I write millions of things.

Kimberly, I’m not against goofing off, just against being thought to goof off when I am working.

Susan, I couldn’t work with the TV on. You must be excellent at multi-tasking.

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:37:18 +0000

This is very helpful! Unfortunately I have a TV in the same room as me as I love “background noise”. Of course…it usually distracts me just a tad.

Susan’s last blog post..Meg 4

By: Kimberly Ben

Kimberly Ben — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:58:49 +0000

Sharon, how funny that I came accross this post while goofing off in Twitter when I am behind on a project. Thanks for the friendly kick in the pants.

Kimberly Ben’s last blog post..The Art of Pulling an All-Nighter