Working Productively... from Home

Many of us do not have "author" listed as our day job. We write because we love to write and share our stories. It then follows that we don't get up in the morning, drive to an office, and clock in our hours of writing time. Most of us write when we get the chance, in our free time. But of course, our writing time at home is not always as productive as we might like.... To increase your productivity, you need to create a "work-like" environment at home. Here are two ways to do so.

Create an “office” space
You don’t need to have an official “office” with a  door, but you do need some official space. You don’t want to work in the same room as a television or where you relax or do non-business activities, like a bedroom, unless you have a corner or space set up and dedicated to look and feel like a work environment. If you are in a living room or other leisure spots, you will have all kinds of clues that you should be “relaxing.”

Limit Distractions
Disconnect and turn off your phone or let the answering machine pick up. If you get easily drawn in with video games, Facebook, e-mails, etc. then find a way to block these distractions. You can set up a temporary website block for particularly tempting sites, or you may be able to work offline if you're in serious writing mode. It is easy to give into the temptation to “take a quick break” to play a game, and end up spending over a half an hour on a useless task. If you do need to take a break, set a timer so your quick break stays a quick break.

Even though writing may be a hobby, you should still treat your writing time as work time - time that is focused and productive. It's easy to get discouraged about your work quality when you don't take the time to focus your energies and give it your best effort. The first step in setting yourself up for success is creating an environment in which you know you can succeed.