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by nvk·14y ago·view on hn ↗
I've been working from home for many years now.

What gets me trough:

- Wake up at the same time everyday.

- Shower and change!

- Have breakfast.

- After lunch try to go work from a cafe or a public space where you have some "humanity" noise. Keeps you sane.

- Make work dates, we are social.

- Make sure you leave the house at least a couple times a day (even in the winter).

- Stay away from having a tab open with Social Media, block it on your main browser :P

- Learn to love podcasts.

- Invest in a very expensive espresso/coffee machine.

- Invest in Tea and a very large teapot.

- Learn how to cook, it's a good break too.

- Live downtown, so that you have things and ppl close by.

- Have a place with at least a balcony so that you can get some air and work from there too.

- Get a laptop, if you are going to not be in a office, don't replicate a cubicle in your house. Change up where you work, dinning table, sofa, desk, floor, etc...

- Buy a bike, and bike to the cafe in the afternoon.

- Make friends with other telecommuters/freelancer/artists/etc...

- Keep your place organized and clean, you spend a lot of time there.

- Meet close by ex-coworkers/friends for lunch.

- Stop working everyday at the same time.

Remember, it's not a vacation! But it's not an office setting either! Focus on getting the best out of each. You have a blank slate for you to create your best work environment now. Don't be afraid of trying different stuff and routines. You worked in offices for many years (school is part of that) it will take some time to get use to the new environment with lack of "forced" structure. You will be amazed about how much more you get done.

Happy working!

(edited for formatting, excuse any grammar erros and typos)

8 comments
- Invest in a very expensive espresso/coffee machine.

If you don't want to drop a ton of cash, but still want fast and delicious home-brewed coffee, then I would suggest getting an aeropress instead: http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Make...

I love my AeroPress. I got one last year for Christmas, and have enjoyed it ever since. My thoughts in a bit more detail: http://www.alittletothewright.com/index.php/2011/01/aeropres... (Disclosure: Affiliate links within, use rgarcia's link if you'd like to avoid that)
Those are great contraptions, but you will still need a grinder or ask the shop to grind.
I actually prefer grinding just before brewing coffee. It's a $20 investment, and well worth it.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-CBG100W-Coffee-Grinder/dp...

A blade grinder like that won't do a terribly good job for something like an AeroPress. Grind quality is one of the most overlooked aspects of good coffee.

You really need a decent conical burr grinder to get a consistent fine grind. I like my Capresso grinder that I picked up for something like $70, but a quick googling turns up several well-reviewed burr grinders in the $30 range.

I like the ritual of a manual grinder:

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-MSS-1B-Mini-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0...

It only takes 20 seconds or so for a single cup, and it gets your blood moving a little bit first.

Yes, ideally made of ceramic.

There is no point in spending money on good coffee if the other variables are not up to spec.

(This is totally my personal waist of money, in no way diminishing anybody's taste and budget)

Coffee snobs!
Also try craigslist. These burr grinders last forever. I got one for $5 that's probably 20 years old. Grinds are nice an consistent.
Agree with everything, some additional ones:

- Take walks!

- Say NO to MMOs

- If you smoke, never get into the habit of smoking at your desk.

Personally, if you don't make money out of gaming, don't get into it, its a time sinkhole.

Smoking = Quit :)

Walking is great for relaxing and brainstorming!

> Personally, if you don't make money out of gaming, do get into it...

I'm gonna guess based on the rest of your post that you meant "don't" instead of "do". Otherwise, you're just evil. :)

If you don't make money out of posting on HN, don't get into it, it's a time sinkhole

I think you are making a decent point, but with too generic of a statement. If gaming isn't worth the money/time you spend on it, don't do it. But that should be criteria for many things, and it's very hard to do correctly and unbiased.

- Get a docking station

- Have a musical instrument nearby

- Workout

I've found having a musical instrument around to be incredibly helpful. It's great to take a 10 minute break to strum on a guitar, let your brain focus on something different and get your subconscious working.
10 min Meditation works too. But I'm now poised to maybe get a guitar :)
I've been working from home for eight years now and every single item on this list is spot-on.

- Like it or not, your spouse or significant other's days off will become your days off, so plan accordingly.

- Invest in a good chair. You'll touch it more than anything else in the world and long after you've ditched your current computer, you'll still be sitting in the same chair.

- Join a gym, preferably with classes that you need to schedule in advance so you can 'commit' to your entire week's workout schedule so it doesn't slip.

- Have a spot in your house that is always for work.

Great list, but help an old guy out:

> Learn to love podcasts.

? What is this for?

Background noise, News gets too repetitive.
Aha. I find shoutcast.com useful in this regard: I tune to a station with mostly soulless repetitive music. It somehow creates a space around me but doesn't make me "listen" and steal focus. Also, it requires no care and feeding after the first click.
I find somafm.com to have great soulful, working music that doesn't distract.
Their Groove Salad station provides consistently unobtrusive ambient, conducive to the zone. Which is the soulful station that you like?
I'm mostly a groove salad guy.

I mix it up a little sometimes with Beat Blender, or Lush.

Been trying out Suburbs of Goa if it's not confusing "Oh, it sounds foreign and exotic" with the real(er) stuff.

Been doing it for four years and couldn't agree more with most of this list. Plus, I'll add a couple of these to my repertoire. I'd also add that getting a fair amount of exercise reduces the cabin fever that comes with working from home. And the flexible hours allow you to get to the gym when no one else is there. I've found the biggest problem is not staying focused but being able to turn work off at night and live a somewhat regular life. +1 for Podcasts and maybe add Howard Stern and Sirius to the list :)
I've found blocking it at the browser level to be insufficient. This script helps: https://gist.github.com/875467
I use "StayFocusd"on Chrome, and use all the social stuff on Safari, which i QUIT after every visit...
It's only a problem when your main work requires social media (facebook apps, twitter integration, etc...)
Great tips. Having regular workouts and other hobbies is great too, even just to keep variety.
Hobbies are great, i often break apart and work on my bicycles while on conference calls :)