Ask HN: How to increase self-discipline as a self-employed person?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6979277

by _pcpe • 13 years ago

343 121 13 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

TL;DR: Any tips on staying disciplined while being self-employed?

I recently got an offer to work remotely for a friend on couple of his projects that is interesting, pays better and is at least going to keep me busy for another six months. And there is a also good possibility that as I finish these, I will be getting more work and I am likely to build a small business of my own here through this. So last week I quit my job and started working on this full-time. So far, my friend is happy and so am I.

But there is something odd going on here. Unlike my previous job where I had to work 9-6, 5 days a week, I don't really have a pretty good schedule here for myself. Now while working from home, sometime I work for a continuous 16 hours and then sometime I find myself I haven't looked at that project in the last two days as I spent it by browsing random projects on the internet, working on other things, watching multiple seasons of sitcoms or just brainstorming about product ideas that I can build in future!

I know that to make it as a self-employed person, one needs to have a good self-control. But, do any of you guys have been through this? How have you managed yourself? Does this gets better after a while? What should I do to make this better and be efficient?

mailarchis• 13 years ago

I struggled through the same thing for couple of months. Few things that helped me get back on track

1. Define your working hours and stick to it. Setup alarms and go to work at same time of the day every day.

2. Designated working place - If you are working from your home, try to setup a place in your house that you will use only for work. Don't use it for anything else. The way it worked for me was when I got to that place, I used to switch into work time mode and when I got out of it, I will switch back personal time mode.

3. Log your hours - Use something like toggl to log your hours for yourself. Track your working hours and if you are falling on the short end, you will make up for it by working on weekends. But eventually you will try logging consistently your work hours.

In the end, its matter of creating a habit.

lukasm• 13 years ago

I've been working remotely for the past 2 weeks :)

Have a separate place in your house where you work. No browsing cats there. You may try coworking space or rent an office with a friend.

There are 3 main drawback while working remotely: - Communication (we are wired up that face to face communication is the most efficient) - Interruptions (e.g. screaming nephew) - Human interactions (going to lunch with someone, discussions about tech)

vmsmith• 13 years ago

I started working for myself from home earlier this year. Although it's great in many ways, there are several challenges.

As you have noted, the lack of an external structure is a big one. Here's what I do...

First, I map out a long-term timeline, which is generally a season (spring, summer, autumn, winter). I identify goals, objectives, events, etc., and map them out in a simple open source PM software package.

Second, each week -- usually late Friday afternoon or Saturday -- I take the broad project plan stuff and create a more detailed plan for the next week.

Finally, at the end of each day I write a very detailed list of things I am going to do the next day. This includes work stuff, but also anything else: chores, exercise, etc.

When I get up in the morning, I look at my list for that day, and tackle it. Round about 5:00 pm I review the list and make the next day's list, and at 5:30 I treat myself to a Manhattan and some good music. Then it's dinner and whatever.

I also journal my work-related stuff in iPython notebook, and I keep an accounting of my hours in an Excel spreadsheet.

All that keeps me focused.

It's also important to provide yourself some relief. When you first start working like this, you realize how much time is spent at a normal work place not really working. In a normal work place there are meetings, water cooler chats, and so on. So it's important not to think that you must be productive for eight solid hours a day, because in most work environments you aren't. I plan on some reduced amount of productive time, and factor in what I call buffer time. After, say, 90 straight minutes of work, I might take a 10 - 15 minute walk around the neighborhood just to clear my mind and get my blood flowing.

That's what works for me.

TL;DR: Make a detailed daily list of things to do, and do them. Balance the list, and reward yourself at the end of each successful day.

dschiptsov2• 13 years ago

Just love what you do, then you could experience what they call "flow" and, indeed, will need some self-discipline to remember to eat and sleep and exercise.) Self-control is mostly for struggling with boredom or fatigue.

danpalmer• 13 years ago

I think it's a bit naive to think that the only reason for lack of focus on work is boredom or fatigue, and that it can be solved by loving your work.

I love my work, but wouldn't want to do it every waking moment. Also sometimes I hit a difficult bit of work and find it difficult to focus as I'm not progressing as quickly.

jessaustin• 13 years ago

Surely GP was tongue-in-cheek?

dschiptsov2• 13 years ago

OK, let's put it differently - self-control to go on is required when there is not enough motivation.)

ThomPete• 13 years ago

Discipline comes from routine.

Here is a possible routine.

1) Wake up at 7 at the latest

2) Take a shower

3) Get dressed

4) Eat breakfast

5) Read mails and news

6) Join #startups on freenode to have some company

7) Say good morning to everyone there (I am blackwhite)

8) Start working

9) Have lunch

10) Back to work

11) Stop at anytime between 5-7

12) have dinner.

13) Procrastinate some more or do some more work.

14) Get to bed at 12 the latest.

Rinse and repeat....

bentoner• 13 years ago

Tip: Go to a CFAR workshop.

http://rationality.org/workshops/

kriro• 13 years ago

1) A dedicated "work room" with few distractions is the single best suggestion I can think of. You can clock in and clock out and feel more like working.

2) Try to get up early in the morning as always (if that's an issue for you)...just having a less slackish schedule helps a ton.

3) There's tons of self help stuff out there but I think the two that help me get stuff done the most are:

- Get some notebook and every day write down the date and one big item, two medium ones and a three small ones you want to get done for the day (1-2-3) if in doubt make it LESS. Get into the habit of markering the stuff you work on and crossing it off when it's done.

- Seinfeld method (google it) for stuff you want to do every day. Basically get a calender sheet for the month, print it, hang it somewhere and put down an X when you've done what you wanted. Try not breaking the chain. You can actually practice discipline by doing some random task each day like this (I did it with "go for a 10 minute walk").

Hope that helps, being self employed is a skill that can be learned (imo). The way I look at it wandering off and getting interested in other stuff is my main problem. Everytime I "catch myself" I note it and pat myself on the back for having done one "rep". This can be reading a book and thinking about something else and not remembering what you just read or randomly checking hacker news or clicking on your mail client. [my experience comes from being a poker pro for a bit which is even worse than other self employed jobs because you don't work for anyone and the time you put in directly maps to income...and if you put in bad time it often maps to negative income :D]

edw519• 13 years ago

This is what has worked for me for 28 years:

1. Establish a standard daily routine. Follow it every day, Monday thru Friday, without exception. This is the key. This is what you must do every day, whether you feel like it or not. Weekends can be different.

Mine (yours should be whatever works best for you):

  06:00 - work out
  07:00 - breakfast at desk, email, internet
  07:30 - start work, short break every hour
  12:00 - lunch (at desk or go out)
  13:00 - continue work, short break every hour
  17:00 - start nightly crons, LOGOFF!
  17:00 to 20:00 - dinner, family
  20:00 to 22:00 - my time, including logging back in

2. Have a dedicated work space. The desk & computer should be used ONLY FOR WORK. If you can, have a second computer for personal. Your work computer should be in a separate room with a door that closes.

3. DO NOT surf the internet, text, chat, or use the cell phone (except for work)! This is absolutely critical. If you break this rule, you will never have a boundary between work and !work.

4. Before you go to sleep write down exactly what the first thing you're going to work on the next day. The rest will follow.

(EDIT: Check out all of the responses in this thread. Most of them are excellent. Especially note all of the things that are repeated.)

awjr3• 13 years ago

Been working from home from the end of 1999 on and off up until the middle of 2012.

1) This http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGg1567fzTY (almost posted anonymously). Deal with it :)

2) If you have a family or a partner. Just because you are at home does not mean "can you just put on a wash". Build rules into engaging with the family. You are working. You are not to be disturbed. If you choose to 'come out' of your office and engage with the family then that is your choice. Emergencies are acceptable interruptions ;)

3) Make an office. The kitchen table is not a great space. A spare room, an office in the garden. Some place where you can just be professional. Avoid having the office in your bedroom. You need a room you can lock.

4) Exercise. Seriously this is huge. Too easy to slob out. If you get up and work at 6am, then go to the gym at 9. Do something. Make sure people you work with KNOW this is your routine. Make it a routine. Get out of the house and do something. Do not buy an exercise machine and stay locked in the house. Clear your mind, stay fit, and go out and see the world around you. Don't like Gyms? Go running, swimming or, my favourite, cycling (it clears the mind and you can easily cover 10 miles while solving a difficult problem).

5) Get a dog :) Best decision I ever made. Get's you out and walking. You meet other people and mine keeps my feet warm. Oh and she's very good at solving technical issues. Sounds mad, but sometimes just talking about a problem to her makes it work for me (and makes me look less stupid when I have to discuss the problem with work colleagues).

6) Eat well. You have the time to make great food. Use it. Learn to cook great food.

7) Pomodoro method. Some like it some don't. (I'm not a fan.) I prefer things like coffitivity. If things start going south, try it. It's a decent rule system.

8) Skype. If there is a group of you working together, just skype each other and carry on working.

9) Socialise. Suddenly this is huge. Find local interest groups. Go to meetups. Get involved. You won't realise it, but you can get your head down and 3 months later you haven't seen anyone recently, cos y'know, work. Join clubs. Do stuff. Give yourself a reason to not be working in the evenings.

10) Monthly team days. Once a month get together and have a hackathon. Go get drunk. Be a team.

11) Use trello. I mean REALLY use it. A complicated example here http://community.uservoice.com/blog/trello-google-docs-produ... but build your own work flows that work with your team. Don't be afraid to tear down your process and start again AND most importantly, EVERYBODY buys in. Don't be the only person using a project tool. You will fail.

12) If you end up doing a 16 hour day, recognise you've done two days work. Have a reward. Go see a museum. Have a long lie in. Finish early and go for a ride. See (1) ;).

13) Have fun. Be comfortable in working on your own. Give it 6 months. See how it feels. Don't like it, then move on.

14) I may have mentioned this...exercise. Get out and do some every day. No excuse.

15) Requirements management. It's a pain to do, but clients try and be sneaky. Avoid fixed price unless you KNOW exactly what it is they want. Most don't and even those that do, change their minds. Your fixed price contract MUST include a change in requirements clause and what happens when they do. You will invoke it.

16) If your client is haggling over local sales tax....walk away. Imagine the pain you will go through haggling over signing each feature off.

17) Have payment milestones.

Right must go walk the dog :)

niyazpk• 13 years ago

"This video is not available."

umrashrf• 13 years ago

At first this video did not work for me too but now after a while visited again and it worked.

teddyh2• 13 years ago

To awjr: Your comment is dead, probably beacuse it uses an auto-banned word.

samsolomon• 13 years ago

That video from point one doesn't seem to be working for me (Atlanta, GA). Here is another link that should work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co_DNpTMKXk

sidcool• 13 years ago

Thanks for the link! I laughed so hard.

mikeg8• 13 years ago

Yes, thank you. That was great, especially the end

wingerlang• 13 years ago

For anyone who is not aware regarding number 5; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging

cleaver• 13 years ago

I was just thinking of that...

Also here: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/03/rubber-duck-problem...

flashfabrixx• 13 years ago

18) Figure out when you're most productive during the day.

Morning person? Evening person? Put small and easy tasks in the non-productive time of the day (or break out, see point 4) and get the big ones in your best time of the day.

SyneRyder• 13 years ago

And if you're not sure of when you're most productive, there's a Mac app called Vitamin-R that (aside from including a timeboxing/pomodoro-esque timer) includes a stats tool to track the hours and days of the week when you're most focused. Vitamin-R website is http://www.publicspace.net/Vitamin-R/‎

teleclimber2• 13 years ago

Agreed. The number 1 thing, in my opinion, is to be your own experiment. Listen to your body and your mind as it tells you when it's ready to work and when it's not, then evolve habits that promote effective work.

Example: I am not a morning person. I have also found that if my apartment is messy I get distracted. So I started doing chores in the morning right after getting up. I clean up the place while I'm still half-asleep, and when I am ready to work there is less messiness that would side-track me. Doing this regularly also means I don't have to dedicate a Saturday afternoon to cleaning.

easy_rider3• 13 years ago

17) is one one the easiest things that gets me motivated. I use minutedock for timetracking, and they allow me to set custom goals. e.g. "20 hours = pay morgage, 40 hours = pay for everything" everything beyond that is luxury.

Boy do I get motivated when I'm looking at not being able to pay my bills and end up just ignoring #1-16. I don't feel much happy, although I know, and my partner keeps telling me the importance of #1-16.

The 5) dog thing is a good point, but I feel I need to be able to be responsible and therefor be able to maintain a proper schedule on my own.

You're also talking about routines in 4) But probably like the OP, I sometimes get up at 9, sometimes noon, sometimes even later. Often my most productive work is in the evening hours, which is a bit meh.

I would love to be able to be productive again during daytime.

If I look at OP's post I'm reading my own book :(

fcatalan• 13 years ago

I've been working from home for 8 months this last year and point 2 was the biggest pain. Even after setting some initial rules, there was this almost imperceptible but continous pressure to do stuff just because you were at home. It's hard to stop because every little request or exception looks perfectly reasonable and is asked in good faith, so you feel like a jerk if you invoke the rules at every chance. The pressure kept building up to the point that I was always irritable and it was hard to get any work done if I had a chore or errand in the horizon that day. So at the end I was glad to go back to the office.

lectrick• 13 years ago

I'd add, if possible, work directly with others as much as possible. Consider renting some space in a startup incubator, just so you get some interaction going.

mindctrl-org• 13 years ago

Great advice. Thanks for the detailed response.

awjr3• 13 years ago

I should write an ebook :) Glad it is of help. I thought 17 points were enough to digest.

benihana• 13 years ago

Have a separate work space dedicated solely towards working. You don't play there, you don't eat there, you work there. It's important to have boundaries when working from home.

rscale• 13 years ago

The dedicated work-only office was my most important productivity enhancement. It helped me prevent burnout (where I'd just work every single hour), and it also helped my spouse understand when I was "at work" and should be treated thusly.

As an added bonus in the US, a dedicated work-only workspace can be eligible for a Home Office tax deduction.

sneak• 13 years ago

The benefit of this, in addition to the obvious (you don't have to put on pants to "go to work") is that any space in your home used solely for business purposes is tax deductible under the US tax scheme.

My company pays 100% of my personal apartment rent, and I receive an additional W2 for the percentage of non-office space as personally taxable income. This means that 100% of the money paid is a corporate tax deduction, and the parts paid for my office never hit my personal income.

I recently learned that because my flat is a 2 bathroom, one of those bathrooms can be included in the "office space" calculation as well, as offices require bathrooms.

Standard disclaimer: I am not an accountant or a lawyer, so this is layperson advice. Consult with a professional.

As mentioned above, make sure it has a door, and close it. Train your housemates/family/partner/SO/whatever to leave you alone while you're "at work".

JohnBooty3• 13 years ago

Great advice, all of it!

  If you have a family or a partner. Just because 
  you are at home does not mean "can you just put on 
  a wash". Build rules into engaging with the family. 
  You are working. You are not to be disturbed. If 
  you choose to 'come out' of your office and engage 
  with the family then that is your choice. Emergencies 
  are acceptable interruptions ;)

This was one of the toughest parts for me. It was really, really, really difficult to get my partner to understand these boundaries. (And my sense of guilt played into this too. If she was carrying heavy groceries into the house, how could I not go and help her, even if she didn't ask me to?)

One thing that somewhat worked was asking her to consider the following before interrupting me: "If I was working in a 'normal' office job, would you pick up the phone and call me about this?"

If the answer was "yes" then it was okay to interrupt me. If the answer was "no" then it was probably something that could wait until my next bathroom break or dog-walking break.

Most partners understand that they can't phone into your workplace for every little thing ("whoa, the store is having a crazy sale on rutabegas this week!") that pops into their heads.

On my part, I had to understand that in many senses just as she was intruding on my work life, I was intruding on her home life by bringing work into it. She had never worked from home and home was always a place of relaxation and family togetherness, and I had to understand that I was asking her to shift her notions of that.

I was seriously considering getting an "ON AIR" light -- you know, like a DJ would use at a radio station to signal nobody should come into the room -- at one point. Had I not transitioned back into a more standard office job we probably would have!

1337biz• 13 years ago

If these are the core issues for you try working at a coffee shop or university library. Usually these tend to be interruption free zones. You might also try out one of the shared office spaces in your area They most likely understand your "transition" situation very well and can give you a desk for a day just to try it out.

ChristianMarks• 13 years ago

5) Get a dog :) ... Oh and she's very good at solving technical issues. Sounds mad, but sometimes just talking about a problem to her makes it work for me (and makes me look less stupid when I have to discuss the problem with work colleagues)

Not mad at all. The advice to talk with your dog on technical projects and general problem solving goes for cats. At least you don't talk to your deceased cat (I know I do). He and his two successors are responsible for solutions to non-trivial mathematical and programming problems. The solutions have to be non-trivial and interesting, otherwise the cat will listen but choose to ignore the discussion.

lesleyb2• 13 years ago

In my postgrad days I had two cats. I used to practise my presentations on them. They found it amusing and I could work through the irresistible temptation to talk a character out of Wacky Races so that I could concentrate properly on the day.

I now have a dog. Dogs are good for fresh air and exercise too and you meet other humans too.

rglover2• 13 years ago

Re: #17, I bake this into my contracts and it can do wonders for cash flow.

I also run an app that helps with writing freelance contracts and the ability to specify payments is a primary feature. Check it out if you have trouble with this: https://properapp.com.

thirdtruck• 13 years ago

Having a work room that you can lock isn't just good productivity advice, but also good financial advice. You can deduct it as a business expense.

midas007• 13 years ago

Used to use FlowDock and HipChat before that.

Asana is pretty awesome for most uses. For software dev, sometimes go with JIRA on-prem because of its customizability with plugins.

I try to trial a decent app before running with it for a while and not jump ship too often.

aethertap• 13 years ago

I'm going through a similar process right now and something that's helping me a lot is the advice in The Now Habit. It's a quick read, and at least in my case the advice is effective and sustainable.

() http://amzn.com/1585425524

ak39• 13 years ago

In my experience I've noticed that lack of discipline is related to two things (both of them subconscious). Lack of discipline strikes me when:

1. I can easily predict what the end goal of any of my current project is ... and it is less than what I want for myself. So I procrastinate the inevitable. As if delaying it will somehow miraculously make it worthwhile after some time has passed. Waiting for an epiphany to salvage the fait accompli?? I am not sure. This is all of course subconscious. I don't like where my current project is leading me to so I watch sitcoms or come to give unsolicited HN advice. (Not really)

2. I subconsciously avoid facing my burn-rate. Burn-rate is a function of time and can be both direct financial (material) as well as opportunity costs. Facing it is single most terrifying thing for me. My unfounded fear is that it paralyses me. On the contrary.

The solution to 1 is to write down a single page or picture of where your current project fits into your bigger goals. If I can see this type of plan clearly for my current (boring) project and its global context is something I am easily reminded of regularly, I galvanise into action - no matter how boring.

Promising a deadline to your client is also a good way to work towards it. Nothing like a nagging email or phone message asking about your progress to get your arse into action.

The solution to 2 is to keep sight of your overheads by again writing a single page of your costs (burn-rate) as a function of time. And there's always a burn-rate. Planning for 3-6 months in my case seems sufficient. Make a poster of this and stick it where you can't miss it.

Hope that helps you too.

ido• 13 years ago

I try to restrict/minimize internet distractions between 10am and 6pm. That means I strive to only check emails in the morning and evening, no facebook/twitter/reddit/HN/etc.

I still have my ipod on do-not-disturb mode so that occasionally I can press the power button and see if there are any gmail notifications, but most of the time I can tell from the subject line that I can safely ignore said emails. If it's important I log in to gmail (with gtalk turned off) ust to answer the important email and then close it again.

philfreo• 13 years ago

Turn this baby on at 9am for 8 hours: http://selfcontrolapp.com

grimtrigger• 13 years ago

I love this app. Hopefully you don't need any time-suck websites (facebook/reddit) for your business.

strictfp• 13 years ago

A plan works wonders. Try applying SCRUM on yourself. Set up sprint goals and find someone to demo for, so that you feel the preassure. Also, expose yourself. Angle your screen so that someone else can see what you're doing, so that you feel ashamed when procrastinating. If you have noone else, angle towards the street or share your screen with a partner or something. Have a schedule. Use different logins for work and leasure. I use another wm without distractionware running. Find someone to discuss your approaches with. Working alone increases risk of getting stuck. Planning also helps here. Regularly meet your parners in person, a good time is for demos. Make promises for next time. Stick by your promises. Never over-promise, never under-deliver.

k-mcgrady• 13 years ago

This is a huge problem for me. The best solution I have found is to schedule every thing. I look ahead at the next week and what I need to get done and then schedule it in Google Calendar. I name the events 'Coding (Project Name)'. Typically I do a longer 4-6 hour session in the mornings and focus on projects that have a lot to be done on them still. In the afternoons I schedule a 2-3 hour session and work on projects that I'm finishing up on and doing minor work on. I'm a huge procrastinator ("watching multiple seasons of sitcoms" really rings true with me!) but this has helped me quite a bit.

jakobe3• 13 years ago

One thing to note is that being self-employed doesn't mean you need to work from home. I always had trouble staying focused at home, and since I have kids working from home is almost impossible for me.

I now rent a desk in a shared office, and I work regular hours. I work 9-4 four days a week. I leave my laptop at work, so I can't do anything except answer the occasional email from home (when the kids let me).

It makes a tremendous difference. When I'm home, I often think of something I want to fix, but since I can't work at home, I have to wait until the next day. When I arrive at the office, I'm already eagerly waiting to get started and most times don't even think about checking HN.

(It doesn't always work. Sometimes I still have trouble focussing, but that was the same when I worked a "normal" job)

marcosscriven2• 13 years ago

I like the idea of leaving the laptop at the shared work place. So often I get the laptop out in the evening, and end up feeling a little burnt out.

Just knowing you won't have your laptop at home I think must really help focus.

jakobe3• 13 years ago

Yeah, I often really get into "the zone" when I look at the clock and I see that I promised to be home in an hour. It's amazing how you stop wasting time when you have less.

graeme• 13 years ago

I leave my laptop at work, so I can't do anything except answer the occasional email from home (when the kids let me).

I never thought of that. I am strongly considering a coworking space just to try this.

My only issue is that I sometimes do Skype consulting in the evenings, after my clients are done work (I'm a tutor). I would have to schedule those in blocks and have my laptop home for those blocks only.

What's security like for your laptop at work?

jakobe3• 13 years ago

Someone I work with was abroad for a few months, so I also had to skype about once a week in the evening. I brought the laptop home on those days.

Concerning security, all my hard drives (internal & external) are encrypted, and my laptop is secured with a kensington lock. Those locks don't offer much protection, but I know everyone who has keys to the office, these are more or less just precautions to deter casual thieves if someone forgets to lock the office doors at night. My laptop is pretty old, and most of my work is stored in online repositories. It would be annoying if someone stole my stuff, but it wouldn't be the end of the world...

JohnBooty3• 13 years ago

Leaving the work laptop at work is great advice!

For those whom this isn't practical (like me) I have found that having two computers - one "work" and one "fun" - can serve much of the same purpose.

(Obviously, the "fun" computer could also be a netbook, tablet, whatever)

Same idea, really -- the idea for me is to create a computer that I strongly associate with work, so that sitting down at that computer means, "Hey brain... it's work time, dammit."

marcosscriven2• 13 years ago

Three things work for me:

1) Having a minimum realistic goal for the day. By having that realistic goal, I find it much easier to get started, and end up achieving more than I set out.

2) Proper cardio exercise - I find just a 5k run really clears my head, makes me feel good, and relieves the physical boredom of essentially sitting down staring at a screen.

3) Breaking up working time into one hour slots (roughly), and having a decent 10 minute break to stand up, have a drink or whatever.

mdmarra• 13 years ago

You could always work exclusively from a cruise ship. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6697416

mikemaney• 13 years ago

I've worked from home for the past 6+ years. I started with several of the routine recommendations below (all good). What I've found over time, however, is that the routine route is -- in most cases -- simply a transfer of traditional office culture to a work environment that is anything but.

My recommendation: embrace flexibility.

Man-made time constraints are no longer part of your world (outside of deadlines). Technology no longer requires that you are chained to a desk. Shake things up to stay fresh. Don't let yourself think 9-5, 5 days. Your life is now 24x7, 365 and you are in control of how you use those hours.

That said, there are some spot-on recommendations here by others based on my experience:

* Exercise. I've taken calls on 50mi bike rides and from roadside taverns. Helps to have a buddy you can draft off during the calls.

* Nutrition. Laptop on counter. Work. Cook.

* Standing desk. You'll find yourself moving around a lot more rather than slouching in a chair and never leaving your monitor. On that, if you have the means, spread devices around your house. Mix up your screen time.

* Get up early. This one took some time, but is perhaps the biggest thing you can do. It jumpstarts everything.

* Sunday night scheduling. I believe it was Tim Ferris' 4-hour workweek that started this. Sunday night, write down what you want/must accomplish over the next week. When it's done, it's done. Doesn't matter whether it's Tuesday or Sunday.

* IM. IM. IM. Some see random IM conversations as interruptions to be avoided. They aren't. They are your watercooler, your vent, your muse. Embrace them.

Good luck! It's a great adventure.

adam222• 13 years ago

awjr has put all the points and they are worth following.

I will only emphasize that never think you are working from home. Always assume you are working as if from another building than your own home. And always act as if you are in that building.

The moment you realize, you are in your own home, it would get harder for you to stick to the 'normal business routine'.

EvanMiller• 13 years ago

I have to challenge the premise that most of the responders have taken, which is that working on a daily schedule is "better".

On the contrary, I find that my work habits are a lot like yours -- and I think that's a good thing! Sometimes I will be possessed by a coding demon and crank out work for days (weeks?) on end. Other times I will putter around watching TV or brainstorming ideas.

For me the whole point of being self-employed was to NOT have to show up to an office (or home office) and work 9-5 every single day. A creative human brain is a rare and marvelous creature, and we understand very little about how it works. I think the best thing to do is to let it run around and work when it feels like working, or read a book when it feels like reading a book. I personally find my creativity withers away under a strict work regimen.

If your work is not creative and you're just grinding it out for money every day, then by all means, follow the advice in the other posts. But if your work requires imagination and making unexpected mental connections, then don't worry too much about "efficiency". As long as you're thinking about something related to work most of the time, over the long run your real productivity will exceed that of all those poor saps who measure output as a function of mindless hours in front of a computer.

Embracing your "lazy" side requires a certain amount of courage, but if you can make ends meet while doing it, you'll be happier and end up doing better creative work. In any event, don't worry too much about how most people say they do things. Do what feels right to you. Good luck!

shubhamjain• 13 years ago

Although the personal freedom is enjoyable but a certain amount of self discipline seems necessary, otherwise, you start putting off more and more work in an inevitable way when you are not in the mood, or you want to watch the latest TV show episode, perhaps.

With my first remote job, I was often distracted by lots of stuff, procrastinated a lot because of no schedule and the result was I had to work even on weekends, full time to make the ends meet.

ghaff• 13 years ago

I sorta keep a daily schedule but I'm not rigid about it; some days are certainly more about focusing on tasks than others. For me, it's at least as important to keep a short-term and mid-term todo list.

dreamfactory• 13 years ago

It may not be for all but as far as I'm aware most productive creative people are rigorous in their schedules. For example, I've read a number of artists and writers talking about the importance of developing the habit of creating output every day regardless of quality.

ISeemToBeAVerb2• 13 years ago

Obviously, every person is different and I applaud the fact that you've found a method that works for you, but I vehemently disagree that routine is the enemy of imagination and insight.

I worked in the ad game a long time and I never once knew a designer or illustrator that relied on inspiration to get the job done. It's all process.

Our society seems to romanticize the lives of artists and treat them as somehow "blessed". However, I think science is coming more and more to show that creativity is far from an inspired activity. It's mostly the result of a lot of hard work and problem solving. Both of which require a person to show up and work.

Reading a book like Mason Currey's "Daily Rituals: How Artists Work" is very enlightening because it illustrates just how shockingly routine and boring the lives of many famous artists really are/were.

jnhuynh• 13 years ago

I agree with you and I want to add your point with a video I found on HN (I guess it crops up at random times). http://vimeo.com/58918963

John Cleese talks about creativity and how you need to create a space and time for it.

yawz3• 13 years ago

This would probably work best if you enjoy every part of your work. However, I assume most of us have to do things that we don't particularly enjoy. Or, even more dangerously, we have lower-priority more-enjoyable things to do. Then a little bit of self-discipling and planning is necessary.

avalaunch• 13 years ago

awjr did a great job answering your question. I just want to add 2 more things that help me:

1. Get out of the house to work, at least occasionally. I find I'm often most productive working in a coffee shop or at a Panera Bread type restaurant (no waiters, free wifi).

2. Don't quit immediately after finishing off a feature. Start working on a new feature and then quit for the day. This one is big. Whenever I do this, I find my mind continuously returning to the new problem and coming up with ideas on how to solve it. At that point getting back to work the next day is easier than not.

Finally don't stress out too much about what hours you work. Sometimes I work in the morning. Sometimes I work at night. I work around spending time with my son, which is what makes me happiest. That's the best part of being self employed - having a flexible schedule that let's you maximize all of the activities you enjoy most.

enobrev• 13 years ago

I've successfully worked from home as a developer since 2001, most of which was in a 450 square foot apartment with roommates in a very noisy part of Brooklyn. Now I'm in a far more comfortable 2 bedroom with a view in Seattle with a separate bedroom as an office (and a door!), but my career was defined in that tiny shoebox of apartment.

First and foremost, boundaries are necessary. This is both for you and for the people around you. You don't have to explicitly work 8 hours in a row every day, but whenever it is that you choose to work every day, disruptions should be completely closed off.

This means if you have roommates, they need to know that when you're working, you're not listening and impossible to distract. For me, this has proven far more difficult with significant others who have lived with me. I have lost a couple long term relationships with women who did not understand this, and the woman with whom I'm now engaged not only appreciates this this very important invisible wall, but helps me maintain it.

Same goes for other outside distractions. It would be weird if your friends dropped into your 9-5 job and sat on the couch, cracked a beer and started playing video games, or if they called your office line every 20 minutes to try to convince you to head out for whatever might be going on. This same limitation needs to be set at your home. If necessary, maintain a separate lines of communication between work and personal life (phone, IM, skype, email, etc) to make sure that while you're working, you can concentrate on only communicating with work associates, and the opposite is just as important - when you're enjoying your life, leave work to your office space.

And if your home office is in a distracting neighborhood (as mine very much was when I was living in Brooklyn), turn some music on, wear some headphones, find a coffee shop, or rent some office space somewhere quieter. Depending on where you are, it's not difficult to find a company that happens to have an extra desk or two and is willing to rent one out at a fair price.

Give yourself a great office space that you look forward to spending your days in. Mine was a corner of a room that was sometimes also a bedroom and sometimes also a living room. But it was the most well kept at all times. Three monitors, a quiet and fast computer, a comfortable chair, interesting art on my wall, a great keyboard and mouse, a relatively clean desk, a decent coffee maker, great stereo system, studio-quality headphones, high speed expensive internet, and a giant roll of paper with some markers that I could brainstorm or play with whenever necessary.

I've read some other great responses here about exercise, and eating right and so on. I agree with all of the above, but I didn't bother with such things until the past 5 years. I never exercised, I worked stupidly long hours (occasionally 36 hour days), I ate crap, I partied at all hours, and I'd never set a schedule. I began changing a lot of that in the past five years or so. I now limit myself to 16 hours in a day (but usually keep my limit to 8) and I exercise more and I eat better. But I do those things because I turned 30 and realized 9 years of random debauchery and no exercise do not do much for ones health and figure. I'd be a liar if I told you I did that during the most crucially defining portion of my remote career.

As for the Real Motivation. All of the above and all the advice in this thread, and all the advice I've read elsewhere (and mostly ignored) about remote working have no competition with this one single point. What has motivated me more than anything in the world: Challenging Work at High wages. I always needed at least one of the two or the project would definitely fail, but having both ensured that I'd always find the time, energy, and space to get the work done well, efficiently, with great communication. The office space didn't matter. The noise didn't matter. The schedule _Definitely_ didn't matter. I was unstoppable provided I had Work that I couldn't possibly tear myself away from and a sizable check at the starting and finish lines to help keep my life in order.

Good luck.

apunic3• 13 years ago

Your real problem lies somewhere else: You lack motivation because your work lacks a long-term perspective. Being a freelancer who sells his personal time is not what you intrinsically aimed for. You need something which is it worth to stay home alone and this is not being a mercenary selling his time for money. And the goal can not be just 'to work from home and being free' either, you goal must be way bigger and 'working from home' is a means to an end.

Once you work on something big structuring the day with all good things like exercise, good food, socializing comes by itself and you won't need a dog or any other mumbo-jumbo, though Pomodoro comes sometimes handy just to get started and getting shit done since some procrastination always happens.

This is my experience from working home for the first years of my company (which was the most productive time of my life).

moron4hire• 13 years ago

Start work at the same time and stop work at the same time, every day. Be ruthless about it, even if you start late, stop on time. Don't make excuses and don't try to "make up for it". You'll burn yourself enough times that you'll start respecting the start time and actually do it on schedule.

shivekkhurana• 13 years ago

Scientifically : Your will power to stay focused is simply not enough (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHfjvYzr-3g).

I'm a student working for different tech companies remotely. From my year long experience, all I can tell you is you need to have a routine with :

a) Not more than 50min work at a stretch (even a 10 minute break will do) b) Limited working hours (you set the limit) c) Workout (running, working out, dancing | something that works out your muscles) d) Social life (with your partner, friends, meetups etc)

Make short todo lists. Get your work done early in the morning(before your family gets up) and keep noon time for meetings and extra work that does not require focus. Evenings are great for working out.

Best of LUCK :)

VLM• 13 years ago

Feel like you're on call? Here's one small clearly defined task, get this thing done so I can get back to living?

I've done the on-call / pager thing, and although I work in an office environment with flex time, I've been stuck working in the house due to blizzards and such, so I have some experience with this. Also lots of on line classes.

It might be a total drag, but break down the project into "couple hour" pager / cell phone / emergency feel of tasks, then knock out exactly one task, then go live for a little while. Exercise, or cook/eat, or socialize or whatever, then "pretend" you just got a page and have to work the next task.

I've been on call before, so social issues WRT working at home have not been an issue. You're not "working at home" you "got a call from work"; no one else need know "the call" was just another regular project mismanagement conversation or watercooler gossip.

No need to simulate it down to the point of random alarms on the phone, but if you have to, then do it.

robbiea• 13 years ago

I've been through the same exact situation and was able to get out of it. There are a lot of great tips here that detail how to organize your schedule tactically, but I'll give you a little different insight on how to convince yourself to adjust and work a schedule that is better for you.

#1) Recognize that the reason you are looking at other projects is because you feel free or unleashed from your full-time job and now all of the creative restrictions that you had are now gone. So, this is you acting up because NOW you have the chance to do something that you want to do, even though you still are busy with this new remote gig. You are dreaming, which is great. This is normal, and from my experience almost never goes away.

#2) Recognize that the work you are getting paid for now is your #1 priority. Dreams come second. You still have a boss, even if your boss is your friend. Anything you do outside of this work, your friend could care less. Do not lose insight of that.

#3) If you do start a new "side" project, make sure you finish it. I ran into many issues where I would start a new project, get people involved and then never finish it. It was by far the worst feeling I've ever had in my life.

#4) None of these tactical schedules that people mentioned below will work if you don't know why you continue to do browse new projects or sit down and watch multiple seasons of sitcoms. This took me about 8 months to figure out, so you have some time to go :). What is your longterm goal? To make money enough money to live comfortable or to become Oprah successful?

#5) Get help right away. By help, I just mean other people that have been through a similar situation and that you can ask for honest feedback from. Obviously this HN post is a fantastic start. Find someone you can call up directly.

If you need more insight (or anyone else on this thread), my contact info is in my profile.

SkyMarshal• 13 years ago

and then sometime I find myself I haven't looked at that project in the last two days as I spent it by browsing random projects on the internet, working on other things, watching multiple seasons of sitcoms or just brainstorming about product ideas that I can build in future!

Start by cutting out the truly wasteful things, like watching TV. Throw your TV in the trash (seriously), or first thing every morning get out of the house and go work in a library or coffee shop for five hours or so.

The other things you mention are part of the creative process - browsing other projects on github or wherever for ideas, brainstorming, working on other projects (eg decluttering your todo list).

If you break your main project down into component parts and estimate it, that will give you some baseline/benchmark as to the rate of progress you should be making on it. Assume a 9-5 workday and no more than 5hrs of actual work on the project per day. If you're roughly keeping up with that by working odd irregular hours (16hr sprints, 2 days off, etc), then you're in good shape. Otherwise it will give you an idea of how much more you need to reallocate to your main project.

yojo• 13 years ago

In my experience the times where I find I've done something that "feels" productive but isn't (e.g. browsing projects on the internet, working on other things) are times where I feel stuck on my main task. This could be due to lack of clarity, or because there is a step that is boring/uninteresting/tedious.

The best advice I can give is that when you find yourself unwilling to do the work, break the work down into concrete, bite-sized steps. Then do the first one, then do the next one, and you'll get it done. If you can't do one of the steps because you're blocked, figure out the steps to get unblocked, write those down, and do the first one.

The other thing I've found that helps is to set a clear schedule. The rhythm of the office helps get things done. I still wake up to an alarm at 8, I have a coffee at 10 and 2, and lunch is at noon. My wife comes home around 6, and I try to make sure I'm done at 6:30. I occasionally break all of these rules if I'm in the zone and really getting a lot done. If that happens, I give myself more time off later/the next day to ensure I'm always on a sustainable pace.

If you're already stuck in a distraction quagmire, try to recognize it, and set an alarm for 30 minutes. When the alarm goes off, go back to work. If you still can't work, go take a walk and try again.

fit2rule• 13 years ago

Its almost impossible to have self-discipline if there is nobody else around to observe it. The #1 thing that I have found useful, when I've been a self-employed worker, has been to have someone else around to talk to about my progress, or lack thereof, over time.

For many, this can be as simple as having a partner who looks out for you and checks in on you, making sure that you're not playing games or whatever distractions tickle your fancy. It could be having a close friend or associate who knows you are a self-worker and who takes a regular interest in your life and actions.

Without another human being around, its very difficult to be self-disciplined. This is just one of those quandries of life - things get a lot easier when you've got someone, anyone, impartial or otherwise, with whom to discuss your daily progress.

rf1331• 13 years ago

Brain drugs

mfrankel• 13 years ago

Pomodoros are very helpful. Here is a 2.5 minute guide to them: http://www.brevedy.com/pomodoro-power-time-focusing-in-2-5-m...

teleclimber2• 13 years ago

The Pomodoro technique is the only thing that worked for me after everything I tried.

I think it works because it's a positive-reinforcer ("do work and complete Pomodoro" as opposed to "don't procrastinate so you can do work").

cupcake-unicorn• 13 years ago

If you're a gamer at all, http://habitrpg.com uses a system to gamify tasks, and may work for you! I don't use it for work things since I don't work from home, but it's been great to help me with other things.

Eleutheria• 13 years ago

Lock your office.

Unplug the web.

Fire up your editor.

bearwithclaws• 13 years ago

Two apps helped me best: http://lift.do and SelfControl. Use SelfControl to block all the time wasting sites; Lift for reinforcing beneficial habits/routine such as exercise, eat healthy, meditate.

Work wonders.

kristiandupont• 13 years ago

It's a tough one. I made a collection of tips and stuff here: http://procrastotherapy.com/

thelogos2• 13 years ago

Many people have already recommended exercise, but I would advise you not to jog or lift high rep.

Why? It's repetitive and time consuming. It also doesn't do anything for your testosterone level.

If you're a guy, you have to keep your testosterone high and that means short burst of high intensity exercise.

That's the #1 priority. It will increase your willpower and ability to cope with stress. It'll also lessen the pain of social isolation.

You're going to be socially isolated no matter what. Working at a coffee shop doesn't matter because you'll most likely won't spend your time talking to people.

Testosterone will also keep you from packing on the fat, which is really easy to do when you work at home.

My solution to this is eating healthy and stimulants.

Caffeine and nicotine patch will reduce your appetite significantly. I feel no desire to snack between meals.

It will also keep you focus and motivated. They're much more sustainable in the long run than prescription stimulants.

Lastly, take fish oil and vitamin d3. This is not optional. Most people's diet don't contain enough fish oil, the inflammation will bring on depression and sap your mental strength. Same for vitamin d3, most of us aren't exactly outdoor creature.

apunic3• 13 years ago

Nice advice and one of the best among all replies.

Could you please elaborate on fish oil (why and did you experience any effects if not taken) and vitamin d3 (again why and what happened if you omitted it).

Caffeine as regular stimulant sound tempting but isn't the risk of slight depression higher especially in hard times?

thelogos2• 13 years ago

Fish oil and vitamin d3 is so important that it's impossible to elaborate everything in this comment. I used to have a bigger regimen but have cut down to these 2 plus sodium r-lipoid acid.

1. Most modern livestocks are raise on grains and soy. Their meat do not contain enough omega-3, a simple fact. Farmed fish's omega 3 content varies depending on their diet.

2. Many people have the misconception that the skin can synthesize vitamin d3 from any kind of sunlight. Not true. Glass blocks most of UVB and only let through UVA. So sitting in a windowed office won't work. Some of us live in cold places and wear clothes that cover most of our skin on the rare occasion that we do go out. The skin needs UVB photon to transform 7-dehydrocholesterol to vitamin D3 in a 2-step process. It gets even more complicated when you take into account the level of melanin in your skin. Not only that, only certain spectrum of UVB carries sufficient energy to photolyzed 7-dehydrocholesterol. So that means your skin has to be exposed to sunlight at certain time of the day.

The thing to understand about these deficiency is they occur very slowly. The process is very insidious because the brain and body is great at adapting. It comes to accept the abnormal as normal. Depressed people come to accept their condition as normal and unchangeable. Most of them don't even realized they're depressed. They can't imagine a different reality or mental state. Just like people who procrastinate can't see how someone else can be so productive. When you're socially isolated, it turns into a downward spiral where no one can help you.

About stimulants, I don't like using them. But I've come to accept that they're necessary. We humans just weren't made to sit in one place and stare at a screen for 12 hrs+ a day/5days a week.

So far I haven't felt any crash from the nicotine patch. Caffeine, definitely, but the crash is nowhere near the level of Rx stimulants. Caffeine crash is much more mild and tolerable. I'm not convinced on the safety of modafinil.

The point to all this though, you need to keep your testosterone high so you can pull yourself out of a hole if you do fall into one. People who work 12hr+, racing on stimulants everyday, eating bad food and not getting enough sleep will inevitable burnout.

If you live right, there's never a desire to drink or take any substance to "relax".

yawz3• 13 years ago

Agreed with testosterone... however:

Snacking is not a "bad habit". It is a healthy eating mode, especially if you incorporate exercise in your routine. Caffeine, OTOH, is bad for you in our generic context.

HIIT is a good way of doing cardio work (because it results in a greater turnover rate of free testosterone) but weight-lifting is best. Target bigger muscles, core exercises. Do super-sets if you don't want to stay too long at the gym.

My two cents.

HNJohnC2• 13 years ago

In my informed opinion snacking is indeed a very bad habit and it is not in any way a healthy eating mode.

It's contrary to all of human evolution and there are objective measurements that show the body needs rest from eating to heal and regenerate critical systems.

That's why intermittent fasting is such a proven benefit to health in people who have enough to eat.

Source: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/meal-timing/

davemel37• 13 years ago

I find adding my to do tasks to my calendar assigning time blocks to specific tasks makes it much easier to just do the work and much harder to waste time. Another method is assigning a specific amount of time to a task. And setting a stopwatch and taking a break when that time is up prevents me from taking more time than needed for projects.

amorphid• 13 years ago

Formerly self employed here. One trick that worked for me, which was inspired by some book w/ a tomato on the cover...

1. Set a timer for 25 minutes.

2. Work until the timer goes off.

3. Take a short break, 5 minutes or so.

4. Repeat :)

What I did was determine how many hours I wanted to work total, usually 40 hours. Then I'd shoot for 80% efficiency, so I'd try to work hardcore for 32 hours. Divide 32 hours by 25 minutes (32 * 60 / 25), and I'd work that many blocks of time.

I found it really helped me focus. It also helped me separate my work time from personal time. It also... well, it helped a lot.

You can play with the numbers to find a pattern that works best for you.

lisper• 13 years ago

Maintaining self-discipline while being self-employed is related to but not quite the same as maintaining self-discipline while working from home. My advice would be to achieve clarity on which of those two is really the issue, and if it's the latter, then do one of two things:

1. Find a co-working space and go there to work.

2. Failing that, mark the start and end of your work day in some semi-formal way. When I was managing a team of people working from home I instituted the following policy, which seemed to work really well: when you decide it's time to "show up" for work, send an email to the team saying, "I'm in", and a one or two sentence description of what you're working on that day. When you're done for the day, send another email saying, "I'm out" and another one or two sentence description of what you actually managed to get done. Just that little bit of structure made a huge difference. If you don't have a team, then collect a group of other self-employed-working-from-home people to be mutually accountable to. Even just sending such an email to yourself might help. The act of actually writing things down activates different neural pathways than just thinking about things and so makes a difference in your mindset.

tgflynn• 13 years ago

I recommend using a time tracking app of some kind. The goal isn't to produce timesheets for your clients, just for you personally to keep track of how much time you spend working on projects.

For this to be helpful you need to be very conscientious about using it. When you are clocked in you shouldn't be doing anything but project related work.

One disadvantage of this is that it's easy to forget to clock out.

ISeemToBeAVerb2• 13 years ago

I struggled for a long time when I started working from home. I tried all kinds of things, but what ended up working best for me was treating it like I would any other job.

I get up and go to work at the same time every day. I take time off for lunch, and I quit at 6:00 PM every day (assuming I don't have any pressing deadlines).

That's not to say I don't allow myself any benefits of working from home. I'll take a long lunch with a friend every now and again, but I try not to let my routine slide over an extended period of time.

It's also important to set a precedent early on about what disturbances you're willing to tolerate, if any. I handle distractions the same way I would at an office. If it's an emergency, I deal with it. If it's not, I politely remind the offender that I'm in the middle of work and then I get back to it.

As far as temptations go, I think it depends on what your vices are. That being said, controlling your environment is the easiest way to limit your temptations.

For me, internet browsing was by far my biggest time-suck so I used an app called "Self-Control" to block access to sites I waste time on. I don't need to use it anymore, but it helped a lot in the beginning.

I also used to do crazy stuff like unplug my electronics to keep myself from watching TV or playing games. Taking the time to plug everything back in was usually enough to remind me I shouldn't be doing this right now.

Really, It just takes a bit of experimentation to get the ideal routine down. Took me over a year, but now I'm super productive.

atmosx• 13 years ago

All you need to know is here[1]. It's called the "The Art of Self Discipline" and Brian Tracey is probably one of the best examples of self-discipline.

Don't listen to this once. Listen to this Once every three days. If you manage to put in your life 1/10 of what is discussed in this audiobook, you'll see radical changes taking place very very quickly.

I listen to this at least 1 every month by now, while running. I have bought the audiobook two years ago. I still listen to this and keeps me up-to-speed when I feel like not doing things I should do.

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjEDr7enw-c

HNJohnC2• 13 years ago

Brian Tracey! What a blast from the past. Many years ago I was sent on a course of his by my boss, nothing to do with self discipline, more like general 80's "empowerment" or some similar wish washy shit. The part I remember most is he advocated daily affirmations staring into a mirror and saying "I like myself" over and over. I came away with very negative impressions of Brian Tracey but he's certainly had time to get better, that was a long time ago.

auctiontheory2• 13 years ago

Suggestions from my own experience:

1) Set written goals: quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily. I have a pre-printed "form" that I populate with my goals. Then I check them off at the end of a period (day, week, etc.), grade myself, and make notes about what worked, what didn't and what I learned. Save these in a binder so you can see your progress, or lack thereof.

2) Use Pomodoro or HoursTracker or some other app that works for you. Observing how many (few) hours I was productively working was eye-opening.

3) Reward yourself. The idea is, work shouldn't stretch on "indefinitely" - then you have little psychological incentive to complete.

4) Separate your workspace from your living space, even if it is only a desk that you use solely for work.

5) Use StickK or some other form of commitment contract.

6) Use SelfControl or other internet-limiting app. Watch out for blocking Google URLs though - block youtube, and you can end up blocking Google Drive.

7) In the beginning, overinvest in setting up systems and tracking to discover what really works for you. Getting a good system going will easily pay for itself in efficiency gains.

scotty79• 13 years ago

You need lots of daily interaction with coworkers. Ideally, everyday someone should be waiting on the things you are supposed to deliver, to incorporate them into his own work or at least test or review them.

ehudla• 13 years ago

1. Work in coffee shops. 2. But every so often choose ones where wifi is flaky. 3. Most importantly: org mode.

was_hellbanned• 13 years ago

"Unlike my previous job where I had to work 9-6 ... sometime I work for a continuous 16 hours and then sometime I find myself I haven't looked at that project in the last two days ..."

I think that's actually really natural, and mimics the patters people were in before industrialization.

Even when I was doing corporate work, that's very much how I ended up actually getting things done. Sometimes it takes hours and hours to wrap my head around some API and make the mental connections, at which point I'll just keep coding until I run out of juice (typically the point when I realize I'm just making errors, coding in circles, and resorting to random edits). The annoying thing in the corporate world is that you can't just spend most of the next day in bed, or on a hike. Instead, I'd work extremely hard one day, then slack off and browse the Internet the next two days, and maybe fix some trivial bug for the sake of a logged checkin.

In my current system, I would say my most valuable habits are:

1) Cardio. My goal is to do 15 - 30 minutes of HIIT every morning. In reality, I end up doing it a few time per week. :-) Honestly, nothing gets me energized and motivated like doing consistent cardio. Two weeks of 30 minutes every day? No depression, constant motivation, sex drive, etc. Incidentally, forcing yourself to do this somewhat uncomfortable act regularly is itself a way to develop discipline.

2) Pomodoros. Once you start forcing yourself to work in focused intervals, you start to realize that you don't actually work that much every day, which is rather liberating.

3) Task estimation. I break down tasks by the number of anticipated hours, then check off every Pomodoro (effectively 1/2 hour) next to the task. Ineffective estimation has been both massively demotivating and very eye-opening. My estimation and attention to detail in analysis has improved significantly from forcing myself to do this. It's also easier to force myself "into the mood" for coding when I'm actually reasonably sure that I only have to do 1.5 hours of work, then I can go play.

4) Block all attention drains in my hosts file. HN, Reddit, etc.

easy_rider3• 13 years ago

One thing that really helps me is music. Some people like the coffee shop sounds. I don't. I'm the type you see sitting in the office with headphones on all the time, listening to fast music, and really feeling wired in. At home I often forget to put on some music, because I don't get distracted by people. But without music I find myself looking at youtube etc. When I have music on it puts me in the right mindset, and start producing to the beat (be it drum, be it machine ;))

auctiontheory2• 13 years ago

Rather than music, I use brown noise. Try the "Getting Wet" preset here: mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/rainNoiseGenerator.php

laurenstill• 13 years ago

A while back I quit my 9-5 and started working on a number of consulting/projects on a rotating basis.

One of the things I did in addition to having dedicated work space and clear boundaries was to assign projects on a per-day basis. Most of my contracts are longer-term grant projects where I'm committed to 10 hr/week or so.

Monday = local hardware project Tues = DirectTrust Wens = Dignity Health etc...

I make sure the companies I'm working with understand what their dedicated day is, and have a clear time line of deliverables. This gives me enough urgency on a day to day basis to prevent falling into the trap of "taking care of it later."

I also have a set time for general email first thing in the morning, in addition to break times where I can cook, clean and work on dinner. I know some would say that's a horrible break, but I'd rather do it mid day that at 9pm (as I would when I commuted).

The other thing was removing the tv in the office. I was surprised and how distracting it was, considering I never paid attention to it. I now use use music as background/white noise.

And I can't recommend a pet partner enough, just lock them out during concalls least you earn a reputation of being "that cat lady in policy."

nnnnnn• 13 years ago

I posted this before.. but here are some things I do to stay on task (or at least try!)

Lifestyle:

* Sleep ... 7.5 to 8 hrs, no more no less

* Wake up at 8/9 to maximize hours of sunlight

* Lift weights 4+ times per week... the four hrs you spend in the gym will be made up for with 10 hrs of productivity throughout the week

* Healthy diet (high protein, low carbs, low sugar, fresh food)

Computer:

* VIM

* Avoid HN

* Start working right when you get up

* Answer emails / do other menial tasks when tired

* Get rid of all notifications: phone silent/vibrate, no Gmail/fb/twitter notifications outside of the platform itself

rglover2• 13 years ago

I've been working from home for the last 2.5 years and the biggest lesson I've learned is to embrace the ebb and flow. Keep a schedule, of course, but if you have a day where you can't focus and get things done: don't beat yourself up. When this happens to me, I try to dedicate my energy to something else like reading, writing, or setting up a meeting with a friend.

Seriously, it's extremely easy to kill yourself working from home. An office provides certain boundaries that are not available at home. Defining these early in your at home career is important if you don't want to bum yourself out.

wyrmlet• 13 years ago

I used a time tracker (Yast, but there are many) to keep myself honest and find a schedule that worked for me. If you prefer a 9-5, set alarms and schedule morning activities. But if you work better at a 16 hour stretch with the next day as a break, that is okay! Be patient with yourself and thankful you have such flexibility. Communicate regularly with coworkers and clients; this may help you find a more regular schedule. Remind yourself every day who is depending on you. The most important person depending on you is yourself, so make your own health and happiness a priority.

adidash• 13 years ago

Great tips already! I have been working from home for the past year or so. In between got into the habit of spending time on HN, reddit, techmeme and was kind of addicted to random browsing. Went on like this for 3 months. The lack of any real output hit me after that and ended up taking the following steps. Not perfect but have helped me come a long way.

What works for me:

1) Create a separate work profile on my mac.

2) Block sites you think are not helping you in your work but eating into your time.

3) Write down just one big action item for the day (has to be done today)

thallukrish• 13 years ago

I actually don't believe in a rigid system office like. In fact you are self employed because you don't want to be part of a process machine called the office. You figure out what is right for you. If you feel you are reading a lot of web, then go back do some work. If you feel you have cracked a problem after lot of hours of work, go and chill out doing some thing else. If you feel you are doing a hybrid of browsing the web which is not work related and coding then turn off the internet. I do a mix of all of these. I feel it is ok to be a bit fluidic but only with the end goal what you are working on in the mind. I mean mostly to creative work - something that you are creating on your own from home rather than a customer paid work which I feel the first comment is good enough to follow. If you are creative, be relaxed and keep thinking on the space you work on, keep diverting your attention from any disturbance and keep going at it...that's the formula

lbrent• 13 years ago

Some things I have not found mentioned yet:

1) Changing places inside the house (or moving out to the garden if the weather allows it) sometimes really helps me to beat the monotony. I do have a special workplace reserved though where I spend most of my time.

2) Exercise has already been mentioned. Running works best for me, because it is done outdoors and therefore kills two birds with one stone (three if you have a dog).

3) Another thing that has made a big difference for me was starting a regular meditation practice. I have since noticed that it makes it much easier for me to control my focus and handle distracting thoughts. And there seems to be at least some evidence that I am not alone in this: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/01/eight-weeks-to... Intensive Meditation Training Improves Perceptual Discrimination and Sustained Attention: http://pss.sagepub.com/content/21/6/829.abstract

4) Include relaxing activities on your daily agenda. Letting go is important for your wellbeing and therefore your work performance. Make room for it and allow yourself to enjoy it without feeling bad about it.

fredr• 13 years ago

When I where running my own company, I rented a desk at an other company. Since every one else there had regular working hours, it was more natural for me to work regular hours too.

It also gave me "colleagues" to talk to, so I wouldn't be as lonely as I would be if I worked from home every day.

That worked for me

shamp00• 13 years ago

I spent 15 years working from home. Everyone I know who worked successfully from home had some sort of trick to get into work-mode.

I always went out for coffee first thing. While I was out my apartment would magically transform into my office and I would come back 20 minutes later ready to work.

I know a guy who always put on a suit and tie even though he was at home because it got him into the right frame of mind. Whatever works. You might say the whole point of working from home is NOT wearing a tie. But if you can't find a way to work well from home, you will eventually have to admit failure and go back to working from an office.

Tell you what though: once you find your start-the-day trick and you feel you are working productively, you'll have to find a similar reverse-trick to get out of work-mode at the end of the day.

dCole• 13 years ago

Well based on the fact that you posted this question you've already figured out one of the most important things about working for yourself and that is.....

Everyone needs to be managed. It's now simply up to you to manage yourself given that you have nobody to answer to anymore (at least in theory).

The next thing is then realizing that there is no one correct way of dealing with these issues commonly faced by entrepreneurs. Everyone is different and therefore everyone will have different strategies or techniques that work for them as an individual. You really just need to read up, get feedback from others (like you're currently doing), and try a bunch of things to see what works for you.

With that said, here are some general rules that I feel apply regardless of many of the variables that exist.

1) Have a dedicated workspace. I lock the door to ensure that my wife and daughter don't interrupt me. I took crap for this early on but as I explained to my wife....when I was still working at my old job she didn't have the luxury of walking into my office and interrupting me whenever she wanted so there is no need for her to have that luxury now.

2) Keep your work space clean. I struggle with this one and it's easy to let things get out of control. I find that when my office is a mess I want to spend less time in there and I'm more likely to plop my ass on the couch and get sucked into non-productive activity. Taking 5 mins to do regular cleanups prevents your desk from building up and getting overwhelming.

3) Create habits. Humans are habitual by nature. Take notes on how you are spending your time for a week and you will notice patterns. Make a schedule every morning and allocate a certain amount of time for the things you regularly focus on every day and that will help you avoid getting lost in something (like reading HN or TC) for hours before realizing what happened. Also, if you have multiple clients/projects that you have to give daily attention to then work on them in blocks of hours to help make the limited time you have to focus un them more efficient. It will also make tracking your time a hell of a lot easier.

4) Remember that things change. Regardless of what it is...it is bound to change. You just need to be cognizant of that fact and be able and willing to adapt. When I started working from home I was single and could work however long I wanted to, sleep whenever, etc. Now I'm married with a daughter and life just doesn't work like that anymore. My schedule obviously had to change in order to effectively incorporate the new changes into my life. I just had to adapt and go through a new period of trial and error to see what worked best.

Good luck working through it all and just remember to regularly schedule some time to review where you are spending your time and how you can improve.

lg061870• 13 years ago

This happened to me as well--back in 2007 I watched the entire Ana Nicole Smith trial and then death! I came to understand that I need STRUCTURE to carry out my work and I cannot do that on my own and not form home...so I announced to everyone that I had taken a full time job! I actually got up a 7.30pm, showered and leave the house to go to a coffee shop to work at 9am. Once I started I could not just back out of it--people would think I was just CRAZY. Eventually I found more people like myself and pretty good co-working spaces which allowed me to keep a fixed schedule and socialize.

Nowadays I am required to work at the client's site. When I am offered to work from home I simply turn the opportunity down...unless I actually have nothing big to do in which case what's the difference.

Ask HN: How to increase self-discipline as a self-employed person?

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