But it has made me think about how I cope after a break of some kind, whether it’s just a long weekend or something longer – like a week or more.  I love having longer breaks and since I used to work in a major store where I had to work over virtually every holiday, I reserve the right now to take every single one off!  Bank Holidays are great because I get to put my feet up for all of them now.

I have become used to the fact that it takes me a while to get back into the swing of things though.  I now allow a couple of hours every time to get through that backlog of emails and just start off rather slowly.  I find I am soon back into working at my normal – much more efficient – speed, but I do make sure I block out some free time on my schedule for the first day back after any type of break like this as well.  I invariably find I need it for one reason or another.

For example this morning I had a batch of 24 articles in my inbox to deal with.  They didn’t all need writing today by any means, but because I had that bit of free time I was able to make a good start and get some of them out of the way nice and early.  So that should be another deadline I can meet in plenty of time.

How do you cope with getting back to work after taking a break of some kind?  Do you have methods and ways of getting back into the swing of things nice and easily?  Or do you find you struggle?  Share your thoughts and perhaps we can all learn from each other.

I’ve scheduled in six days off next week as my niece is coming to stay for a few days.  Should be good fun – and the break will do me good as well.

But it is necessary to prepare for it a while in advance so I can be mindful of deadlines and when certain projects are due.  I have also needed to make sure I don’t take on too much work in the run up to this break so as to avoid that scenario we are all familiar with – it has to do with a chicken and no head.

Seriously though it has worked out rather well this time (so far at least).  I’m booked up until Saturday so I can have Valentine’s day off .  And then it’s back to work for one more day on Monday to tie up the loose ends before heading off for my mini-break.

Luckily I have also booked in a long course from the end of February onwards which should take about six weeks, possibly longer, to complete.  So with any luck I will be back with a vengeance right from the start.

How do you cope with arranging any time off like this?  Do you find you have quiet periods leading up to it and when you come back, or do you get the balance just right?

Working from home - it still requires discipline, a home office (ideally) and the determination to work and not waste the day

But it doesn’t really work out like that, does it?  If you already work from home as a writer you will know that it takes a lot of work and discipline to make it a successful career.  You cannot afford to be distracted by anything else that could be going on.  If you have articles that need to be written and sold so you can pay the mortgage, then you must discipline yourself enough to be able to write them.

Structure is the best thing to focus on.  The more you can structure your day, the more chance you have of finishing all the jobs you set yourself to do.  It can be tricky getting the balance right though.  For example you might set yourself too much to do all the time.  This results in getting stressed as you cannot achieve all those writing goals.  Working from home is an amazing experience – but it can also be a nightmare if you cannot get the balance right.

In contrast if you don’t set enough work to do you won’t earn what you need to earn to pay the bills.  It can take time to figure out the best balance of work versus home life but it is worth persevering.  Try not to take on too many online writing gigs to start with.  Build up slowly and go from there – it is a much better way to try and find the right balance for you.

You don’t have to work the same number of hours in the same places each day if you don’t want to.  But you should at least have some kind of writing structure in place to enable you to write and sell articles or eBooks or whatever else you happen to be writing.

Every writer finds their own structure and way of working that suits them.  But be sure you don’t forget about your home life at the same time.  It is very easy to let that line blur – but if you do you will struggle to draw it again.

Working from home as a self employed online writer is one of the best jobs in the world.  But remember that you do have total control over how much or little work you take on.  So remember that and make sure you create a schedule that suits this fact.

Article source:  http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Allison_Whitehead

Just thought I would share this little development with you as we all know how easy it is to get lazy when you work from home.  It’s great to have the luxury of being able to get up a bit later if you want to, and work whatever hours you like.  But to keep your writing muscle in tip top condition you have to give some due attention to all your other muscles as well.

You may remember a while back I revealed I was getting on the exercise bike every day.  I wasn’t doing too bad – about 7.5 to 8 miles in around half an hour.  But of course the ground is flat and there are no hills to cope with and, well… it all gets a bit boring.

So I got my mountain bike out, dusted it off and headed outside instead.

This is rock biking - and no, it's not what I do! I stick to the path... Looks amazing though doesn't it?

All due credit to my 12 year old niece here, as she came over to stay for 10 days a few weeks back and got me back on the bike again.  But I’m pleased to say I’ve kept it up, grown muscles I didn’t know I had, lost a bit of weight, toned up… and yes, got a sore behind as well.

So what does all this have to do with writing and working from home?

Well the main thing is the exercise of course.  It’s so easy to get into a rut of getting up, sitting down at your desk and writing for the day.   And when you finish work, you get up, perhaps cook dinner, sit down and eat dinner, and then sit back and relax for the evening.  You can see there isn’t a lot of exercise involved in all that.

So yes, I feel better for that exercise.  I try and go out every other day if I can, depending on the weather.  And when I get back and start writing I do feel better for it.  I’m more able to concentrate and I’m sleeping better too.  It sets off a whole new cycle (pardon the pun) of feeling good and getting more done.

There we have it.  For those of you who have a bike gathering dust, I recommend you get it back out and take it round the block again.  Before long you’ll be heading out further than you thought possible.

I’ll have to take a decent camera with me so I can post a photo to prove I’m doing these bike rides along the local estuary.  But then again, I’m better at cycling than I am at taking photos.  The point is the exercise – and that is a good thing for anyone and everyone who works from home.

A beautiful view - could it inspire you and your writing?

My partner and I venture outside two days a week to run a home made wine and beer shop.  It belongs in the family and we don’t get paid for doing it, but we love it.  And as we run a home based business together – a combination of writing and eBaying – it does us good to get a change of scene.

I have my writing routine for these two days down pat now as well.  I try and save some work that can either be done without the internet, or work that I can ‘save’ internet pages for that I can then read offline.  This usually does the trick and I can enjoy getting my work done in between serving the customers and hearing about the weird and wonderful combinations of things people make wine from!

If you are always writing in the same place all the time, could you benefit from writing in another location?  Sometimes all it takes is a change of room – uproot yourself from that office desk and go and sit in the lounge or outside in the garden instead.  It does rely on having a laptop for maximum effect of course, but if you need to start planning out a new job or gathering ideas, you can probably do that with a notepad and pen.  And believe me, it does those little grey cells no end of good if you can change the scenery once in a while.

Of course the other thing you can do is to change the scenery in your current writing spot.  Why not take a day out to tidy up your writing desk, or perhaps move it to a new location?

You will have more possibilities if you have a dedicated room for your writing.  But in any event you can always become revitalised if you have a change of scene every now and then.

Even if it doesn’t entail an old water mill!

Working from home does have its distinct benefits, let’s face it.  I can get up whenever I like really – except to say that if I do get up late, I tend to feel more sluggish during the day.  I work better and get more done if I get up between 7am and 8am for the most part.

But here’s the thing.  Working from home can also mean you get so focused on your writing that you end up not going outside for a couple of days or more.  Luckily we also own an eBay business so we have to go out to the post office if nothing else!

Could exercising help your writing?

But I have recently made a pact to get on the exercise bike for half an hour virtually every day at around noon.  This is a perfect time for me as I can get a lot of work done in the morning, and it revitalises me just in time for lunch and the afternoon writing session.  And since I have started doing it, I don’t get that 4pm slump any more.

Of course there is a lot more you could do than hopping on the bike.  But I think it’s worth mentioning the need to exercise – not just to keep yourself feeling fitter, but also to take care of your mind.  I feel a lot sharper even since I started doing this, and with half an hour of pedalling to do I can focus my mind on the work I still have to do as well.

Why not give it a go and see how you get on?  I’d be interested to see if other writers find exercising has the same effect on their work too.

Well yes, point taken – working from home IS, for the most part, fantastic.  I’ve been a full timer from home now for eighteen months and counting… and there isn’t a day goes by when I don’t thank God that I’m not pickling walnuts in a factory twelve hours a day any more (more about that in some future post, I’m sure!).

So yes there are plenty of advantages and they far outweigh any negatives.  But there are some disadvantages I think I should point out, for those of you who might be caught up in the dream of becoming a full time freelance writer.  I don’t want to be negative and I’m certainly not going to crush your dream – far from it.  But it’s worth bearing in mind that some of the positives can turn into negatives if you don’t have the right mindset.

• ‘No annoying boss’ – absolutely.  And also no boss to remind you that you need to work to earn money.  If you are disciplined then working from home is great – but if you’re not, you’ll find yourself panicking and back in a normal job pretty quickly.
• ‘No getting up early’ – well, it depends.  It depends on what sort of person you are.  I like getting a good start so I am usually up between 7am and 8am and at my desk and writing about ten minutes later.  Feeding the cat and making myself a cup of tea have to be done first – in that order!  But if you’re a late person then getting up at noon and working until 2am might work for you.
• ‘No crowded trains’ – ah yes.  Now that part IS good.  Never get tired of missing out on that part.
• ‘Doing a job you love’ – let’s hope so!  I love writing and so it rarely feels like an actual job.

Could YOU work in surroundings like this?

So you need to be disciplined and you need to be prepared to WORK.  Sounds crazy but a lot of people aren’t disciplined enough to do that.  Put it this way – the weather can be a big disadvantage when you work from home.  Supposing you’re all set to work and it turns out to be a lovely warm day.  You want to get out in the garden to relax and soak up some sun.  But if you do, you’ll be behind on your work and you won’t earn anything.

Solution – keep working, try and finish early and then go outside.  It rarely works trying to do it the other way around.  Either that, or you have to take your laptop outside.  I’ve done that, and it’s great.  One of the perks, you could say.

I’m going to blog more about this topic in the future.  But I just wanted to point out that there can be disadvantages to home working.  Being a writer is wonderful and I earn much more than I did in any of my previous positions in employment.  But I DO need to be disciplined.  I DO need to show up at my desk virtually every day.  And I DO need to be pro-active.

If you can’t do all of these things, then yes, you will find plenty of disadvantages to working from home.

Shall I take it - or not?

Although… I have a dilemma, as I still have loads of work to do and I am seriously thinking about taking the laptop with me just in case I feel inspired.  Working from home can be really tough if you don’t keep tabs on your social life as well – it’s very easy to get caught up in work to the extent that months go by without you seeing any of your friends.

But we were out last night, we’re going out again tonight and so I am squeezing this blog post in to you guys as well, before focusing on some wedding articles that need to be written before we head off tomorrow.  So I would say that yes, keeping up with your social life helps your writing as you can just switch off for a while, and then come back to it fully refreshed instead of feeling tired.

But getting that balance right is very difficult at times!  See you all in a few days, and happy writing.  I’ll let you know whether I decided to take the laptop or not… and more to the point, if I got any work done!