When I use to work from home at my desk, it’s was just like being in an office at work(or it should be), and you should pretty much ignore that you’re actually sitting in a living room at a $35 Ikea desk you picked up at a thrift store.
But sometimes I really had to stop myself from living the life of someone who stays home all the time. A former colleague gave me the first rule of working from home: Never Do Your Laundry During The Day. Here are a few rules I tried to live by to keep my work day professional.

1. Like my friend said, first do no laundry. I have three loads running right now, but I couldn’t help it. I don’t have many outfits for the gym, and I go five days a week. I have to therefore keep up with my laundry much more than I did when I just sat around in yesterday’s sweats all the time.
2. The fridge is not your friend. Just because I’m ten feet from my kitchen doesn’t mean that I can pop up for Pop Tarts when I need a break. Of course, if I worked in a real office, I’d have to avoid the conference room donuts as well.
3. Forget working on your complexion or your unwanted facial hair during the day. Sometimes on a quick trip to the restroom, I catch a look at myself in the mirror. “Hmmm… I could use a quick shave,” I think. But I really try to resist.
4. Do not pick up a dust rag. This is actually my worst habit while I’m talking on the phone. I pace around the house and I start dusting, or mopping, or wrapping up the garbage. And then the client says, “Write this down,” and I have to rush back to my desk.
5. Watch out for friends and coffee. I’m forever getting sucked into coffee with friends during the work day. I really like having coffee with friends, and it’s hard for me to resist. But sometimes I really need to limit my coffee time or just not go. (Ok, I always go, but sometimes I make myself leave early.)
6. Be careful of personal email. I’ve talked about this before. Personal email checking, internet surfing, mail sorting, personal calls from friends. All these things distract me from actual work. And if I don’t do the actual work, the business does not keep going.
7. When the cat’s away, you can get work done. OK I hate cats but the point here is pets can take up a lot of time. RIGHT, RIGHT. No, really. It’s best when you focus on your business at hand and not your pets, keep them on a schedule as well.

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