As a student it’s very important for me to be in a constant state of studying. Recently I’ve had almost no time to myself to do what I usually enjoy doing, such as socialising, playing guitar, and the odd video game now and again. I’d like to say that this is the reason this post is a bit late, but it’s actually down to my Internet connection dying half-way through the morning.

If you’re actually working for a living then your time is far more important than mine! Whilst some students do like to see university as a job in the sense of turning up on time to do our work and attend lectures our entire professional futures do not ride on passing every bit of coursework or every exam. In the worst case scenario a student can fail his/her exam and perhaps have to retake the year, but for someone trying to pay their way through life not getting work complete or to an acceptable standard can mean your ass getting slung out of the office and onto the streets.

Whilst, obviously, working at work is a good idea, those that work from home or work for themselves may find it extremely hard to stay motivated. If you’re at home for the majority of the day working there will be a plethora of things to keep you distracted, including the very thing you need for your work! It’s a job in itself to stop your mind from thinking “maybe i’ll quickly check my Facebook profile…”

David Mitchell and Robert Webb have their own ideas as to what people working from home get up to.

Whilst I’m not going to be putting down any ‘rewards system’ for good work, I can provide some good advice to keeping on the ball when it comes to work.

Get out of the house!

I know you’re supposed to be working from home, but whenever you possibly can it’s a good idea to get out of the house! If you have a laptop it’s great to get outside in the garden, and if you have a cordless phone you’re sorted! Whenever I get the opportunity I spend a lot of my time in my university’s library, solely because it’s the only quiet place I can get to that doesn’t cost me a ton of money. Starbucks used to be a favourite of mine, until I realised I was just about breaking even from all the coffee and hot chocolates I’d buy. Find a quiet area away from the TV and you should feel more inclined to work.

Wake up early and consistently!

As a student I’ve learnt that the root of all problems comes down to sleep. If you’re sleeping at weird times and getting up whenever you please you’re simply not going to find enough hours in the day to get anything done. The most successful people work at times when there is little disturbance, a popular time being early in the morning or late at night. If you can become an early-riser you’ll benefit a lot in the long run, and your bed times will feel ten times better. This is coming from the world-renowned expert on sleeping (just ask my parents).

A good working environment!

Preparing a good work environment is key, ensuring that there is more than enough space for anything you’d ever need. It may sound weird but a lot of men come up with good ideas when sat on the toilet! The reason for this is not just the peace and quiet, but the fact that the area around them is completely clear. Simply put, people think better in quiet, open areas. It’s a good idea to keep things tidy, but open space is very important.

Make a substantial amount of time for yourself.

In other words, give yourself a break whenever you feel you need one! Whilst I can be very lazy when it comes to sleeping and resting a lot of it is down to the fact that I constantly overwork myself, sometimes working up to 24 hours straight. It’s incredibly unhealthy, and grinds productivity down to a halt. There are never enough hours in the day to get anything done, so shortening down your hours won’t matter in the grand scheme of things. At least you can feel good about not getting everything you wanted finished, rather than tired and depressed.

Keep to yourself!

Make sure that a large amount of your time working is spent on your own! This means no distractions from anyone else in the house, not even your girlfriend/wife/house-mate offering you lunch! Just you and your brain, all alone, working on business issues. Don’t worry, your grey matter will get sick of you pretty quickly, so you can put it to work.

Music and Playlists!

Some people like to work to music. I personally love working to music and do it all of the time. The difficulty with this is that if you decide to put music on then you’ll spend half of your day fiddling with playlists. Sadly, your clients aren’t going to pay you to switch songs around, so stick to the radio.

All of these tips are pretty obvious, but then again a lot of these sorts of guides are. All people need is something in writing and they’re sold, so hopefully you can use this article as a reminder not to slack off when you’re supposed to be working! I know I will be.