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The unrelenting march of technology has seen a considerable rise in the number of people choosing to work from home. But while working from home holds many advantages, it requires a certain level of self-discipline to make it successful.

Set your hours
For many people, moving away from ‘9am to 5pm’ employment is one of the key motivations behind working from home. However, it’s not advisable to be too flexible with your hours. Setting clear times for the start and finish of your working day helps to establish an important work-life balance. Remember too that 9am to 5pm are still the most commonly used trading hours.

Know your place
A well-known working-from-home tip is to dedicate a room to your work. A clearly defined work space is essential in putting distance between your work life and your home life and helps you to focus on business matters during the day.

If you need more variety, take advantage of technology and get out of the house. Many cafes now have wireless internet access for your laptop, while you can also use facilities such as ‘Log Me In’ and ‘Go to my PC’ to access your desktop computer remotely. Avoid isolation
For a lot of people working from home, the novelty of isolation soon wears off. Combat it by using the telephone and physical meetings rather than over-reliance on email, as it’s not uncommon for days or even weeks to pass by without actually speaking to another person.

Use your time efficiently
Unless you’re an accountant, doing your own book-keeping could be an inefficient use of your time. And while hiring somebody to take care of it may initially seem expensive, the time you save could potentially be worth more and leaves you free to concentrate on doing what you do best.