What methods exist to keep yourself motivated when working alone?

Question

When I studied, I went to the library to have some form of social control. The social pressure made me work better.

I'm now working from home for a living. It's my first week and my motivation isn't as it should be.

Are their tricks and tips on this subject to have the same type of pressure to make me work?

Answer 1

I used a couple of simple mental tricks when I had to work from home for extended periods:

• Put on a suit - this made me feel like I was in the office and ready to work
• Completely separate personal from office - when I was in my home office, I would work, and I wouldn't take any of that work out of there

These both help to keep the routine going - don't let the fact you are at home take over from the fact you are working.

Answer 2

@Rory's got some excellent ideas, and I'd like to add a more theoretical / esoteric spin based on my experience. It may help you frame WHY you're not motivated.

After working at an office my whole life, I went freelance in 1999. I had the exact same problems you did. The change of clothes wore off after a while, so did my dedicated home office. Then I ran across the idea of the Third Place. Having a background in mythology and symbolism, I'm always intrigued by threes. Three points define a plane; a stable, even surface. For me, that represents balance. The third place is essential to balance with work & home.

Working in an office, you have your home, you have the office, and you have (usually) another space that you frequent to socialize. A favorite restaurant, coffehouse, bar, gym, store, mall, etc. However, working at home, two of your three spaces are the same. Imbalance. This, I postulate, is why you're successful at the library.

Eventually, I decided to work from a neighborhood coffeeshop a couple times a week. These were usually centered around client meetings instead of my visiting their sites. Even two half-days a week out of the home office really helped me be more productive when I got back to it. Having that third space really helped me stay motivated about the work, and in retrospect, it wasn't that I was unmotivated to work, but I was unmotivated to be in the same HOUSE, sometimes for days on end! It's as if cabin fever was preventing me from focusing on the work to be done.

Taking a break from my home office and keeping my mind on "balance" really helped me overcome what you're going through right now. Perhaps it can help you, too! Good luck!