Alex at Shedworking said, “buy and work in a garden office so that you’re in a separate building well away from the fridge, television, dog, children, etc.

Kris from Hometown Marketing, did not have a specific tip. However, her comment did provide at least two. Stay focused and get back to work. Actually Kris, those are right on point. In our email exchange, I found out Kris is located just down the road from me. Guess we will have to get together and exchange notes.

Matthew Crider of Crider Law takes advantage of the technology available and uses a virtual PBX for his phone. He states he typically doesn’t take incoming calls unless I expect a specific call. Instead he returns calls during certain times of the day he has blocked out for just that purpose. Matthew goes on to state, “this allows me to focus on the matter I’m working on without distractions.” Maybe we could Matthew to do a guest post about his PBX system.

Andrew over at Andrew Flusche suggest having separate work time vs. family & personal time. You should have actual work hours so you, your spouse and your children know when that time is.

Melissa who has a cool site called Peekaboo Communications says to make sure you tell your friends you will call them back as you are working. Melissa is exactly right on this one. As she says, if we don’t set the rules for family and neighbors, they will think they can take advantage of us since “we work at home.” She also suggest we should take a break when we finish a task. Get a cup of coffee or do a household chore. But, remember to get back to work.

Ben Schorr at Roland Schorr & Tower gives us a hint I do wish more home office warriors could do. Ben says have a designated room/place in your home for work. Have a door or other separator and shut out the rest of the house. Ben also suggest we should dress for work. “If you look like you are going to work, you’ll feel like you’re going to work. Good point Ben, but I like my sweats in the morning.

My Shingle publisher Carolyn Elefant, gives us three separate tips. First, turn off all phones. If you have a deadline, just turn off your phones, both your home line and home office line. They are distracting. And if you don’t need to work online, get off the grid so that you don’t go back and forth between email and your work. Second, Get up early to get the chores out of the way. Even if I have huge piles of laundry, I will only run them at 5:30 am or at night during the work week. And finally, Leave the house. Sometimes, going out of the house is the best way to avoid distraction and get back on track. I like the Panera because it has free wireless, but a Starbucks or even public library work just as well. I like number three the best. I try to do that myself at least once a week.

Susan Cartier Liebel, who has Build a Solo Practice, LLC says this. “The only time I really accomplish anything without distraction is while my son is in school or after he’s gone to bed. During the work day I turn off the phones. But other than that my day is highly fragmented and I work in short but effective bursts. My office is a completely private room which I (and my entire family, unfortunately) love to be in because it’s so comfortable and cozy. During the work day I only do chores as a ‘break’ from work, to get up and stretch. They manage to get done. And take an actual lunch to get away from your work and actually refresh and clear your mind.”

Carmel from The Quant Domain suggest we should use distractions to our advantage. “When I am really focussed I need to get up from my desk regularly. I find putting on a load of washing or unstacking the dishwasher is a great way to collect my thoughts. In the office when I do this I end up in a conversation about something else and lose focus.”

Tina Hilton, over at Clerical Advantage and our network blog, Home Office Virtual Assistant gave us this. “I only answer my business phone line during my regular work hours. I figure those personal calls would be going to voicemail if I worked outside my home office and it’s important that I not get sidetracked by personal things while working. If it’s an emergency my family knows to call my cell.

Also, I try to consistently get up early and get dressed for work, business casual, jeans allowed. No sweats or pajamas unless I’ve designated it ‘dress down’ day. For me, this puts me in a ‘business mood’ and allows me to separate myself from all of the household things that need to be done.