Rory,

I worked from home for over 2 years whilst I just had Charlie and Olivia. (When I was just about to pop with Miss Lexie Lous I did my final project and from then on didn't accept any more.)

It was tough, it really was.

Exactly like you, the getting started was the issue. BB is always so much more tempting!

Once I got into it, I was fine, as I enjoyed the nature of the work (project management, a lot of report writing.)

But I did have to be really really strict with myself.

I had some tough deadlines, so that always forced me to get the work done, but sometimes it was at the expense of evening time when I should have been relaxing with DH, and this caused a few grunbles from him.

The main trick that worked for me was to set "bit sized chunks" as objectives. ie write a list first thing (or the night before) of all the work I needed to get completed, break it into chunks, knowing that I could have a break (BB/coffee/gossipy phone call, whatever) only when I got that chunk done.

The house is such a distraction. "I'll just peg some washing out." "I'll just get the veggies prepped for dinner" la la la la la......... It is all just procrastination! (Or procrast-inaction as I called it, LOL!)

The only way I know how to avoid that is to get up early (as if you were going to a job that was NOT in your home) get showered, dressed, bnreakefasted, laundry on etc, BEFORE 9am. If its not done by 9am, it has to wait until 5pm, or until I finished my work.

For example, for some of my WAHM time I had both Olivia and Charlie in childcare one day a week. I would get us all up, dressed and brekkied etc to drop them off at childcare at 9am.. I made it a rule that once I walked back in the door after dropping them off, NO CHORES until I had achieved a certain amount of work (usually about 3pm. Then I would have a mad hour or so of chores before I picked them up.)

It is so hard to drum up the motiovation. I feel for you.

(I have now changed my work so that I work out of an office 2 days a week. It means the children are in childcare, but it is still worth it for me on a finacnical level and on a phycoligal mummy mental health level. So I guess this goes to show just how tough it was for me to work from home.......I did it for over 2 years and am SO much more productive/happier now that I work out of an office.

The children are happier too, I think.....home time is home time with no distracted Mummy/interference/blurred edges. This is jmho of works for me and my family BTW!)

Rory I am not sure if any of the above helps at all?

GOOD LUCK!