Two months ago I left a steady desk job to set up a copywriting business from my own home. The trouble is, I'm finding it impossible to organise my time and seem to spend hours talking to my cats, playing games on the net and raiding the fridge. Although I always somehow manage to meet my deadlines, I often work beyond midnight to make up for all the wasted hours. My girlfriend is becoming increasingly fed up with spending evenings alone. How can I discipline myself?
Working in an office gives you structure. Only work at home if you can simulate this by designating an area of work. Explain to everyone (and the cats) that between the hours of 9-5, you are actually working, which means no stopping for a chat or nipping out for a coffee. It's about a mindset — when you cross that threshold, it becomes your place of work.
Spend a day turning whatever your area is into something that actually feels and looks like work. Psychologically that starts structuring your life. Post needs to be addressed to the office so it's not mixed up with your personal life, and use a separate computer.
At the end of all this, if it doesn't work then you might have to accept that you're not suited to working from home. It's not for everybody. Or use the fact that earning money is the ultimate end result to focus your mind and make you realise that you have to make it work.
As a junior in a PR company, I understand that my role is to be a bit of a bottom feeder, and I have no problem with this. Recently, however, my manager has started to view me as more of her personal PA. She has taken to swanning in and out of the office without letting me know where or why she's going, and saddling me with her work as well as my own. I realise that networking is very important in this game and perhaps her reasons for escaping the office are legitimate, but how can I know and how can I learn if she never involves me? I hate feeling so suspicious and resentful. Should I talk about this to our account director?
You need to get out of the mindset of being a 'bottom feeder' and build your own self-esteem. Never go over somebody's head. Explain one-to-one that you want to do your job well and it would help to know the bigger picture so that you can make your boss's life easier. It's how you phrase things: turn it into a positive.
If you want to get ahead then doing your manager's work is brilliant. But it's important for both parties to acknowledge that this is happening so you don't feel taken advantage of. It's about finding words you're comfortable with — getting something said can go a long way towards getting it solved. If nothing is said, nothing will change and it will get worse
Deborah Meaden is author of Common Sense Rules, £18.99
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