Do you remember when you first dreamt of starting your business? Fantasising about the day when you no longer had to drag yourself to work on a wet Monday morning. No more office politics. No more “did you see X Factor at the weekend?” when that’s your worst nightmare of a Saturday night.

Then one day you wake up and realise that you have built the business of your dreams….but the novelty of working in your PJs has worn off and you are stuck at home all day with no-one but your laptop and your cat for company.

How do you work on your own all day without driving yourself crazy…and still get some work done?

For some people, the peace and the solitude is all part of the attraction. But for those of us who derive our energy from being around people, it can be a real challenge. I’m one of these people, so I thought I would share some of the ways I have found to deal with this.

• Pick the right business model for you – I love writing but I realised early on in my freelance career that I would go crazy sitting at my desk all day just crafting copy. So I’ve made sure that while writing is an important part of what I do, my day is punctuated with Skype and phone calls with clients and people I work with – not just to get my work done but also to give me that people interaction I need.
• Structure your day – You learn more about yourself when you run a business than you ever thought was possible. One of the most important things is to know when you are most focused and do your best work, and when you are most distracted. Everyone is different but I can be incredibly productive in the morning so this is when I devote myself to in-depth tasks like writing and devising new products and programmes. In the afternoon, my attention span is shorter, so this is perfect time for shorter calls and meetings – my re-energising time.Having a structure to your day has two big benefits: it makes sure you actually get stuff done and it means you can orchestrate the social contact you need at the times you most need it.
• Make a point of actually meeting people – there are so many of us working on our own these days and there are lots of opportunities to get out and meet other people. Have you tried networking? It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but all networking groups are not the same. If you’ve had an experience that you felt wasn’t for you, don’t be put off. Look around and see what other groups exist near you. They can be a great place to meet people who become part of your support network – and you might even do some business as a bonus. And check out co-working spaces in your area. If there isn’t something that you fancy, you could always start up a group of your own to bring more people like you together.
• Make use of technology – Hey, guess what – we no longer need to leave our home to have a face-to-face chat with someone. Skype and Facetime have revolutionised the way we chat to people in and out of work. Are you making enough use of them in your business? Being able to see each other can lead to a much more productive call or consultation and has the added bonus of making us feel we’ve actually met someone!
• Have a virtual water cooler chat – Social media is a great way to keep in touch with your friends and your business contacts during the day so you feel in touch with the world outside your little office. A few minutes focused chat can even boost your business too. Just keep an eye on how long you spend doing it. Hours frittered away on Facebook can be costly!
• Cut yourself some slack – There’s always something to do when you’re running your own business. And if you’re working from home, there’s always work to be done around the house too. It’s tempting to feel you should be ‘doing something productive’.Don’t be afraid to take some time out everyday – it’s essential for your sanity: do an exercise class, go for a coffee or meet a friend. And don’t feel guilty about it! I bet that being in control of your time and having more freedom were two of the most important reasons you started your business in the first place!

What works for you?

Being happy and productive in your business is all about finding an approach that works for you. How do you get on working on your own? How do you get things done without getting stuck or feeling on your own? Or maybe eight hours of your own company is your idea of bliss! I’d love to know – just pop a comment in the box below.

Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Lucy