by Matt Bird

Created on: May 19, 2010

There are two big temptations when working from home:

a.) Working the whole day long, barely pausing to eat, drink or sleep; or

b.) Not working enough, taking frequent breaks and, by the end of a 'shift', having lots left to do for the next day.

Option b.) is obviously bad as you won't make much money, but option a.) is surprisingly just as bad since it can drive your stress levels and potentially put you in a hospital. Just like any other form of employment, at-home jobs require regular breaks, if only to keep your day strictly regulated.

How do you schedule those breaks? That's the tricky part. Working in an office is nice because your supervisors tell you when you need to step away from the computer and give your mind a rest. Now, on your own, you need to determine these things for yourself. Here are some tips for doing just that.

- First, you need to plan out your day before it happens. Every day should follow roughly the same hours, beginning and ending at the same times (unless there's work that absolutely must be done). Get up at the same time each day, stop working approximately eight hours later and schedule your breaks at appropriate intervals in-between. Every two hours is acceptable, with a half hour or hour for lunch.

- You can also plan your day according to the amount of work you've done. Say you're a blossoming Helium writer who pounds out articles in a rush. Set a certain amount of articles that you want to finish before you take a break, and force yourself to get those done before you leave your chair. (And, if you're addicted to over-working, force yourself to leave the chair AFTER you're done those articles.)

- If you don't get up at the same time each day you can also simply give yourself a time limit. Set an alarm or just watch the clock and, when you've hit two or three hours worth of work, stop for a while.

- Still having trouble? Plan other things into your day. Maybe you have kids to pick up at school. Going out for a drive is still a form of break, and it's an improvement over straight working. Better, you can schedule lunches or visits with friends, and you'll have to take your breaks to fulfil these obligations.

In the end taking a break is about discipline. It can be tempting to remain firmly entrenched at your desk, but avoid the urge and take a breather every now and then. Don't worry, all that work will get done eventually, whether you rest for a while or not.

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