If you are telecommuting often or have a home-based business, here are some great tips that will help you remain focused and organized.

1. Have a dedicated space to work. If you have children at home, make sure they are being taken care of in a separate room. Multitasking here would not be that productive for your work and only increases stress.

2. Define work hours during which you would not want to be disturbed – only unless if your house is on fire or your nanny is about to dial 911! Dedicate this time entirely to your work.

3. Sometimes you may feel sloppy being in your ‘house clothes’ or in pajamas day in and out; try to wear a trendy and smart outfit (may not be your best suit) and get to work, it gets you on a feel-good high.

4. Keep away from distractions; no downloading music or continuous time on the messenger or chat rooms.

5. Communicate your work hours to your colleagues and boss if you want to start and stop work earlier than the normal office hours (say 9 am to 5 pm).

6. Treat your lunch hour as you would when at work. Avoid grocery shopping or running errands during this time, because one distraction leads to another. Imagine yourself running for some quick grocery shopping and when you are loading your refrigerator after, something knocks on your mind to just clean up and get rid of the rotting veggies in the fridge before you load the new stuff. And how about quickly marinating the fish / chicken for dinner before getting back on the computer? The half an hour planned trip has turned into a one and a half hour lunch break for you and has terribly distracted your mind from the work you were at.

7. Stop work as planned. Shut off the computer and get out of the work area. Working from home sometimes may mean working more hours than you might actually put in your regular work day. To avoid doing so, train yourself to your schedule and avoid getting in the habit of checking your email even after dinner. Do not let the working hours take any of your personal family time. You will feel satisfied and organized once you make that mindset.

In short, show your productiveness while telecommuting and be prompt in answering the office emails. It only improves your chances for continuing working from home or later on asking your boss for a part-time work schedule.