Just a bit of advice.......

And now for some serious-ness.....

My name is Anna Addison and I work from home. No, really I do 'work' from  home. There I've said it. When I started this lark 7 years ago so many people were a bit sceptical about taking on consultants who had home offices but there's been such a massive change in the last 3 years or so.

Major organisations now actively encourage staff to work from home a day or two a week. After all you do get more done (no watercooler moments, gossipping in the corner, answering colleagues' 'phones..) and, if I pop my eco-friendly hat on for a mo, it is more environmentally-friendly (you're not getting in your car, hopping on a bus/train etc).

But I'm often asked, "What's it like, don't you get distracted..?" Well, yes, sometimes you do but it's great being flexible and, generally, doing what you like when you like.

However, I have learnt a bit in the last 7 years.......

Some pearls of wisdom- use as you wish

1. Get dressed- no, really. You'll work better. (Although, I have been known to do a conference call in my pants while my spray tan dries.)
2. Don't put the TV on- you might not turn it off
3. Don't buy biscuits- ever
4. Always have the kettle 1 cup full- makes it quicker to get a brew.
5. Don't take it out on your hubby/partner/house mate if you have a stressful day. Go for a walk. Eat some chocolate. Look at a picture of Gary Barlow
6. Don't be scared of the Inland Revenue. There are ways to win them round.
7. Always have a lunch break and your weekend. You deserve it just as much as an office worker. You so do.
8. Limit your online shopping time. OK, I'm being optimistic now.
9. If you do nick off for a day, make sure you get away with it. There are ways and means....
10. Don't waste time reading blogs.

So there you go.

Cheers, have a good weekend. Mine's a g + t

Today's summary then

Hours of work - 5                                                                        

Minutes of exercise- 75

Muscles pulled- 2 (left arm, right thigh, if you're bothered)

Time wasted on Twitter/ASOS/Facebook- oooo a good hour

Units of alcohol to be consumer in the next 48 hours- many

Welcome to my blog- because sometimes 140 characters just aren’t enough….

For someone who writes and promotes people for a living you’d think I’d have done this before now but nope. Why? No idea. Probably because I get too easily distracted by so many other things whilst working from home…

And that is exactly what I’ll be sharing here- the secrets of a homeworker. Because that’s what I do. I run my PR/copywriting business from my home office in beautiful Stokesley, North Yorkshire.

All work and some play……..

Although my work is varied and really very interesting (to me, anyway, otherwise why would I do it?), I won’t go on about it too much. Suffice to say that my working day can include everything from publicising restaurants, blogging about cars, organising business launches and writing about incontinence or phlebotomy. I kid you not. I’m rarely bored. But I do get distracted..

It’s a hazard of working from home- there should be health and safety guidelines about it.

Laws of distraction……

So what distracts me? Well, I have stunning views of the North Yorks Moors from my office….I have some smashin places to eat and drink on my door step such as Howards http://www.howards-eatery.co.uk/ , Chapters http://www.chaptershotel.co.uk/, Chapter’s Deli http://www.chaptersbistro.co.uk/ ….but I’m also a little bit addicted to online shopping- think ASOS, net-a-porter, my-wardrobe, Cocosa, pretaportabello…..yep, you’re all guilty….

The view from my office.....Captain Cook's Monument is just about visible...

Getting my butt kicked into shape….

But, there’ll also be tales of my, ahem, ‘journey’ with my new personal trainer (PT). I sit on my arse a lot (another hazard of the aforementioned job) so I need someone to kick it. The best thing I’ve learnt so far? Don’t take on a PT unless you want the living sh*t kicked out of you.

Other bits about me….

I like wine.

I like a rant

I like Take That- me and Gary Barlow from my second trip to see the boys at Wembley....

I like Facebook

I like Twitter - follow me for updates in less than 140 characters… http://twitter.com/PRANNAADDISON 

So there’ll be lots of this and that...a bit of advice from me on things I’ve learnt along the way- some useful, some useless.

Any questions? I’ll answer them

Giveaways- yes, probably…

And each day a little summary, such as this: -

Hours of work done so far today                       4 (it’s only lunch time-ish)

Minutes of exercise done so far today               60 (I deserve a treat later on)

Number of Take That songs listened to             5 (sorry, neighbours)

Visits to ASOS                                                 2 (but nothing bought, yet)