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If you are embarking on a work-from-home career then there are a number of practical things you can do to smooth the ride and make success easier to achieve.

1. Working from home can be very satisfying but don*t let it dominate your life. Set a special room or area aside for working and keep it separate from the rest of your home.

2. The same applies to hours of work * plan to work a set number of hours each day and stick to your plan. Don*t be tempted to do jobs around the house when you should be working.

3. Keep complete and thorough records of everything you do, preferably in a page-a-day diary. Without a boss looking over your shoulder it's easy to let discipline slip.

4. Perform regular backups of your entire system. If you don*t then all of your emails, internet favorites, correspondence, articles, logon information, web templates, and all your software are at risk.

5. Keep accurate accounts * keep a complete record of what you are spending and where. It can be very easy to lose track of your expenditure and it is easy to overlook monthly subscriptions. You will need all this information anyway for tax purposes.

6. Stay focused * set out you plan of what you are trying to achieve, using realistic timescales, then stick to it. Don*t be blown off course by other business ideas.

7. However-it is important to be aware of new ideas and new thinking. Set aside a planned period once or twice a week to consider and research new ideas and opportunities.

8. Take a break from gazing into your screen periodically, make a coffee or something. At lunchtime get out of the house for half an hour to get some fresh air and refresh yourself for the afternoon, the worst time for losing momentum.

9. Don*t sit on the sofa working in your pyjamas. Get properly dressed for business and sit at a desk. Your whole mind set will be more professional if you are properly attired.

10. Strive for efficiency * don*t repeat tasks unnecessarily, keep a document containing things you need to type regularly such as your address. The simply copy & paste when you need it. And if you need to brush up on your typing skills then do so, you'll probably be doing a lot of typing so time spent achieving good speed and accuracy will pay off in the long run.