A home office can be anywhere in the house these days, says ISABEL MORTON

WORKING FROM home conjures up images of a plush panelled study with book-lined walls, deep button-back leather chairs and roaring fires but the reality is that those who work from home are usually stuck in the box bedroom, or at one end of the over-polished diningroom table or perhaps perched on a stool amongst the crumbs on the kitchen countertop.

Those working from home must avoid taking calls on the house phone as invariably it will just be a friend calling for a long chat, not believing them for a second, when they claim to be working.

They must also resist answering the front door even when tormented by the neighbour, who has seen the car parked outside and is screeching through the letterbox.

And above all, they must close their eyes to the endless different distractions, which will present themselves as perfectly legitimate reasons to stop working and do something else vitally important, such as rearranging the airing cupboard or cleaning the car.

Of course, the numbers of those working from home had increased anyway over the last decade, due to the flexibility afforded by gadgets and gizmos such as laptop computers and internet connections.

Good lines of communication have made working from almost anywhere on the planet perfectly doable.

And as the design of computers and associated accessories have become increasingly compact and multifunctional, having a specifically designated home-office space is no longer absolutely necessary.

In addition, wireless internet gives extra flexibility and enables people to work in different areas of the home and garden, at least within the radius of the internet signal.

However, despite all of the newfangled wizardry, some claim that they have become so institutionalised in the ways of the office, that they find it difficult to muster up sufficient self-discipline to work from home.

In order to motivate themselves, even in an effort to find another job, they follow their normal daily office routine including wearing a business suit and strictly adhering to office hours and habits.

These people, in particular, require the structure of formal surroundings and invariably set up a replica of their former office in a spare bedroom or in a rarely used diningroom.

They only feel comfortable when surrounded by all the paraphernalia associated with the business world and hate having their routine disrupted.

However, it is not just the self-employed or those made redundant who now work from home, as many small companies have recently been forced to reduce their overheads, move out of their business premises, cut back on their staff and split up to work from their own individual homes, keeping in contact via e-mail.

And, as it’s no longer considered imperative to impress a client with flashy office premises; meetings, when necessary, can be held in the client’s home or office or in a hotel boardroom, hired for the requisite few hours.

The principals of one firm of architects, for instance, now, after 12 successful years in practise in their own smart office building, find themselves back where they started, minus staff and working from home. By reducing their overheads and swallowing their pride, they have saved the core of their business.

There are, undoubtedly, more pluses than minuses to working from home but all are based on the presumption that you are self-motivated, disciplined and organised, as otherwise you are unlikely to get much work done.

Obviously it is best to choose a quiet room away from the hub of the house, one that is easy to heat, has good natural light and has internet access. Ideally, stick to a routine and take regular short breaks but avoid letting yourself become embroiled in everyday family dramas, which are both time consuming and distracting.

Technically, you can work whenever you feel like it (which has its downsides), can be available to see more of your family (perhaps not always a plus), can take time out in the garden when the weather is clement or work through the night if the mood takes you and, best of all, you don’t have to leave the house at some ungodly hour of the morning and waste endless hours of your life sitting in traffic jams.

However, to succeed, you must become your own tough taskmaster but at least, on a cold and wet Monday morning, you can be tough on yourself from the comfort of your cosy warm bed.