One of the things I realized last week, when I was sick, was that once I was done with everything that had to be done, I didn’t need to go back to work. And it got me to thinking about the way I act when I’m not sick. Sometimes, even when I decide I’m done working for the day, I’m really not. I’ll get an idea, or I’ll decide that I can use just 10 more minutes to do something “real quick.”

This, mind-set, however, doesn’t do much for my peace of mind, or for my overall productivity. When working from home, the hardest part can be actually being done for the day. But it is essential for your sanity — in most cases — to be done when you are finished for the day.

Knowing when to quit

Make a list of priorities, and tasks that have to be done today. Then get to work on them. Either choose a quitting time that makes sense with regard to your home business workload, or be done when you have completed the items on your to-do list. Either way, make it a point to be finished when you reach your prescribed ending point. If something occurs to you later, briefly write it down, and take care of it first thing in the morning. The only exceptions are true emergencies.

For most people, working from home is about flexibility and having more time to enjoy your family. In order to realize this dream, though, you have to stop working sometime.