Some of the most popular pages on my website are the home office series, created from photos and text sent to me by readers about where they work at home. I'm now onto my third page and only one brave workshifter has sent me a photo of his workspace in all its workaday glory, complete with cluttered desks and piles of paper.

The reply I usually get when I ask for a photo is "Not till I've tidied up!" When once I suggested an 'authentic' picture would be refreshing, the response was "You must be joking, I've got a professional image to maintain!"

Creating the pages has made me realize that not only are workshifters avidly curious about where and how others work, we also tend to be sensitive about portraying our own as anything other than beautifully organized.

Since starting the pages I've also discovered other sites that showcase real home offices as well as some featuring aspirational and impossibly glamorous ones! I suppose these are the equivalent of sitting in your own rather scruffy living room while leafing through glossy magazine pictures of immaculate interiors.

It's good to pick up ideas and see what's possible, but I've stopped posting these pictures quite as frequently on my Facebook page. With their sleek desks, new Macs, minimalist accessories and lack of teetering piles of paper, they may be wonderful viewing, but the last thing I want to do is give the impression that a perfect home office is necessary for successful workshifting. It may not even be desirable.

Fortunately I've been introduced to the wonderful Pinterest, which allows me to indulge my vice by pinning my favorite pictures on to my own board and browsing other people's.

Photo Credit: mbiebusch

Coworking spaces are popping up all over the place these days, in rural areas as well as town and city centers. If you're used to working at home alone, like me, you might wonder how on earth you could possibly work surrounded by people you don't know and who have no connection with your business.

Don't let doubts like these put you off, as coworking can both brighten up your usual routine and give you a supportive network - without requiring you to go to any events!

Here are some tips to help you acclimatize to coworking:

Check out the space - If you're lucky enough to have a choice of coworking spaces, check out each one (they often offer a free trial) for factors such as facilities, atmosphere, noise and levels of interaction. Choose the one most suited to your business requirements, personality and whether you simply want another place to work or to become part of a community.

Introduce yourself straightaway - As it can be awkward to do so later when you've been working alongside people for a while. Take in some snacks to hand round if you're a bit shy about doing this and not only will you get to meet everybody but youll be guaranteed instant popularity.

Take headphones - If you prefer working in silence you might be distracted at first by people moving around the space and talking on the phone or face to face. Bring in headphones so you can play your own music or one of the white noise apps; do try not to hum along!

Start with easy tasks - If you're worried about being distracted, at first just take along some routine work that doesn't require massive concentration. It's the ideal time to do that computer housekeeping you've been meaning to get round to, or research to keep up with your industry. You will adapt to being surrounded by activity and gradually be able to introduce jobs needing more application.

Learn the phone policy - Make sure you know the policy on dealing with phone calls and follow it. That may mean leaving the room to take a call or simply keeping your voice down. It shows consideration if you put your phone on the Meeting setting so that your colleagues don't have to listen repeatedly to your ring tone.

Chat a bit - Don't feel guilty about spending time chatting and view it instead as relationship building. You'll be amazed how much information and advice emerges from these casual exchanges and they can give you enough inspiration to last the rest of the week. And you never know who might be a potential partner - one of your coworkers might be actively looking for just your skills.

The great thing about coworking is that you can choose how much or how little you want to participate, and slot it into your routine where it fits best. Good luck in finding your own perfect balance for maximum happiness and efficiency, and I'd love to hear your own tips for acclimatizing.

Photo Credit: khawkins04

The only problem with short commutes is not having one.

My commute is 10 feet. I get up, wander into my office, reach down and hit the "Start Me Up" button on my desktop.

I do this daily, except for Tuesday mornings. That's the day of the week I drive 20 miles away for a meeting, the day I leave myself 45 minutes for a trip I hope will take 25. Sometimes I leave an hour earlier and workshift for a while at a coffeehouse near the client's office.

Frequently, when I have to drive somewhere (versus just hopping onto a Metro train), I time the commute to avoid traffic. For example, if a client is a rush-hour nightmare away, I will schedule meetings between 10 AM and 3 PM.

When I was in graduate school, I lived in a town with a commute that was 4 blocks long. I'd drive 10 blocks out of the way just to avoid getting "stuck in traffic." It seems laughable now - except I pretty much do the same thing today.

I know that when I see bumper-to-bumper traffic that stretches for miles, all I want is to be heading in the other, less-crowded direction.

When you're not workshifting, do you time your commute?

Photo Credit: Aoife city womanchile

In 2009 Forrester Research predicted that more than half the workforce would be teleworking by 2016:

"Fueled by broadband adoption, better collaboration tools, and growing management experience, the U.S. telecommuting ranks will swell to 63 million by 2016. Those 29 million new telecommuters lined up five abreast would stretch from New York to LA! Leading the surge are occasional telecommuters and regular telecommuters who work from home between one and four days a week."

Lots of other respected organizations have made similar projections.

Well, call me a skeptic, but while I'd love nothing better than to see an end to traffic jams, I just don't see it happening any time soon.

For those of us who are lucky enough to work where and when we want, it's easy to forget that the majority of the workforce doesn't. They're bound to the cubicle farm with tethers that date back to the days of sweatshops and typing pools. Those tethers, a.k.a. managers, simply can't imagine not being able to see the backs of their employee's heads from 9 to 5 each day.

My organization, the Telework Research Network, just completed a study that looked at telework trends over the past five years. Sponsored by Citrix Online, our summary report, The State of Telework in the U.S., reveals who's really teleworking, what they're doing, and where they're doing it. We even dared to make a prediction of our own--but it's one that's sure to disappoint the true believers, advocates, and companies hoping to cash in on the trend.

First for the good news. Telework is growing. In fact, based on U.S. Census data 61% more employees considered home their primary place of work in 2009 than in 2005, despite the recession. While the full story on the impact of the recession won't be known until 2010 Census data is available, private sector survey data just released by WorldatWork, suggests that while the overall number of teleworkers declined between 2008 and 2010, the frequency of telework increased.

Now the bad news. Census data shows that only 2.9 million employees work from home more than half the time (not including the self-employed). That's only 2.3% of the workforce. So while 61% growth sounds impressive, it has more to do with how low the number was five years ago than any kind of a wholesale change in the way we work.

How can it be that while 80% of Fortune Magazine's "100 Best Companies To Work For" already offer telecommuting, so few people are doing it on a regular basis? Again, I say, if you're lucky enough to workshift regularly, count your blessings. While a majority of large companies say they offer telework, it's largely granted as an occasional accommodation for only a handful of employees. Our study in fact showed that over 75% of employees who work from home earn over $65,000 per year, putting them in the upper 80 percentile of the workforce.

Employees want to telework-- according to WorldatWork, almost 80% of would do so at least part of the time if allowed. The tools and technologies to support it are widely available, inexpensive, and easy to use. But most companies simply don't have the culture of trust that comes from measuring performance by what people do rather than when, where, or how they do it.

In his bestselling book, Drive, Dan Pink observes "...despite four decades of scientific research on human motivation, there's an immense mismatch between what science knows and what management does."

He goes on to say, "...while the carrots and sticks worked successfully in the 20th century, it's precisely the wrong way to motivate people today."

It's time for managers to wake up from their "management by walking around" stupor. Fact is, their employees have already left the building. According to a recent DEGW survey of 60,000 worldwide employees, knowledge workers are not at their desk 65% of the time. So how's that whole management by walking around thing working? Not so good, I'd guess. If fact, as Pink and the majority of management gurus have been telling us for years, it really never did.

What employees of all age groups want is the flexibility to determine for themselves where, when, and how they work.

They want to be trusted.

They want to do their best and feel that they're a part of greater whole.

They want to be treated like adults.

And if they can't get what they want, they'll go somewhere else or venture out on their own.

This is not your grandfather's workforce.

You can download a copy of The State of Telework in the U.S. report here.

Photo Credit: TylerIngram

I just rearranged my home office again.

It's something I tend to do every few months or so, probably a carry-over from my days growing up as a military brat...living a transient lifestyle growing up has meant that, as an adult, I crave a change of scenery more often than most.

But there's another side to the regular rearrangement of my working space, and I think it is directly linked to my productivity. You see, I think that one of the main reasons people claim a lack of inspiration and productivity is because their working environment is not comfortable for them. I mean, who wants to spend 6 or 8 or 12 hours a day in a space that makes them uncomfortable? It harkens back to an era when workshifters like you and I were stuck in stale offices, with boring beige walls, recycled air and the wafting odor of your neighbour's strange lunch.

So, how can you take your working environment to the next level? What are some things you can do to make your space a place you WANT to be in, instead of somewhere you HAVE to be?

Positioning is Everything

Sometimes, you don't have control over which room in the house becomes the office. But one thing you do have control over, is how things are positioned in your space. Peoples' natural tendency when positioning office furniture is to want to push everything against the walls. Desks face the wall. Bookshelves are jammed in corners. It's probably entirely psychological, but I've found I have a much harder time creating when I'm facing a wall. It's like I need to project outwards to get the best results.

So, try putting your desk in the middle of the room instead of up against a wall (unless you are facing a window with a great view, in which case, go nuts!) Face outwards into the room rather than inwards. You'll find that, not only does it make the room look bigger, but you'll probably experience that same sense of flow that I do when I'm facing into the room.

Surround Yourself with Stimulating Things

If your office is boring, work will be boring, it's that simple. As I look around my desk, I see several things. There's a photo of me and my husband that I really like. There's the Evil Eye Pendant my parents brought back from Greece. There's a lava lamp. Colourful photos and prints on the wall. And my computer desktop is a series of ever-changing images that I like. There are candles. And relaxing music in the background.

These are the things that personally stimulate my creativity and productivity. The goal here is to find that balance between inspiration and distraction. Your combination of things will be different than mine. But spice up your work space with things you like, and you'll be more relaxed. And a relaxed workshifter is a productive workshifter!

The Clothes Make the Workshifter

One of the absolute best things about working from home is that I can wear whatever I want. And most days, that's yoga pants, a t-shirt and a hoodie. Warm socks (my office is in the basement so my toes get cold). In the winter, on particularly chilly days, it's flannel pajamas. The most important thing is to wear clothing that is comfortable for you. If you're on a lot of video calls, you may have to consider a bit more what you're wearing from the waist up, but of course you can always go back to the t-shirt and hoodie after the call is done!

If you are comfortable in your surroundings, as well as in your physical self, then you will undoubtedly be able to work more productively, be more inspired, and accomplish more!

How do you make your work environment more comfortable and productive?

Photo Credit: Citrix Online

Today, I hazarded (pun intended) a quick survey of the deskscape that is my home office workspace:

An empty plastic cup. A dinner plate with the greasy smear of today's lunch of leftover pizza. A strand of dental floss. An unopened router I'm supposed to review for one of my tech pubs. A tax return ready to be mailed. Today's mail. Yesterday's mail. Yester-week's mail.

Don't even ask about my floor.

Clutter is apparently hard-coded into my DNA. I recall the sign that used to hang in my father's office (where stacks of files were on every surface, even as file cabinets sat empty): "Please don't straighten out the mess in my office. You'll confuse me and screw up my whole world."

Guess this organizationally challenged heathen didn't fall too far from that tree.

That said, I'm efficient and successful. I wish I had a buck for every time some home office guru advised, "A tidy home office is a productive place. Cleanliness is next to godliness." Last I checked, Google is much closer--and its apps have done much more for my productivity than cleanliness has. Given the confusion in my workspace, I'd be better off taking advice from Waste Management.

Let this home office contrarian share two cents of advice found beneath the sofa cushions and the terrier that rests atop them:

• My home office is just that--my home office. So is your home office yours. Find your own rhythm clutter-wise. Sweat is better expended on billable stuff.
  
  
• My space, my rules. I've been working from a successive line of cluttered home offices since 1989, and I don't recall getting pink-slipped because my space would fail an OSHA inspection. There've been baby toys and play pens in the mix, too, at times. (That's another taboo, having kids in the home office, sages say. Well, one's now in college and two are in grade school, and they seem pretty well adjusted, thank you very much).
  
  
• Personal hygiene is no barometer. I was Facebooking with a fellow home officer who said he knew business development was slow when his scruff had grown thick. Frankly, I'm just the opposite--my beard grows thick when I'm busy.
  
  
• Watch out for the video conference requests. Recently, another friend (not a workshifter) scheduled a Skype video call with me. Unshaven, hair disheveled, and wearing a tank top, I was in no mood for such nonsense, but I threw on a hat and obliged him anyway (with the camera conveniently tilted to avoid the sight of my home office floor).
  
  
• Forget the pretense. I work from home, and all my friends and clients know this. Back 10 years ago or so, I would never leave the home in anything less than nice shorts and t-shirts. Now, I leave with no care at all about my attire. Those who know me don't care. For those who don't know me, I don't care.
  
  
• Friday will come. That's the day I generally clean the home office: transfer dishes to the kitchen, ditch detritus, file or shred papers, empty the garbage can. Which Friday this happens, I'm not sure. But one always comes along just as I'm feeling sufficiently motivated to clean.

Truth be told, professional organizers have a point in their calls for cleaner workspaces. For most, cleanliness is probably a good thing, if you want focus and productivity and all that. There's a lot to be said for the sanitary and even hypo-allergenic benefits of a space kept clean.

But I realized long ago that work is an intensely personal thing.

So, until the webcam becomes standard issue, clutter is OK--just make sure the cam's tilted up a few degrees and your secret will remain safe.

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Beall

Since I started working from home full time about 3 years ago, my lifestyle has undergone some pretty significant adjustments. Finally, my time is my own - I can make my own schedule, and carve out time in the day to fit in all of the personal and work responsibilities I have. Most days, I feel like I'm accomplishing more and doing most of it in less time than it used to take me when I worked according to someone else's schedule. It's fantastic!

But, like all home-based workers, I still struggle with finding and maintaining my focus at times. We all know the typical advice for staying focused when working from home - things like minimizing distractions like the TV, Twitter and Facebook, and separating your office from the rest of your house are helpful in making sure that when we're working at home, we're not hardly working. But there are a few other things that I've found exceptionally helpful in becoming a more effective home-based worker.

Find Your Best Time

We all have it. The time of day when we are at our best. Some people are morning people. They are like the army - getting more done between 5 AM and 9 AM than most people do all day. I fall into that category. Sometimes I'll put in a good 3 or 4 hours before the phone starts ringing and the email starts chiming. On days like this, I find that I'm generally in less of a hurry for the rest of the day, because I got some of the major tasks of the day out of the way before chaos ensued.

Others might find that they have the same results when working from 2 PM to 6 PM, or 9 PM to 1 AM. Find your magic hours each day, and try your best to work during those times. You'll find when you work in your best time, you can often get twice as much done in half the time. And that is a pretty good place to be!

Be Comfortable

One of the things I love best about being home-based is that I can work comfortably. That means, I can wear comfortable clothing, sit in a comfortable chair, and take my breaks in comfortable spots too - whether by a sunny window, lounging in the back yard with the dog, or lying down on my bed for a quick power nap.

Take advantage of the comforts of your own home. Comfort equals less stress, and less stress equals a much more positive working experience.

Put Some Processes in Place

When you work at home, it can be easy for seemingly small things to pile up and eventually get out of control. Without the standard office processes and procedures that we have when working in an office environment, it's easy to let things slip. Company policies to keep files neatly tucked inside cabinets, or business processes that include logging and filing incoming mail and creating naming conventions for electronic files exist for a reason - because they help businesses to run more smoothly. If your in-basket is overflowing with last month's receipts, and you are spending hours a day looking for misplaced documents, then you aren't running your shop efficiently.

By coming up with a few in-house business processes, you can ensure that the little things, like filing and tracking, don't suddenly become big problems.

There you have it - just a few simple ways you can help to ensure that the time you're spending at home working is just as rewarding and satisfying as the time you're spending at home living.

Photo Credit: Citrix Online

I've noticed that articles giving advice on working from home frequently claim it's essential to have a separate room so you can close a door on distractions during the working day and then shut work behind you at night. They imply that if you don't have a spare room you shouldn't really be thinking about working from home. Is this true?

Whereas some people may prefer this as the ideal way of working, experience and many home workers tell me it most certainly is not essential. Which is fortunate, as the price of property means many family homes are already full to bursting and the cost of acquiring an extra room or two is prohibitive.

Think Differently about Your Workspace

So what to do when you want to start working from home? A new home worker told me it was a case of thinking differently about the space she did have. Sharing a London flat with a flatmate, she didn't want to work in either the kitchen or living room, as those were the rooms for relaxation after work. Nor did she like the idea of working in her bedroom, as business and sleep are such mutually exclusive activities! But then... a brainwave.

She had the brilliant idea to put a desk in front of her bedroom window, to take advantage of the view and keep her back to the rest of the room. Even more cleverly, she chose a glass desk and clears her work away into a wardrobe, newly fitted out with shelves, at the end of the day. The simple see-through desk now 'disappears' into the pink curtains at night and she gets her bedroom back.

Another option is to find a space that's currently wasted and put it to good use. A freelance writer has created her own research and writing zone by putting a desk under the stairs and pinning pictures and cuttings on the wall. Neat and out of the way, but it instantly spells work-time when she settles down there.

Understand Your Personal Workspace Needs

The kind of work you do means you might not need a permanent base at home anyway. I know a photographer who sets up her laptop on the living room table when she needs to do some editing, and the rest of the time is out and about taking pictures. Similarly, you may spend a lot of time at meetings, travelling or on clients' premises.

I'd hate to think that people might be put off working from home just because they don't have a dedicated office. Even if you do, it may not be the answer for everyone. I've met home workers who have spent time and money setting up a nice home office, only to find they hate being there because they feel too cut off from the rest of the family! As with any other aspect of workshifting, you get the best results if you understand your own needs, even if that goes against the conventional wisdom.

Photo Credit: Citrix Online

I remember when running an errand at lunch or taking a midday yoga class was considered a smart, efficient use of my workday time. Of course, that was when I worked in an office at HQ and had a designated (read: mandated) break in the middle of the day.

Then I started workshifting, and this type of acceptable-interruption-for-the-sake-of-efficiency issued forth an unexpected pang of guilt. Since when did an occasional lunch with a friend, walk with the dog or workout become shameful? This made me uneasy. I started skulking. My reaction was definitely worth further examination.

When you break it down, a brisk walk with the dog, working out, lunchtime camaraderie -- these are all healthy components of a normal day. So what about them inspired guilt, or any negative response whatsoever? I was - at that time - still a novice workshifter (without a smart phone, I might add). While I had taken great pains to draw boundaries for other people - family, neighbors, friends - I hadn't yet emotionally drawn boundaries for myself with my new working life.

Instead, I placed myself on a permanent stage and wondered why I was sweating beneath the hot spotlights. The stage in this case was my home. If I wasn't actually working in my new workspace-at-home, then I was obviously being lazy and unproductive. I'm not wired to be unproductive. I'm not sure who is, actually.

And because workshifting was a new concept within my immediate family and on my block, I was heavy-handed about the need to Respect My Workspace. If I was at home, I could be working at any given moment. But I think that I misinterpreted this external message as: When I am at home, I should be working at any given moment.

Then, with the sheer power of my brain, I transformed my curious neighbors into harsh critics who stood poised behind their curtains watching my every move. If I ran an errand at lunch, would they assume that I was ditching work? (Was I ditching work?) If I walked the dog in the afternoon, would they assume I wasn't pulling my weight? (Wasn't I?) If I, God forbid, had a lunch date with a friend, would they think I was lazy? (Was I no longer a friend of hard work?)

Oy, I made those early days of workshifting unnecessarily challenging.

Workshifter or otherwise, there are a hundred little things that we negotiate during a workday -- errands, the gym, dental exams, personal phone calls. Just like our cubicle counterparts, it's perfectly acceptable that we workshifters weave these non-work threads into the fabric of a workday and even benefit from them in the form of renewed energy, reduced stress and increased productivity.

It's not called the working life for nothing.

Photo Credit: dukespapa

I never sought out a remote position- I actually loved working in the Santa Barbara office where my company, Citrix Online, is located! However, moving away and then working remotely ended up being such a great fit for my entire family. My husband was able to accept a great job offer in another city and I was able to continue working for a wonderful, successful and flexible company. And now, 6 years and two kids later, I'm still working away from my home office. As an experienced remote worker, a perpetual workshifter if you will, I am always looking for the latest and greatest way to connect with both my office and my peers, because there is always some new technology that can improve my workshifting situation. My current favorite thing is my iPad, and its various business apps.

Below is a video of my workshifting story:

What's in your workshifting toolbox?

Note: This is one of 5 real-life workshifting stories that we're sharing as part of Telework Week. If you enjoyed this story, make sure you check out the other stories.