Thanks largely to modern forms of communications, it is estimated that as many as one in eight of us work from home these days. Even for those who spend a proportion of their working week in an office based environment, it would seem that more and more employers have begun to accept that employees can be just as productive in their home environments and there are a number of financial benefits too such as reductions in travel expenses. Affiliate marketing is one occupation that can largely be performed in a home environment and with the number of affiliate programmes increasing all the time, together with ever greater acceptance of affiliate marketing as a legitimate channel, the number of home workers looks set to grow too.

To many, the concept of working from home seems like a dream. For those that manage to motivate themselves to get dressed and to brush their teeth, there are significant choices that you suddenly find yourself given full control of. What time to switch the computer on (assuming you actually switch it off at all); when to have breaks and whether or not an afternoon nap would prove beneficial to your creative flow. Home workers save time and money on commuting get to spend more time with their families, they get to be their own boss, they have flexible hours, (potentially) less stress and even some tax benefits. However, what isn’t always so clear is that those who work in more traditional office-based environments have one essential advantage – human contact.

Anyone who has ever experienced workplace ‘politics’ may beg to differ, but the truth is that those office stereotypes can actually play an important role in your working life. Who else is going to give you a pat on the back if there is no office manager? Who else is going to remind you of those all important deadlines if there’s no supervisor? And who else is going to fill you in on what the others are all up to if there’s no office gossip? Anyone sitting at home who finds themselves missing that morning banter about last night’s television will know exactly why working from home isn’t always all it promises to be.

Without that more ordinary work environment, it can be all too easy to find yourself having fewer reasons to leave the house during the week except for that essential supermarket visit every now and then. Unless you’re on very familiar terms with the checkout staff then this too can become a dreary peak in the regime of your week and it won’t be long before your family and friends – the ones you haven’t seen for ages – start regarding you as a hermit.

Of course, this is a slightly more negative spin on what can happen if you don’t get that work life balance right. There are plenty of people who prove this wrong and find that working from home gives them the freedom to exercise more, meet their friends, and generally see the daylight. But how do they do it?

We mentioned (potentially) reduced stress levels above. The reality for most affiliates is actually the inverse. You and you alone are responsible for cash flow, tax and the other administrative burdens of running your own business. For a very high percentage of affiliates, particularly those starting out or in the early growth phases of the business, stress levels are far far higher than those in a 9 to 5 role. How are you going to make the mortgage this month? How can you increase commission levels to X? Which of the 9000 items on that action list should you ignore today . . . All of these pressures result in, if anything, far longer working hours than in the equivalent PAYE position.

One of the key factors in getting the balance right is thus to try to enforce a routine upon your working habits. Setting the alarm clock and getting up at a regular hour everyday will help you to structure your work pattern. Those with children will have little choice in this area! Give yourself daily deadlines as to what REALLY needs to be done and ensure that you finish at a pre-set time just as you would with any office job. The time may be later (and remember you are not wasting time travelling) but it really should be fixed. In many cases it can help to set-up a make-shift office environment with a well positioned desk and computer, preferably at a distance from any obvious distractions such as a television.

Exercise should be an essential part of anyone’s lifestyle if you want to remain healthy, but those who are burning fewer calories by simply walking from their bedroom to their home office need to consider a more disciplined exercise regime. It can be all too easy to find yourself staring at the contents of the refrigerator rather than your work but maintaining a healthy regime will only help you to be more productive in the long run. Take up running, meet with friends for a game of golf, join a gym or squash tournament.even if you simply take a walk for half an hour everyday, the fresh air will help in the battle against becoming a hermit.

There are endless websites, blogs and online communities such as Lammo where like minded individuals can visit and ‘meet’ people in similar situations and perhaps gain that little bit of inspiration or motivation. Experienced affiliate marketers know that meeting others in the same career may give them the opportunity to share valuable tips and techniques. Merchants and networks also run regular events which provide opportunity for real and often invaluable human contact.

Ultimately, there will always be a tension between your professional and personal life, with both competing for your time. This balance changes over time as the demands in both areas change. Checking that you have the balance right is not only essential to your physical and mental wellbeing but will allow you to get the very benefits you hoped for in the first place, whether financial or simply spending more time with the people in your life that really matter.

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