From Duvet to Desk: How To Get Out of Bed as a Home Worker
You can sense the grey skies through the light poking through the curtains and can hear the rain pitter-patting on the window. You can hear the dog snoring in the corner of the room. The slow rhythm of gentle sleep.
The bed is warm. It’s snug. It feels wonderful.
So why not stay in bed a little longer?
Why not snuggle down and avoid getting up altogether?
After all, the bed feels precious.
This was me. Especially when I lived in a cottage in the English countryside. As a homeworking entrepreneur, getting out of bed was genuinely difficult. The contrast was stark: inside was warm and cosy; outside was cold, dark, and uninviting.
The thought of getting up, lighting a fire, making a coffee, and starting work felt like a battle almost every morning.
Eventually, I would get up and get going. Often too late. I’d end up working into the evening to make up for lost time, compensating for those extra hours spent in bed. My business still ran, it still functioned. However it certainly was made harder in those winter months.
So why is it so hard to get out of bed as a homeworker
For me, it largely came down to the seasons and total freedom.
Winter was by far the hardest. Autumn and spring were manageable, and summer was easy. Winter. Winter was a struggle. For those four months, I would regularly find myself working late.
Part of the challenge is the freedom. When you work from home, especially in roles that do not demand strict hours. You have complete control over your time. That flexibility is powerful, but it also makes it incredibly easy to procrastinate. The day can slip away before it’s even begun.
My business did not suffer overall. I often made things harder for myself than they needed to be, simply by delaying the start of the day and paying for it later.
Over time, I got better at managing this. I learned through experience. When you first start a business, motivation carries you. But once that fades, you are left with habit and routine, and that is where real effectiveness is built.
Below are some of the strategies I developed over the years to improve how I worked from home.
1. Have a definitive end time
Most people focus on how to start the day. Having a clear end time can be even more powerful.
Set a cut-off point. “School’s out” at 6:30pm, for example.
This creates artificial pressure. If you know you have six hours of work to do and a hard stop at 6:30pm, you quickly realise you need to start by midday at the latest. In that sense, an artificial ending can be more effective than an artificial beginning.
For me, this worked well in phases. Not forever. For long enough to make a real difference.
And that’s often how productivity works: you need to keep experimenting, changing tactics to keep your “monkey brain” engaged.
2. The fake commute
This one worked surprisingly well.
Getting out of bed and going for a walk before work created the illusion of a commute. It gave structure to the morning and made it feel like I had to be up.
For a couple of years, this was genuinely effective. It also had the added benefit of making me feel better physically and mentally before starting the day.
It will not work for everyone but if you can trick yourself into it, it is a strong habit to build.
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3. Move to Scotland
A slightly tongue-in-cheek one, but with some truth in it for me.
Whenever I spent time in Scotland, whether on holiday, staying with relatives, or eventually moving. I found it noticeably easier to get out of bed earlier.
I can’t fully explain why. Maybe it was the change of scenery, routine, or maybe something in the water (or as it is know here ‘council juice’).
4. Do not judge yourself, praise yourself
If you get up late, the easiest thing to do is beat yourself up.
That’s also the worst thing to do.
For me, self-criticism created a negative cycle: wake up late, feel bad, work late, wake up late again, and repeat. It is easy to be self-critical.
Instead, acknowledge the win: you got out of bed. You have got started with your day.
Well Done.
Praising the small win, helps to make the day better.
5. Know your body
Not everyone is a morning person, and forcing it can backfire.
If getting up at 6am feels impossible, stop trying to force it. If your natural rhythm is getting up at 9am and starting work at 10am. Go with that.
Our bodies are things that are best worked with, not against. Know yourself and tailor your work day and expectations around that.
You are your own home working boss. Use your freedom to control your own schedule.
6. Book early commitments
It does not matter what you book in. Having something you have to turn up for at a certain time will ensure that you get up early and get going.
Whether it be a client call, a coffee or a teams meeting with a prospect.
Having something booked in early creates a strong need to be out of bed and ready.
And taking that first step is half the battle. This tactic is great for Monday mornings.
7. Motivation is unreliable, build habits instead
This is the big one.
Motivation comes and goes. It depends on mood, energy, what you ate, how you slept. Even for me whether Arsenal won at the weekend.
Habits, on the other hand, are consistent. They are automatic actions that you take with little prefrontal cortex decision making.
The more you can turn good behaviours into habits, the less you rely on motivation, and the easier the struggle with getting up becomes.
This is, of course, easier said than done.
Atomic Habits by James Clear is worth a read if you struggle with forming habits.
Final thoughts
For me I no longer have a problem with getting up early. I am up at 6am every day. Do you want to know what my secret is?
My secret is being a father. For you that might not be the solution you are looking for.
Getting out of bed as a homeworking entrepreneur can be hard. Understandably so.
However, admitting that it is a struggle and a struggle that can and will be overcome is a great place to start.
If you have any questions feel free to email me at joseph@homeworkinghenry.com