For freelance writers, “the office” is wherever they can find a quiet spot to plop down with their laptop for a little while. Sometimes you may venture out of the house and work in a library, a coffee shop, or some other similar venue. Yet for the most part, your home is your office. Whether you have a dedicated work area in the house or you roam from room to room depending on where your family is at the moment, if you share the house with other people, you no doubt struggle daily with trying to find a little peace and quiet to focus on your work. Here are some tips for how you can create a quiet home work environment:

Pick a Spot. If you haven’t already done so, pick a dedicated work area in your home. This may mean putting a desk or even a small table in the corner of your bedroom, or taking over one side of that formal dining room table you rarely ever use. Pick a section of the house that isn’t close to the TV and that isn’t frequented by the kids, your spouse, or other housemates. The kitchen table or bar stools at the kitchen counter are just bad ideas, as is anywhere in the living room or family room.

Pick a Time. When you work at home, and particularly when that home is shared by others, you often don’t have the luxury of being a stickler about your work schedule. Often you have to work around the household’s natural schedule than try to force the situation of everyone tiptoeing around you. This may mean that you have to work while the kids are sleeping or at school, or while your spouse or other housemates are away at work.

Create Quiet Times. There are times even when you do your best to work around the natural rhythm of the house when you just need some extra time to work. During these times, it’s not unreasonable to expect those who you share your house with to give you that extra bit of quiet time you need. Ask your spouse to take the kids out or send them off on their bikes. Put on a movie or turn on the video game machine to occupy everyone for awhile. Then go hole away someplace removed from the action and put that time to use as long as it lasts. You don’t know how long it will be before someone seeks you out, so get straight to work and focus on what needs to be done.

Working from home and being closer to family throughout the day often sounds like a dream working experience. Those who live that dream every day largely wouldn’t change their ability to work from home for the world, and yet it can absolutely be challenging to get the peace and quiet you need to focus on your work. These tips, however, can help you to create more quiet time in your house so you can actually be a profitable work-at-home freelance writer!