The following are tactics I use to make working at home actually work.
[*]Work first, play second: Having a flexible schedule is great but don't reward yourself with time off before your scheduled project work is done. Instead, if you know a day will be broken up by a family event, personal errands or some other nonwork-related task, compensate by starting earlier or working later in the days prior.
This will provide you with a stress-free experience and ensure you don't suddenly find yourself backlogged with unfinished project work. Few things are as liberating as a clean desk and an empty to-do list.
[*]Set boundaries for family interruptions: Our system: If my office door is shut, I'm not available unless it involves blood, fire or broken bones. If my door is partially open, it means, "it better be good." Asking whether friends from down the street can visit doesn't qualify. I'm accessible but working and would like to remain concentrated on the task at hand. If my door is open, I'm available.
[*]Schedule your workday: Sounds simple, but as with a "regular" job, work-related emergencies come up. In most cases, however, interruptions after the workday has ended can wait until tomorrow. Of course the problem plagues plenty of regular office workers, too. That's why you see people leaving the movie theater (or worse, not leaving) to take a phone call. I find it hard to believe that all those calls are really emergencies.
My day typically begins at 4:30 a.m. and I try to end it around 5 or 5:30 p.m. When the day is over, I leave my cell phone in the office. Unless, of course, we're going to the movies.
These steps don't work in every case but neither does working in the standard office environment. Even the most structured and well-planned day can be turned upside down by events beyond our control. So when I'm speaking with a prospective client and suddenly my office door bursts open with two children yelling the proverbial, "Did so. Did not. Did so. Did not. Dad!" I simply have to shrug my shoulders and laugh... after I hit the mute button.