Beating Brain Drain At Your Home Office.

One of my key employees works from home two days a week. He likes the quiet time for writing and also wants to see his 4-year-old daughter for lunch. This works out well in our office because we can lend his desk to the bookkeeper on his work-at-home days.

The only downside of his home-office routine is what it occasionally does to him. Every now and again, the solitude of the home office zaps his creativity and problem-solving skills. Last week, he was stymied by a problem until he came into the office. Within hours he had a solution.

Although most people look for ways to escape the hectic office environment for a few moments of peace and quiet, home-based workers need to seek it out, periodically. Home offices can remove you from the office interaction that can keep your mind sharp and your creativity flowing.

Even though you may not have found your co-workers to be inspirational when you worked in an office, interaction with them probably fueled you. Now that you work at home, you are responsible for self-rejuvenation. Use the following tips to maintain or revive your mental energy and prowess.

* Stimulate dulled senses. Find a way to challenge the senses that you do not use often in your work. For instance, if you are a writer, spend an afternoon visiting an art museum. If you primarily do research, go to a symphony concert.

The senses you use, day in and day out can overpower those that lie dormant, especially if you're overworking. You'll find that switching your body's "receivers" for a little while can kick-start your mental energy.

* Exercise. It may sound cliche, but it's true: Physical activity can wake up your body and mind and rid you of stress. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle; start adding light exercise to your routine.

If you start too fast, you may end up overexerting and feeling drained instead of rejuvenated. Instead, start with a moderate activity program of walking or light cycling.

* Work in a new environment. If a project has you stymied change your scenery. This is what my employee did to spark his creative problem solving skills. Take documents ton local coffee shop for editing, take your laptop to the park, or even work outside on your patio for a few hours. Working in the same office day after day can make some people listless.

* Set aside a "goal-free" day. If you're like many home-based workers, you drift back to your computer on the weekends to "finish up a couple of quick things." If you have this habit, take one day to yourself and don't do anything goal oriented.