With unemployment figures at a ten year low and very few able to predict an improvement any time soon, many people are facing or fearing redundancy. Loosing your job can be one of the most traumatic experiences you can face, and in today's climate it's hard to look on the positive side. Clichés like 'every cloud has a silver lining' or 'look on the bright side' aren't helpful or productive, but hanging around the house hoping your dream job will fall into your lap isn't very productive either. Have you ever thought of working from home?

We've all thought about it at one point, whether it's when your dragging yourself out of bed on a cold, wet, winter morning or when you're stuck in a traffic jam on a motorway that's doing a very good impression of a car park. How much nicer would it be to work from home? No commute, no boss, any money you makes goes into your pocket and wearing your pajamas to work - all sounds great right? It's not as simple as 'the dream' but it is doable and working for yourself can be tremendously rewarding if and when it works.

Maybe you've always had a great idea for your own business, or maybe you could continue your current occupation as a freelancer, the main thing is you believe in what you want to do. The gap in the market you've spotted might look too good to be true but it has to be something you're passionate about, the money cannot be your primary motivation as it's not likely to come too quickly. Once you've got your idea or your new occupation you need to research. Not just your new market but the whole concept of working from home or being self-employed, things like registering as self-employed with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and knowing that you'll need to do a self-assessment tax return each year, through to where to find funding and how to apply for it - all these things are easy to research with the use of the internet and some time and patience.

Once you do take the plunge and decide you are going to work from home you'll need to set clear boundaries. If you have young children who used to go to day care in your previous job it may be a good idea to keep this practice going if you can afford it. Just because you're going to be round the house during the day, doesn't mean you won't be busy. Keeping the routine from your old job will also help you get in the right frame of mind for your day of work.

A good clear 'office' space would be productive too; you cannot work from the comfort of your bed, no matter how tempting it may be. If nothing else, you'll need to switch off at the end of the day and having your desk entwined with your duvet will make this difficult. If you have a spare room convert it into your new office and make sure the other people in the house know it's your office. If you can physically separate your new work life from your personal life it will help keep it separate in your mind too. You may even have another building on your property, like an unused garage, that you could use as a garden office.