How to work from home

I've been working on my dissertation from home for the past few months, which I have actually found really challenging. I am a deadline person - i.e. I work best under pressure. For me, an empty house just invites reading (Time magazine, not journal articles), watching the Today show, cleaning, etc. I've been complaining to anyone who will listen about how much of a drag it is to "work" from home. My very career-minded/motivated husband does not understand why I have a hard time getting anything done when I'm at home alone.
To combat my problems or perhaps to solve them, I've consulted some online columnists and a book I ordered for $0.85 from a used bookstore (Working From Home, 5th ed. by Paul and Sarah Edwards). Online sites weren't that helpful, beyond reminding me to get out of my PJs before going to work. Hmm...good idea. No more napping midday. The book has lots more useful tips, but only in 1 or 2 chapters. The rest of the book covers issues for home businesses, which certainly does not describe my situation. I feel more like a non-profit facing bankruptcy when I consider what the future might hold when I finally finish my doctorate. Wildlife jobs are far and few between, and I'm a late-bloomer, so I'm low on publications.
Enough about that. I applied many of the tips from the book today and actually got stuff done. Yay! During my breaks, I did small stuff - like hanging the small Austrian oil painting from my husband's great aunt, writing Christmas thank you notes, and shredding old paycheck stubs from the much better paying job I had before I came back to grad school (didn't look at the amounts as I shredded). To finish off my day of actually accomplishing a few things, I decided to make a list of some of the really good things about working from home. I'm not usually the most positive person (nice trait my mom passed on to me), so I think this could be therapeutic:

1. I get to see what the cats do all day and listen to the fat 3-legged one (my favorite) snoring while he sits by the window over my desk.

2. Coffee is easily accessible and I don't have to settle for gross coffee that has been sitting out since someone made it at 8 am (as I do at the university). Also, fresh half & half in the fridg. - no powdered crap!

3. Bathroom is 5 feet from my desk (much needed after coffee).

4. Can watch the birds out my office window (saw a towhee, titmouse, chickadee, and house finch all at the same time today in a 4 x 4' space). I bet it will be years before I get an office with a window, with birds, at a university.

5. Having leftovers for lunch is simple. I always liked eating leftovers at the office but hate having to pack them into multiple containers. Today I nuked some roasted yukon gold potatoes, roasted mushrooms (originally cooked alongside the chicken I made last weekend, but my husband will not eat mushrooms) and leftover rice from last night's dinner.

6. Having the last piece of cheesecake in the fridg. is even easier. Just make a fresh pot of coffee, grab a fork, and take the foil off the plate.

7. No one gets mad at me if I come in late!

Oh, there's lots more but I think this is long enough. I also get to decide when I'm tired of sitting in front of the computer!