It's that time of year.

It's that time of year.

This is the time of year to make plans for 2014, but before you start, take a little time to look back at 2013 and ask yourself some questions.

• What did I accomplish in the past year in my work-from-home job?
• Did my career go as expected or hoped?
• What item was I lacking that would improve my productivity?
• What limited my accomplishments… money? time? commitment? clarity?
• What was my biggest surprise in 2009?
• What was my biggest disappointment?
• Where do I want to be on January 1, 2015 in my work-from-home career?

Take time to answer these questions honestly and you'll likely see the faint outline of your 2014 plan emerging.

Expect the unexpected.

Your Internet goes out.

A child is home sick.

An earthquake caused cellphone outage.

You need to stop and prep for an approaching hurricane.

(Yes, I'm talking to you east-coasters.)

Sometimes our workdays don't go as smoothly as we hope. When those days happen, use the freedom you enjoy working from home to make adjustments. We have the luxury of working whenever we choose. Take advantage of that luxury. When your Internet goes out, head for the local library or coffee shop. You won't be quite as efficient as in your home office, but you'll get some work done. Sick kids are trickier. Get up early and break your tasks into small bites that don't require hours of concentration. If your phone service is overloaded, use Twitter, Facebook and email to communicate. If you need to stop and prep for an approaching hurricane… well, it is best to stop and prepare.

Designate an "overflow" time in your workweek. When things go smoothly, you won't need it, but when they don't, you'll know it's there and relax a bit. I designate Saturday morning until noon as my work overflow timeslot. About once a month, I use it. I don't like giving up even that much weekend, but it keeps me clear headed when my workday falls to pieces. I know people who would rather catch up after dinner or get up a couple of hours earlier than usual the next day. Do whatever works for you.

We can't control all the deadlines in our work lives, but putting off tasks and projects until the last minute is asking for trouble, even in the conventional work world. Finish up a project a day early or submit your report or article before the deadline (gasp)! That way, when your workday falls apart -- and at times it will -- you have wiggle room.

Out with the old, in with the new

Yikes! It's February already, and I'm still using my 2009 files: or rather NOT using them and piling all my filing on top of the cabinet. With tax time rapidly approaching and the beginning of the year only a memory, it's past time to take a half hour or so to pull out the old 2009 files and replace them with 2010 files. At the same time, I'll do a little house keeping, tossing some things, earmarking anything that is tax related for a separate area, and moving all other old files to my ARCHIVED filing cabinet. (You do keep a separate file cabinet for your old stuff, don'cha?)

By this time tomorrow, my working file cabinet will be pristine, with thin, neatly labeled folders for 2010. 

Keeping good records is particularly important for those of us who work from home, and a well-structured and frequently-used filing system will save us time and money come tax season. 

Join me and pencil this easily overlooked task in on your To Do list for tomorrow.

Is your work routine working for you?

Welcome to a brand new, shiny year. Ah, the possibilities! For many of us today marks the first day in the new year that we get back to our work routines. This is a good day to take a look at those routines and decide if they are working as well for us as possible.Yes, routines offer comfort but, more importantly, they are important  tools for those of us who work from home. We can use routines to promote productivity, focus on the important, and accomplish more in less time which, in turn, frees us up to participate in endeavors other than work that are important to us.  So here are a few hints to use when evaluating your current work routine.

• Identify what is already working well for you. If it "ain't" broke, don't fix it.

• If you can, identify what is NOT working well for you. Try something new here.

• Identify your high energy time of day and plan your most crucial or difficult tasks for this period. This is especially important if you work in a creative field.

• Early in your work week, acknowledge what you want or need to accomplish before the week is over. Then make sure each of these tasks is spaced throughout your week evenly. 

• Keep it simple. Focus on the very important concepts, rather than the minutia that expand to fill all the time you'll allow it. Who among us hasn't gotten to the end of a particularly busy week but, looking back, couldn't see what was actually accomplished?

• Borrow the concept of the "editorial calendar" from our writing cohorts. Use your calendar to write down the main topic/task of each day or to pencil in routine work related activities. (PR on Thursday afternoons, client calls on Tuesday mornings or accounting on Friday afternoons, for examples)

• Don't over-schedule yourself. I'm guilty of underestimating the amount of time a project will take. Consequently, my main tweak starting today is to be more realistic about completion times and to build in even additional time for interruptions.

• Once you have a routine, write it down. At first, you'll need to refer to your written routine, but as you fine-tune it, and it begins to work well for you, it'll become second nature.

I don't know who said "plan your work, then work your plan" but the best written work routine on the planet isn't any good if you don't sit down and DO it. Self discipline is the key to success. 

At the end of your work week, take a couple of minutes for an honest evaluation. If your routine worked well, congratulations! But if there were stumbling blocks, try to tweak your work routine for next week to address the issue.

Let's all have a Happy New Year!

Look backward before you look forward.

This is the time of the year to make plans for 2010! But before we start, let's take a little time to look back at 2009 and ask ourselves some questions.

• What things did I get accomplished in the past year?
• What was my biggest surprise in 2009?
• What was by biggest disappointment?
• What new things did I learn in the past year?
• What new friends did I make?
• Did my career go as expected or hoped?
• What item was I lacking that would improve my productivity at my work-from-home job?
• What limited my accomplishments… money? time? commitment? clarity?
• Where was I on January 1, 2009? Where will I be on January 1, 2010? Am I better or worse off? Why? Do I have control over these factors?

Take time to answer these questions honestly and you'll likely see the faint outline of your 2010 plan emerging.

Start your work-at-home week off with a bang!

We are all different and work according to different cycles but, for the sake of this particular argument, let's say we all begin our work week on Monday. On Monday morning we have a clean slate in front of us for the week. All things are possible, but how often have you made it to Friday afternoon, looked around and wondered what you accomplished during the week? It is a discouraging feeling that can be avoided.


How?

• First, note the work-related projects you would really like to get done during the week (write that article, revamp a web page, meet with several clients).  Write them down and keep your list out where you can see it!

• Keep the first day of your work week as completely open for work as possible (no classes, housework, errands, lunches with friends, or medical appointments). Be strict with yourself. It's only one day.

• On this first day of the week, start early, stay focused, work late. Make this one day all about work, all day long. Resist all your time wasters (you know what they are). By getting this running head start on your work week, you're 80% on the way to successful week already! And the hardest part is behind you.

You'll still be working for the rest of the week but you won't be playing catch up, so you'll be more flexible in handling the interruptions (or new opportunities!) that come up unexpectedly. And if your kick-start gets you 80% of the way, then you're highly likely to complete your project(s) before your week ends. Won't it be great to kick back on a Friday evening, with your beverage of choice, knowing that you've completed a productive and fulfilling week?


Let's all try it once and see how it goes.

Give yourself a break for the holidays

The holidays are right around the corner and, if you haven't done so already, you should sit down with a calendar and plan your days off! Yes, you get days off! No, they aren't PAID days off but value them anyway. Even if you are a big believer in hard work, reward yourself with a bit of time off this season. It doesn't have to be a couple of weeks (doesn't that sound nice?): If you take even a few days, you will return to your desk or computer refreshed and ready to do battle in the new year.

The sad truth is that many telecommuters and freelancers don't take even one day off a week. Yet, according to internet research, productivity actually increases when entrepreneurs take at least that one day off. You want better productivity? Right? And, I bet, you could use more free time, too.

The trick is to identify ways to get all the work done in six days or (dare I dream?) in five! This is basic "work smarter, not harder" territory.

But, back to the holidays, PLAN NOW to take time off and be brutal in scheduling your work to make it happen. If necessary, send a polite email to your clients announcing you'll be "out of the office." Put a red circle on your calendar around your first day off and keep it where you can see it. Work as hard and long as necessary to be able to stand up and step away from your workspace. Then, don't look back. Rediscover the fun things you can do with friends and relatives without a computer. Take in the sights and sounds of the season. Breathe deep and wish for snow.

You'll thank me come January 2nd.