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.

Start each work-from-home day with a roadmap

Many of us define our own work. That is, we decide how we will spend our work days and what we hope to accomplish in that time. We decide what is most important and what can wait a few days. We decide. Or not.

If you've ever spent a day being busy, but at the end of the day haven't accomplished anything on your working palette, you fell into the "or not" category.

You weren't focused on what was most important to you.

Even if you have set up work hours and respect them, your productivity will soar only when you can sit down, know exactly what you are going to do first, and immediately START. No time is wasted. You've already done your thinking and you know exactly what you plan to get done. You've identified a roadmap to guide you through the day's projects.

Most of us rarely have only one item on our work minds. We may have projects we identify as "work," but it is likely that we also have marketing to do, and bookkeeping, reading, e-mails to respond to and calls to make. You can focus on what's most important to you in the moment, if you identify times to return e-mails or do the reading that is piling up. But first do the WORK! If you are a writer, write first. If you are a consultant, return clients' calls first. If you manage web sites - you got it - do it first. Take the time to set up a roadmap before your work hours begin (either in the morning, or at the end of the previous day) reserving the largest chunk of your personal prime time for your most important work!

So, a typical roadmap for a writer whose high energy time is in the morning might look like this:

• 8-8:30 - Check overnight e-mails and plug any emergencies into your roadmap
• 8:30-12 - Prime time -- Write an article, or two blog entries or one chapter (be specific).
• 12-1 - Return calls, e-mails
• 1-2 - Lunch or errands
• 2-3 - Marketing or finances
• 4 - Career related reading (low energy time) 

Everyone's roadmap will be different, but the goal is the same... a quick start to your work-from-home day that will focus on your most important work, while still covering all the bases of being in business.

If anyone would like to share their roadmap (or plan, or schedule) I'd love to see them!

Separate office space for success and sanity

If you believe (as I do) that compartmentalization is the secret sauce to a successful working from home experience, then you will understand why I feel that a clearly-defined and segregated workspace is critical to high productivity in the work-from-home lifestyle.

We are all creatures of habit. The goal here is to have a space/desk/chair/room/whatever that triggers your ”at work” mindset. It may take a while to find the right spot but it is worth the effort. Realistically, you’ll likely need a computer, phone, printer, good light, a comfortable chair, a file cabinet, a drawer or basket for supplies, a bookcase and a large flat surface. All of this contributes to the most important factor to success in your work-at-home efforts…the right frame of mind. If, for you, that space is the big armchair in the living room, a laptop and an iPhone, then go for it. Whatever works! Just be consistent. Your brain likes routine.


If you already have a desk or office area set up in your home for personal finance and bill paying, don’t use it for your work-from-home workspace. Remember, compartmentalization?!? If your only computer is in this area, you may have to make an exception but make the effort to separate your personal and career hats. (In fact, I have one acquaintance who literally puts on a special hat to designate that he is officially working!)

Another friend uses her dining room table as a workspace during the day. She has a lamp she puts on the table each morning, along with her laptop, an IN basket and a small container of supplies. Instant workspace. When her work hours are complete, she removes the lamp to an adjacent sideboard, slides the basket into a drawer and puts away her laptop. Voila! Dining room again.

Cutsey tricks, you claim? You betcha. Anything that works. What works for you? I’d love to hear!

Compartmentalize for your (mental) health

For years, until recently, I got up at 5:30 am, left the house at 7:30, worked at an office from 8 to 5, took an hour for lunch and errands, reverse commuted and arrived at home just in time to start cooking dinner. No decompression time for me. Whew! The Holy Grail of Working From Home was calling to me.

Then the incomprehensible happened. I was laid off! So… was this a disaster? or an opportunity? Choosing to believe the latter I launched myself into the world of freelance writing and copy editing – both of which I did in the past. Yes, I love it. No, I’m not making much money at it. Yet.

Now that I’ve been working from home successfully for a few months, I feel qualified to share some of my experiences, in the hopes that they will help someone else who has recently been, umm, downsized.

Compartmentalize. Set up work hours and respect them. This is very important. I know the freedom to work whenever and wherever you choose is a large part of the attraction of working from home, but if you want to be successful — however you define success — you need to practice self-discipline. I quickly discovered that I could complete about the same amount of work in five dedicated hours in my home office asI had previously been doing in ten hours at the office (eight+lunch+commute). Taking advantage of ingrained habits, I get up at the same time every morning, and then at 7:30, when I would previously have left for the office, I start my 5 hour dedicated block of time. At 12:30, I stop for lunch. That’s it! Morning has always been my high-energy time, so this works well for me. (In the spirit of full disclosure…since I am growing my business, I usually put in an extra hour or more of reading, research or marketing during the afternoon. But I’m not as protective of this time as I am about my morning work hours.

During my office hours I don’t put in a load of laundry, or make any personal phone calls, or go for a walk, or run up to the grocery store, or start dinner, or surf the net, or answer personal emails, or vacuum, or… well, you get the idea.

It is important to differentiate between work-from-home work and your regular home and life maintenance duties. You should build a mental compartment for “when I am at work” and a different one for “when I am at home.”

I wasn’t as well organized originally, and I found myself staying busy but reaching many evenings wondering what I had accomplished during my day. So I set up my mental compartments and launched my office-hour plan with some straightforward goal setting and a designated office area (more on these later), and it is working for me.

1. Set aside regular “office” hours and respect them.

2. Have a separate work space, used only for when you are “at work.”

3. Have achievable, measurable goals you work towards daily.

4. Start each day with a roadmap of the day’s activities.

Try it for a week. Or write and let me know what works best for you. After all, we’re all different so there are bound to be lots of systems out there. I’d love to hear about some of them.