10 New Year's Resolutions for Telecommuters & Home-Based Business Owners

1. I will set business/office hours for myself - Yes, part of the benefit of working at home is being able to report to work in your pajamas; but, if you aren't careful that freedom can become detrimental to your "work-a-home" success. Organization is imperative to your success and organization begins with your establishing a "work routine". For example, if you take the children to school at 8 a.m. and are back home by 8:30 a.m., perhaps you want to give yourself time to have a cup of coffee and read the paper, so set your office hours to start at 9 a.m. Setting business/office hours will also help you to actually see how many hours per day you are really working.

2. I will respect/honor my business/office hours- It's easy to set hours, but adhering to them is a totally different thing. Many people will assume that because you are home, they can call at any time of the day to chit chat. You might also have friends/family just drop by because they are in the neighborhood. It is up to you to respect your hours. For so long I put the onus/burden on others, I'd say, "this phone keeps ringing and ringing, don't they know that I'm working", but everytime I'd pick up the phone. My picking up the phone and talking as if I had nothing else to do gave the impression that, well, frankly, I had nothing else to do. So again, you must honor your business/office hours first. When you honor them, others will honor them.

3. I will try to complete one task at a time - I have been credited with being multi-tasked, meaning I'm able to do 10 things (more than one thing) at one time. This is partially true - I can do 10 things at one time, but I cannot do 10 things at one time and do them well. The problem - well, I'll begin writing an article or working on my blog and my mind goes to the clothes that need to go in the dryer. I pop up and go put the clothes in the dryer, throw another load in the wash and come back to writing. Now where was I? Where was I going with this? I've now lost my train of thought. The solution - write a quick note to myself reminding me to get the clothes out of the dryer but continue what I'm doing. The laundry can wait another 30 minutes.

4. I will begin the day with a "to do" or "goal" list - What do you want to accomplish today? How many articles do you want to write? How many sales calls do you want to make today? What projects do you need to finish today? A motivation for me is to allow myself to be done for the day once my "to do" list is complete (another benefit of working from home and/or being self-employed).

5. I will organize my office and/or dedicated place for me to work - One of the best things we can do to aid in our success next year is to clean and organize our office(s). If you've been working at the kitchen table, this is also a great time to find someplace in the house to set up as a permanent work station. Organization will save you time and money. How many times have you bought paper clips or staples just to find that you had some hidden away somewhere in a box or cabinet? Because business is sometimes slow just after the holidays, this is a great time to work on your office. Some items that aid in office organization are - ziploc bags and/or containers (great for rubber bands, paper clips, tacks, etc.), wicker baskets (good for housing trade magazines/journals), a corkboard and/or chalkboard, file cabinets, and shelves. Don't be afraid to shop at thrift stores and/or the dollar store for some of these items.

6. I will set aside time to build/establish new business relationships (networking) - Because we work from home, it is easy to become secluded. Most of us have "internet" business relationships. In other words, we communicate with most of our associates via e-mail, message boards, etc. It's still good for us to meet with others face to face. Find local organization or associations that you can become a part of. You'd be surprised how these relationships can help encourage and cheer you on to business success.

This year I plan to work at my local library a couple of times a week. They have wireless internet access, so I can just pack up my laptop and go and work there. I hope to meet other writers and entrepreneurs this way. Another associate of mine works at a coffee shop that has wireless access. Again, it's an opportunity to just get out of the house and meet others.

7. I will be sure to get contracts "in writing" & stay on top of accounts receivables - Fellow business owners always tell me that they also have problems collecting from clients. This year I'll be sure to get every contractual agreement "in writing" should I have to pursue things in a court of law. I will also stay on top of accounts receivable problems. For example, I'll be sure to send regular collection notices and call when accounts are 30 days or more past due. I'll also be sure to comply with my contracts and not give "leniency" because someone makes a verbal commitment to pay.

8. I will be disciplined - Working from home takes a lot of discipline. There are so many things around you that can pull you away from your efforts or become a distraction - phone calls, television, children, housework, company, the kitchen (snacks are a big problem for me), etc. The solution to all of these problems is discipline. Just as an athlete is determined to get in shape for the upcoming race, we must be determined to stay focused or keep focused on our business efforts throughout the day.

9. I won't be afraid to change - but/and - I will stick with what I know does work - Someone once said that ignorance is doing things the same way over and over again but expecting different results. If something is not working, you need to reaccess how you're doing it and not be afraid to change your method. I learned this the hard way this year. I was involved in a writing project and the manager/owners of the project abruptly stopped communicating with the editors, writers and everyone involved in the project. The staff communicated back and forth pondering as to why the communication (and of course our pay) had not been forthcoming. After a couple of months of trying to get anwers, we finally concluded that the project had gone sour and so had our compensation. I knew in my heart of hearts that this project was over but I kept trying to make it work.

It's really funny. I'm slow to change from something that is not working but am quick to move on to something else when something is working. Isn't that strange? So this year, I will stick with the things that I know that do work while trying new ideas/concepts.

10. I will keep a positive attitude - How many times a year do you quit in your mind? Negative thinking, quitting, giving up, etc. just leads to a loss of time and energy. No matter how things "look", I'll keep a positive attitude about my business endeavors.