Recordkeeping for 2009

Do you have a system to keep track of each file and how much it pays? While this is something most of us would agree is very important, it's also an easy area to let slip. I didn't keep very good records until 2007, which meant there was no way to confirm or reconcile my 1099s for the previous years.

However, reconciling 1099s is not the only reason you should be keeping good records. Having a running work log also makes invoicing easier, helps you track payment on your files and gives you an idea of how much you're earning on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis without having to constantly do the math in your head.

If you don't currently have one set up, I encourage you to take a few minutes right now and set up an Excel spreadsheet. You can worry about formulas and functionality later, but for now, set up a tab for each company you work for. Double click on the tab to rename it so that you can quickly see where each company's information is kept.

At the top, decide what information you want to include. I use:

Date, File Name, Length in Minutes, Pay Rate Per Minute, Total

(Of course, if you're paid by page, word, etc., you'll have to adjust those)

Enter your files here each and every time they're assigned. You can use this to track your workflow as well by settng up a color code or adding another column to keep notes about the file. Whichever system you choose, you can mark them as pending, in progress, completed, invoiced and paid so that you always know what's outstanding.

I'll share more about how you can increase the functionality of your log later on, but for now, it's enough to just start tracking those files!

For the Love of the Job

Like any job, this one has its ups and downs. There are days where typing is the last thing I want to be doing. I think of the hobbies I could have, the parks I could take my kids to, the elaborate dinners I'd like to plan and prepare. I fantasize about the person I could be if only I had more time. Of course, there are times when I get organized and do more of the things I am usually longing to do, but more often than not, those things are the things that fall by the wayside when my time gets filled with rush files, wiping noses and everyday cleaning.

This list is for all those days where the motivation is lacking and the subjects are less than interesting, when I find myself questioning why I'm here rather than anywhere else. It is why I love doing what I do.

– The sound of the keys. There's something very pleasant about the sound of the keyboard tapping and click, click, clicking away. Just like I enjoyed pushing sand around my rock garden and the sound of the rake running through the sand, I enjoy listening to the keys when it's quiet, which leads me to…

– Early morning transcription. A warm shower, a cool morning, a cup of coffee, my favorite pair of slippers and my headphones. No dated pantsuit, no uncomfortable shoes, no boss, no fluorescent lights, no rush hour.

– Your favorite client. The one you never feel bad about taking the extra time to make things right for because they've been that good to you.

– Good audio. They usually come as a breath of fresh air after a grueling week of bad audio or boring interviews with less-than-intelligent undergraduates that are like trying to like figure out their, you know, like social life and how to get that totally hot guy's attention from their like intro to psych class.

– A file you'd listen to even if you weren't getting paid to transcribe it. I have a favorite client. When their files show up I smile. I know I'm going to enjoy them; they're just always something that interests me on some level. I look forward to the days when I'm transcribing them because I know that even hard terminology won't change whether or not I enjoy the file.

– An unexpected compliment from contracts or clients that shows you've done your job well. There is nothing quite as satisfying as being told you're good at what you do, especially when it's not forced by a quarterly review or annual evaluation.

– My kids. The ability to be the one dropping my son off at preschool, wiping my daughter's nose when she runs by, nursing my newborn, dropping of my daughter's library book at school when she forgets it by the front door.

– Accomplishment. Whether you're starting out or you've been doing this for years, there is something to be said about the drive to work for yourself, meet deadlines, seek work and put all the pieces together into a working system.

We all have our reasons for doing what we do, and I hope you take the time to remind yourself why you are where you are, doing what you do. Congratulations for getting here. If you're just starting out and looking to get to this place, we hope this blog motivates you. Don't forget to check out General Transcription 101 as well.

Supermom – Balancing Home, Family, and Work

Balancing home, family, and work is a difficult task any way you look at it, and truthfully I don't think it's any less difficult for men. However, I do think there is more social pressure for women to live up to standards of a Supermom – moms that appear to have it all together, work all day, shuttle their kids to soccer practice, bake cookies for bake sales, cook dinner every night, AND keep their house spotless.

Not only that but I believe the pressure is even more intense for those of us that work from home. After all, we can't possibly be working ALL DAY. Can we? I think I've mentioned before that even my husband buys into this occasionally, and I just sweetly point out that he probably wouldn't get half as much done at work if he had five kids hanging off his arms for the better part of the day.

Mandi jokingly refers to me as Supermom occasionally, but I'll be the first to tell you I am NOT Supermom. My kids have been known to eat Pop-Tarts for lunch in a pinch and stay in their jammies all day. Even though I bake a mean chocolate chip walnut cookie, I'm not above sending my kids to school with store bought cookies when I'm just too worn out to stay up all night baking. My house is rarely spotless, and in fact, it's only straightened up to my liking for exactly eight hours a day, which coincidentally are the eight hours that my kids are sleeping and no one outside of DH and I will see it of course!

If some of you out there do manage to do it all, I commend you, but I think for the vast majority of us this is an unattainable goal. I beat myself up about this for a long time until one day it suddenly occurred to me that I had better things to focus on. There will be plenty of time for keeping a neat and tidy house when the kids are grown and gone, so rather than dwell on my shortcomings, I should prioritize according to the wants, needs, and goals that are best for me and my family rather than the little box that society wants to squeeze me into.

So what does this have to do with transcription? I guess it's not related directly, but I want other moms that work from home, moms that are thinking about working from home, even those of you that don't have kids to know that it's okay to admit that you're not perfect and that balancing it all is incredibly difficult.

Over the next month or so I'll be writing about some simple and realistic ideas that you can implement in each of these areas – home, family, and work – to help you achieve more balance overall.

We may not be Supermoms, dads, women, or men, but we can still strive to find a level of balance that we are comfortable with and that best fits our lives and our families!

Accepting Constructive Criticism

I realize that we're self-employed in this business, and you may have thought you'd be avoiding annual reviews and being told what you're doing wrong. Unfortunately, you will probably have more criticism and comments on your work in this business than working for someone just because you're working for so many people, and different people are looking for different things.

Having someone tell you you're doing something wrong is never easy. However, it is important to remember in this business that there are fine lines, and if your contract or client prefers things be done a different way, then doing things that way is probably in your best interest if you appreciate the income they provide. Whether you agree with the criticism or not, it is always important to make sure you let your contact know you're willing to work with them to get to where they're happy with the transcript you are providing for them. If you really disagree or have questions with some things, perhaps consider asking for clarification so you can fix that for next time.

One of the benefits of being self-employed is not having a boss, but you still have clients you are looking to for payment for your services from. While you may not prefer the way a client has you typing numbers, for example, or dealing with a cleaned up transcript versus full verbatim, it is their opinion that ultimately provides your paycheck. Still, if you find that working with a particular client or company just doesn't work for you, it's always okay to find that income elsewhere. That IS one of the benefits of self-employment. You do have the option of finding different sources of income.

If you are looking to completely sever a relationship with a personal client, perhaps suggesting someone else in the industry you think would be a better fit for them is an option. If not, try to leave on good terms. You never know when that contact will come in handy in the future. Perhaps they'll refer you to someone that will increase your earnings substantially, or maybe they know other people in the industry and you just want your reputation to remain in tact.

All of this is part of being a professional. Read Tara's post and the list on being a professional. Ask yourself if you are one and how you can adjust to make sure the way you come across to your clients and contracts is in a professional manner.

Working from Home – Step Two, Analyze Your Expenses

Hopefully by now you've been able to track your expenses for a minimum of one week, so now it's time to take a good, hard look at where your money is going. Were you surprised to find just how much those little impulse purchases are eating into your income?

According to Redbook magazine, a recent study by VISA found that almost half of all Americans lose track of an average of $45 a week. Those afternoon vending machine trips and spontaneous magazine purchases that you grabbed while waiting to check out really add up!

Now you'll want to gather up all of your regular bills as well as any documents pertaining to income over the last month (or last year if your income is irregular).

Compile all of your regular expenses, along with the weekly expenses to come up with a number representative of your monthly expenses that is as close to accurate as possible. Don't forget to include any quarterly, annual, or other irregular expenses. You'll just need to divide this out to come up with a monthly figure.

Add up your monthly income from all sources. If your income is regular, this will be easy. If your income is sporadic (as it likely will be if you pursue a career in transcription), it will be to your advantage to look at your yearly income and convert it to a monthly rate. You might be wondering how you could ever budget on a variable income, but this makes a good budget even more imperative because it will help to curb overspending in "good" months leaving you some excess to cover your shortfalls in the "bad" months. We'll go into more detail on this later in the series.

Finally deduct your total monthly expenses from your total monthly income. If your balance is negative, don't despair. It just means we have to take a serious look at cutting costs and determining if you can cut back enough and earn enough from transcription to make that balance positive.

If you've got a positive balance, congratulations! However, you will still need to look closely at the income you can derive from transcription and whether it will cover your expenses to maintain that positive balance. You may find that you need to cut some costs as well.

Now hold onto those spreadsheets or scraps of paper with all of your numbers, and next up we'll talk about determining what kind of income you can expect to make from general transcription.

Lesson 2: Calculate your total monthly expenses, including any variable expenses, and determine what your total monthly income is to define how your finances stack up currently.

The Importance of Communication

One very crucial thing to remember with any job is the importance of communication. I think in our industry it is doubly important to be in contact with the clients and companies that you work for, especially when you are working on a job for them.

If you were in an office and things were going poorly because your computer was acting funny, there was construction going on in the parking lot making it impossible to work, or you received a call from school saying you had to go pick up your sick child your boss or supervisor would be there to see what was going on and make adjustments as necessary to complete the work. The same situations arise in a work-at-home position; however, there is no one staring over your shoulder to see what's going on. Sometimes it's those pluses about the job that we love so much – my two-year-old stares over the top of my keyboard tray, but no one is standing over my shoulder – that we need to be careful not to take advantage of.

When contracts and clients hand audio files over to you, they expect them to be returned on the agreed upon time. They do not know what difficulties there may be in the file itself or in the physical world around you that cause things to take longer than expected. It is imperative that these be conveyed to your client as soon as possible to maintain a level of trust and professionalism with them.

In the case of unforeseen problems in your personal life (i.e. sickness, power outages, runaway animals you're chasing after) you should tell your contact right away. You never know what the reaction is going to be. If you give them enough time they may be able to extend deadlines, split the job or find someone else to complete it if you are unable. However, the longer you wait to let them know there is an issue, the harder it is for these things to happen seamlessly.

If your file has audio issues that need to be addressed, the same is true. Letting people know early is always better so the original client knows the quality of the product that will be delivered to them. Oftentimes you can also raise the rate yourself for difficult audio or a client may offer one to you for audio issues.

It doesn't matter if you are contracting with transcription companies or dealing directly with your own personal clients, communication is a key ingredient to a professional relationship. Be sure to convey the status and any issues that come up with files that may affect the deadline or quality as they arise. This will keep the relationship in good standing.

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

If you use a computer for business purposes, I cannot stress how incredibly important it is to back up your information on a regular basis. There are some great online programs that run in the background on your computer, some free, some for a small fee. I use the free version of Mozy which will back up 2GB for free. However, if you need additional storage capacity, you can pay $4.95 monthly for unlimited storage. Other online backup services are Xdrive and Carbonite, or you could also buy an external drive to backup your data to.

Whatever method you choose, make absolutely sure that every important file you need is being backed up. Do not assume that simply because it shows that it's backing up a particular folder that the entire contents of that folder and being saved.

I learned this lesson the hard way today when I somehow deleted my ShortKeys file. Don't ask me how I managed to do this, because I'm still not even sure. I thought I was safe because I have my files backed up nightly, but even though the folder that my file was saved in was being backed up, my actual ShortKeys file was not checked. That's over three years' worth of shortcuts I had entered that are now gone, gone, gone.

Thankfully I'm very lucky that Shaina and Mandi and I have all shared our lists from time to time because we use many similar shortcuts, so I'm sure with their help I can recreate it to some extent. But it's still not MY list, and it will take some time to build it back up to where it was. Just typing this short post has been extremely difficult for me, because they're so ingrained in my memory that I automatically type my shortcuts.

I hope that by posting this I can help at least one of our readers avoid a similar fate!

What to Include on an Invoice?

Some companies will provide you with their template for invoicing, and if you use PayPal you can use their invoicing tool. However, what if you have a client or company that wants you to submit your own invoice? What do you include and what don't you include?

For me, I include the same thing on most invoices unless I'm asked to provide some additional information. I have a standard template, and there are a few blank fields for those clients that require me to add additional information. However, I generally follow the same template for each one, using the template you see below.



The main things I include are the company's name and address, my name, address, telephone number and email, the date of the invoice, the date the file was due, name of the file, number of audio minutes, rate per audio minute (adjust for other types of billing) and a reference number if you have been given one. I have one contract that requires me to put my Social Security number on the invoice, and so I made a small field on the bottom to do that.

The nice thing about working in Excel is having it do the math for me. I can also add fields as necessary and put in discounts, bonuses for audio quality all on the same invoice just by putting them underneath the audio they are applied to and entering the rates in the cells.

I have found that it's easiest for me to work off a general template that I modify into templates for each company or client with their exact specifications. It helps immensely when adding a new company to the list as well. Instead of starting from scratch, I have a basic format to work with and modify right away. This makes adding them to my invoicing routine much easier. Having similar invoices also makes it easy to compile data for bookkeeping and tax purposes. You always know exactly where to look to get the numbers you need.

Working from Home – Step One, Track Your Expenses

Leaving a brick and mortar position and making the leap to working at home can be a scary and risky proposition. I'm sure there are numerous questions running through your mind – "Can I earn enough to pay the bills? What happens during slow periods? What will I do about insurance?" and on and on. While you may not be able to answer every question definitively before taking the plunge, we can help walk you through the steps to determine if it's financially feasible and piecing together an action plan to make it work.

You've probably heard this time again again, but creating a budget is one of the most important steps in determining if you can make it financially while working from home. I can hear your collective groans, and I'll be the first to admit that sticking to a strict budget is not my cup of tea. However, at least going through the motions and building a budget will give you much needed insight into your spending patterns and finances in general. You will be able to identify areas where you can cut back on unnecessary spending or even cut out it completely.

The first step in building your budget is to track ALL of your expenses, and I do mean ALL of your expenses. Find a small notebook to carry with you, and enter every single little purchase you make – the 50-cent candy bar from the vending machine, the $2.99 magazine, the $1.25 20-oz. Coke, all of it. Ideally you want to do this for a month, but at the very least, track them for a week.

I know this sounds a little tedious, but it's a crucial task. You might be tempted to just guesstimate your weekly expenses, but it's human nature to forget about these little purchases that can quickly take a big bite out of our income. Now, go track those expenses, and come back next week to analyze your spending!

Lesson 1: Track your everyday expenditures for a period of at least one week, ideally for one month.

Getting Started – All That Other Stuff

While the majority of our posts cover the basics of transcription and the actual transcribing process, there are several other things that also come into play when scheduling your time. Earlier this week, Mandi covered pricing structures for audio, and while that is one way to figure out your income, you also need to remember the other time consuming aspects that don't pay as part of being a business owner.

One of the things that you need to leave time for is invoicing because, let's face it, if you don't make time to invoice your clients and contracts for the work you completed, the probably aren't going to pay you. For some companies your invoices will be due on certain days, setting the time you need to be invoicing, while other companies may leave it up to you to decide when to invoice. I personally try to set times each month for invoicing and keep them consistent. That way I keep those responsibilities in my calendar and keep up to date so that my cash flow remains consistent for the work I'm completing on a day-to-day basis.

Another thing that is important you set aside time for is keeping good records. Records are incredibly important in this industry, especially when it comes time to invoice the client or contract or – gasp – do your taxes after the first of the year (or on April 15 itself). Keeping good records will make both of these things much easier when it comes time to tackle them.

There is also the process of communication to take into account when scheduling your time. Writing all those emails back and forth and communicating about files in a variety of ways takes time. Not only do the emails about files take time, but there is also the process of accessing and downloading audio files, checking audio and proofing.

Make sure you set aside time for all these "other" activities when you are setting up your time commitments and figuring out what your week is going to look like. Each and every one of them is important and needs to get done, and you don't want to start jeopardizing your extracurricular activities (like SLEEP!) to make time for them because you didn't properly plan them in. You'll thank yourself for being organized later.

Juggling Multiple Contracts

Holding multiple contracts is important to being able to weather the inevitable slow periods in the transcription industry. It's not often that all companies endure a slow period at the same time (except possibly around the holiday season), so by being able to request work from more than one source, you can hopefully avoid unexpected fluctuations in your income.

Juggling multiple contracts can be tricky though. I've held as many as six contracts at one time, but I found that I was stretched too thin. I've whittled my way back to three that work best for me as far as pay, scheduling, and type of work offered, and this seems to be working out very well.

How many contracts you can successfully hold down is ultimately a personal choice and can probably only be achieved through trial and error. It took me close to a year to find a mix that worked well, and I still tweak it from time to time as my priorities and needs change.

You may find that certain companies are just not a good fit for you because of their turnaround times or the transcript style they use (I personally detest strict verbatim work), and that's okay. Don't be afraid to cancel a contract that isn't working out. However, do be sure to do it in a courteous and professional manner. Burned bridges can come back to haunt you just as much in the virtual world as they can when working brick-and-mortar positions!

One final note about holding multiple contracts is to make sure that there aren't any conflicts of interest between companies. For example, we've mentioned in the past that companies that transcribe financial earnings calls for Thomson may preclude you from holding a contract with a company that transcribes them for CallStreet. Do your due diligence!

This site is a much more valuable resource when readers share their input. If you've been working in the transcription industry for a while, what are some tips you have on juggling multiple contracts?

Can You Afford to Work At Home as a Transcriptionist?

This is an important question that we hear on a consistent basis. We get lots of emails asking our opinions on whether we think an individual can be a work-at-home mom or dad. While our blog isn't strictly focused on work-at-home moms and dads and we're not financial experts, we have all managed to achieve this personally with a good measure of success.

We've mentioned before that working from home is not easy. It's involves some risk, as well as planning, determination, and resourcefulness. When deciding to make that leap, there are some important factors that you will want to consider. Budgets must be drawn up. Cost-cutting measures must be implemented. And we want to help you make the best decisions possible for your personal circumstances.

To that end, we're going to embark on a new series that will help you determine if you can make it as a work-at-home transcriptionist (or you could use the same tools to determine if you can make it as a work-at-home mom or dad period). If you have any specific questions you'd like to see addressed, please leave a comment on this post or send us an email!

Desktop Organization

I know you are all interested in what my desktop looks like after the product review of my monitor, so I decided to give you a glimpse of what I look at all day.

This is my desktop when I sit down every morning:


This is what my monitor looks like shortly after I sit down and am ready to work:


I really do enjoy my monitor, and it has a lot to do with the space I have available. However, we deal with what we have. I worked on a 15.4" laptop widescreen for the first two years of doing this. Since purchasing my monitor I have been loving the ability to organize. (I mean, if I can't organize my house, I may as well organize my work.) Being organized with work makes me more productive, and productivity equals income in this industry.

Dealing with a Lack of Motivation

In honor of our current poll I've decided to tell you what works for me when I feel less than motivated. It's not necessarily one thing that works, but there are a few things I tend to fall back on when I just can't stay awake/can't focus.

I work through it and plug along until I'm done with everything.

This obviously works if you have a deadline looming, and I have a deadline in sight. So, perhaps this is for those times when I've procrastinated to the point of no return and I have no choice but to push on through.

I grab a snack to munch on.

I fall back on this when I'm tired. I choose something small so I have to keep putting it in my mouth. Usually the break helps me wake up a little and refocus my attention back to the audio. Sometimes I put two pieces of gum in my mouth to achieve a similar effect.

I clean my house instead.

I can see several areas of my house from my desk, including my kitchen if I tilt my chair back a little bit. Sometimes it's the chaos around me that makes me feel less than relaxed when I'm trying to get some work done. If I take a moment to load the dishwasher or clean the areas in my direct line of sight I find I am more relaxed and can can concentrate better.

These are a few of the things that seem to work for me and help me stay on track during the day. Do you have anything special that works for you?

Guest Post: The Importance of Quarterly Tax Payments for the Self-Employed

I'm so pleased to present our first ever reader guest post today by one of our most frequent commenters, Margi Lowry!

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Disclaimer: I am not a tax professional - I don’t even pretend to play one on TV! Please do not consider any advice in this article without consulting a tax professional!

It was in 2002 when I first started contemplating working from home. To be honest, I didn’t think it was possible in my profession – Legal Assistant/Secretary. I just didn’t see how it was possible without a ton of pavement-pounding and becoming a “Virtual Assistant.” I had, admittedly, had a lot of trouble with my previous brick-and-mortar employers because, as a single mom with two school-aged children, I was habitually tardy and/or absent from work when I should be staying late and after-hours. Thus, I was working through temporary agencies and hating every minute of it.

So when I was contacted by an international law firm with an offer to consider contracting as a work-from-home transcriptionist, my thought (after checking to make sure they were really a legitimate firm!) was that it was the answer to my prayers. After a long “getting acquainted” phase with the firm and equipment coordination, I would log into their computers, type, send my results via email. I eventually became quite good at “problem dictators” – understanding difficult speakers. I was also becoming known for my ability to burn the midnight oil for rush jobs. I loved it!

And then – my first self-employed tax season rolled around.

What I knew, intellectually but did not plan for, was that when you are a contractor, you are responsible for your own taxes. And not just the “employee” portion of your taxes, but the “employer” portion as well. That year, I ended up with a tax bill of $3,000.00 (give or take) when you add in interest and penalties. I spent the next three years recovering from that first tax season!

It’s really very simple – as someone who is self-employed, you are responsible for (currently) 15.30% of the “employer” and “employee” portions of the FICA – 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare – of your self-employment income of “$400 or more.” I especially love how the IRS states: “Only the first $94,200 of your combined wages, tips, and net earnings in 2006 is subject to any combination of the 12.4% social security part of SE tax, social security tax, or railroad retirement (tier 1) tax. Only the first $94,200.00. Hah!

The IRS wants you to play nice and send at least quarterly tax payments “Estimated Taxes” if your projected tax liability exceeds $1,000.00. The easiest way to accomplish this is to grab your last years’ tax return, look at how much you owed last year, and then if you think your tax liability will be comparable to last year’s, divide by 4 or 12 and send those payments in quarterly or monthly. If you’ve had a substantial increase or decrease in income, you’ll need to figure that in. According to the IRS, you should, ” Multiply your total earnings subject to SE tax by 92.35% (.9235) to get your net earnings under the regular method. See Short Schedule SE, line 4, or Long Schedule SE, line 4a.” The IRS has a very informative Small Business/Self-Employed section on their website at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/index.html.

The easiest way to make your estimated payments is to make them via the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, or EFTPS. For information on how to enroll in EFTPS, you can click here. I find that monthly payments are a little more manageable with our tight budget and needs and thanks to EFTPS, tax season isn’t so stressful anymore!

Margi Lowry has been self-employed as a transcriptionist since 2002 – the first time she was bamboozled by the phrase, “How hard could it be!?” A Heckler at heart, she refuses to grow up, nor will she ever take life too seriously. Her personal, very amateurish (nothing professional about it!) blog can be found at http://margilowry.blogspot.com.

If you're interested in contributing a guest post, please contact us at transcriptiontalk (at) yourvirtualdesk (dot) com. We're open to any transcription-related topics!

A Day in the Life of a Work-at-Home Transcriptionist

If you work at home while also caring for your children, then the following scenario is probably familiar to you:

You sit down to get a few minutes of transcription in while your child(ren) are focused on some toy or game. Just as you get settled in your seat and get your earphones adjusted for comfort and your fingers poised on the home row of your keyboard, the toy loses all of its appeal and you're attention is being sought by the little ones in your life. You get up, take care of all of the needs/wants they can possibly think of and resettle yourself in front of your computer.

Rinse, repeat.

Working at home is a continuous juggling act of taking care of your children, home and work. People often say that being a stay-at-home mom is a full-time job in and of itself, and there's no doubt that it's hard work. But for those of us who work at home, whether it be full-time or part-time, that means that we're essentially working two jobs, and while it seems that some people think we're sitting around eating bon-bons, that just simply isn't true.

Just for fun, I decided to track my day about a week-and-a-half ago to give my readers over at Doodles' Place a glimpse into what it's like. That day ended up going nothing like I had planned, but how many do?

At the end of the day, being there to kiss boo-boos and watch my children learn about the world around them makes the juggling act worth it. But that doesn't mean there aren't moments that I want to pull my hair out, quit my job and go hide in a corner. You?

It's a Holiday! Are You Working?

For those of us in the United States it's a holiday today, which always gets me wondering how other transcriptionists deal with those random holidays that seem to pop up here and there.

I've found that holidays are generally handled by companies in a variety of ways. Some companies recognize these days by not having office hours on specific holidays. (Ah, the benefits of a brick and mortar.) Usually work will be assigned for the next work day. Other companies simply ignore the fact that there are holidays at all. Instead, they plow right on through as if they don't exist, scheduling work for those days. Still others will observe the holiday by offering bonuses or higher rates for work that needs to be turned in over the holiday. If you have your own clients the way a holiday works is going to have to be a mutual understanding regarding your ability during that time period. You can tell your clients whether you'll be in or out that day and when they can expect to have their work completed accordingly.

As a self-employed business owner, independent contractor, freelancer, amazing individual with the ability to multi-task and self-motivate like none other you ultimately get to choose how you handle the holidays. There are many things that may determine how you choose to balance work and play including financial obligations, family activities, pressure from companies, extra pay or that favorite client you just can't say no to. Some of the brick-and-mortar benefits don't translate into self-employment; one that I most certainly miss is paid vacation.

As a courtesy, it is always good to remind clients and contracts if you will be taking some time off over the holiday. It adds a level of professionalism and shows the you take your job seriously. Letting them know in advance will communicate you care not only about yourself, but about their business as well.

One thing to keep in mind is making sure you don't overextend yourself over holidays. You don't want to be the one up at 2:00 a.m. finishing work the night after Christmas while everyone else is tucked into their beds, full of cookies and looking forward to the New Year. You also don't want to be the one left behind for that family picnic because you have to stay and work due to a file taking longer than it should or your inability to say no.

Of course, you may be one who likes to take the bonus files and work while everyone else is doing their holiday activity. Perhaps your idea of a day off is saving up for a two-week vacation in Europe or taking a day off to go visit your local museum in the middle of a weekday when no one else is there.

Whatever you decide to do when facing the holiday question remember that you are your own boss, so the benefits and consequences are yours and yours alone. Be responsible, be professional, but always take the time to relax and have fun.

Sanity Savers During Stressful Times

Whether you work at home or in an office, the stresses of balancing work and personal life can be overwhelming at times. Being tired, malnourished or unprepared only contribute to feelings of not being able to handle everything that we face.

I know that for me personally, when I'm tired, I crave sugar. Eating sugar leaves me more tired and emotional, and I get stuck in a cycle that inevitably leads to a meltdown. On the other hand, eating a healthy balanced breakfast and lunch and drinking plenty of water during the day helps keep my energy up even when I'm sleep-deprived. Because of this, I'm able to complete my work faster as well.

This article from Lolita Carrico at Modern Mom includes five more Sanity Savers for busy working moms, but many of them are useful for anyone. They include preparing the night before, eating healthy snacks, one hand wonders, power naps and in-home spa treatments.

Above all, it's important to realize that sometimes you simply can't do it all. While some things on your task list may be urgent, others may be more important. Eliminating the unnecessary items and delaying those that can be delayed until a less stressful time is okay. No one can do everything!

Mind Tools offers many great articles and resources for time management as well as stress management (not to mention some of their other great resources). However, finding a system that works for you is an important part of dealing with the stresses of life, so if these tools don't appeal to you, keep looking for one that does!

Do you have any stress management tips or resources that help you maintain balance?

Five Skills for Work-at-Home Success

When I tell people that I work form home, they automatically think that I have it easy. I'll tell you – even my husband and I have had it out on occasion over this very misconception. I mean, he of all people should know how difficult it is to run a household with five children, let alone trying to get some real work done while they're doing all the things that young kids do to make their parents go gray early. It's just that the "at home" part of "work at home" seems to stand out over the "work" part. Oh yeah, theoretically I should have time to throw a load of clothes in the wash, maybe fold a few, and do some dishes, but the reality of it is, I'm lucky to get the kids clothed and fed and my files turned in on time while holding on holding on to some shred of my sanity many days.

Working from home is definitely not for the faint of heart, especially if you have kids, but it's difficult even without. The potential for interruptions is much greater, and if you don't plan your time very carefully, you might find yourself missing your deadlines on a frequent basis. It's easy to be complacent and think, "Oh, I've got plenty of time. I'll do that file later." I've talked before about the dangers falling prey to procrastination without a boss looking over your shoulder all day long to make sure you're meeting your targets. However, it definitely has it perks, as well.

Do you think you have what it takes to work from home? I found a great article on HotJobs that outlines the five basic skills that you need to to have to be successful at working from home. There's probably a good possibility that you're weaker in some areas and stronger in others, but as they say, knowledge is half the battle. If you truly want to make working from home work for you, you have to be committed to bettering your weak areas while maintaining your stronger ones. Read on to determine if you can make this work for you!

One thing Chad Brown doesn't stress about is his daily commute. Rolling out of bed, washing his face, and walking 10 paces to his computer, he's already at work. The CEO of Plus 1 Tickets, a home-based, ticket-brokering firm that sells sports, theater, and concert tickets throughout the nation, Brown is one of the more than 4.2 million Americans who are ditching the daily commute in favor of punching in at home.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost half of the nation's small businesses operate from home-based offices -- and why not? As employer loyalty wanes and low-cost, lightning-speed technology becomes more accessible, it's easier than ever to launch your own firm without leaving home.

Below are five skills you'll need to kiss the cubicle goodbye.

Entrepreneurship

Sure you've got industry knowledge, but do you have what it takes to be the boss? According to Tamara Monosoff, author of the best-selling book "Secrets of Millionaire Moms" and the CEO of the Alamo, California-based product marketing firm, Mom Inventors Inc., it takes more than good ideas to make a business work. "A successful business is really about knowing what steps you need, and taking action," she says. "It's about making a plan, setting concrete goals, and shaping the business the way you imagine it to be."

Entrepreneurship courses offered through your local chamber of commerce, small business association chapter, or online through schools like DeVry University can help new home-based business owners get off the ground.

Tax Planning

When you own your own business, it's all about thinking financially. "As a new business owner, one of the first things you need to know is how to structure your company to have maximum tax benefits," states William Ellyson, a Richmond, Virginia-based attorney who specializes in small-business issues.

Entrepreneurs can find basic tax planning courses through local community colleges and small business association chapters. Those looking for more in-depth knowledge can check out year-long financial planning certificate programs offered online.

Public Relations and Marketing

"The main thing my major has taught me is how to network," states Brown, a public relations major at Virginia Commonwealth University whose networking skills grew his ticket-brokering firm from a sideline hobby into a nationwide company with more than $150,000 in sales each year. "I've also learned how to effectively talk to clients and efficiently deal with problems."

No matter the industry, all home-based entrepreneurs must be able to promote their services, reach the target demographic, communicate effectively with clients, and create a professional image for the public. While four-year institutions like Virginia Commonwealth offer bachelor's degree programs in public relations, home-based business owners can also find PR courses through their local community college or chamber of commerce.

E-Commerce

"Five years ago, the attitude was 'Yeah, I know I need to have a website, but I'll get around to it,'" says Gene Fairbrother, lead small business consultant for the National Association for the Self-Employed. "Today you've got to have a Web presence to be in business." According to the market research firm, Forrester Research, Inc., e-commerce retail sales topped $175 billion last year, with the industry projected to grow another $160 billion by 2012.

Brown fine-tuned his e-commerce strategy, moving his products from eBay to larger ticket broker sites such as Stubhub.com and Ticketsnow.com, increasing sales by an estimated 200 percent. To learn how to set up, manage, and promote your business online, check out e-commerce courses offered online through the University of Maryland University College and the University of Phoenix.

Project Management

Being the CEO, chief sales officer, HR director, bookkeeper, and janitor requires expert multitasking. "It's very difficult to manage it all," admits Monosoff, who leads a multi-million-dollar home-based business while raising two children and writing a monthly column for Entrepreneur Magazine. "You have to have discipline, organization, and be able to prioritize."

Setting Up Your Office...If You Have One

I know not everyone in this industry has an actual office. Let's face it. We are relatively portable if we work on a laptop. I have taken my work to my in-laws', to the hotel on vacation, and to a cabin in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (where I worked and turned in a file using the wireless internet from one of the lodges near where we were staying). However, when at home I tend to be a little bit more organized, and I do like my own private workspace and use a docking station for my laptop to hook up to all my toys and my extra large monitor.

We just finished an addition to our house, and one portion of that is going to be my new office. I'm really excited to be setting it up, deciding where I want things and what it is that I want, and while doing so, this article helped me make a few decisions when planning my space.

Getting Set Up

Choose a work location
It is important to identify a safe and efficient location in your home as your work space. It should be quiet and away from heavy "traffic patterns" so you can spread out and work without interruption. It should be well lit and comfortable. It does not have to be an entire room. However, do not try working on the couch in front of the television. The dining room table may not be a good choice either. A distinct area will also help send the signal that this is where work is done.

My new work location will be adjacent to a large room where I have a play area set up for the kids and a TV area just beyond that. I do work with my kids home, and this allows me to spread them out and have them working on activities if I am working while they are up where I can supervise and be available if they need me.

The desk
A conventional desk is usually 29 inches high. The recommended height for a computer desk is 26 inches high. Your desk should be sturdy enough to handle the weight of any equipment you are using.

I opted for building my desk directly into my workspace so I could have it exactly what I wanted, where I wanted it. I went for a 29" desktop with a keyboard tray set at 26".

The chair
This may be the most important piece of furniture in your home office. The seat should be adjustable and high enough that your feet are flat on the floor (usually 15-20 inches). If you cannot adjust the chair height and your feet do not reach the floor, use a footrest or wedge-shaped item, such as a three-ring binder, to support your feet. The backrest should support the back of the waist - a 15 degree back tilt is typically recommended - and should fit snugly against your lower back. If you cannot adjust the backrest, use a small pillow or rolled-up towel to support your lower back. Your forearms should be parallel to the floor when your hands are placed in the center of a computer keyboard.

Okay. So, I happen to LOVE my chair, both of them even. I have two Herman Miller chairs, and they are both the most comfortable chairs I have to transcribe in. I know they're pricey, but if you watch Craigslist you can usually find them a greatly reduced prices.

Lighting
Lighting affects comfort and performance. It should be directed toward the side or behind your line of vision, not in front of or above it. Bright light can bounce off surfaces. Northern light is considered best for both office and computer operations. If you have a computer monitor, it should be positioned at a right angle to the window.

New office, new lights. We have recessed lighting in the room I'm in, but I am installing a set of track lights over where my desk is that I can aim to provide the best lighting for working. I had this setup at our old house, and I found that it helped a lot at night when the lighting in the room was different than during the day.

Noise
No noise can be as stressful as too much noise. Some background sound (soft music or white noise) can help keep productivity up and reduce boredom. Preserve your professional image. Judgements, fair or unfair, may be based on background noises. Try to keep callers from hearing televisions, vacuum cleaners, loud music, etc.

Part of the motivation for building my own desk was that I can hide all the cables in the wall. Floating desk, no cords. Okay. You'll still see my foot pedal cord, but that is one I couldn't get rid of.

Safety
Regularly check your home office to keep it safe. To avoid injuries from repetitive motion, take frequent breaks. Use the straight hand-forearm method when using a keyboard to minimize wrist deviation.

Safety is always important, and the topic of ergonomics sounds like a good one for us to focus on in later posts. Keep reading!