General

I enjoy working from a home office — most days.  However, that’s now.  When I first started freelancing full-time from home, I had a few obstacles to overcome.  I needed a space where I could be organized and do my work.  And I needed respect for that space.  Here are some things that have worked for me in maintaining a mostly professional home office.

A dedicated room or space

When I first started freelancing full-time, we were living in a 900-square foot apartment.  I didn’t have the space to dedicate an entire room to my office.  I started with a corner.  It was the same corner where my desk was set up in the back of the living room, so it made sense.  I had a bookshelf and a computer desk with my computer and printer.  I spent my days sitting in that corner.

A year later we moved into a house with just over 1,600 square feet, so I finally had the space to dedicate an entire room to my office.  I picked a room in the back of the house with an attached half bathroom, door leading to the outside, two walls of built-in bookshelves and plenty of windows looking into the backyard.  It is perfect for me.

No matter where you find, make it your dedicated space.  It should be where you can go to do work.  It should be separate from the rest of your household.  True, I have a shelf and a couple of files in my office where I keep personal finance information, but at least 80 percent of the space is dedicated solely to work.  If I were too overwhelmed with household or personal things, I would never be able to concentrate on my work.

By the same token, having a dedicated work area means that you can leave it behind at the end of the day.  I don’t spend much time in my office during non-work hours.  I have a laptop and if I need to do something on my computer, usually I will take the laptop to another room when I’m not working.  That way I am actually getting away from it.  Otherwise, I start to get burned out.

Office hours

In order to take yourself seriously and have others follow suit, you need set office hours.  In general, I try to be behind my desk at least by 9 a.m. every day.  I try to be finished for the day by 4:30 p.m.  I take an hour for lunch.  Of course I have both shorter and longer days, but these hours are my guide.  Oh, and I work Monday through Friday.  Yes, I have worked weekends, but I don’t make a regular practice of it.

The nice thing about a home office is you really can make the hours work best for you.  I do my best work during the morning and day-time.  I know others, however, who work better at night.  Pick hours that work for you.  If I waited to start work until 7 p.m., I’d be dozing at my keyboard within a couple of hours.  I’m far from a night owl!

Another bonus to having hours is that you can let those around you know.  When I first started, I would often get phone calls during the day from family members wanting to chat.  After telling them time and again that I was working, it sunk in.  Now I seldom get chitchat calls during the day.  Or if I do, they ask if I have time to talk, just like if I were in an office outside of my home.

Letting others know also helps keep you accountable in some ways.  On the days my husband works from home, we both give each other space.  I almost feel guilty if I am not working like I know I should be because someone else is around to see that.

Caller ID, voicemail and long distance calling

A variety of tools can help you maintain a professional office, but caller ID is one of the most important and perhaps most overlooked.  I love caller ID.  When I first started, I couldn’t afford my own office line.  Caller ID told me when I needed to answer the phone professionally (as in “Hi, this is Stacey”) versus casually (as in “Hello?”).

Caller ID also told me when it was a personal phone call that I could let go to voicemail if I was busy or on the other line conducting an interview.  That said, when I am on the phone conducting an interview or client meeting, I never click over and answer the other line.  Caller ID shows who called, even if they don’t leave voicemail.

Voicemail is also crucial.  An answering machine can’t pick up when you are on the other line.  Voicemail can.  I, personally, use Vonage for phone service.  I get an e-mail with voicemail messages attached.  I can also forward the phone to my cell phone when I am expecting a call and need to make a quick trip to the post office or something.

Another benefit to Vonage is free, unlimited long distance throughout the United States and Canada.  When I started free-lancing, Vonage didn’t exist.  I had a regular phone company phone plan.  I paid through the nose for long distance.  Sometimes I was reimbursed; sometimes I wasn’t.  And when I was reimbursed, it was usually months after the phone bill was due.  Unlimited long distance keeps me from worrying.  It’s vital to a home office for a free-lancer.

One more option I’m going to mention is Vonage’s virtual phone number feature.  For a while I actually maintained two phone lines.  Now I opt for a virtual phone number for around $5 a month.  I still have the same two phone numbers, but they ring in on the same line.  Again, caller ID lets me know when it’s a business call or when it’s a personal call so I answer the phone accordingly.

I could go on and on about maintaining a professional home office and the tools needed, but I’m going to stop here for now before this gets too long.  I guess to summarize, I would say maintain an air of professionalism and that will follow through.  I literally had days near the beginning where I’d put on shoes just to feel like I was going to work and feel more professional.  Whatever it takes!

As you read this (if you’re reading it the day it’s posted), I am enjoying some vacation time relaxing in my favorite vacation spot in Tennessee.  The photos throughout my blog are from this very spot.  It’s my favorite place on earth.

And though I’m actually writing this a week ahead of time to post while I’m gone, I can tell you that I am fully relaxing.  Plans for vacation include sleeping, eating, reading and fishing.  And that’s about it.  We might drive to a nearby city to watch a movie, but that’s the most scheduled activity planned.

While work is important, downtime is also important.  Working without downtime leads to burnout.  I struggle sometimes to take downtime and not just check one more e-mail.  I’m fortunate to have a husband who helps keep me accountable.  He knows that I tend to overdo it sometimes and leave myself exhausted and ready to throw in the towel.  I get that way, and I love my work.

As a Christian, I go back to God’s plan for things.  He worked for six days and then rested.  That’s a good reminder that I need rest and downtime, too.  When I get done with rest and downtime, I also find that I feel refreshed and a renewed sense of purpose in my work.

A week of vacation doing nearly nothing beside a lake is definitely great for downtime, but smaller ways exist to get downtime, too. Sometimes I work from other locations.  Not necessarily downtime, per se, but sitting on a couch on a sunporch can be enough change of scenery that I don’t feel so bogged down.  Going for a drive is good.  Even just 20 minutes away can be refreshing.  I also love to read or watch a favorite television program.  Playing with my dog or taking him for a walk can also rejuvenate my spirits.

What do you do for downtime in major and minor ways?

If I were to be completely honest about myself, I would tell you that I can stress out over the small stuff — contrary to what those books tell us to do.  I tend to be a perfectionist and not all that fond of change.  For that reason, when I decided to major in journalism all those years ago, my older brother was concerned I couldn’t handle the pressure and stress of deadlines.  In journalism classes professors would sometimes give short deadlines to simulate the real world and he had friends who had dealt with that.  He didn’t think I would do well with that.

While his concerns were definitely well founded, I discovered in college and since that I actually thrive on and love deadlines.  Sometimes they are short and stressful.  Sometimes they are longer and let me plan, but I enjoy them.  As a freelancer, deadlines keep me on task.  They give me a goal to work toward.  I know that by this certain day this project or article will be completed.

In graduate school, I had a part-time job where I was working on a huge and unending project.  I enjoyed the work, but it never had a sense of finality to it.  So, I set deadlines for myself to complete certain tasks and give me not only a goal to work toward but also a sense of accomplishment when the goal was reached.

Without deadlines these days, it’s too easy for a task to get pushed to the back-burner.  Project deadlines help me prioritize and organize my workload.  They keep me motivated and on task.  I would definitely say deadlines are bliss, even when it makes working late or working weekends; deadlines keep me going.

How do you feel about deadlines?

This has been a different week for me.  Usually, I am working in my office five days a week (sometimes more).  This week, though, I’ve been working outside of the office.  I left Monday afternoon for a urology conference about four hours away to cover it for a publication.  I spent two days going to a couple of different sessions relating to the topic I’d been assigned to.  It was still work, but it was definitely out of the ordinary.  A change of pace is nice.

Though I have come away from the conference tired, I have also come away with a renewed sense of purpose in some ways.  The topic I’m covering is one I feel passionately about.  I liked being reminded that other people feel passionately about it, too.  That will certainly help when I’m putting together the article.

I also feel a bit refreshed beneath the tiredness.  Sometimes just getting out of the daily grind is just what I need.  I love my work, as I have often said in this blog, but everyone gets bogged down after a while.

I enjoyed the time away from the office.  Today I’m back here, though, playing a bit of catch-up and getting back to a sense of normalcy with renewed vigor.  What recharges your batteries?

I was recently asked through a writer’s group I belong to what I would say to myself back when I was first starting to write as a freelancer.  It made me stop and think.  In 2003 I was fresh out of graduate school and decided to quit my work as an assistant historian to freelance full-time.  It was scary and exhilarating all at once.  I’ve learned a few lessons along the way.  Here’s a bit of what I would say to the past Stacey.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. I think perhaps we are all our worst enemies.  I tend to be a perfectionist.  And I tend to over-criticize myself.  Especially back when I first started, I thought everything I wrote was horrible and I’d never get a paying job again.  Seriously.  I try to share this with my students when I teach writing.  Writers struggle with confidence so very much.  But, at the end of the day, you get points just for showing up and working and trying your hardest.  No need to continually berate yourself along the way.

Don’t take things so personally. Yeah, I still struggle with this.  I have long since gotten over taking edits to my writing personally.  By the end of two degrees in journalism, I learned that lesson a long time ago.  I’m talking about the times when people just aren’t happy.  I’ve run into a few clients along the way who think I’m a mind reader and aren’t at all happy when I write what they told me.  I want to make them happy, so it’s hard not to feel bad when they’re not.  It’s even harder when they aren’t nice about it, which has happened a time or two.  I try to remind myself of all the good feedback I get, which far outnumbers the bad.  Funny, though, how it never seems to outweigh the negative feedback.

Enjoy slow times. When I first started with freelance, I thought every time my work load was light that meant I was failing (goes back to the first point a bit).  I thought it meant I’d never get any more work.  Just like so many other businesses, freelance writing has an ebb and flow to it.  Some times are busier than others.  Last week, for example, I was so crazy busy I had no time to blog and worked late a few nights.  I remember those times when I am able to work half days or even take a workday off when it’s slower.

Be grateful you get to work at your passion. Above all, this is the most important piece of advice I’d give to the past Stacey.  Freelance writing is my dream.  Some days I forget that.  Early on, I beat myself up over not having a grand income.  I missed the point that I was blessed to be able to do what I feel passionately about.  I love researching, writing and editing.  If I remain focused on that blessing every day, then I am a much happier Stacey.  That’s a reminder I definitely need — for past Stacey, present Stacey and future Stacey.

What would you go back and tell yourself?

When people ask me what I do, I tell them that I’m a freelance journalist and copywriter.  But, more often than not, what I actually do is listen to and recount people’s stories.  And I love every minute of it.

Sometimes I share someone’s general life story.  Most of the time, though, I share parts of them specific to what I’m writing about — whether it’s the work life or their specific experiences.

I spent yesterday making stops at four places in a nearby city for a series of 16 articles that I’m writing.  I met people I don’t know and went to places I’d never been.  I heard their stories.  While they are mostly business profiles, I learned mostly about their work, but in between the lines I learned a bit about them as well.  I learned about an appliance store owner who has been dealing with a sick wife but who loves his work.  I learned about the history of a former hotel that had included guests like President Harry Truman and Hogey Carmichael.  Though a long day, it was a great one.

Time and again I am reminded that every person I encounter has a story to tell.  I feel privileged that they share part of their story with me.  It is a trust between us that I take seriously; I try in all of my work to portray each story and each component as it is in real life.

What’s your story?

For the last year or so, news reports have circulated about newspapers ceasing print publication and going completely online.  Publishers say the change is due to loss in profit — fewer subscribers, higher operating costs.  Does this trend mean all print newspapers are doomed?  I’ve heard arguments both ways.

The latest newspaper to go solely online is the Seattle Post-Intelligence.  As home to Microsoft, Seattle could arguably have a higher number of technophiles who are turning to the Internet for their news.  My husband is one such user.  He never picks up the local newspaper to read.

But is the average American city ready to go online only with their local newspapers?  I daresay no.  Another fact newspaper publishers bemoan is the age of their readership.  While Generations X and Y are hitting the Internet for news, the World War II generation isn’t as likely to log on.

In order to survive, American newspapers need to give local readers what they want most — local news.  I would estimate that 65 to 75 percent of the articles in the newspaper of the mid-sized Indiana city where I live are written by the Associated Press or other content providers.  Some AP content is fine and even a good thing, but most readers turn to the local newspaper for local news.  They get the national stories from other sources, such as television news.

Unfortunately, many local papers are falling behind on local coverage, which could be aiding in their loss of profit.  For now, I continue subscribing to my local newspaper.  I like to sit at the kitchen table with my bowl of cereal and read through the paper in the morning, but I do notice that I am reading less and less of the paper as it shrinks in content of interest.

While the economy is definitely in a major slump, the time has come for newspaper editors and publishers to pay more attention to and deliver what their local readers want before it’s too late.

Time management is one of those phrases that gets bandied about in various capacities, most often at job interviews.  Saying you have good time management sounds great to a potential employer.

Actually having good time management is a crucial component of having your own business, though.  I’ve found a few tools along the way that help me stay organized and in charge of my time.

The first is Microsoft Outlook.  Of course, similar programs exist, but having an e-mail program with a calendar and task list is priceless to me.  Outlook is the first program I open when I get to work in the morning and the last one I close when I am finished for the day.  I’m obsessed with it.

For example, if I send out an invoice, I make myself a reminder to follow up with the client a month later if I haven’t heard from him or her.  Otherwise, I am likely to forget or let six months pass.  If I have a deadline coming up for an article, I put it on the calendar and set the reminder at least a week ahead to make sure that I remember.  I set various tasks relating to the deadline as reminders in my task list that will pop up before that.

I even use the Notes section, which are like digital Post-It notes, to keep a running list of current projects listed by deadline.  If it’s not on my calendar or in my task list of Outlook, then it may not get done.  And, of course, I use Outlook to for RSS feeds, e-mail and contacts.

A little lower tech, I also love a small whiteboard.  I have my task list and calendar set up in Outlook for everyday, but the whiteboard keeps me in check.  Each morning I’ll organize myself on it.  In the upper right corner, I write any scheduled meetings and then list any personal chores that need to be done that day.  With scheduled meetings, I include either (IP) or (Ph) after the appointment so I know whether it’s in person or on the phone.  That makes a difference in how I dress!

Personal chores keep me organized, too.  Today, for example, I have listed that I need to make a grocery list and wash towels.  When I get some downtime or at the end of the day, I remember what needs to be done.

On the left side, I list those tasks that pop up in my Outlook for the day along with any new ones that have come up.  Having them in two places may seem redundant, but it helps me.  I’ve found the white board keeps me a bit more motivated when I find it easier to keep clicking “Snooze” on reminders in Outlook and not get them accomplished.  The white board makes the tasks seem that much more important.

Caller ID is another tool that helps me manage my time.  First, I have both my office number and my home number ring to the same phone, so called ID helps me know how to answer.  It also helps me know who is calling.  If I’m in the middle of a project and the ID shows up that it’s my dentist’s office reminding me of my appointment the next day, then I let the call go to voicemail.

And, finally, Twitter, keeps me on target a lot of times.  For those who don’t know, Twitter is a social networking site where users post information about what they’re doing.  It could perhaps be a time zapper, but for me, it can often keep me on target.  I’ll post what I’m doing and then feel accountable to get it done, especially when I read how much others are getting accomplished.

What tools help keep you on track with time management?

Having just recently written about both the benefits and drawbacks of being a freelancer, I am especially struck by the irony of how these two things have been personified this week in my life.

Let me explain.  I’m sick.  Not horribly sick with a major illness, but a miserable head cold through which breathing is difficult and energy is hard to come by.  My husband is in the same boat.  And my benefits and drawbacks are coming to life more than usual.

First, I have the benefit of getting my work done while sitting on my couch in my PJs with a box of tissues beside me.  In fact, that’s exactly the scene as I type this!  But, I also have the drawback of having to work while I don’t feel well.   I am trying not to envy my husband his sick days.  However, deadlines loom and no one else picks up the slack.  I tried to talk my dog into writing a couple of articles, but he wasn’t interested.

And that’s about all the news I have to share right now.  I’m definitely feeling benefits and drawbacks of freelance this week.  But, it’s a life I chose and one I’m happy to live  — especially on the days I can breathe through my nose!

I’ve been in a few situations recently where I’ve been reminded of simple tips that make a person successful.  Some people employ them, others not so much.  This is far from an all-inclusive list on what it takes to be successful in work, but rather just a few tips and suggestions based on experience.

Be courteous to everyone. This kind of falls into networking in that you never know who might refer business to you.  But, it is also common decency.  We all have people who we are willing to go the extra mile for because they are nice or good to us.

Respect other people’s time. Nothing is more annoying or disrespectful than being in a meeting where the other person continues on with his or her work as if you’re not present.  Don’t forget that other people have schedules to keep as well and should be treated with respect in regards to their time.

Keep your word. Deadlines can creep up on everyone, but if you say you are going to do something, then follow through.  If you are setting a deadline for yourself (as in, “I’ll have that to you by the end of the week”), then meet that deadline.  If you aren’t going to be able to do that, let the person know.

Stay humble.  I don’t mean this as in the person who brags that he or she is good at being humble.  But be humble as in the person who realizes that we are all human and in the same boat — whether someone has multiple college degrees or just a middle school education.  Everyone has something to offer.

Always be professional. This is my last and best tip.  People remember us as we portray ourselves.  You never know when someone is watching or paying attention.  Maintaining an air of professionalism, even when working with long-time clients who have become friends, speaks volumes.  It gives people confidence in you and builds respect.  At the end of the day, you want folks to remember good things about you and your character.  That’s the kind of person clients are likely to call time and again.

What are some of your tips for business (or life) success?