The survey also found that 67 percent of respondents spend between one to four hours per week just preparing for status meetings, and 59 percent said that preparing for status meetings often takes longer than the meeting itself. In addition, 57 percent of those surveyed indicated that they multitask during status meetings — so maybe there’s more work getting done than one might think!

The survey was conducted online within the United States from June 6–8, among 2,373 information workers. It was undertaken by Harris Interactive on behalf of Clarizen, the project management system that Thursday covered a few months ago. The survey defined a status meeting as one in which team members are updated on progress and completion of tasks. Brainstorming, strategy and planning meetings were not included.

If you’re finding your meetings unproductive, there are a number of tools available to help, including meetin.gs and yaM. Many of the project management apps that we cover are intended, among other things, to help keep team members updated on project status and what their colleagues are doing and so reduce the time spent in meetings. And there are some techniques, like the Google system that Imran reported on last year, for making meetings more productive.

How much time do you spend in meetings? Are they productive?

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Writing on Freelance Folder, Lexi Rodrigo cites Parkinson’s Law as the underlying rationale for her argument. The principle, first recognized in regard to the ever-expanding British civil service in the 1950s, declares that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

For web workers, the principle means that however many hours we allot ourselves to work, we will find activities to fill them. And the opposite, Rodrigo contends, is equally true. Limit your hours, and the time it takes you to complete tasks will shrink to accommodate the new boundaries. Set yourself a deadline and you’ll feel more urgency, more adrenaline and less perfectionism.

Rodrigo backs up her ideas with arguments that would be true for a baker or cobbler, but there’s evidence that quantity does not necessarily translate to quality, especially for knowledge workers. Happiness-at-work expert Alexander Kjerulf, for instance, has rounded up research that shows that knowledge workers “are the most productive when they work 35 hours a week” and “productivity decreased by half after the eighth hour of work.”

So how can we shorten our workdays? Rodrigo offers several suggestions, many of which are classic time-management techniques that we’ve covered before. But three of her ideas are particularly pertinent.

• Keep your deadlines challenging but realistic. A too-generous deadline won’t make you more productive. On the other hand, a deadline that’s impossible to meet is counterproductive as well. When you feel you’re too late for something, it can de-motivate you from working faster and more efficiently. So you want a deadline that puts pressure on you but that is still humanly manageable.
• Reward yourself for meeting deadlines. Imagine all the other things you could do if you had a shorter workday. You could go to the gym, hang out with friends, play video games, work on your novel. What would you do if you didn’t have to work? Plan to do some of that after your work is completed every day. And I mean put it in your schedule … Type it into your Google calendar. That’s the only way it will get done.
• Stick to your deadlines — but remain flexible. Of course, deadlines only work if you actually stick to them. Yet at the same time, you need to have some flexibility. Unexpected things come up, often through no fault of yours. If it’s necessary, adjust your deadline.

These tips merge well with some that we’ve talked about before:

• Select work hours that are the most efficient for you.
• Schedule breaks and time off.
• Avoid going online before breakfast.
• Mark the end of the day and finish on time.

How do you manage your work schedule?

Image courtesy of Flickr user matsuyuki

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We all know that it’s better to keep existing customers than to spend the time and effort getting new ones. Recently, a friend and fellow business owner asked me for advice on how she could raise her prices. Here’s the procedure we came up with:

Calculate the price increase you need. You probably know which of your clients are likely to go elsewhere when prices are raised, so run some scenarios on a spreadsheet and see what pencils out. Try to plan at least a couple of years in advance, since you don’t want to have to raise prices too often.

Create two tiers of pricing. You can generally raise prices for new customers right away, as soon as you’ve updated whatever published price lists you may have, and changed your internal systems to reflect the new rates. Keep your current clients at your old prices for now.

Schedule the price increase. Pick a date, at least a couple of months away, for implementing the increase for current customers. To simplify record keeping and tax reporting, I prefer to schedule increases at the beginning of a new year or quarter.

Notify current customers what you plan to do.

• Explain why the increase is needed. For service businesses, you may want to tell customers that the increase will be used to give the folks they deal with well-deserved raises.
• Explain that because they are valued customers, you have continued to charge them at your old rates until now. You might also want to offer the ability to pre-pay for your services at the old rates for up to 6-12 months.

Be prepared to politely deal with upset customers, in person, by phone, by email, and on social media. Try to respond to such customers individually if you can, and avoid canned responses. But be firm, and don’t negotiate special deals.

My friend and I have both followed these steps for our respective businesses in the last few months, and we’ve been happy with the results. We both lost a few clients, but fewer than we expected, and the increased revenue more than made up for the losses. And frankly, the lost customers were those with small budgets and big needs; it’s often true that those with the smallest budgets need the most hand-holding.

Have you raised your prices recently? How has it impacted your business?

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What Is Emotional Labor?

Emotional labor, as Godin describes it, requires:

• Working without a map
• Vision and the willingness to do something about what you see
• Staring into the abyss of choice and picking a path

Emotional labor is hard. I was thinking about that very fact recently, when I was asked the question, “What would you do if you won the lottery?” I didn’t feel like answering the question, and then I stepped back and wondered why. Was it because I think planning my future, my success, and my happiness on the probability of winning the lottery is not a good idea? Maybe. No offense to the lottery, but I’d rather put my attention and effort toward something that I actually have a decent chance at achieving. The real question for me was whether I didn’t feel like answering it because I didn’t want to put in the emotional effort in order to do so. That was a little scary, because it then made me question whether or not I put in enough emotional labor on a regular basis to actually build the life and business that I want to create.

How Do You Move a Mountain?

If you wanted to answer the question, “What is it that I want for my life and business (lottery or no lottery)?,” it’s going to take quite a bit of emotional labor to come up with a response and an actionable plan to make it happen. It’s going to take even more effort to get out of the bed every morning and do the work to achieve it. Penelope Trunk wrote about this recently; she said that “the most triumphant moments are the days when I have no idea how I’m going to fix anything, but I get out of bed anyway. On the other hand, the moments of huge achievement are not actually that hard to get to. By the time you’re close, you are so motivated to get there that it doesn’t feel like work at all.”

So, maybe that’s the answer. Moving the big rocks is actually easier than figuring out what rocks you want to move in the first place. In fact, I know that to be true. On the days when I’m disconnected from my vision, I’m floundering, and I’m not sure what to do, everything is a struggle, even getting out of bed. The real work, though, comes when I decide, “OK, I’ve got to get my mind around this.” I sit down and commit to doing the emotional work of reconnecting with my vision and figuring out my next move (without a map). That can take hours sometimes, days even, and it’s not easy. There are times when it’s very tempting to quit. It requires digging deeper and being brutally honest, but at the end of all of that, I know what rocks I want to move.

Then the work becomes unbelievably easy. All of a sudden, I can move mountains in no time flat. It becomes fun and engaging, and it’s amazing to see the progress I’m able to make and the passion and energy I have for my life and business.

Now Go Move It

Most days, we get so caught up in the habitual doing that we don’t take the time to connect with our real reason for being, the real purpose that should drive our lives and businesses. Connecting with that real purpose, figuring out what you want your life and business to look like, and deciding the core role you need to play to achieve that vision is actually the hardest part. Once you take the time and put in the emotional work to figure all of that out, the rest becomes obvious and much easier.

Do you feel that you put in enough emotional labor on a regular basis to build the life and business you really want?

Photo by Flickr user Richard0, licensed under CC 2.0

That’s not all I get from the experience, though. Dedicated gym-goers use some tried and tested methods to make their workouts more efficient and effective. As usual, what’s good for the goose is also good for the gander, and a lot of these same strategies can apply quite well to professional workflows, too. What is work, after all, besides a prolonged workout of your professional muscles?

Super-sets

It’s understood that after a set of one type of exercise, you’ll take a short break before doing another. But that’s time-consuming, and it’s almost always possible to do another kind of exercise that emphasizes different muscles in between sets in order to be more efficient with your workout. This also has the benefit of keeping your heart rate up, which will help your weight training provide some cardio advantages, too.

Applying the super-set principle to your web working routine will help you make the most out of your working hours, minimize downtime, and open up larger chunks of usable free time for you to really enjoy yourself. To do it, break up your work into smaller, more manageable chunks. Work out small units of tasks and plan ahead, interspersing different types of work together. Block tasks you dislike back-to-back with those you do enjoy in order to keep your motivation level high, and try to ensure that things that are placed next to each other are different enough that you won’t become bored by repetition.

Plan Your Pace

People who are very used to doing extended cardio workouts know what their limits are, and are very good at planning how to pace themselves to make it to their time or distance goal. Marathon runners are a perfect example of this kind of energy conservation. Likewise, if you have 30 minutes to do a weights session, you’ll probably do it differently than if you had a whole hour.

Work is the same. If you don’t take the time to accurately anticipate how long a project or project component will take to complete, you’ll be much more likely to burn yourself out early by working too hard and then becoming frustrated when it takes longer than you’d imagined. Get a better idea of how long things take by monitoring your experiences as you go and logging them, and then do comparisons with your past projects when you take on new ones so that you can then pace yourself accordingly.

Journaling

Many workout addicts are also obsessive record-keepers. They track their progress with every visit to the gym, carrying around notebooks or clipboards for the purpose, or just using an iPhone app to log things. It helps you make sure you’re moving forward instead of back, and you won’t be doing the same work on the same muscles over again by accident.

Keeping a detailed record of the work you do will have the same effect with your online professional activity. It’ll help you make sure you don’t ever redo any work you’ve already done, and it’ll make sure you learn from your mistakes and grow and improve as a web worker over time.

Just like working out your body will help you live a longer, happier life, so too will working out your professional side allow you to enjoy a much more fulfilling and long-lasting working life.

What tips from the gym can you apply to your professional life?

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Building conversations anywhere in the world of social media develops relationships, grows brand recognition and expands expertise. The formula for starting and building a community around your topic calls for a heap of passion, a large scoop of planning and a big bowl of promotion – the three P’s.

Passion

In “Man v. Food,” a Travel Channel TV show, Adam Richman ends every episode by taking on an eating challenge. It could be eating the fieriest food or a ginormous dish that can feed five people. In one episode, he faced an ice cream tower known as the Kitchen Sink Sundae, a two-gallon sundae with eight giant scoops of ice cream. He had to eat the whole thing within an hour.

You could almost feel Richman’s pain past the halfway point with his droopy eyes, slumped body and bowed head. The taste became too much for him that he ordered French fries to cut the sweetness. In the end, the man with passion for food won the challenge. Of course, he has lost a few battles with food, but that doesn’t stop him from trying again and again.

The groups and chats that flourish online have leaders behind them who show similar passion for their topic. Picking a topic to discuss, just because you think that’s what people want or because it’s a moneymaker will lead to burnout and boredom. Working with a topic means constantly staying on top of it, talking about it, researching it and living with it for hours, days and months. Without passion, the fire will never truly catch, but with it you can develop a thriving conversation. For example, Wine Library TV’s Gary Vaynerchuck oozes passion; people see it right away on his show, in his talks and in his book, “Crush It!“

Planning

The creators of the Kitchen Sink Sundae thought ahead by creating the sundae and setting boundaries with two rules: The challenger must eat everything within one hour. Without those boundaries, challengers could easily win by slowly eating the whole thing throughout the day.

The restaurant behind the sundae most likely added this to their menu to challenge people, promote the restaurant and to be a “purple cow.” “Hey, have you heard about the bottomless sundae at San Francisco Creamery?” makes for great word-of-mouth promotion.

You need similar planning in order to build successful conversations in social media. How does the topic fit in with your business goals? How will you benefit from the topic? Setting boundaries keeps the discussion tight and on track. Discussions without boundaries lose control and interest.

Promotion

San Francisco Creamery extended the life of the Kitchen Sink Sundae promotion with a new contest. It gives you a chance to win free ice cream for a year if you finish the sundae within 30 minutes. Unless challengers can finish the sundae, they’ll have pay for the $39.95 ice cream.

Conversations allow you to share your passion with others. But without promotion, no one will show up to share that passion with you. Hard selling makes many people uncomfortable, so focus on their needs. If they stop by your community, what will they get out of it? Use that to promote your topic. Promote it in the right places such as on social media profiles, in your email signature and via any colleagues who are willing to help spread it through their networks.

These three steps can work for many areas of social media. You can apply the three P’s to a blog, a Twitter chat, a Facebook page, a LinkedIn group, or wherever your community waits for you and your passion.

What ingredients make up your conversations around your passion?

Photo credit: Swamibu

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In the last year, I had the pleasure to work with some amazing clients, bring out my first e-book and attend some great conferences. I saw my own blog grow and even if there was a disappointment or two, I managed to buy a house, so I think 2009 went pretty well.

While I don’t have any resolutions, I’ve made some big plans for the new year, though — and I’ve already made some progress on them!

I’m My Own Client

I’ve been operating several small sites as passive income sources for quite a while, but they tend to get neglected in favor of the work I do for clients. Don’t get me wrong — I love the writing and blogging I do for my clients — but I want to make sure that my projects don’t get ignored. To that end, I’m working on changing my frame of mind: when it comes to my own projects, I’m just as much of a client as everyone else I work for. I’m tracking the time I spend on my own projects and treating them just like any other project a client asks me to work on.

Busting Out of the Short-form Rut

I write a lot, but the majority of my writing is on short projects: blog posts, articles, a page or two of web copy. But I learned last year that I enjoyed working on longer projects — even though I don’t get to work on them that often. I’m planning several long-form projects, including more e-books. I’ve even already brought out a new e-book this year, so I’m well on my way to meeting that goal.

I’m also experimenting with other forms of writing, like scripts for a web series. Right now, I’m not really concerned about finding a successful project, but I’ve found that changing up the projects I work on makes a big difference in my ability to write. It’s also one of the fastest ways past writer’s block that I’ve found. In order to explore some of those options, I’m also planning on taking a class or two.

Attend More Conferences

Most of the conferences and events I attended last year were local, but I’m looking for opportunities to get out on the road in 2010. I’ve already got a ticket for SXSW and I’m looking for a few other conferences to put on my schedule. I’ve started looking specifically for conferences in places I want to visit, where I can meet clients that I’ve been working with for years in person. Of course, I’ll keep on going to local events as well — it’s one of my favorite ways to get out of the home office.

I do have some non-work travel planned. I’m actually expecting to be on the road pretty much constantly from March through June. I’ll be taking the laptop along with me and working from wherever I happen to find an Internet connection.

How about you? What are you planning for 2010?

Image by Flickr user Doug88888

While I don’t have any resolutions, I’ve made some big plans for the new year, though — and I’ve already made some progress on them!

I’m My Own Client

I’ve been operating several small sites as passive income sources for quite a while, but they tend to get neglected in favor of the work I do for clients. Don’t get me wrong — I love the writing and blogging I do for my clients — but I want to make sure that my projects don’t get ignored. To that end, I’m working on changing my frame of mind: when it comes to my own projects, I’m just as much of a client as everyone else I work for. I’m tracking the time I spend on my own projects and treating them just like any other project a client asks me to work on.

Busting Out of the Short-Form Rut

I write a lot, but the majority of my writing is on short projects: blog posts, articles, a page or two of web copy. But I learned last year that I enjoyed working on longer projects — even though I don’t get to work on them that often. I’m planning several long-form projects, including more ebooks. I’ve even already brought out a new ebook this year, so I’m well on my way to meeting that goal.

I’m also experimenting with other forms of writing, like scripts for a web series. Right now, I’m not really concerned about finding a successful project, but I’ve found that changing up the projects make a big difference in my ability to write. It’s also one of the fastest ways past writers’ block that I’ve found. In order to explore some of those options, I’m also planning on taking a class or two.

Attend More Conferences

Most of the conferences and events I attend last year were local, but I’m looking for opportunities to get out on the road in 2010. I’ve already got a ticket for SXSW and I’m looking for a few other conferences to put on my schedule. I’ve started looking specifically for conferences in places I want to visit, where I can meet clients that I’ve been working with for years in person. Of course, I’ll keep on going to local events as well — it’s one of my favorite ways to get out of the home office.

I do have some non-work travel planned. I’m actually expecting to be on the road pretty much constantly from March through June. I’ll be taking the laptop along with me and working from wherever I happen to find an internet connection.

Image by Flickr user Doug88888

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Gear

I accumulated a lot of new gear in 2009, but that doesn’t stop me from still having some gear goals for 2010. One of those goals I already fulfilled by purchasing a Canon 270ex flash for my Canon XS last week. I can now avoid the recurring expense of renting a 430ex ii when I attend trade shows, and the 270 will do the job with less weight to carry.

Like Simon, I’m looking forward to an upgrade to my iPhone 3G when I’m eligible this summer, right after the traditional new model rollout time. I’ve also been shopping for EVDO card options after our Christmas week Internet outage (and another one caused by our cold snap this week in Florida) made me realize I needed a better Internet access back-up plan. So far, I’m leaning toward a MiFi from Verizon.

I’d also like a 15” MacBook Pro to upgrade the MacBook I bought as a refurb last April. I didn’t anticipate that machine becoming my primary computer (it waved goodbye to my Vista desktop once I got my hands on that MacBook) and the 13” screen gets a little cramped. But that may have to wait until 2011.

Work

My business and career were expanded greatly in 2009. I aim to continue to carry that momentum into 2010 in several ways.

The first goal was already met, with the successful relaunch a few days ago of the scrapbook audio show that I co-host online called Paperclipping Roundtable. I also am working on constructing a brand web site for my media company, and plan on rolling out some additional web properties for the company during 2010. Unlike previous properties the company has experimented with, these properties will offer content somewhat related to the main Scrapbook Update topic, part of a move toward a more cohesive vision for the company.

My goals also include making progress toward becoming an established speaker in the areas that I work in. I also hope to have the opportunity to travel more so that I can do more in-person professional networking.

Personal

Like several other WebWorkerDaily folk, one of my 2010 goals is to get a lot of reading done. I also wish to spend more time on my scrapbook hobby, instead of just on my scrapbook job. Another goal is to simplify our home to more easily accommodate our busy schedules. And perhaps most important of all is my goal for my autistic six-year-old daughter, which is to finish the process of toilet training her. We’ve made major progress on that in the past six weeks and fully achieving that would be a major milestone in her development.

If a few of these sound suspiciously like the resolutions I’ve said I abhor, then I’ll tell you that I think of them as projects. And my Things is loaded down with projects for 2010. It’s going to be a busy year, but I think it’s going to be a really good one.

Does using the term “project” make a goal seem less intimidating to you?

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2009 was a challenging year for me professionally, but I learned a lot and am applying those lessons to have a successful 2010. Some good things happened in 2009, too, like joining the WebWorkerDaily team, meaning I am greeting this year with some renewed focus.

Renewed Focus on my Work

• Work with multiple, diverse and interesting clients. When I was growing up my father always worked more than one job, which is how I’ve usually defined my work ethic. To date, anytime I’ve deviated from the definition, like in did in 2008/2009, trouble has ensued, so 2010 is going to see me going back to what works. Oh well, my dream of only getting one or two federal tax forms at the end of the year is no more.
• Improve the proper care and feeding of my social media presence. In 2009 most (if not all) of my professional reconnections and potential writing opportunities came via LinkedIn or Facebook. My blog also helps people find me, so I am planning to regularly write posts for it rather than it just containing links to my WebWorkerDaily posts.
  
• Stay professionally nimble and decisive. This is important because my local job market has been hit by the perfect storm: a down economy, the federal government wanting to “federalize” contractors, commercial company budget cuts.

What are your hopes and plans for 2010?

Artwork by stock.xchng user: ljleavell

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Because of these positive experiences from 2009, my goals and plans this year aren’t really about starting new things, they are more about continuing some long-term projects that I started last year.

Productivity and Workspace

I was very productive in 2009, so I hope to continue at the same level this year.Also, like Simon, I have a new office. I’ll be spending January and February fixing it up. Hopefully, the results will be good enough that I can share it with you, WWD readers.

Finances and Job Security

At the beginning of 2009, I had an emergency fund worth 6 months of my family’s living expenses. Because of some financial emergencies, I exited 2009 having only a 4-month fund. In 2010, I hope to get it back up to 6 or 7 months again. A healthy emergency fund is especially important for freelancers like me who don’t have a steady, predictable income.

I also have a few projects in the works. I’m still collaborating with a graphic design team and setting up an illustration business with them. I also plan to redesign my professional blog and my writing web site later in the year to better reflect my services.

Other Passions

Though I love writing for my clients and blogs, there are other hobbies and passions that I like exploring during my downtime. The lessons and insights I gain from these experiences also help me with work, so I always take the time to do them.

In late 2009 I finished my first short story in 5 years and submitted it to an anthology. This was part of my goal to write fiction again. The story ended up being shortlisted. Though this seemed like half a rejection, this has inspired me to write more fiction in 2010.

I’m also an avid language learner. This tends to be fun, especially when I try to communicate with my friendlier clients who speak other languages. This year I hope to pass a Spanish proficiency test and perhaps study another language.

Relaxation

With all the work ahead, I know I’ll be needing some time off. One of my mundane ways to unwind is to read. I also have a recurring goal of reading at least 30 books, which I know I’ll reach this year (as I always do).

I also want to take a 2-week trip this year, since I love traveling and working from the road. Overnight or weekend trips rarely do it for me, but my financial obligations last year prevented me from traveling more.

How about you, what are your hopes and plans for 2010?

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Inbox Zero

I usually manage to get my inbox under control right before I take a week off during the holidays, but by the time I return to work, it has usually filled right back up with new email. This time, I’m making a real effort to keep it at inbox zero for more than a few hours. I went to inbox zero about a week ago, and I’ve managed to keep it at zero all week by spending a little time each day responding to what I can and moving everything else into areas for response or further reading while creating tasks for to-do items. By keeping up with this process during the holidays while the volume is more manageable, I hope that I’m building up habits that will help me continue to manage my email in 2010. Even if you don’t aspire to implement inbox zero over the long-term, there is something very refreshing about starting the new year with a clean inbox.

Paperwork, Planning and Finances

This is also a great time to get all your paperwork, planning and finances in order. I plan to tackle that pile of paperwork accumulating on my desk that really should be filed, and it’s a great time to get everything ready for your taxes. You should also take some time to set your goals for 2010 and come up with a plan that will help you achieve them.

Relax

Nothing helps me get a fresh start like taking a few days off to relax and recharge. It’s hard to get a great start on the year if you are overworked and exhausted. I took most of last week off to visit family, but the holidays come with their own stresses. I plan to work like mad on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get the rest of my work done along with some paperwork and other business; however, I’m going to take a nice, long four-day weekend off at home to relax, read and hit the gym to start the new year feeling great.

What are your favorite tips for getting the new year off to a great start?

Photo by Flickr User Daniel Voyager used under Creative Commons.

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1. Plan for a successful New Year. Do a review of your work and see how you can make the next year a better one.
2. Clean your email box. Challenge yourself to reach inbox zero, or if you have thousands of messages, shoot for half. Delete newsletters, unsubscribe to newsletters you never read, file emails that require no further action on your part and address those that do. Don’t put it off. Make it a goal to complete the to-do emails by December 31.
3. File papers. Not all of us have every bill, invoice and paperwork in electronic format. It’s easier to file paperwork on an as-you-go basis rather than let them pile up. I have folders for bank statements, credit card statements, business contracts and printed pay stubs. If you receive any other paperwork on a regular basis, create a folder. You may need folders for items related to health benefits, stocks and retirement.
4. Update your resume and bio. It helps to update these on a regular basis as you take on more challenging projects or work with new clients. It’s easy to let these slip that when someone asks for a resume or bio, we scramble to provide an updated one. Do it now while you’re not rushed. It also helps to have a short, medium and long version of your bio. While you’re at it, review your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media profiles to ensure they’re up to date.
5. Organize your workstation. Take a look at your work area and see if there are improvements you can make. You may already have a great office set up, but it never hurts to make sure it’s optimal.
6. Clean your computer(s). Cleaning includes both the inside and outside of your computer. Thursday gave some tips on how to clean the outside of your laptop and Simon addressed the cleaning the inside.
7. Take care of administrative tasks. The tasks depend on whether you have your own business or work for someone else. For those who do the invoicing, take a look at your accounts receivables to make sure all of your invoices have been paid and take care of those that have not. You may also need to collect 1099s and W-2 forms.
8. Review your address book. Consolidate your contacts, back them up and archive old contactd. Verify you have contact information that you need and put those business cards into your address book.
9. Review your social media strategy. Whether you blog, tweet or update your statuses in Facebook and LinkedIn, having a plan in place ensures you remember to provide value to others rather than focus on you. Your plan doesn’t have to be formal; just one that gives you direction to keep you on track. Also, think about how much time you spend in social media, which is more about return on relationships than direct ROI. This might be a good time to review Aliza’s 10 Golden Rules of Social Media.
10. Assess your marketing strategy. What’s working? What’s not working? How do you land new business or projects? You may need to up your marketing activities in one area and drop them in another.

Think about how great you’ll feel when you return to work after the New Year more organized and ready to take charge.

What are you doing to prepare for the New Year?

Photo credit: Jeff Hire

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I often say that I’m lucky with my business. However, the truth is that I do my best to treat my clients well and do marketing almost daily.

Many of us become so absorbed in our work that we forget to look at the big picture. It’s worth your time to review your work and determine what to change up for the New Year. These questions and activities will help you with your review so you can clean up your business for the better and have a successful and enjoyable year ahead.

1. Are there any clients that bug you? It’s not failure on your part to let go of a client. While smart workers focus on the project and not people issues, sometimes we just don’t mesh well with the client. You are the expert in your field. If a client doesn’t agree with your recommendations, you may not be a good fit.
2. Are there any projects you dread doing? Does it pay when you hate the work? That can affect your health, which can badly affect productivity and profit. I’ve found that when I don’t enjoy an assignment, I tend to procrastinate. Dropping the energy-draining projects could lead to two fabulous ones that take the same amount of time and energy.
3. Review projects and activities while asking, “Why do you do this?” Asking this question identifies possible time-wasters.
4. Is there an easier or faster way to do this? If we all did things because “that’s the way we’ve always done them,” we’d never innovate or make improvements.
5. What will the opportunity cost you? Accepting everything new that comes your way could end up costing more than the revenue brings in.
6. What product or services do you sell? Are they still relevant? Is it time to drop one? Add one? What are customers saying? Are they wishing for something?
7. List all of your activities including projects, clients and marketing. How much money do they bring in? How’s the return on the time I spend on it? Do I need to spend more time here? Less time there?
8. List “want to do” projects that aren’t “must dos.” It helps to be aware of what these are so you can prioritize your activities to make these happen. Here’s how to do those “want to dos” when you have a full schedule.
9. What’s one new thing I’d like to learn more about? If you don’t challenge yourself or keep up with changing times, you’ll get bored or left behind. Take a class. Attend a webinar. Read books and magazines.

If the thought of doing a thorough review like this seems overwhelming, set the timer for 25 minutes per day for two weeks (or however long it takes you to finish this) and go. No rule says you must finish it in X hours or X days. But the sooner you do it, the sooner you can make changes to turn the New Year into a bang up one.

How do you plan for the year ahead?

Photo credit: gerard79

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For most freelancers, December is a slower month. Our clients are taking vacations and rarely does anyone schedule a big launch in December or January. This makes December an ideal time to get our finances in order, prepare for 2009 taxes and make any adjustments in our plans for 2010.

Everyone has a different approach to finances, taxes and planning, so rather than focus on how to do these things, I’m going to focus on questions that you should ask yourself.

• What am I missing? This is always a hard question because if you know the answer then it isn’t really missing, but it’s a critical question to ask. Look carefully at your expenses. Have you remembered to record all 12 instances of any monthly recurring expenses (hosting, online applications, phone, etc.)? What about those special cases, like home office deductions? Do you have any small income sources that haven’t been tracked (advertising, affiliates, book / white paper sales, etc.)? Can you get a head start on documenting any other tax materials? Cross-referencing with past tax forms and bank statements can help identify any missing income or expenses.
• Are my income and expenses relatively balanced? 2010 is way too late to make adjustments for 2009, so this is a critical question to look at in December while you still have time to make changes. Depending on the answer to this question, you might decide that you can afford to make a few extra business purchases (new equipment, books, etc.) or charitable contributions in 2009, or you might decide to defer some purchases to 2010. This is a great question to ask your accountant now.
• Where do I want to be in 2011 and beyond? Your answer to this question should include financial goals, career fulfillment, and personal life balance. Once you figure out where you want to be, you need to put together a plan with the steps to get you there. What additional training do you need? What expertise needs to be further developed and practiced? Are there some additional income streams that you want to pursue?

These three questions aren’t revolutionary or new, but they will hopefully serve as a nice reminder to use some of the December downtime to start thinking about wrapping up 2009 and preparing for 2010.

What other things do you do to wrap up the current year and prepare for the next?

Photo by Alan Cleaver used under Creative Commons.

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Our impulse is usually to try to do everything. Opportunities present themselves, and we think, “If I turn this away, I may not get another shot. What if there’s nothing else coming down the pike?”

Early on in our careers, especially, it’s tempting to want to take on every job, collaborate with every potential strategic alliance, and never turn down anyone for anything. Sometimes, though, the best option is in the not doing.

But, how do you know when is a good time to hold and when is a good time to fold? Here are a few clues.

1. It’s not your passion. I’ve talked with a lot of successful entrepreneurs, and one common trait among them is that they follow their passion. They know what lights them up and what wears them down, and they stay true to themselves and their mission at all times.
2. Your gut is telling you something. Intuition is often a big influencing factor for successful entrepreneurs and small business owners. If they feel a strong pull one way or another, they learn to trust that instinct, and it rarely leads them astray.
3. It’s not in the plan. Although passion and gut instinct weigh heavily on the decision-making of those who are successful, it’s still important to have a vision and a plan. Goals and intentions should be a driving force behind your daily actions, which will help you stay the course when distractions and obstacles get in your way.
4. It’s draining you. There are clients and tasks that simply don’t match well with your own personality, strengths, weaknesses and working style. Instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, accept that (for whatever reason) you just aren’t the right fit for each other and move on.
5. You’re spinning your wheels. There are situations where no matter what you do, you just can’t make it work. For instance, you might have a client who never takes your advice, does things his own way, and then comes back to you to fix it after the fact. It can be frustrating and wastes your valuable time on someone who will probably never change.
6. You’re overextended. The more your business grows, the more selective you have to become with how you spend your time and energy. Although that should be the case from the very start, it’s not until things become increasingly demanding that you begin to feel the crunch and understand the importance of being so selective.
7. You’ve hit a plateau or are floundering. Most successful people know that failed attempts, ruts and slumps are part of the game, but they also know when to say enough. Doing more of the wrong thing isn’t going to make things right, so they learn to ask tough questions and get down to the truth of a situation, rather than have it continually wear away at their energy and progress.
8. You’re being undervalued. There are times when a client or a partner doesn’t acknowledge or appreciate the value you bring to the table, and when that’s the case, you simply have to get out of a toxic relationship. It’s not always easy, but is very necessary for your own success and peace of mind.

In business, there are times when you have to be willing to walk away or risk paying an even bigger price down the line — your success and ultimate satisfaction with your life and work. While it’s not the easiest thing to do, it’s just as important to turn away the wrong opportunities as it is to jump on the right ones.

What criteria do you use to weigh prospective opportunities and avoid taking on clients and work that isn’t well-suited for you, or that holds you back from success?

Image from Flickr by Tiago Rïbeiro

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But coworking doesn’t come with zero cost, unless it’s done on the very small scale of inviting someone into your own home, or being invited into the home of another. You could also try meeting at somewhere that doesn’t charge beyond the price of a coffee, like a Starbucks, but how reliable is that really? In a big city, space is at a premium, so there’s no guarantee there’ll be room to meet there. So the question is, is investing in proper coworking space worth your while? How and when does it become a justifiable expense?

Step 1: Identify What You Have to Gain from Coworking

I’m not talking about the good feeling and sense of camaraderie you miss from your days working in an office setting, although you should feel free to list that, as well. It may not have a tangible monetary effect, but it will help with morale, which is always important.

Putting that aside, though, what are you intending to get out of coworking? Have you spoken to others who’ve tried it, and attempted to gauge the actual impact it’s had on their business? Maybe what you’re actually looking for is meeting space for occasional use, which is something else entirely and can be had much more cheaply.

If you are looking to build meaningful professional relationships, the kind that can’t come from email exchanges and the occasional lunch, then coworking presents a tangible benefit. If you need your company to have a public face, and one that exists in a brick-and-mortar sense, and you need that consistently, then coworking presents an attractive proposition. If your working hours are interrupted in consistent and unpredictable ways at your home office, damaging your productivity, then coworking could help.

Step 2: Assess the Risks and Costs Associated with Coworking

Once you know what you want to get out of the deal, carefully examine what it will cost you to get it. Depending on how long you’ve been working remotely, you may be in for a surprise at what a return to the commuting lifestyle will actually run to, all told.

For example, where is the nearest coworking venture in your city? Does your city even have one? (We won’t address the costs of starting your own at the moment.) Will you have to take transit, or do you have your own transportation? Just getting to or from your new office could represent a significant additional cost that your usual budget doesn’t include.

Workspace rental fees is another cost associated with coworking. For example, one near my home in downtown Toronto charges $350 a month for office space that’s accessible 24 hrs, with some meeting room time included. It’s $75 per work day if you don’t need the freedom of 24/7 accessibility. For many of us, those aren’t costs that our working budget can easily absorb.

Step 3: Make an Informed Decision

Once you have all the variables on the table, you still probably won’t have a very cut-and-dry choice. At least you’ll be informed, though. The more you focus on the hard benefits and costs associated with coworking, and the less you focus on your desire to socialize or try something new, the better. If all else fails, work out a set term for an initial trial, and then do a rigorous follow-up analysis to see if it’s economically tenable in the long run, and, more importantly, if you got some tangible benefit, enjoyed it and remained productive.

Photo credit: hyku on flickr

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