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?

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1. Decline meetings. I don’t accept every meeting. If I don’t see real benefit resulting from my attendance, either for me or someone else, I decline the meeting. By only going to meetings you need to attend, you free up some time to do something productive.
2. Have effective meetings. Strive to have shorter, more effective meetings by being organized and always having a definitive end time. Spending a few minutes preparing for a meeting and send out an agenda and other materials in advance; it will mean that you get through the meeting faster, with less floundering around figuring out what you need to accomplish. I also try to keep people on track during the meeting and attempt to end on time or early when possible.
3. Schedule work. We all have certain tasks that require uninterrupted time where we can focus. For those activities, I try to free up big blocks of time on my calendar, and I schedule those tasks the same way that I would schedule a meeting, which allows me the time to work uninterrupted.
4. Schedule recreation. I also schedule my workouts just like any other meeting on my calendar. This has a couple of advantages. First, I get a reminder when it’s time to work out, and second, it discourages other people from scheduling over my workout and makes it more likely that I will be able to find the time for staying fit.
5. Take advantage of off-peak times. Try to schedule activities at times when you can do them in less time. When I need to drive to work (a 45- to 60-minute commute), I get up early to beat some of the traffic and schedule my workout after work, so that by the time I’m done exercising and ready to drive home, the traffic isn’t as heavy. I also try to avoid grocery shopping right after work or going to the bank at lunch.
6. Group and combine. Where possible, I take advantage of logical groupings to minimize travel time, such as scheduling afternoon meetings downtown when I know I need to be there for an evening event. I also try to combine meetings where possible, and I often meet with people for informal discussions at local tech events or prior to meetings. By combining meetings with meetups, I can get more done.
7. Be flexible. I try to be flexible with my schedule to maximize productivity. On days that I work from home, I start work at six or seven in the morning and then take a slightly longer lunch with a workout, which helps me start the afternoon refreshed. I also tend to move things around on my schedule and be flexible to take advantage of unexpected, but productive conversations with coworkers or to stay “in the zone” when I’m really being productive on a chunk of work.
8. Take breaks. When we get really busy, we tend to turn into workaholics and attempt to power through the work even when we aren’t being productive. While taking a break sounds like you will lose time, in many cases, it can help you get a new perspective on a difficult problem. A short walk can help, as can taking a break to accomplish something else, like running an errand or getting in a workout. After a little break, your brain will be refreshed and ready to be productive again.
9. Turn off the television. I used to watch a lot of television in the evenings until I realized I was spending too much time watching other people and not enough time experiencing my own life. I was surprised at how much time I had for hobbies, reading, fitness or even just getting a little work done in the evening when television wasn’t sucking hours out of my day.
10. Block out time for you. I block out my calendar from 4:30 to 5:00 every afternoon to give me a few minutes to reflect on the day, double-check my task list and wrap up any last-minute projects. In a past job where I often had back-to-back meetings all day, I used to block out my lunch hour just to give me time to eat! I know others who block off some time in the morning or afternoon to have time to take their kids to and from school. Think about what is important for you and make sure you find time in your schedule for what you want to do.

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TimeDriver was the company’s solution for individuals (as opposed to enterprise users) who wanted to allow others to see their schedules and book appointments, without revealing their entire calendar. The application also let users create different appointment “books” or specific invitations for different purposes. For example, I set up one appointment book for meetings when I was attending a conference, one for demos of products for review on this blog and yet another for recorded interviews for some of my podcasts. Each “book” could contain the same or different blocks of availability and could be sent to different people with a relevant greeting and invitation text.

The company has now announced that the TimeDriver brand would be discontinued, and the product would be moved under the broader TimeTrade brand. The three scheduling services now offered by TimeTrade now are:

1. TimeTrade Professional. This service is the renamed TimeDriver product for individuals. It costs $29.95 per year, with a free 30-day trial.
2. TimeTrade Workgroup Edition. This is a new application providing appointment scheduling for teams. The Workgroup version allows for corporate branding, reporting, and a way to centrally administer the application. The application also integrates with popular CRM systems like Salesforce.com as well as with team members’ Outlook or Google calendars. It costs $249 per user/per year with a free 30-day trial.
3. TimeTrade Enterprise. This is a self-service scheduling application for major corporations that includes custom web applications, lead routing, multi-location support and a widget-based tool kit and API for integration and customization. Price is available on  application.

If you would like to be able to easily send out invitations to different groups of people for self-serve appointment-making, TimeTrade Professional is a good solution. Personally, I’d use TimeTrade for custom appointment-making but will continue to use Tungle.me for my individual scheduling needs, coupled with occasional use of Doodle when I’m coordinating multiple people’s schedules (and especially when participants are less tech-oriented). Regardless of what tools you end up using, keep in mind time zone issues, particularly if you are traveling between time zones and scheduling; see this post about my time zone snafu and scheduling bungle.

What tool or tools do you use to sync calendars and schedule appointments?

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It was pure madness, and I was completely frazzled. I had to turn in the show without a single run-through to make sure it was OK, my house wasn’t nearly as clean as I would have liked, and I was still in lounge clothes when my guests arrived — not at all my normal way of handling things, especially where work is concerned.

The bad thing was that my entire week had gone that way, too: jumping from one appointment to the next, eating lunch at 2 PM (if I was lucky), and stopping work just in time to go to bed at a decent enough hour to be rested enough for the next morning’s appointments. It was chaos, and it proved that not only do I need an assistant, I also needed to create buffers within my schedule.

It might seem efficient to have back-to-back appointments with small buffers to compensate for meetings running over and time to get to the next one, but what about the time needed to process what happened in the meeting? In every appointment I have, whether with a client about a project, a partner about a strategic alliance about collaborations we’re getting underway, or a guest about the radio show, there’s usually some sort of follow-up that needs to be done after the meeting. Wouldn’t it be more effective to do that while it’s still fresh on my mind?

My schedule wasn’t the only place, though, where I needed this kind of space.; some padding around all the things I needed to do and all the units of time in which I did them. I knew I needed to start putting buffers around everything that I do:

1. Buffers in my schedule. Instead of scheduling three appointments in the middle of my day, I now schedule two and then use that extra space around them both so that I have time to do the majority of follow-up for each while it’s still fresh on my mind.
2. Buffers around my work day. I need time to throttle up and wind down at the start and end of each day, rather than immediately jumping into or out of work.
3. Buffers within and around projects. Instead of creating a jam-packed project schedule, spread it out over an extra quarter to a third of time to account for setbacks and unanticipated delays. Also consider adding “rest time” between projects to help keep the creative juices flowing and in case a project gets pushed back for some reason.
4. Buffers around vacations, breaks and sick leave. It takes a little time to get back into the rhythm of working, and usually there’s a backlog of emails, blog maintenance, writing and other tasks that have to be tackled in addition to the regular work. Try adding a buffer of a quarter to a third of the time you were out to compensate for the added workload, as well as the “jet lag” caused by time away from the regular routine.
5. Buffers around weekends and work weeks. This is one place where I actually have been doing much better with maintaining buffers. I reserve Monday mornings for accountability calls and planning so that I can see where I’m going in the weeks ahead and where I’ve been in the past week or two. On Fridays, I’m trying to get into the practice of using an hour or so to plan out the coming week and make any adjustments to my schedule and workload, based on any projects and appointments I have on the docket.
6. Buffers around problems. I’m coming to appreciate that when I’m struggling with something in my business or when I’m adding something new to the mix, I need to leave myself enough space and time to work it out. I might need time to figure out a solution (like in the case with hiring help and offloading some of my work), adjust to something new (like the new radio show and its added workload), or simply to reflect on an issue and figure out what I want.

I’ve come to realize that it’s not realistic to expect yourself to jump from one thing to the next with no downtime or space to reflect on what you’ve done, where you are and where you’re headed. It’s important to have “wiggle room” to make it all work and keep yourself from getting overloaded.

Do you add buffers in and around your work day?

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As enjoyable as the holiday season can be, it’s also a hectic time filled with demands that can exceed even your busiest days at work. On top of that, it can be hard to let go of work, and there’s often a little nagging voice reminding you of what will be waiting for you on your return. When the first weeks of the new year arrive, it’s easy to feel jet lagged and sleep deprived, wishing that you had time for a vacation from the vacation!

It’s a lot easier to realize the need for downtime and rest during times like these, but it’s just as important to routinely get time away from work and daily stresses well after putting away the Christmas ornaments.

A creative outlet or some form of physical activity can be just the remedy for stress-filled days, so why not take the time to plan for some fun activities away from the office?

Get a Hobby

There are so many ways to blow off steam. It can be as simple as a daily walk, but you might also enjoy:

• Joining an acting, photography or painting class at a local college.
• Baking or cooking something special each day.
• Gardening or visiting nature centers in your area.
• Dancing or taking a dance class.
• Exercising or bike-riding.
• Swimming, rowing or simply being near water.
• Reading or starting/joining a book club.
• Hiking, jogging or preparing for a marathon.
• Sewing, crocheting, pottery-making or painting.
• Spending time outdoors or with your pets.

The options are truly endless, but the important thing is making sure to reserve time for it every single day, so be sure to find something that’s accessible and convenient so that you’ll actually commit to it and make it part of your routine.

Schedule It In

The New Year is here, and it’s the perfect time to set your intentions and make room for those things that are most important to you, and taking time for yourself to unwind and take your mind off work should be at the top of your list. If you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re not operating at your best, which can actually take away from the attention you provide your life and business.

Reserve time now for yourself and activities that will rejuvenate you and help you bring the highest level of energy and clarity to your business.

How do you unwind and decompress from the stresses that can come with running a business?

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The good news is that with a simple strategy in place, it won’t take much effort to return to your normal productivity level. Here are a few tips:

Pre-plan your schedule. Plan your post-holiday work schedule even before the holiday reunions, celebrations and other activities take over. This is the primary reason why I easily got back to my regular workload. As soon as Jan. 3 hit, all I had to do was look at the schedule I prepared two weeks earlier to see what I needed to do. Without it, I would’ve probably spent a day or two regrouping.

Work a little during your downtime. In a previous post, Darrell talked about how he uses the holidays to work. I have to admit that I agree with him. In fact, I found myself working harder than usual for a few days. If you feel that’s being too much of a killjoy, choose to work on light tasks — perhaps checking your mail or brainstorming. The point is to avoid work being overwhelming after the holidays.

Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll get up in the middle of a family gathering and start typing away in your laptop.  I waited for my family to be asleep or for the activity to die down before I started working. This allowed me to be part of the festivities, while getting some work done during times when less was happening.

Stick with your normal body clock. I know that this is easier said than done, but one of the reasons that many people feel sluggish post-holidays is that their body clocks have adjusted to a later waking-up time. If this has happened to you, make sure to try and reset your body clock back to suit your ideal sleeping hours before the regular workweek starts.

Don’t forget to relax. As Dawn recommended before, it’s important to relax. I know some people who actually spend the holidays being completely stressed out preparing gifts and celebrations. The irony is, they don’t end up enjoying their supposed “vacation time” from work. Avoid falling into that trap and catch up on your sleep.

How easy is it for you to work after a long holiday? What techniques do you use to get your productivity back to normal?

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Last weekend, I set out a few goals to help me get more done this week:

1. Create a better work schedule (one that limits my working time to 36 hours per week).

By limiting my working time, I am much more likely to focus on the most important things that need to be accomplished at any given point. On top of that, I’ll actually leave room in my life for things outside my business, which, let’s face it, is one of the main reasons for working for yourself.

2. Create focus blocks within the schedule that allow me to move bigger rocks.

Paraphrasing from the 3, 6, 9 Time Management System, if you focus on a given task or goal for three hours straight, you’re going to make progress on it. I don’t need to get caught up in menial tasks that simply eat away at my day (see this post about grinding vs. clocking from Chris Brogan).

I need to focus on moving big projects forward. A lot of my work (writing, for instance) takes a lot of concentrated effort to get it done. If I only have an hour here or an hour there, I end up focusing on a lot of junk tasks that are better left undone, rather than getting those big rocks moved.

With a set number of focus blocks each week, I’ll have to be very selective about what gets that prime real estate in my schedule.

3. Create smaller admin blocks within the schedule that allow me to do “have-to” things, like checking email and delegating smaller rocks that still have to get moved somehow.

The reality is that you can’t be 100 percent efficient and only concentrate on profit-making tasks. Email has to be read and responded to, smaller tasks have to be delegated, and phone calls have to be made and returned. If I leave no room for them, then I feel compelled to check my email at random times throughout the day, instead of focusing on what’s right in front of me. By leaving designated windows for it, I know that that task will get done, too, and that it hasn’t been too long since I made sure there were no fires to put out.

Here’s my revised work schedule. You’ll see “dots” and “dashes,” which come from Julie Morgenstern’s book “Never Check E-Mail in the Morning.” She refers to dots as the admin tasks, like checking email and returning phone calls, and dashes as the focused blocks of time where you really get things done.

The great thing is, I can move entire focus blocks rather easily, so if something comes up that isn’t work-related, I can rearrange my schedule without too much interference with the rest of my week. On top of that, I intentionally set up my week by deciding what big rocks will be moved and when, which hopefully will ensure major progress in several areas of my business.

What does your schedule look like? How do you ensure that big rocks get moved on a regular basis?

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The days and weeks run together, and everything seems to be moving at lightening speed. Even though the impulse is to run as fast as you can to keep up, sometimes the best thing you can do is stop, see where you are, and adjust the course of a runaway train.

As a small business owner, it’s possible to have several projects going on at any given point, and unfortunately, there are many occasions where the one that makes the most noise and fuss is the one that gets the majority of available attention. Time goes by, and the most important things get pushed aside for the most desperate.

Getting it all back under control is actually pretty simple. It’s done with a weekly review.

Step 1: Stop

Pressing forward aimlessly just because there’s so much to be done can actually be counter-productive. Taking time to gain big-picture perspective and then purposefully resuming work can help you get more done in less time. Although it can be tempting to simply start fighting the next fire in your path, stop doing everything and commit to getting a better hold on your load.

Step 2: See Where You Are

You can’t evaluate and prioritize without knowing what’s on the radar, so you need to lay it all on the table for sorting. Go through your email, notes, open projects, and someday-maybe list to see what exactly has to be done. Next, make a list of what’s important to you. What is it that you want to do? What do you want to accomplish?

Be realistic about what’s on your plate. Assign deadlines to every project and decide what’s doable and what should be eliminated or delegated. Simply removing some tasks and projects from your to-do list can bring clarity around what’s left to be done.

Step 3: Re-balance Your Load

Now that you know what projects are left to be completed, figure out how to balance the load. Hire a VA to help with menial tasks or things that take you away from your core responsibilities and projects. Batch your work so that you reduce the times you have to switch gears throughout the day or week. Find tools and systems to streamline your work and make you more productive. One example, I do a lot of interviews for the Upstart Smart blog and podcast. Coordinating schedules is very cumbersome and requires a lot of concentration and care to avoid double-booking and overextending myself. By simply using TimeDriver, I’m able to set my availability once and then interviewees can pick the times that work best for their schedules, saving me tons of time and frustration. That one quick adjustment has made my life so much easier.

Step 4: Set Up a Schedule

Block out set times that you’ll devote to the big rocks you need to move each day. Create uninterrupted windows where you can give 100 percent of your attention to making progress on each project. This doesn’t have to be a lifetime commitment. You’re simply deciding how you’ll spend your time for the coming week. You’re intentionally laying out a plan that will help you move things forward. If things mess up or don’t work perfectly, you can adjust the schedule and course again next week.

Step 5: Abide by the Schedule

A plan does you no good if you don’t look at it on a regular basis. Your schedule should stay open every minute of your day so that you refer to it often. If you think you’ll get sidetracked by email or surfing the Internet, be realistic about it. Put that in your schedule, too. Set aside dedicated blocks of time for email or simply checking your RSS feeds. That way, you’ll know that you have time for that coming up, too, but that right now, your focus is on the project at hand.

Step 6: Rinse and Repeat

Each week, set aside dedicated time to evaluate where you are and where you’re going. Figure out your most important projects and tasks for the coming week and hold them in your mind. By clearly identifying them, you can quickly check in with yourself and see if you’re focusing on the right things and moving your business in the direction you want it to go.

How do you ensure that you make progress in your business? What tools and tricks do you use to keep a runaway train on track?

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Even with a schedule meant to let me proceed with a project at a comfortable pace, more immediate concerns can make it much harder to finish a project on time. And if the project is one that you don’t have a client or employer expecting you to finish, sticking to a schedule is just that much harder.

It’s OK to Say No

I think email has doubled the amount of work people ask me to do. When clients had to pick up the phone to ask me to handle some small detail, I think they were a little more reluctant to try to find me and add to my work load. But sending an email is just a matter of a moment and doesn’t require a whole lot of worry on the part of a client or a manager.

With all these little requests piling up in my inbox, it quickly becomes impossible to find time to work on a project not immediately due. But just because those small requests are in my inbox doesn’t mean that I have to take care of them. When possible, I hand them off to someone who is better able to take care of them. I’ve even been known to tell a client that I can’t handle a particular task. It’s important to minimize the number of little items that make it out of your inbox and onto your task list.

Schedule Big Projects First

I’ve been writing e-books on top of my normal work load lately. At first, I had the hardest time just finding a few hours to work on them. I had them on my task list, but they kept getting bumped in favor of closer deadlines — and client work with a more definite payout. Day after day, one of my e-books would be first on my desk, until I glanced through my email and saw some fires that I just had to put out first.

While there’s no easy solution to all those little problems, I found a surprisingly simple way to get my bigger projects done:I worked on them for an hour or two before I opened my email in the morning. Sure, I still had plenty of requests waiting for me when I did get around to my email — but they weren’t distracting me during the time I had allotted to my longer projects. And, amazingly enough, the world didn’t end because I wasn’t able to get to quite every little problem that someone had notified me about.

How do you avoid distractions to focus on your long-term projects?

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In trying to fine-tune my own productivity and lead generation efforts, I find myself needing to be increasingly clear and concise with my planning. For example, until today, you would have found the phrase “Social Networking” on my calendar. At some point in the past, I selected the handful of lead generation and marketing tactics that I would use for growing my business. Social networking was one of those tactics.  I blocked out time within my schedule on a daily basis for “Social Networking,” but when I got to that time slot, I found myself floundering over what to do with the time.

More important than having “social networking” on my radar is having clear-cut action steps that will move me closer to my goals. For instance, part of my social networking involves finding people to interview for my podcast and blog. Last week, I contacted several people with proposals for podcast episodes and blog articles. I settled on specific topics, contacted experts in the respective fields, and coordinated times to meet with them to discuss the topics. These were clear and concise steps. I was still networking with a group of online contacts, but I was taking specific actions to generate tangible results (in this case, podcast episodes and blog articles, plus the added benefit of promoting the two media in the process).

On my calendar now, you won’t find a slot for “Social Networking.” Instead, you’ll find two slots, “Blog Work” and “Podcast Work.” For simplicity’s sake, I’m still keeping my descriptions to one or two words for my calendar, but when I go to a given task, I’ll see a set of next actions that require my attention. For example, when I go to “Podcast Work,” I’ll see that I have several episodes in progress, along with specific tasks that need to be completed to move each episode along.

The intention for the time slot has not changed, but the outcome has. I know now exactly how to use the time. I’m not contemplating what needs to be done; I already know that part. Instead, I focus on actually getting the work done, and at the end of the day, I can say that I’ve completed real steps that move me a little further in the direction I want to go.

How do you make real progress toward your goals? What systems, tools and tactics do you use to make sure that you’re taking specific actions instead of floundering over ambiguous to-dos?

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BookFresh’s online service isn’t so different from a virtual receptionist. As you set up your account, you have the opportunity to choose what kinds of appointments you’ll accept: as a web worker with clients all over, I primarily offer only phone appointments. If you’re willing to have clients come to your business, or you’re willing to go to visit them, however, you can choose those options. You can also schedule a client without having him go through setting up an appointment himself, as well as limit the hours you are available on your calendar.

As you explore BookFresh, you’ll find many features beyond simply setting appointments. The site can issue a variety of appointment reminders, including via text message to make sure you get them. You can also sync the service with your existing calendar. If you charge directly for the time you spend meeting with a client, you can also have BookFresh offer a pre-payment option to your clients; the site uses PayPal to request and accept payments. You can even embed your appointment schedule in your own web site.

If you work in a team,  the scheduler can handle multiple staff members on both the Business plan ($19.95 per month) and the Business Pro plan ($29.95). The crucial difference between the two plans is the availability of phone support. A free plan is available if you’re interested in testing out BookFresh, but it is severely limited.

In addition to the scheduling services, BookFresh offers a few additional features meant to help you find more leads. The site allows you to integrate client testimonials into your schedule, as well as create a business mini-site in order to better attract clients. It also provides advertising services to drum up local business for your company through Google, Vast and other sites. I wouldn’t necessarily consider such an advertising strategy to be useful for many web workers, considering not all of us look primarily for local business, but the feature doesn’t seem to have any additional costs associated with it.

What tools do you use for setting up client meetings?

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Whether it’s a do-it-yourself renovation of your home office, a one-month trip, or participating in NaNoWriMo, there’s always the big, personal project that you’re trying to fit in your schedule. How do you make sure that it won’t have much of a negative impact on your work?

Evaluate Your Situation

There are several issues you need to address before you rearrange your schedule around your personal project. To start with, ask yourself the following questions:

Which projects will be affected the most? Some projects consume your time and effort more than others. Identify the clients or the tasks which will be most affected by the changes in your schedule. The best way to do this is to audit a typical workday and see which tasks you accomplish and how long it takes to finish them.

It’s also important to note how they will be affected. Will you have less time for live support? Will there be connectivity issues that will prevent you from uploading and downloading large files?

How will the work get done? Are you going to do all the work yourself or will you require assistance? Whenever I’d take more than a week off, I always do as much work as I can beforehand, so that only daily tasks such as checking and responding to email are affected.

Still, no matter how much work you try to finish ahead of time, new tasks will always accumulate and someone has to do them. Subcontractors or assistants can be helpful — but only if you hire and train them well. There are many things that can go wrong with such an arrangement, especially if it’s your first time to work this way. To ensure that your relationship with hired help will go smoothly, plan for a transition or trial phase and start working with them before you make any real changes to your schedule.

What is the best way for clients and colleagues contact you? While you’re working on your personal project, will your clients have to change the way they contact you? Let them know the best way to reach you in case of emergencies that can’t be easily discussed via email.

Develop a Contingency Plan
We’ve discussed contingency plans here at WWD before. If having contingency plans is important during regular workdays, they are even more important when you’re making changes to your schedule. After all, you might not be around when problems occur. Here are some problem areas you should plan for:

• Internet connectivity
• Hardware and software failures
• Data backup
• Revision requests and new orders from clients
• Complaints, questions and other support issues

Let Everyone Know

After planning the adjustments you need to make, you have to decide whether you’ll let relevant parties know about the changes. Sometimes, personal projects hardly make a difference in your schedule or work process. But if they will, your clients might need to know about it.

While you may have clients that are supportive and understanding, there will also be those who will worry and think you are abandoning them. Think about each client’s attitude to risk and changes before spilling all the details. As long as you don’t sacrifice the work quality or your adherence to deadlines, they shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Once in awhile, it’s good to take advantage of the flexibility that our teleworking schedules have to offer. With careful planning, we can strike a good balance between both paid and personal projects.

Have you altered your work schedule for a trip or a personal project? Share your tips in the comments.

Image by shadowkill from sxc.hu

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So what do we do if we can’t afford to fall into an unproductive day? In this case, prevention is better than cure. We need to develop systems that will prevent unproductive days, weeks, or moments take over our working lives. We may not be productive 100 percent of the time, but there are some things we can do to develop better work habits:

Regular time boxing. I recently finished Neil Fiore’s “The Now Habit”, where he recommends trying 30 minutes of uninterrupted work as a way to beat procrastination. After those 30 minutes, you should take a break or reward yourself before punching in another 30 minutes of uninterrupted work.

Perhaps “uninterrupted” is the key word here, since it’s easy to get distracted when you’re working online. If you’re a random web surfing junkie or if you find yourself compulsively clicking that “Stumble!” button, then this especially applies to you.

When trying time boxing, I suggest that you select a timer that will work with your needs. I sometimes use a kitchen timer, which works well since I don’t bill by the hour and I can use it if I’m working away from the computer. OS X users might appreciate 3-2-1, a simple yet handy timer they can place on their dashboards. For those who use a time-based billing system, you can take advantage of FreshBooks’ time tracking feature.

If you’re looking for more time tracking solutions, a previous post by Mike Gunderloy lists different ways you can do this. (Be sure to skim the comments as well, as there are some great  suggestions from WWD readers, too.)

Make your schedule support your working style, and not the other way around. Some teleworkers say that they like starting work at 9am and finishing at 5 pm like a regular office employee. That might work for some, but just because it’s the model that traditional businesses use, it doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone.

Since teleworkers generally have control over their schedule, then why not follow a schedule that is best suited to your working style? The first step is to know your peak working hours, the hours of the day when you’re most productive. Make sure your working schedule includes those hours.

You also have to consider your ideal way of working. Do you work best in long, uninterrupted stretches, or do you find yourself easily distracted after half an hour of work?  By creating a schedule that is tailored to your needs, you won’t feel too forced or pressured to follow a cookie-cutter schedule that doesn’t fit. Instead, you can spend most of your energy on the tasks at hand.

Take advantage of being in “The Zone”. Even when I’m not working during my peak hours, there are times where I may be doing some gardening or making some coffee and suddenly I get a very, very strong urge to work. I call this “The Zone”, as it puts me in a mental zone where I am so productive and excited to work that I can accomplish so much in a small amount of time. When I’m in this zone, I know that I have to stop what I’m doing and start working.

Why is it important to take advantage of this unexpected urge to work? Well, it’s going to make up for the time when you feel less than inspired to do it.  These “low inspiration” times make work more challenging, so you’re likely to be slower and less passionate about what you’re doing in that moment. If you take advantage of being in “The Zone”, whenever and wherever it happens, then these low inspiration times won’t be as detrimental to your productivity.

Reward yourself. If you become too productive and spend most of your time working, it’s easier to fall off the wagon and revert to time-wasting habits. Trust me, I’ve been there. Now if you’re rewarding yourself after a time boxing session, or after completing a project milestone, then you subconsciously associate the reward with the satisfaction of getting things done.

Use whatever reward makes sense to you. It could be some time off to watch a DVD, an hour working on your favorite hobbies, or even time for a nap. Whatever reward you choose, it has to be something you’re looking forward to doing after work.

The best way to be truly productive is to make it a habit. By implementing these four techniques, we can set up systems that will work with our individual needs, as well as take advantage of unexpected bursts of creativity.

What do you do to prevent unproductive behavior from throwing you off schedule?

Image by H. Berends from sxc.hu

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks