Remember the good ol' days? Sitting in your cubicle, the din of the office in your ears - photocopiers running, footsteps walking the hall, your neighbors chit chatting. You'd meet a group of colleagues in the cafeteria for lunch or coffee, or if you were in high tech like me, a game of foosball. 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, you had near constant contact with other people.

But now, you're a workshifter. Your days consist of a 20 foot commute to your desk, Jay-Z on repeat, and the removal of the occasional cat from your keyboard. Hours go by without seeing or speaking to anyone. You're head down in your work, being super productive....but there's something missing.

As much as the life of a workshifter has its perks - better hours, less distraction, and more job satisfaction - it can be a lonely existence. Some days, hubby will come home from his office job and he's the only person I've actually spoken to all day. You can imagine the earful he gets!

Like anything, fighting the loneliness and isolation the workshifting life can cause is about taking action and finding balance. Here are a few things I've learned.

The Coffee Shop is Your Friend

A change of scenery is a huge motivator, so if you're feeling stuck, get out of the house. If you're a workshifter, you need to have a regular coffee shop - it's just that simple. I actually have a few coffee shops that I frequent. My neighborhood shop, Timothy's is great, because they know me best, and don't mind if I hang out for a few hours (I do my best to keep consuming their beverages for as long as I'm taking up table space). I also have Two Monkeys Coffee, which is a bit more of a trek from my place, but worth it for their yummy soup and quiet environment. Then there's Raw Sugar, my downtown stop. All have free wifi, comfortable seats, and of course, good beverages.

And the best part about the coffee shop? I meet people there all the time. Once you become a regular, you get to know who the other regulars are. Coffee shop lineups are a fantastic way to fit in a bit of networking. So get out of the house once in a while. Get to a place where you feel comfortable and can focus. You'll be amazed at the results.

Be Friends with Other Workshifters

One of the things I did when I first got on Twitter back in 2007 was do a search for people in my city. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, not only is there a very active Twitter community here in Ottawa, but that many of the people I was meeting were also workshifters. I became friends with several of those people online and then moved our friendship to the offline world.

At least once a week I make a point of scheduling to have coffee or lunch with one of my local friends. Often, we will go to a place where we know other friends hang out. I can't tell you how many times a 2-person coffee date has become an informal Tweetup. If you're worried about losing productivity because you're busy meeting for coffee all the time, then don't. Make sure you set a time limit on the meeting (1/2 hour or 45 minutes, tops), and you'll be fine. Everyone is busy, so your fellow workshifters will appreciate the quick meetup as much as you do.

Find folks in your town that workshift, and go for coffee, or lunch and get to know them. I find that sometimes I get pretty cranky if I'm spending too much time alone. Sometimes the simple act of meeting a friend for a coffee is enough to get my mood on the upswing and get me re-motivated.

Share a Workspace

A lot of cities now have co-working spaces like The Code Factory here in Ottawa. You can do everything there from rent office space to just spending a few hours in a communal work environment. I know lots of people who like to work this way, even for just part of their week.

But it doesn't even have to be that formal. Every Friday, my friend Tom holds #FridayOffice, where he goes to a local restaurant around lunch time, and works for the afternoon. Whoever wants to come by and work, chat, have lunch, etc. can do so. Often about 2pm on a Friday you'll walk in and see Tom and 3 or 4 other people sitting around a table, laptops open, working away. Everyone is welcome and it's a real community feeling. There's nothing formal about it - if you want to work, you work. If you want to socialize, you socialize. It's fun and productive and has become an institution for many within our community.

Even as a workshifter, there's no reason to be lonely - just get out and find ways to meet other people once in a while. It's important to have that balance, and you never know what opportunities might come your way!

Photo Credit: Josh Liba

Last Friday I travelled up to London by train to attend a business networking party in the evening, followed by workshops all day on Saturday and Sunday.  I didn't get home till late Sunday evening, caught up with emails etc. on Monday, and by late Tuesday morning I had a headache and felt like every brain cell was full to bursting with all the impressions of people and ideas I'd absorbed.  I couldn't do another thing until I'd given myself a chance to let all this information settle and be processed.

Need a Break? Take a Nap.

The best way I've found to deal with this situation is to go for a nap, and it's one of the best perks of working from home as far as I'm concerned.  There can't be many bosses who'd respond too well to being told 'I'm not feeling very productive today, so I think I'll just stay at home and come in when I feel more in the mood.'

My faith in naps dates from years ago when I ran an office cleaning business in a very hands-on way.  I was often physically tired after an early morning start and needed a sleep before going out to see my cleaners in the evening.  When I talk about naps I don't mean a 20 minute 'power nap', either.  I mean a two hour sleep in bed.

I'm not the only one to advocate an afternoon sleep. Winston Churchill was a confirmed believer and said, 'Don't think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day.  That's a foolish notion held by people who have no imagination.  You will be able to accomplish more.'

It seems to have worked for Churchill during the Second World War and it worked for me the other day -- I woke up headache-free and brimming with ideas for my blog and a new information product I'm writing.  I highly recommend you give it a try when you're working from home, in a hotel room, on a train or plane.  If you're feeling blocked, short of ideas, tired, or at a dead end, close your eyes and let your subconscious do the work for you. You'll be amazed by the results!

Photo Credit: Nathan Jones

As students, we could pull all-nighters, cram hours before exams and prepare for weeks for one term paper. As humans and adults, we know whether we are morning people or night owls, if we can awaken without an alarm clock or if we are simply gluttons for sleep. In other words, for the most part, we know our internal body clocks...whether we choose to listen to them is another story entirely!

As workshifters, knowing your body and mental clocks is more than just human habit - it's a necessity to maintaining work flow and ensuring productivity. Over time, as we age into adulthood, we all know on some level (be it conscious or not) when we think best, when we write best, when we perform in meetings best, etc. This self-knowledge becomes more than interesting trivia when we become the managers of our tasks and we are our own employee. In fact, one of my greatest challenges as I transitioned into a workshifting lifestyle, was prioritizing my time. Initially, I thought it would be easy! I had worked 8-18 hour days for the previous 11 years and always performed at the top of my game, so my productivity would surely be limitless once the limits of the office cubicle walls were removed! Right?

WRONG. Managing client demands and deadlines were not the problem. But, managing my personal productivity and maximum performance would be. No longer confined by clock-watching, office hour tunnel vision quickly cleared, and my time was my own and certainly wide open. I could respond to email with the Today Show keeping me company and my laptop propped up on my knees; I could work from the moment I awoke to the minute my head hit the pillow at night, taking as many breaks or running as many errands in-between as I needed to. Wow! What a life!

...An unproductive, undisciplined life, that is. I had always prided myself on discipline and never missing a deadline. But now that my schedule was flexible, so, too, it seemed were my efforts and results being affected. I simply could not afford for my work to suffer nor my project deadlines to slip; so I realized that I had some reflecting to do:

• Did I really concentrate best with the company of Oprah or was my mind trying to do double duty and absorbing nothing nor producing anything...? When I put soft music on instead, how is it that I lost track of time and wrote some of my best proposals?
  
  
• My brain always freshest and sharpest in the morning, should I waste that precious window of clarity to respond to banal email or could I use that time more wisely to strategize, research new concepts, sales techniques and perform new project brainstorming? The email could, and always would, come later.
  
  
• Would sleeping in just one extra hour assist me to stretch that morning clarity into the late afternoon, thereby not only extending my output but also providing me a whole new work window within which to operate?
  
  
• And, was working 16 hour days really the best thing...? Sure, I could, but why would I? As workshifters, often times we are our own Finance, Marketing and Operations departments in addition to trying to get actual work done. So there is never enough time...Closing my office door after a certain hour or moving my office to a different room in the house farther away would signal a mental light switch to go off, so my brain could rest and rejuvenate. Sometimes, we need to disconnect to connect....

I still do not have the exact recipe for the ideal workshifting schedule, but I do know that it's more about my unique and personal mental rhythms than it is about a clock or a deadline. When you are on your own schedule, responsible for your own hours and output, success is solely determined by how effectively you work. So go out there and get your PhD in YOU, listening to your body and mind for its most alert moments, and watching out for the productivity which will surely follow.

When are YOU at your most productive? What unique scheduling tricks have you put into place to reap the greatest benefit from your workshifting schedule?

Photo Credit: comedynose

China Business News (CBN) reports that telecommuting offers the greatest potential for carbon emission reductions in China.

Guo Yonghong, chairman of China Mobile Hubei, told an audience of environmental experts, local government officials and company representatives that telecommuting could save 340 million tons of CO2 emissions in 2020. Virtual meetings could save 623 million tons of CO2 annually. By 2030, that could cut commercial aviation emissions by nearly 40 percent. 

It's easy to ignore just how big an impact small changes in how we live can make. 

A joint World Wildlife Fund (WWF) China and China Mobile study published earlier this year shows that China's telecommunications sector cut 48.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2008 and 58.2 million tons in 2009. Those savings nearly match the total 2008 emissions of some countries including Sweden, Denmark or Finland. Lei Hongpeng, senior program officer of WWF China explained that those savings came from strategies such as telecommuting, electronic data interfaces and more efficient logistics.

The study looked at direct savings from 14 of China Mobile's low-carbon information communication technologies (ICTs). These include smart logistics (matching truck deliveries to loads), dematerialization (saving paper and other materials), smart work (smart meetings, and reducing commuting and travel needs) and smart appliances (remotely monitored and controlled for energy savings).

The potential reduction from dematerialization, smart logistics, and smart work amounts to 399 million tons in 2010, 615 million tons in 2020, and 1,298 million tons in 2030.

"The potential savings from smart logistics, smart meetings and smart commuting contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emission reductions and to China's target of reducing the carbon intensity of its economy by 40 to 45 percent by the year 2020," said Peng Jinxin, former director-general of the Ministry of Environmental Protection's department of policy, laws and regulations.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, if the European Union's 25 (EU-25) participating countries reached 10% telework participation, they would collectively reduce CO2 emissions by 22 million tons. If 50% of employees within the EU25 replaced one in-person meeting with an audio conference, it would save 2 million tons of CO2. And if the EU-25 replaced 20% of travel with a video-conference, the savings would total 22 million tons of CO2. According to EPA.gov, all together, these three simple solutions would save the equivalent of:

• Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 8 million passenger vehicles
• CO2 emissions from 4.6 billion gallons of gasoline consumed
• CO2 emissions from 97 million barrels of oil consumed
• CO2 emissions from 557 thousand tanker trucks' worth of gasoline
• CO2 emissions from the electricity use of 5 million homes for one year
• CO2 emissions from the energy use of 3.6 million homes for one year
• Carbon sequestered by 1.1 billion tree seedlings grown for 10 years
• Carbon sequestered annually by 8.9 acres of pine or fir forests
• Carbon sequestered annually by 396 thousand acres of forest preserved from deforestation
• CO2 emissions from 1.7 billion propane cylinders used for home barbeques
• CO2 emissions from burning 218 thousand railcars' worth of coal
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 14 million tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill
• Annual CO2 emissions of 10.8 coal fired power plants

Photo Credit: Pierre Marcel

By now you probably have a sense of my curiosity about how others interpret the working life. You might even say that I'm a bit of a voyeur when it comes to catching a glimpse of the way people work and what keeps them productive.

La Vie Active

The French have an intriguing term for the working life. They call it la vie active. Even if you aren't a Francophile, you can certainly recognize a familiar word in there: Active, as in doing, moving or functioning.

That's certainly an apropos way to describe one of my workshifting neighbors. Carri Priley is what you might call an über-active creative type. This woman exudes creativity. Even her garden drives me to thoughts of sabotage during annual tours (particularly when my garden follows hers on the itinerary). She also happens to be a workshifter extraordinaire.

Interestingly, Carri has always been a workshifter. She's never once worked in a traditional workplace environment as a regular employee. In fact, she's built a prolific professional career working exclusively outside the box.

She's also always been an innovator. Back in her college years as an art history major, she helped launch Zenith City Arts, a Duluth-based arts magazine, and collaborated in the creation of a non-profit performance art space, also in Duluth, Minnesota. After college, she opened a decorative arts gallery in St. Paul with her brother.

The relationships she forged during her five years co-owning a gallery proved invaluable to her as she segued to freelance work as a set stylist. "At that time, there were lots of films being shot in town," Carri explains, which increased the demand for local experts with a keen eye for style, historical accuracy and a certain creative je ne sais quoi. The rest is (art) history.

Says Carri of the freelancer's working life: "You don't have downtime. If you're not working, you're not billing. And you either work or you don't get hired again. I'm not hired to sit around."

Her freelance work is, of course, entirely project based. "When I'm given a project," she says, "I eat, drink and sleep it. If that means getting up at 2 AM with a great idea, that's what I do."

The progression of a project usually starts with a client meeting to determine focus, followed by shopping and research. Soon her brain begins to move languidly around creative concepts. But it's not always glamorous. Sometimes she has to do something as banal as hiring a builder to tile a backsplash or some other requisite set element. "It's an evolutionary process," says Carri. "It builds and grows. That's the rush, the euphoria of making it all come together."

During production, she can be found just about anywhere but a traditional office--unless, of course, a traditional office happens to be the desired location for a photo shoot. How does she stay productive when juggling research, shopping and location scouting? For starters, her hand is fused to her iPhone. Other tools of her job include a thick skin and a healthy self-esteem. "Sometimes the chemistry doesn't work," she says. "The important thing is to have enough clients so that not all your eggs are in one basket."

Speaking of clients, Carri's range from national retailers to local art institutions. Perhaps most notable, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts hired Carri during rehabilitation of the Purcell-Cutts home to bring furnishings back to their original Prairie School state.

According to Carri, Facebook has proven to be a key professional networking tool because it keeps her in front of clients--at least virtually. "Facebook is a valuable tool for staying in people's minds," she says.

The greatest advantages of the creative working life? For Carri, it's all about flexibility, freedom and collaboration. "I'm really pleased with what I do," she says. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Carri's success depends on the quality of her relationships with clients and other creative freelancers. Word of mouth is a powerful influencer in this business. But as you might imagine, Carri always gets the last word. She sends handwritten notes of appreciation at the completion of every project. Now that's style.

Photo Credit: Mr. T in DC

Back in my cubicle-dwelling days, someone else was responsible for my time. I was tasked with responsibilities, and I completed them. Sometimes I was given whole projects to manage, and other times it was individual tasks. Either way, someone else was telling me the basics of what needed to get done on a daily basis, and I did it. If I worked overtime, I was compensated for it either financially or with time off. It was a pretty reliable system, and though I was always busy, it was more than manageable.

Today, I'm 100% responsible for how I spend my days. I get to decide when I work, for how long, and on what projects. I don't get the same kind of cut-and-dry compensation for overtime. I don't have someone telling me what to do or when to do it. It's all me.

The challenge is, now that I'm responsible for everything I do in a day, the temptation is to try and do it all. And trying to do it all, as we know, can end up in catastrophe. I'm a control freak by nature, so as challenging as letting go can be for someone like me, I know that, in order to maintain my sanity, I must let go of certain tasks. I must keep my focus on the stuff that is critical for me to move my business forward.

Do you have the same challenge? Maybe this will help you to begin the process of letting go.

Down With Dust Bunnies!

So, a couple of years ago, I decided to outsource housecleaning, and it's now some of the best money I spend. I have someone else to deal with the dust bunnies and the spots on the mirrors. My cleaning lady spends her time doing what she does best (seriously, I've never met a woman more passionate about cleaning than Shelley!) and as a result, I get to spend my time doing what I do best.

Do you have regular household tasks that you can outsource? Consider hiring a cleaner, or paying to get your laundry washed and folded. Perhaps you could hire the neighborhood kid to mow the lawn or vacuum the pool. And if you think you can't justify the cost, consider this: the time you're saving not doing these things can be put directly into growing your business. In other words, it's easier to justify than you think.

Technical Time Out

I've always been a bit of a techie. I know enough about web coding and server configuration to get by, can work my way around most pro video editing systems and cameras pretty well, and can hack at Photoshop and Illustrator with decent success. Back when we were growing our company, I used to spend a lot of time doing all of these things. It saved us money and I didn't really mind doing it.

As we started to take on more clients, the time I had to handle the more technical tasks started to diminish in a big way. Once my day's work was done, I'd find myself fussing with Photoshop or dealing with domain transfers till late at night. I found these to be frustrating and often futile efforts, and it was wearing me out fast. However, I was too much of a control freak to delegate the task to someone else. I thought it would just be easier and faster for me to do it, then I wouldn't have to worry about explaining things or that someone else would mess it up.

I finally realized that it was just not feasible for me to do these techie tasks any longer. I released these tasks to the people who could handle them and everything changed. We redefined the roles of our graphic designers and video editors so they could take on extra projects. We also hired a technical wizard to work on a casual basis to help with various tasks, from domain and server management to troubleshooting digital video issues and everything in between.

Suddenly, I didn't have to do all those other jobs anymore. I had a ton of time to focus on my own job. Sure, it was an investment, but it was definitely a wise one.

Just Let Go

It takes two things to effectively let go; finding good people that you trust, and then actually letting things go. You'll soon find that, when you let people focus on what they're good at, it creates all of this space for you to focus on what you're good at.

And ultimately, if you're focusing on producing your best work, the outcome can only be better, right?

Photo Credit: Erik Mallinson

I'm on the road 75% of the year, when looking for a place to work there are a few things that I'm always mindful of: reliable wifi, comfortable seating, access to outlets and minimal noise.

Typically I work out of coffee shops, but recently I have been on a road trip around the country talking to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Several of these people work out of coworking spaces, something I rarely do. However, I am quickly falling in love with the idea of coworking spaces. Here's why...

I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but at some point it became OK not to show up or respond to electronic invitations for meetings, parties, events...

Admittedly, there is a high volume of electronic invitations sent to workshifters. The very nature of our work and the tools we use gives rise to the culture of evites. The real question is, other than spam, how often do you let people know that you are or are not coming?

Death of the RSVP

I think we take for granted that most invitations are deliberate and thoughtful. Lets take the case of a webinar. In most cases, if 40 out of 100 people who raised their hand and said YES, actually show up, that's considered a huge success. We tend to take invitations for online events not very seriously; including the ones we say yes to. I have to admit, I make this mistake too.

There seems to be a sliding scale in terms of obligation to RSVP:

Online event: Low
Meetup/Tweetup: Moderate
Dinner party: High

In the real world, when we get invited to an event it's generally rude not to RSVP. So why is that? Consequence! If you responded "yes" to a dinner invite and didn't show up, you'd be an outcast. They held a seat for you, prepared a wonderful meal that cost expense and time, may have hired a baby sitter, a bartender, and more. Lastly, you'd have to face them, for real, and for real life.

Now, lets replace the words "dinner party" with "webinar". They held a seat for you, prepared amazing (it better be) and compelling content which comes with expense and time, may have hired a moderator, database services, and more. Many similarities to the time and expense of hosting a dinner party, less the food.

We know what the right thing to do is, but we let it slip because it seemingly has no consequence. In a world where our personal brand and electronic credibility are front and center, I think it wise to bring real world thoughtfulness, respect and responsibility to the world we share online.

What say you?

Photo Credit: Jeff Wheeler

We've all heard of the Type A and Type B Personality Theory and, in all likelihood, identify with one of the two. If you have not, you will find a wonderful definitional summary here. Type As are stereotypically described as high-strung go-getters for whom success is the only option; Type Bs, on the other hand, are laid-back, relaxed and tending to always go-with-flow. Believe it or not, there is also a Type AB for those individuals who fall somewhere in-between the continuum.

Well, how about adding a different alphabet to the Personality Theory? I've coined the profile Type 'P' for all of us PLANNERS.

Our mantra is a clichéd one, but one by which we live wholeheartedly: If you fail to plan, you better plan on failing.

Are You a Type P?

Although Type Ps are not exclusively Project Managers, most PMs are Type Ps. Whether the personality type leads an individual into the field or individuals with the personality type have a natural affinity toward the field is anyone's guess. What is certain, however, is that in order to be an effective PM, you need to be a skilled planner. As a recent convert to the workshifting lifestyle, I can now say - with a high level of certainty - that to be an effective workshifter, you must also be a skilled and diligent planner.

Whether project managing, or workshifting, upon being assigned a new project or client or both(!), you jump in and begin assessing needs, defining scope, engaging stakeholders and kicking off the project or assignment. These activities should all be precursors to creating your ultimate roadmap: the project plan (It's no mistake that, in the world of project management, this central document is called a plan). You work long hours perfecting the deliverables, deadlines and milestones which comprise this plan in order to share it with your client or project team and begin the fast and furious process of initiating, executing, controlling and closing the project in record time and on budget! Then, you get to begin all over again with a new project!

Although our more laid-back counterparts may consider this level of planning to be superfluous and overly analytical, if you are managing multiple clients, multiple projects, or multiple client projects- there is no room for error nor confusion. And in an ideal workshifting world, you want to juggle several engagements, never compromising the integrity of your work and the satisfaction of your end client.

1. It is fun and gratifying to map out the landscape of a new project, itemizing the deliverables and ensuring they are clearly defined and placed so that no item is overlooked or under-addressed. A plan is a visual charter, whether in our heads, on paper or coded into software, which showcases the ultimate goal and the steps needed to achieve it.
   
   
2. Perhaps plans also create an illusion of control - particularly when timelines are imposed, we want to believe we are in control of all of the inputs in order to achieve the desired output. And, the tighter the timeline, the more crucial the plan is to keep us on track.
   
   
3. Planning creates its own momentum, permitting the planner to take the time to think through each item while also fast-tracking through the list.
   
   
4. When the items that can feasibly be planned are and remain on track - we leave ourselves highly desirable time to address any unforeseen issues that may arise (which always do). Similarly, if the major milestones are laid out clearly - but a change in the plan needs to occur, we can most easily identify where that shift needs to occur, what else will be affected by the shift and determine if parallel planning can help mitigate the effect of said shift.
   
   
5. Plans will not lie - they illustrate the fallacies that may exist in our heads between actual, realistic timeframes and goals and idealistic ones which may render your intended outcome improbable.

Plans are connective tools, bridging the ideas of individuals with desired outcomes. Without plans, there are sure to be missing links between identified goals and actual results. Therefore, it's best not to risk that gap with a client and subject yourself to miscommunication and unsatisfactory results! So, whether you are a Type P or not - do not jeopardize the success of your project or your relationship with a customer. Slow down and take time to formulate a plan; it will pay dividends toward generating the success you desire.

What's in your planning toolbox? How has effective planning or the lack thereof affected your workshifting lifestyle?

Author's Note: there are a plethora of planning tools available, from Microsoft Project and Excel as well as some ingenious and free mind mapping programs. Try them; you may never fail to plan again!

Photo Credit:Justin See

Recent research shows than 70% of the workforce is not engaged. They're either wandering around in a fog or actively undermining their co-workers' success. They're burned out, disenfranchised, and over 80% are ready to jump ship.

Eyeing the end of the recession, employees are no longer happy just to have a job. Boomers who haven't already made their exit are anticipating it. Gen X-ers watched their workaholic parents collapse under the strain, and aren't about to make the same mistakes. Gen Y-ers grew up independent, tech savvy, and were taught to question authority. Now they're questioning their employers.

This is not your father's workforce.

What employees of all age groups want is the flexibility to determine for themselves where, when, and how they work.

But how do you know they're working if you can't see them? That question, and the fact that it's asked so often, points to a real problem with management today. Whether your employees are down the hall or thousands of miles away, if you're not measuring by results, you really don't know who's working and who isn't.

In his bestselling book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel Pink observes that despite four decades of scientific research on human motivation, there's an immense mismatch between what science knows and what management does. "While carrots and sticks worked successfully in the 20th century, it's precisely the wrong way to motivate people today," writes Pink.

When managers buy into the concept that results are what matter, and integrate it with a flexible work environment, it opens the door to a cascade of benefits. It's been shown to:

• Save companies between $10,000 to $20,000 per employee a year by lowering real estate, turnover, and absenteeism costs and increasing employee productivity
• Reduce company/employee carbon footprint and fuel usage
• Attract the best and the brightest, regardless of where they live
• Engage workers who would otherwise not be available (e.g. caregivers, part-timers, the disabled, military spouses, retirees)
• Improve continuity of operations
• Increase staffing efficiencies
• Save employees thousands of dollars a year in commuting costs
  

Demographic, cultural, economic, and technological realities have forever changed the nature of work. Thought leaders agree, companies that don't understand that results are what matter will be left in the dust behind those that have.

Results-based management is no longer just an HR tactic. When deployed as the foundation for letting people work where, when, and how they work best, it's a winning business strategy for today's global, mobile market.

For more on why and how to make results-based management work for your organization, download this Citrix GoToMeeting-sponsored whitepaper: Results-Based Management--The Key to Unlocking Talent and Increasing Productivity.

You might want to steer clear of this post if you were looking for procrastination busters! I'm in the mood for levity and fun, and having done a bit of self-observation this morning of how I've actively avoided doing all but one of the things on my to do list, I thought I'd take it a step further and share my slothful seven ways of procrastinating.

7 Procrastination Techniques as a Workshifter

1. Tarrying in Holiday Daydream Heaven
   There are cottage sites to search, skiing holidays to plan (and honestly, it's soooo complicated, getting all the childcare coordinated, the lift passes, the right chalet, comparing snow conditions in different resources: someone's gotta do it). I generally plan (but never book) a short break to Disneyland Paris about twice a year; this is a great way to waste at least 40 minutes or so. There's nothing quite like it for lifting the soul, especially on a gloomy, rainy November day like today. Hmmm, I wonder if there are any airline sales on at the moment?
   
   
2. Lingering around Twitter
   Actually, no, this doesn't count as procrastinating. As any self respecting workshifter knows, social media is an essential part of any decent 21st century marketing and business development toolkit, isn't it? So it's actually a productive use of my time and is bound to lead somewhere jolly profitable. Gosh, have you seen what @B_List_Celebrity_Bimbo has just tweeted?
   
   
3. Dilly-dallying in the kitchen
   There's something about making my kitchen look like a minimalist designer show home that is a critical part of my pre-writing ritual. I'm not quite sure why cleaning the kitchen surfaces nurtures the creative writing process, particularly as I don't write in the kitchen, but one mustn't stifle the creative process, must one?
   
   
4. Dawdling on eBay
   One tiny thought: "I need a slug trap" or "I wonder if I can find a pair of cashmere socks at a bargain price" and I'm off. The beauty of eBay is that I can spend hours researching the best slug trap, and then remember at the point of sale that we need a new roof rack for the car. There are endless things I need from eBay. So much stuff, so little time. Well, maybe just another 15 minutes.
   
   
5. Prolonged Email Culling
   No matter how many different systems I try to implement to deal like with emails, they always seem to conquer me. It's an endless war, and I rarely win a battle. I end up with a tonne of those emails that I'm not quite ready to answer, that I didn't know how to answer or that I know would just take too much brainpower, effort or finger tapping to answer. So I leave them.
   
   However, given the choice between the work I'm supposed to be doing and culling those emails, I'll get the email scythe out every time. After all, once I've culled the emails, I'll create so much mental energy and I'll be able to concentrate fully on the task that I've been putting off. Surely this works every time for you too?
   
   
6. Frittering away the day doing anything else
   Today I have been highly industrious and conscientious: I have researched and found a watch repairers that can fully refurbish my old Gucci watch at a reasonable price, packaged said watch and had a conversation with said watch repairer. I have packaged up 3 books that I'm swapping via the book swap site www.readitswapit.com (another highly recommended place for procrastinators, but do try to find people to swap with who have very LONG book lists) and turned the innards of the Hallowe'en pumpkin into a very nice pumpkin soup. Really impressive, eh! It's just unfortunate that my business is not as a soupmaker, a watch seller or a book reviewer. Getting everything else (ANYTHING ELSE) done is definitely one of the best procrastination techniques. At least with this one I'm doing something vaguely useful. At least if I'm not working on the business I can feel like a Domestic Goddess and Gold Star Homemaker.
   
   
7. Moseying around Amazon
   Those darned clever people at Amazon with their nifty tracking robots that know me SOOOO well. They have perfected the art of piquing my curiosity and greed for just the right book, CD or general household appliance that will definitely complement the book, CD or general household appliance that I bought from Amazon last week. Those dastardly Amazon emails with their siren calling "50% off these books that you might be interested in..." mesmerize me and compel me into clicking that alluring link into Amazontopia. And without doubt, that book on "Get it Done Now" currently on offer at 50% off is JUST the thing to stop me procrastinating....

When you're in a mood to procrastinate, what are your traps?

Photo Credit: Emilie Ogez

It is amazing how quickly this year has flown by. The other day my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas. What?! Is it the holiday season already?

That being true, I want to go over a few holiday gift ideas for the workshifter. Please leave any of your ideas in the comments section (maybe you can help me out). Anyway, here are a few gifts that caught my eye.

ZOMM: This cool device is a leash for your phone. You will never lose your phone again. This gadget has a proximity alarm that sounds if you deviate too far. When you're a digital nomad, this could save you from leaving your phone at a coffee shop in Sri Lanka. It also serves as a hands-free device and is equipped with a panic button (which can be used for personal safety or to get you out of a pointless meeting). Approximately $75 range.

Wi-Fi Detector Shirt: Yep, a shirt that detects Wi-Fi signals. I hate it when I expect there to be a wireless signal only to fire up the laptop and discover zero signal. All you have to do with this baby is walk into the room and you'll know whether it's hot or not. Approximately $20 range.

Cloud Storage/Sharing: For anyone who has a computer with valuable information on it, these services are a great gift. For workshifters, these services are an amazing gift. I can't impress upon you the terror and pain that comes with losing important data. On the plus side is the peace and joy that comes with knowing your information is safe and easily shared or accessible. The more you travel the more you appreciate cloud services. There are a number of great services that you can choose from based on preferences and needs. Some of them include: Box.net, Dropbox, Mozy, & Carbonite. Approximately $5-$20 range monthly/for a minimum of 5GB. **A few other semi-related cloud based services that make great gifts are a premium Evernote account or GoToMyPC.

LiveScribe: Is it a pen or a computer? Both. Livescribe is more than a writing utensil. It is a pen that allows you to record what you write and then upload it to a computer later. As much as we use a keyboard to punch words into a program, most of us still begin with a notepad and pen. Here is a great bridge for getting the words on your page into your computer. Livescribe also has a digital recorder built into it for good measure. Approximately $75 - $130+ range.

Vans Custom Shoes: When your office is anywhere, wear the shoes that are "off the wall." The iconic shoe company allows you to build your own shoe. Nothing says personal brand like customized Old Skools or Eras. And if Vans isn't your style check out Converse to make your own pair of Chuck's or JP's.

The holidays will be here before you know it. Don't get caught waiting until the midnight hour to buy the workshifter you love, mildly like, or feel obligated to buy a gift for, a present. What is on your gift list?

Photo Credit: di_the_huntress

When I tell people that I am a workshifter and I spend the majority of my time working out of my home, most people (at least the ones who've never done it) tell me that it seems so easy. Working from home is something many people wish for- but those who've never tried it don't realize that it comes with its own set of challenges and difficulties.

In my experience, there are the things to avoid in order to ensure success.

5 Pitfalls to Avoid when Working from Home

1. Don't make yourself available for personal tasks throughout the day. When your personal life and your professional life are tied so closely together it can be difficult to choose one over the other. Try and limit your personal chores during your business hours - otherwise you'll catch yourself doing laundry and tidying up instead of focusing on your work.
   
   
2. Don't overeat. This one might sound odd, but TRUST ME when I say this: having a fridge full of food while working at home is not a good combination. It's just too tempting to walk a few feet into the kitchen and taking a few bites of last night's leftovers or grabbing a cookie from the cookie jar. Try and avoid the "snack trap" and if that's not possible, limit the amount of food you stack in the fridge.
   
   
3. Don't isolate yourself. It can be easy to have little to no contact with the outside world when you're working from home all day. Make it a point to get out of your office - grab lunch with friends, go to networking events, etc.
   
   
4. Don't buy cheap office furniture. Your office is where you are going to spend the vast majority of your time. It's worth the investment!
   
   
5. Avoid not being taken seriously by friends or family. Often times friends or family don't understand the workshifting concept. Avoid situations that may frustrate you by explaining your situation and telling them that although you don't commute to work every day you're still very much working!

Workshifting can be challenging. But if you consciously make yourself aware of these common hurdles, you can address them before they become real issues.

Photo Credit: leebennett

When I first moved into the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood of St. Paul, I was one of two workshifters on my block. Six years later, there are at least five of us, each with very different types of jobs. For example, my neighbor across the street with the Harley is a district manager for a gas station chain. In her words, she manages managers who manage 12 different stores. That means she's in the field a lot. When she's not in the field, she's burning the midnight oil in her well-equipped home office.

She's a road warrior in every sense. And she has one of the strongest work ethics you'll ever encounter. It's clear that she's not just devoted to her job; she's simply hardwired to be productive. Armed with her company-issued smartphone, laptop and vehicle, she's ready for anything that comes her way. Her one exception to maintaining contact is when she's riding her motorcycle.

When I sat down to talk with her about the experiences and strategies she's gleaned from 8 years in her on-the-go remote role, she was recovering from major surgery, which had taken place on a Thursday. By the following Monday, she was back at the job, though somewhat on the sly. Despite her six weeks of surgeon-imposed time off, she had no intention of not working every single day--if only from bed. Obviously nothing keeps a road warrior down for long.

In addition to being a road warrior, my neighbor describes herself as a problem solver. She's responsible for "anything and everything that you can imagine goes on in a store." From employee issues and product ordering to overseeing facilities details like having the correct signage posted and resolving plumbing problems, almost anything could be just around the bend. This unpredictability can be tricky to navigate--especially considering that she has 12 stores in her district and no two days are ever the same.

And in true road warrior form, when she's not looking for more direct routes to efficiency, she's scoping out ways to maximize profits and improve customer service. Flexibility and efficiency are critical for success when she's in the field, as well as when she's catching up on administrative tasks back at the home office. My neighbor's trusty tool to keep productive and moving is her smartphone; her secondary tool is her laptop. She never sweats technical glitches because her company's IT department seamlessly provides Web-based remote support.

Did I mention her predilection for productivity? She even takes her smartphone to the gym at the crack of dawn to await issues as her stores open up for the day. She responds to email as soon as it hits her inbox--even late at night. She explains that this is the only way she can stay on top of the hundreds of emails she receives daily.

When I asked what the greatest benefits of this remote relationship might be for her employer, she summed it up with two: cost savings and greater efficiencies. And benefits for her? "There's the perception that I work in my PJs. I don't." But there is a sense of freedom for her--freedom to get her job done as efficiently and effectively as possible. To clear her mind, she rides her pride and joy: a Harley Road Glide.

Her advice to other road warriors is to be organized and efficient with their time. And always keep the shiny side up. Spoken like a true road warrior.

Photo Credit: gogoloopie

I'm sick, and I'm not happy about it.

Oh, it's nothing serious. Just a bad cold, but that's been enough to throw a hitch into many of my plans this past week. I had to cancel a speaking engagement and put some high priority work tasks to the side. I'm disappointed in the progress I've made through the week and the fact that I wasn't able to live up to all my commitments. This makes me feel even worse, because I feel like I've let people down.

Stop. What?

Writing that makes me realize how silly it sounds. It's as if I got sick on purpose, and as a result people are going to think negatively of me. I think a lot of us feel that way sometimes - and as a result, we put so much pressure on ourselves to keep going, keep pushing - that before we know it, our bodies and our minds force us to the sidelines.

I suffered a pretty dramatic burnout several years ago. I was keeping a frenetic pace at work and in my personal life. I was working 90 hours a week at a stressful job. When I wasn't working, I was out socializing. I only went home to sleep for a few hours, then I'd be up doing it all over again. My thinking at the time was "I'm young, I can handle it. Life is short, make the most of it!". Unfortunately, the lifestyle caught up with me. At the age of 24, I crashed and burned, and ended up going through a horrific year. I battled a couple of fairly serious illnesses that year, and faced turmoil in my personal life. I was forced into bed and had to stay there till I was better.

All of this happened before the days of the Internet and the 24/7 connected world we live in today. But even then, my "always connected" lifestyle got the best of me. With all of the connection points we have today, the risk of over-consumption, over-connection and the resulting mental and physical health issues that can occur is greater than ever.

The First Step

I am going on record and admitting I have a problem with distraction. It's true. I was in denial for a long, long time - just like back in 1994 when I denied that my always-on lifestyle was impacting my health. It's only been in the past week or so that I've been willing to admit it - being forced to shut down, turn off and rest has made me realize how often I feel the pull of distraction - text messages, emails, Twitter, phone calls....as soon as I was forced to shut those things off, I suddenly had something in abundance.....time.

How much time are we wasting each day being distracted? Why are we keeping our email inbox open, running the Twitter stream continuously in the background, and jumping up like Pavlov's Dog every time our mobile device beeps or flashes? What are we so afraid we're going to miss out on if we don't have these constant distractions pounding at us every moment of the day?

Change Your Behavior, Change Your Life

Nobody is forcing us to wear our cell phones in a holster so we can grab it every time it chimes. Nobody is telling us that we have to reply to every email within minutes of receiving it. We are putting that pressure on ourselves. We are fostering a culture of immediacy that is both unhealthy and unproductive. We are spending so much time in the conversation that we're forgetting the value of solitude, focus, and peaceful awareness.

There is not an overnight solution. Addiction isn't like that. But I want to point you to something that might help, if you're feeling overwhelmed, unproductive, and unfocused in any way. I've recently come across Leo Babauta's book Focus: A Simplicity Manifesto in the Age of Distraction. I think it's a must-read for anyone who is feeling like they need to improve their productivity and reduce their stress level. The best part? While he does have a paid version with lots of extras, there is a version of the book that is just as useful and is absolutely free.

I think that there's an opportunity here, to start having some discussions around our connected, distracted lifestyle and how we can get re-focused, re-energized and ultimately be healthier and more productive. Leo's book might help you. Maybe you've got some of your own tips. Let's kick off a discussion about it, shall we?

Photo Credit: underminingme