Every two weeks for the past couple of years I’ve published an enewsletter from ChronicBabe, the Goodie Bag. I’m really proud of that accomplishment and it’s extremely rare for me to take a break. But I did just that this morning, sending out a short letter to my readers instead. The topic: the value of taking a little break.

I love the continuity, the connections you get with an enewsletter. It keeps your readers (or clients) up to speed on your activities, offers them resources that strengthen your reputation as a go-to-gal or -guy, and basically reminds them that you still exist. So even though I was feeling very burned out, I chose not to abandon publishing altogether, but go for this alternate approach, which took about 1/5 the time.

It was a relief to get it out the door so I could go what I really needed to do, which was relax. Sometimes we just need to do that! As entrepreneurs, it’s sometimes (usually? always?) hard for us to get our heads around that concept.

So how about you? Do you ever cut yourself some slack and take a little break? An hour here or there, or a “mental health day” or even a - gasp! - vacation? Fill me in.

Most of us work from home; a few of us have outside offices. I’ve always worked from home, but am now getting ready to split my time between my home office (ChronicBabe HQ, or CBHQ) and an outside office space I’ll share with a group of cool, creative folks. It’s exciting! But it creates some questions and challenges for me:

- How should I keep my computers connected? I use MS Outlook to manage my calendar, email, task lists, etc. I don’t want to bring my main computer to the remote office (let’s call it CBHQ2) but I want access to all that stuff. I’ve checked out GoToMyPC and it seems workable. I don’t like to work for hours at a time on my laptop, so I’ll probably get a dock so I can use a bigger monitor, keyboard and mouse.
- How should I handle phone calls? I spend a lot of time on the phone, and I suppose I’ll just forward my home office phone to my Blackberry to answer at CBHQ2. Time to get a hands-free headset, but I’m super-picky about them, so I’ll call my usual provider, Hello Direct, and see if they have something that I’ll like.
- How will I manage paperwork? I think it will be best to keep my main filing system at my home office, and have some sort of smaller file-holder at CBHQ2. That way I can carry that day’s important files with me back and forth. But I think I’ll need to think strategically about keeping more information digital so I can always access it. (I’ll be killing fewer trees that way, too.)
- What about office supplies? Good think I never get rid of anything, like old staplers, trash bins, scissors…I have duplicates of lots of stuff. I’ll gather up the most vital things and find a nifty storage container for them. Too bad I don’t have a spare office chair; that’s the only big purchase I’ll need to make.

And finally,
- What about my attitude? I’ve always poo-poo’d working offsite. I don’t even like to work in coffee shops! I’m easily distracted and I don’t like to be interrupted a lot. So working in a shared space with other folks will take some getting used to. But I think the payoffs will be worth it: Regular contact with creative, interesting people. Folks to have lunch with. The chance to get out of my house when the neighbors are being particularly noisy. A reason to put on big-girl clothes and makeup and stuff. (Or maybe they won’t care if I work in my PJs.) Yup, worth it.

So…I’m ultra-curious to hear how other folks prepare to work offsite. What software/ hardware/ equipment/ gadgets help you? How do you balance your time? How do you minimize distractions? Handle paperwork? Chime in with a comment!

You know what an RSS feed is, right? If not, Wikipedia explains it pretty darn well. Many sites put out little feeds, and it’s nice to have a feed aggregator to capture the feeds of all your favorite sites into one place.

I’ve been using Bloglines for a while now, and really like it…but fresh off the plane from SXSW Interactive, I’ve got more recommendations floating around my brain, and I’m curious: What’s your favorite feed aggregator, and why?

Fitting in with Jenni’s theme of the week, I’ve got a brainteaser for all of you. As independents, we’ve done all sorts of things to market ourselves. There’s the expensive, the cheap, the cutting-edge, the traditional. If there’s a potential for new leads and enhanced business image, we’ve probably done it.

So what’s the single best marketing effort you’ve ever made? If someone were just starting out, or starting over, what would you recommend as a useful method to market your independent writing/design/consulting business? What did you do, and what did it do for you?

P.S. If you haven’t already, check out my blog. Writers will find tips and thoughts on marketing, publishing, and day-to-day freelancing; independent creatives and other readers will find some fun columns to spark that creativity and keep it fresh. Enjoy.

I used to love the now-defunct TV show Starting Over, in which a handful of women lived together in a house and received coaching on how to “start over” in their lives, whether it be in a relationship, a career shift, a geographical change or just about anything else. It was my lunchtime guilty pleasure, and while aspects of it were really cheesy, some of the exercises were pretty darn cool.

Now that I’m back home in my rebuilt condo after being displaced for six months, I feel like I’m Starting Over. My office is reconfigured to give me more work space, and I’m jumping into GTD with a vengeance. I’m learning to text and trying out Twitter. I’m thinking about redesigning furniture arrangements in the dining room. I’m driving around in a new car (a 2008 Prius, lovely!). And generally, I’m feeling like it’s a fresh start.

It was just too darn hard to work efficiently in our temporary housing. My heart and mind just weren’t in it - frankly, it was a depressing situation. And it’s still really difficult to get used to being back home and unpacking and dealing with punchlists and living in the nation’s worst-ranked zip code for mail delivery. While I did some good work while I was in temporary digs, I had to put a lot of projects on hold, and now I’ll be kick-starting those again - so it’s really frenetic.

In short, it’s a time of new beginnings over here at Orange Grove Media/ChronicBabe HQ. I would love to hear any suggestions on productivity, time management, furniture arranging, inexpensive art procurement, online software packages as an alternative to Outlook…I’m open to any and all suggestions on general life enhancement today. Thanks!

With Super Tuesday moments away, I’m doing some campaigning for my candidate of choice. I’m making phone calls, sending emails, starting conversations…but not with clients and business colleagues.

It’s tough to decide when (or if) to share my politics with folks in business. I have close business colleagues who are my polar opposites politically, and we get along great - we have many spirited discussions about the tough issues our nation faces, on personal and professional levels. So I find myself leaning toward sharing my political views with colleagues.

But with clients, I feel like it could be a turn-off. OR it could be something that they’re attracted to, if we share the same views - or acknowledge and respect each others’ differences.

So…I’m left with this question: Should I share my political views with clients and colleagues? Or is it inappropriate? What is an appropriate occasion for sharing my views? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

I’m in a de-cluttering mode, and it’s becoming a bit of an obsession. I’m still in temporary housing, which means less space…and boxes everywhere. Without a decent filing system, I’ve accumulated stacks of paper and to-do’s, client files, magazine articles to read when I have free time (ha!) and more. So…I’m spending time every day this week to get re-organized. Not only will this help me get more physically organized, but I’m sure it will help me get more mentally organized. (Juggling client needs, projects in development, condo reconstruction details, insurance paperwork and inspections, and - whoa - a little R&R has proven to be a real brain drain.)

A few things I’m trying to keep in mind as I work on de-cluttering:

• I can never have too many file folders. Better to have a stack of file folders that are clearly labeled than a pile of slips of paper.
• If a slip of paper has sat on my desk for three months without moving, it’s probably not that important.
• I don’t have to power through everything today - I can do a chunk every day this week and be done soon (probably faster than I predict.) It’s important to balance my time and energy.
• Color coding works, and it’s fun to play with markers!
• I can use services like I Want Sandy and Jott to keep me on schedule with automatic reminders.
• It’s time to backup my Outlook files - if I lose those, I’m toast.

That’s where I am with de-cluttering. How about you? What strategies do you use to de-clutter? What are your favorite personal organization tips?

This year, I’m taking December 24 to January 2. I need that time to re-charge, re-organize, and watch tons of old X-Files episodes. But some folks don’t (or can’t) take that much time off.

How much time do you take off for the holidays? I would love to know.

Our pal Linda pointed me to this interesting piece about daily rituals, and it got me thinking: What are my rituals? Should I get better ones? Hmm.

A few of my work-related rituals and habits:

• I always create a file folder for new client projects, even teeny tiny ones. It helps me stay organized.
• Every morning, I tear off a page of my Getting in Touch with Your Inner Bitch 2008 Calendar, which is full of helpful tips that keep me feeling strong and sassy.
• Before I sit down to work, I put on comfy clothes and funny striped socks in the winter, and hot pink sandals in the summer. Color is important.
• In the mid-afternoon, I enjoy a cup of green tea, steeped for three minutes, with a hint of honey. I especially like to stare out the window while I sip it. (In our temporary housing situation, instead of trees and dog walkers, I have a lovely view of a firehouse and a busy, dangerous intersection, so I’m always entertained.)
• When I finish my day, I synch my PDA, turn off the lights and my monitor, and close the blinds. These are signals to myself that work is done and it’s time to relax.

So how about you? Do you have rituals in your work day?

In J-school, we wrote within strict limits. Headlines had to be a certain number of points wide, paragraphs a certain number of words long. I grew to love those limitations, which challenged me to squeeze maximum meaning into a small space.

As the years go by, I find myself in a solid habit of writing to length. It’s part of my organizational strategy now: Receive an assignment to write 600 words on a topic. Research article and create an outline of sections. Assign each section a rough word count. Write the piece to length. Voila: Word count is met, client is happy, I’m happy. I almost never go significantly under or over, and when I do, it’s for special circumstances - and then, I’ll call the client and discuss our options.

Business-wise, I think this is a fine approach to take. But creatively, I’m wondering if it’s a little stifling. Would it hurt me to just write something once in a while, not thinking about length, and then slicing and dicing later? I’m considering it.

How about you? Do you work well within limitations, or do you roam free and then rein yourself in later? I’d love to hear your creative style.