The new book I'm working on is about leading yourself.  This is something I've struggled with for years with my business ( username: story  password: story) because when you become a solopreneur, you don't have anyone but yourself to account to (and I can be VERY lenient when it comes to accounting to myself).
 
I've found that leading myself is like herding cats; I'm easily distracted, the bathroom suddenly needs to be cleaned, I have to go to WalMart because I'm out of staples, etc. 
 I can spend an entire day wallowing in self-pity and doubt which leads to turning on the tv and losing myself in endless episodes of NCIS (my weakness).  Without someone breathing down my neck, I can get caught up in polishing and perfecting things rather than posting them.  There's no one to kick my butt and tell me to suit up and show up or else.
 
To create that accountability, I created a checklist that I have to fill out before I can end the day.  I do it in my dayplanner so when I wonder why I didn't make enough money this month, I can go back to my dayplanner and see how many blank spots there were in the month and I know exactly where the buck stops.
 
I keep it simple:
1.  How many new business contacts did I make today?
2.  How much income did I produce (real dollar amounts...not pie in the sky things that might make money sometime in the future)?
3.  What did I do to move closer to (a big goal)?
 
Knowing those questions are waiting for me at the end of the day helps me stay away from the bon bons and soap operas and WalMart or the "this has to be perfect" syndrome.

The hardest part of working from home is doing it.  I've learned to schedule my day just as if I had a boss to report to or the entire day can slip away without having accomplished any thing.  

It's critical to learn the difference between being busy and accomplishing something.  I can be "busy" all day, but at the end of the day, I have to look at what I've done and ask myself "what have I accomplished?"  Did I make a new contact today?  Did I share my business with someone?  Working from home means being paid by production, not by activity or by how many hours I spent working.  This is a whole new mindset and one that everyone that works from home needs to acquire.

I'd like to hear how you measure your daily accomplishments.

Creating a blog and website for people who want to work at home was one of my goals for the new year.  I said I'd have it up in January and, though I just barely made it, I'm counting this as a success.  It feels good to put a check mark by that entry on my "to do" list. 

I'm looking forward to connecting and getting to know others on the working from home path as well as those who are considering joining our ranks.  I know it can be a scary thing to contemplate, but it's worth it when you can work while you watch your little one napping just a few feet away.

Please feel free to introduce yourself and tell us a bit about what you're doing now and what you'd like to be doing a few months from now.  There's magic in writing it down.  I'm always amazed when I've written out a goal or a desire and then go back a few months or years later and see how perfectly it all came together.