AVOID BAD HABITS, DISTRACTIONS AND TIME WASTERS. A myriad of temptations await teleworker and threaten your productivity: socializing with neighbors, doing household chores, watching television, spending time with your family, making frequent trips to refrigerator. Teleworkers must be committed to using time wisely and staying focused on tasks at hand.

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BALANCE. Teleworking will not inherently provide a perfect work/life balance. If you were a workaholic before teleworking, chances are your workaholism will be just as bad (if not worse) after beginning to telework. Because workplace is so close and always available, teleworkers must be especially disciplined about not overworking.

NEGOTIATE EXPECTATIONS AND AGREEMENTS. Both with family members and with co-workers, disagreements can arise. Teleworkers should anticipate areas of potential conflict, set clear expectations and reach agreements before controversy occurs.

ESTABLISH A SOLID FOUNDATION OF TRUST AND A REPUTATION FOR RELIABILITY. Remember that your boss, clients or colleagues may wonder if you’re really working when you telework. So, be sure your performance is beyond reproach. Strive to be known for your dependability and availability. Be prompt in returning calls, reply to e-mail quickly, use a mobile phone for greater accessibility and let people know best ways to reach you right away.

The latest brain studies suggest that most effective way to change our beliefs is to create a mental story of success. We need to picture ourselves as we want to be, and we need to talk about it. Here's basic formula: See it, say it, hear it.

Our unconscious brain sees everything in pictures. It does not filter images based on what our conscious mind considers true, likely or possible. It literally does not distinguish between reality and fantasy. Think of nonsensical dreams you've had!

Language is most fully processed in brain when there is a visualized image to go along with it. These images and words become linked to create our "truth"-- at least, according to our brains. And that's where it matters most.

Say it out loud, and you're engaging your aural learning skills as well.

By intentionally creating new images through visualization, we literally create our own version of reality, and as you've probably learned by now, we tend to live in whatever reality we construct. Our potential is limited only by mental images we choose to develop and store. It's that simple--and that profound.

Stop setting goals, and start creating intentions. The secret is to include ALL of these steps:

*SEE yourself in circumstances you desire. Picture it perfectly.

*Craft a one-paragraph story that you would like to be true, and SAY it in present tense, as though you are describing your life right now.

*Repeat, repeat, repeat. Demand to HEAR that same story every night before you go to sleep.

What's your intention? Focus on feelings, not numbers. Picture it, and write it down. Repeat it to yourself until it becomes familiar and beloved--complete with favorite parts, great pictures, and a happy ending.

Stop pushing toward goals and start being pulled by your intentions. Let your brain go to work for you.

See it, say it, hear it. You'll never need another goal!