Cut the Chaos: Plan for the Holidays

Family travel, holiday greeting cards, gifts, tax-deductible business purchases. When Father Time winds down his clock in preparation for the New Year, small business owners get frenetic with last-minute to-dos.

Use this check-list and timetable to help organize these otherwise chaotic times:

• Holiday cards or gifts. When selecting the right card or gift, be conscious of the intended recipients' religious, cultural, dietary or other corporate concerns regarding receiving a gift. Some companies prohibit their employees from receiving any gifts. Some people cannot eat certain foods. Know before you ship. How? By asking. Deadline: Ship by early- to mid-December.



• Stay in touch. If you're going to be traveling over the holidays, let your clients and other contacts know. Send e-mail messages, create or change your vacation bounce-back announcement on your e-mail server, record a new outgoing voicemail greeting to reflect your travel plans, office hours or ability to respond to messages from the road. Deadline: At least one week before any travel.



• Business purchases. One way to pay less in taxes is to buy bona fide business supplies - technology hardware and software, accessories and peripherals, books, furnishings, etc. Just do it before the New Year comes. Deadline: By midnight on December 31.



• Planning for next year. Anytime is a good time to do some business planning. The slow economy has required small businesses to take a hard look at where they're headed. The New Year gives us a chance make a fresh start and capitalize on new directions, opportunities and areas of interest. Pencil in some time to meet with your Mastermind Group, partners or other allies to consider where tomorrow may take you. Deadline: Ongoing.

Now's the time to prepare for the holidays and New Year - even if they're weeks away.

Jeff Zbar, the ChiefHomeOfficer.com, is a speaker, writer and expert on alternative officing. He is the author of Teleworking & Telecommuting: Strategies for Remote Workers and Their Managers (Made E-Z Products, 2002); Safe@Home: Seven Keys to Home Office Security (FirstPublish 2001) and Your Profitable Home Business (on CD-ROM from Made E-Z Products). Visit his Web site to subscribe to Home Office Success Stories, his free electronic magazine on home business and teleworking.