Again, bad attitudes are contagious.  If the people closest to us, including family, friends, and coworkers, have negative attitudes, you may "catch" one as well.

Just remember, you don't have to get upset if someone is trying to make you upset.  You can choose to stay happy and upbeat.  I like to think of this as wearing a bulletproof vest.  People can fire negativity at me all they want.  But if you remember that it is their issue, not yours, it should bounce right off you.

- Tabatha Coffey, Own It!

In the old days, work was self-evident. Fields were to be plowed, machines tooled, boxes packed, cows milked, crates moved. You knew what work had to be done--you could see it. It was clear when the work was finished, or not finished. Increasing your productivity was all about making the work process more efficient, or simply working harder or longer.

Now, for many of us, there are no edges to most of our projects. Most people that I know have at least half a dozen things they're trying to achieve or situations they'd like to improve right now, and even if they had the rest of their lives to try, they wouldn't be able to finish them to perfection. You're probably faced with the same dilemma.

- David Allen, Getting Things Done

For many home-based workers, the chief advantage of the home office is that it lets them achieve a more equitable balance between work and family.  The key word here is balance.  

Once of your most difficult tasks will be to convince loved ones that you really are working.  Even the most considerate family and friends may suffer from the common misconceptions about home-based work--you're available any time and you can drop whatever you are doing.  Make it clear that you are earning your livelihood, not indulging in a hobby.

- Emily Post's The Etiquette Advantage in Business

Always leave blank spaces in your calendar to accommodate the unexpected, because the unexpected is often more important than the expected.

- Lee Cockerell, Creating Magic

Whether or not you're into time management and keeping a careful schedule, you know how quickly an emergency can derail even your most carefully laid plans.  And that's the thing about planning - you can't plan for the unexpected.  Or can you? 

When you look for the positive qualities of your challenging customer, you increase your ability to connect with that customer and enjoy your time together.  How you think about your customers influences how you respond to them.  When you begin noticing the positive qualities, your clients will start responding to your differently, because how you act is determined by how you think.

- Marilyn Suttle and Lori Jo Vest, Who's Your Gladys?