You won't need to panic in a crisis if you follow these tips.

Here are 7 tips to help you handle the unexpected.

1. Create a contact sheet.

Have an emergency contact sheet with clients’ contact information available in case something serious happens to you. Only let trusted people know about this sheet and its contents. These people can use this information to contact your clients if you are too sick or injured to do so yourself.

2. Get a plan.

Anticipate that emergencies will arise and prepare for them by maintaining some type of log of the tasks you do and the things that need to be done. Keep a spreadsheet of these and how often you do them, then check them off as you complete them. Keep a list of passwords in a safe, secure place. Make sure that your family (or whoever you trust to help you) is able to do the things you do each day, so you won’t be caught off-guard when something unexpected happens.

3. Be honest with your clients.

Get in touch with your clients and customers as soon as possible, being honest about how long you think it will take for you to complete their projects. Communicating with your customers is key. Most people will understand the delay as long as they are aware of it. If you get to the point where you cannot work or cannot finish a project, but sure to be clear and honest about the situation and try to make an arrangement that will be acceptable. Don’t wait until the last minute to tell them about a potential problem.

4. Work around events.

If your crisis involves your child or family member suffering an illness, make a schedule of what needs to be done so you can do as much work as possible while the person is resting.

5. Have options in place.

You may wish to train a friend, neighbor, or relative to take your place or at least keep things going until you can start working again. Tasks you can teach them may include answering emails, writing content for websites, or conducting classes. If your illness isn’t too intense, you may be able to juggle your tasks around so you can take care of them yourself.

6. Prepare back-up articles.

If you have clients you regularly write articles for, you might want to write a few extra articles for them in advance. That way, if you become seriously ill, you can send them those extra articles and not have to worry about catching up.

7. Computer problems and power outages.

Back up your files and save them often. Try to choose clients who are flexible and patient enough to let you start working again once the problems are dealt with. At the very worst, you can just pick up where you left off when you get well again.

Follow these tips and you’ll be able to bounce right back in the face of any crisis.

By Cathy Lau

Tags: Work At Home