The New Year marks a new beginning where people can re-set their goals and start with a clean slate. Or is it? The reality is that you can start fresh at any time. So why not start now? By working on your goals now, you be all that much closer to working at home once New Year's Day arrives. Here are some tips to setting your work-at-home goals:

1) Why do you want to work at home? What is that working at home will get you? More time with the family? More money? Out of a job you hate? Write down the life that working at home can provide you. Don't skip this step, as it is the fuel that will drive your desire to work at home when your goal becomes difficult to reach.

2) Write your goals down. To be powerful, goals must be:

Specific - Don't write, "I want more money." Instead write the amount. "I want a million dollars."

Measurable - This is related to being specific. You need to know that you reached your goal by having a measure for it such as a dollar amount.

Challenging - You must challenge yourself to step out of the comfort zone to achieve your goals.

Timed - You need to set a clear and definite deadline for each goal such as, "I will be home full time with the kids by June 2007."

Written - There is power in writing your goals so write them down.

3) Now that you know what you want, you need a plan to get it. Jot down all the steps you need to take to reach your goal. There are thousands of ways to work at home, write down as many that you think you could do based on your skills and experience and interests.

4) Research the options from #3 and select the one that you believe you can commit to for the long haul.

5) Make a plan. Determine what steps you need to take to get your work-at-home program started and running. Write down all the steps that are required and post them in your planner or in your office.

6) Commit to the plan. Many people are able to get through the first five steps without much difficulty. But within a few days or weeks, they are back to their old ways and not doing anything to reach their goals. One way to avoid this is to schedule time everyday to work on your goal. By doing small things everyday you'll see bigger results faster than haphazard effort every now and then.

7) Celebrate your success. Once you have reached a goal of working at home, celebrate. So few people really ever achieve their dreams. The fact that you have means you have put in the work and stayed the course despite all the obstacles. That deserves a party.

You don't have to wait until January 1st to start working at home. Work-at-home goals can be set and worked on at any time, so start today and by New Year's you'll be well on your way to achieving work-at-home success.