You’ve been preparing to enter the world of IT consulting for what seems like an eternity. You know your skills are sound; you can navigate your way around every OS known to man; you can subnet like nobody’s business; and security… no one can keep unwanteds out like you. So, what’s stopping you from being the best IT consultant ever? Maybe it’s clients, Murphy’s Law, scheduling, meetings, or coworkers.

Here’s the deal: Education and training cannot fully prepare you for life in the field. In your IT classes at school, do you remember any of your teachers ever telling you that you will be working on a clients’ machine when a customer comes in and the client needs to yank the machine from you in order to run a sale? Or did your QuickBooks class ever mention that, while creating a Sysadmin password, you would have three nervous people chatting in your ear, making it nearly impossible for you to remember the password you just created? I doubt it.

Being a consultant isn’t easy, but there are ways to keep your sanity in check. Here are a few tips I recommend.

Have your tools with you
Don’t leave the office without the necessary tools — software, hardware, actual tools (screwdrivers and wrenches), notes, etc. Nothing is worse than getting to a client and realizing that you don’t have everything you need. Not only is it unnerving for the consultant, but it’s also disrespectful to the client; they are paying you to get the job done as quickly as possible.
Take copious notes
I don’t care if you have an eidetic memory, when clients are yapping in your ear to the point where they sound like mosquitoes, you will have to rely on your notes. And although it might go against every grain of your being, write down the passwords that you create so there is no mistaking what they are. You don’t want to have to upload that datafile to Intuit, causing your client to lose 24-48 business hours worth of sales.
Take a deep breath
You will get into situations that become tense and possibly critical. Before you plow through that insanely difficult task, take a deep breath and relax. Remind yourself that you know what you’re doing. It may sound hokey, but it really does work. People tend to think more clearly and work more efficiently when they are relaxed.
Take a break
You can’t sit at the keyboard and stare at the same monitor for hours at a time without losing your ability to think cohesively. Even when you’re on a deadline, a five minute caffeine and pizza break won’t prevent you from getting the job done. In fact, that break just might be the thing that saves you.

This also goes for lunch. Don’t eat your lunch in the car en route to your clients — actually schedule a lunch break for yourself. You can’t work without fuel and that 30-60 minute break will do you wonders.

Leave work at work
This is the most difficult aspect of this job. When you have a rather challenging task hanging over your head, the default is to take that challenge home with you in the form of an obsession. When you leave work, leave work. If you take work home with you — especially in the form of a borderline obsessive thought — it will burn you out. When I get home from work, I have a ritual: I take off my watch and set it on my desk. I don’t put that watch back on my wrist until Monday morning. I bet you can guess the metaphor in this case. Believe it or not, it works for me. You can come up with your own metaphoric, symbolic gestures that help you to leave your work at work. It’ll save you from burning out and ending a promising career early.

If you happen to work at home, read Chip Camden’s tip for keeping a work-life balance.

Listen to some tunes
Sometimes the drive to the client can be more tense than the work at the client’s office. Make sure you have your favorite tunes on hand. If you’re into talk radio, tune in but be aware that listening to a talk radio show may get you seriously fired up and could affect your ability to work calmly.

Summary

These aren’t earth-shattering ideas, but these are strategies that often escape newbie consultants and lead them to short-timers syndrome. In your first year as an IT consultant, make sure you not only keep your skills up to snuff, but your sanity as well.

What other tips would you offer to someone who is just starting out in the IT consulting field? Post your recommendations in the discussion.

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