coping with tantrums

I know that when you've had a long day at work and are tired, or somebody small for some reason kept you up at night, the last thing you want to deal with is tantrums, as usually your patience has worn thin by then. What I have personally found helpful (especially when daddy isn't home to help) is tell them to stop, then count to 3. If they keep going after this (and most often they will), then put them in 'time out' until they calm down (depending on how stubborn your child is, this won't take long). If none of this has worked, put them somewhere safe where they can't hurt themselves or damage anything and go take a shower, go for a walk outside and calm  yourself down, then by the time you go back in, if you've put them in their room, they'll usually be asleep or happily playing.