Home Office - Juggling It All
Having a trigger to start your day is very important. One of the major problems with people running businesses from their home is starting the work day. For many of us seasoned home based business owners it's a trigger. A trigger can be making a cup of coffee and taking it to the office, getting the kids off to school, after your morning jog or workout; it can be any one of a number of things. A trigger is very dependent upon the individual.
Our long time subscribers, know that we are big advocates of organization and time management. A great way to organize your day and not waste time is to have a To Do list. A list allows you to focus on what needs to get done, what's important, rather than flitting from one thing to another and never getting anything done. Your To Do list should be updated at the end of each day, so it is ready for the next. If you didn't finish a project put it on the next day's schedule but at the top of your list.
If you are not a very organized individual to start with, then everything, and I mean everything should be on your To Do list, (filing, opening mail, deposits, copying, etc.). For those of you more organized and focused you can put the project or items you need to accomplish on your To Do list ( update databases; check FSBO sites, write deal articles, e-mails for consults, etc.), and place the other items on your daily, weekly or monthly schedule.
Depending on how you like to work, your day will usually be split. Telephone calls, letters, e-mail responding, and follow-up in the morning, and the speech writing, article writing, and research done in the afternoon. You will need to find what works best for you. And always remember that while something is printing or your backing up, don't just sit there watching it, do some filing, make a quick phone call, read a short article, do up your supply list, make up deposits, those little things that don't take much time. Make time management your motto, and you'll be surprised by how much you can get done in a day.
Keeping your desk uncluttered will also allow you to work better. The only things you should have on your desk are the things you need on a daily basis. When your desk is clear, you spend less time clearing up the clutter, which means more time working. That's fine you say, but where do I put it. A great organizer for your desk are stacking trays or stacking slots. I use stacking trays for incoming and outgoing paperwork and stacking slots for phone messages and files I need on my desk. However, you do need to clear the trays at the end of the day.
One tip for those of you who use the phone extensively (for those of you in Lease Purchasing this is a must). If you are left handed keep your phone on the right hand side of your desk and vice versa, to avoid trying to write over a telephone cord.
If you have a very small desk and don't have room for stacks or slots, add shelves above your desk. For those of you that have the desk room for slots and stacks you can put shelves above your desk and put the items you use less often on the shelves, for example, extra supplies, reference material, staplers, etc. For those of you that can't put up shelves, get crates for next to or under your desk and put things on top or in the crates.
For those of you with a desk with drawers you can organize the items in the drawers by using draw dividers. They'll keep everything separated, which saves you time, because you don't have to look through the whole drawer. You can also use products specifically designed for drawers or ordinary silverware trays to keep your supplies divided.
