Home Office - Stay Organized & Focused
Three of the biggest areas of concern to home based business owners are repeat sales, getting new business and staying organized and focused while working at home.
In this discussion, we'll address staying organized and focused. For starters, remember to have a separate office or to delineate one area and one area only to your home based business. This can be your kitchen table, a desk in your dining or living area, but only one place for the business paperwork. Obviously, if you have to place supplies in a different area, this is OK. In addition, if you have clients come to your home, you can set up and organize your living room, or family room for client meetings.
In many ways, your home based business is no different than that job you may have had in the past. When Spring and Summer came along you had a hard time concentrating, and maybe took some time off. Remember, folks this is your business. If you need a few days off to get it out of your system, do it. You'll come back more motivated, refreshed, and ready to tackle anything.
Don't forget one of the basic tenets of running a business from your home - set distinct hours for that business and stick to them. When the work day is done, close the door, or clean up and organize that area, and go on to household chores, or outside interests.
Use that To Do List to help keep you focused. Review it at the end of each day. Use that last half hour of the day to set up your work schedule for the next, put your work and To Do List in your tickler file, check your daily scheduler, check your goals for the day. Make notes, and ask yourself, did you meet your goals for the day, if not, why, and what do you need to do to be sure you meet them for the next day, and for the week. Use your goals to keep you focused on your work day and what needs to be accomplished.
What time of day is it when your focus is wandering. Is it late afternoon, early evening? Maybe you need to get up earlier, and adjust your schedule so that your work day is done sooner, and your down time coincides with the periods of time you are having trouble focusing.
We all go through periods when we need to get away or take time off, even from our own businesses. I don't care how passionate you are and how much you love what you do, sometimes you just need to get away from it all. We say DO IT, have your fun in the sun, pool, golfing, whatever. Then come back with a vengeance to that business with renewed purpose and energy. Stay focused - stay organized!
