by Cindy Hurt
"Working from home...
A perspective from one who does!"
Part three: Work smart, not hard!
You don't have to work harder to work smarter. Make your plan and stick
with it. When you work out of your home you can tend to try to fit the
time you spend working in between everything else. You have to decide
WHEN to work… not IF! Set up your business with specific hours.
Just as you would need time to commute to an office or other place of
work look at the time you spend with your business in your home the
same exact way. One trap that is easy to fall into is putting off some
tasks and not truly incorporating them into your business hours. Tackle
your tough tasks first, but don't put off the basic backbone tasks of
your business. Make your phone calls during the day. Check your e-mail
or business mail before or after the time you've set aside for making
your phone calls. Avoid extra trips to the post office or office supply
store. If you need access to the internet to do business consider DSL
or cable modem services to increase your efficiency.
Another great time saver is to get help doing the things
that you do NOT have to do! Consider hiring someone to help keep your
paperwork organized or ordering and refilling supplies. Many times there
are high school programs that need to have their students act as interns
to gain practical experience. This is a great way to involve yourself
in your community and maximize your efficiency. If you feel stressed
with the amount of housework that needs to be done, consider hiring
someone to come in once a week or every other week and tackle some of
those larger tasks. If you have small children, arrange a time for a
baby sitter to come in. Your goal is to help streamline your day.
You want to cut out the time-wasters! Turn off the TV,
eliminate your non-incoming producing activities. Do you read too much?
Do you participate in e-mail groups? Identify what your distractions
are and reduce or eliminate them.
You can have balance and be successful. It will be up to you - not
someone else telling you to develop projects, organize your time and
follow through on details. Just remember attitude is everything!
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