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Are You Controlling Time or is Time Controlling You?

April 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

source: Sean MacEntee

I’ve always wondered how a time management seminar could last two days, so a few weeks ago I went to one. By the end of the first day, I knew I was right…the speaker could have shared all of his information in three hours, not eight. He showed us how we were wasting time — I could relate because I wasting time at the seminar — and he gave us exercises to help us realize how we could make better use of our time.

By the second day I felt sorry for the corporate employees who realized that when they went back to work, they’d have to play catch-up for the next few days.

Let me save you a few days by sharing a few time management tips I didn’t learn at the seminar, but instead through trial and error.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

Filed Under: Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: , , ,

4 Ways to Develop a Home Office Routine

March 5, 2012 By 8 Comments

source: Courtney Dirks

It took me a few years of working from home to figure out that I needed to follow some type of schedule. My schedule is flexible, but for the most part I work out early, take a shower, get dressed and make the 5-second commute to my home office.

There are days though, when I head to my home office in my workout clothes, fully intending to exercise after I finish a blog post or two, and before I know it it’s noon.  Does that sound familiar?

Working from home means you have the freedom to work when you want, wherever you want. Yet it’s important to get into a routine so you can be productive each day. These four tips are a good place to start.

Set a starting and ending time each day

As much as possible, follow a schedule to keep your productivity high and your motivation strong. Otherwise you may not make it to your home office until after lunch. On the other hand, know in advance when you’re going to stop working so you don’t work all night and into the morning.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

 

Filed Under: Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: , , , ,

5 Organizing Myths Keeping You From Getting Organized

January 11, 2012 By 11 Comments

source: miss.killer!

For years, I’ve worked with clients who’ve tried everything to organize their home offices, but then have finally given up. Either they didn’t know where to start or were overwhelmed by the process. They also started to believe the negative comments their family and friends were telling them about getting organized.

If you’ve tried to organize your home office and have given up, or have started to believe what others have told you for years about getting organized, it’s time to change your thinking. When you stop believing old organizing myths, you can move forward and get your home office organized.

Myth #1 You have to be born organized to be organized

We learn both good and bad habits at an early age and you can change any bad habit, including disorganization. When I was in the corporate world, co-workers who had organized offices told me that their homes were a mess. They focused more on their workspace because that’s where they generated their income. By the time they came home from work every day, they were too exhausted to organize anything. The bottom line is that you can learn to be organized, and it’s easier if you’re motivated to make a few changes.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

 

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home

The Advantages of Hiring Help

December 13, 2011 By 8 Comments

A business owner I’ve known for over ten years has owned several businesses. He sold two of his businesses within two years of starting them.

His last (and current) business was almost a failure. Although he had a strong business idea and product, he grew his business too quickly. Each month he added a few employees and by the end of his first year in business, he wasn’t making enough money to cover his overhead.

At the beginning of the new year he cut his staff in half and reorganized his business. By making a few staffing changes, he has converted his company from pathetic to profitable.

As your business grows, and you have less time to spend on sales and marketing, filing, and accounting, you may need to add additional staff or hire freelancers. There are a few things to consider when hiring others full-time, part-time, or on a project-by-project basis. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Time mgmt./Productivity, Working with clients Tagged With:

Do’s and Don’ts of Conquering Home Office Chaos

December 5, 2011 By 10 Comments

Source: Betsssssy

Someone who works in a cubicle or a corporate office can leave his or her mess at work. Yet when your business and personal life are under the same roof, it’s more difficult to keep home office chaos to a minimum. By following a few do’s and avoiding the don’ts, you can keep your home office under control.

Do

Set a schedule

When you work for yourself, it’s important to make every minute count.  Each day set a schedule, but make it flexible. If you wait for the right time to work on something, you may never get started.  Your schedule may change based on the appointments you’ve scheduled or the tasks you need to complete, so focus on the top five tasks you need to accomplish each day. Otherwise it’s easy to get sidetracked.

To read the rest of my guest post on Startup Nation, click here.

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: , ,

Would More Hours in the Day Make You More Productive?

October 25, 2011 By 14 Comments

When my (now 29-year-old) nephew was four years old, I asked him if he wanted to go to the store with me. He told me that he didn’t have enough time because he was too busy.

I don’t remember much about my life at four years old, but what I do remember is that all I had was time. My nephew probably had learned that response from everyone around him.

What would you do with more time?

No matter what type of business you’re in, and whether you’re working from home full-time or part-time, time is a valuable commodity. Take the time to consider what would happen if you had more time.

  • Would you take the day off, spend more time with your family, or work on your personal development?  If so, let go of tasks that don’t need your attention so you can have more time to spend on yourself or with your family. [Read more...]
Filed Under: Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: , ,

To Do or Not To Do…It’s All in the List

October 4, 2011 By 10 Comments

A good friend of mine used to use a paper-based planner to write her to-do lists.

As her business grew, she quit using her planner and switched to sticky notes that she plastered all over her monitor. Her system broke down when she started covering older notes with newer ones. She tried to improve her sticky note system by using different colored notes, but that didn’t help.

Now, instead of using her new smartphone to record tasks, she writes her top to-do’s on her hand. She admits that her “organic” way of tracking tasks is a little unreliable, especially by the middle of the day when she’s washed her hands a few times, but she’s out of ideas.

Whether you’re like my friend and you’ve exhausted all of your options, or you’ve used the same planning system for years, take a close look at how you’re planning your days. There are a few ways you can make your system more effective. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: ,

4 Ways to Get Your Reading Under Control

September 26, 2011 By 8 Comments

If you had a few extra hours every day, how would you spend them? Considering that I’m a closet bookworm, I’d probably spend part of them reading.

For most of us, taking time to read seems more like a luxury than a necessity, but keeping up with the latest in your industry and knowing what your competition is doing, is an important factor in moving your business forward.

While you can’t add more hours to your day, there are a few ways to make a dent in your reading pile.

1. Sort through your books

As you look through your books, give away the ones you’ve had for years and will never look at again. You could make a few extra dollars by selling your books to bookstores that sell used books. In most cases, any books they don’t buy, they’ll donate to charity. An interesting online option, BookMooch, is a point-based bartering system. You type in the books you want to give away, [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: ,

Time to Get Off Your “Buts”

September 1, 2011 By

For the past few weeks, I’ve put off finishing a seminar that’s scheduled for next month. I know the material, and I know what I want to say, but putting the information into a PowerPoint hasn’t been at the top of my to-do list.

A few days ago, I realized that enough was enough. I was tired of thinking about the presentation first thing each morning and last thing before I went to bed, so I set aside the entire afternoon to finalize it.

While I had to answer some important e-mails and return a few calls in the morning, I was proud of myself for staying focused and finishing my presentation by dinnertime.

Getting started on a task or a big project is difficult, especially when you really don’t want to handle it. It’s easier to make excuses and avoid taking the first step.

If you find yourself procrastinating on an important project, use one of these five methods to help you get started.

I have the privilege of being a contributor for Success…Your Way. To read the rest of this blog post, please click here.

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: , ,

Change Your Home Office With the FREEDOM Plan

August 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Most of us who are self-employed agree that we’re unemployable. How could we ever take orders from a boss again, after we’ve enjoyed the freedom of being our own boss?

Whether you free yourself from the corporate world by choice, or by your (former) employer’s choice, you need to figure out the best place to set up a home office. The F-R-E-E-D-O-M plan (as in freedom from the corporate world) will get you started on the right track.

F=Find a good place for your home office

My philosophy is that no matter what size home you have, there’s always room for a home office. Try to avoid setting up a home office in your kitchen, because it tends to be a high-traffic area. Your bedroom is also a bad choice since it should be a place to relax and get away from your business.

Instead, find a place that’s not in a high traffic area, but not too isolated. A dining room or a living room is a good option for a home office, especially if it is rarely used.

I have the privilege of being a contributor for Success…Your Way. To read the rest of this blog post, please click here.

Filed Under: Home office organizing, Home office setup, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: , ,
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