Operating at home
organising the business
Workflow
You will manage your business better if you establish files, systems, procedures and schedules for doing routine and repeatable things. Set a time – daily or weekly - for doing the paperwork, telephone calls, visiting clients, and contacting suppliers, for example each Wednesday morning you may make a telephone call to five (5) new customers. You can set a goal for each activity as a way of motivating yourself. You could use your diary to allocate time to specific activities, or refer to this very simple weekly goal format which may be useful for keeping track of your activities. By doing the activity regularly, you will achieve your goal.
If you have a project that will take some time to complete, create a chart showing milestones (significant points of progress) with the date by which it is to be achieved. As each milestone is reached, issue your invoice for work completed to date.
(Refer to Rouillard’s Guide to goal setting for a
more detailed process).
Time Management
Time management is essential for maintaining productivity, and your optimum time may be very different from other people. Do the things you find challenging, difficult, or unpleasant during your high energy time.
It is good business practice to start at a regular time each day, even if your finishing time is dictated by other factors, such as project deadlines and family commitments.
Be watchful for procrastination, and do not extend the time quoted for a job to fit your available time. Finish the task and move on to another, or take time out as a reward.
Limiting the number of hours you actually work in the business can be a greater challenge for some, so balance your time between personal time and business time.
When you finish work for the day, close and lock the office door, switch off the mobile, and switch on the answering machine with an appropriate friendly message.
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