Even if you haven’t chosen your new business yet, it’s important to develop habits that will allow success to come easily to you.
I, personally, am quite, um, well, meticulous. (Which is a nice way of saying “anal retentive”) I don’t know how that happened, as I’m mostly artistic, and have a very left-brain way of doing things. But, somewhere along the way, my right brain took over, and now I am one of the most organized people I know.
In case you weren’t aware, I actually run about 6 different businesses. Each one of those has certain projects and compartments associated with it, and sometimes I can get overwhelmed with the amount of work I have to do in a day. Here are 5 top tips that keep me relatively sane:
1) I have developed a system of clipboards. One for each business. I list tasks that need to be accomplished, as I think about them, so I don’t have scattered pieces of paper. They’re all clipped together.
2) I REFUSE to make “to do” lists. I am a big proponent of lists, organizing them in order of importance, but opt for a “project list” rather than the typical “to-do list.” The reason for this is because we tend to get a little obsessed with crossing things off, and I have been known to add things that I had forgotten about, just to cross them off the list. No more.
3) I keep a daily log of what I do. Its on an excel spreadsheet, but could have been in word, as I just log all contact, events, meetings, etc, on this list. It’s a handy reference for what happened during my day, and also it makes me feel like I accomplished something after my work day is through.
4) I keep folders for each business, idea, etc. I keep receipts for EVERYTHING. Chances are, if you’re self employed a lot of what you do is tax deductible. Keep your receipts, and let your taxman figure it out!
5) My most important clipboard is the “Things to Think About, Just Not Now” clipboard. Sometimes I have so many ideas floating in and out of my head, but they tend to distract me. By placing them on this clipboard it allows me to move on, and when I have time, I can go back and see if the idea was really worth pursuing.
Whether you’re working from home for yourself or someone else, these tips can help you get through the slog of the day, and focus more on what’s important for growing your business.
