Structuring Your Time When You Become Self Employed
Written by Andrew James Thursday, 25 August 2011 07:58
The best thing about being self employed is the freedom! You do not have an annoying supervisor telling you what to do, you don't have company policies directing every step, and you do not have protocols and procedures that you have got to follow. You are in control, and you get to decide what you do, each day of the week.
Sadly that very same sanctified freedom is also one of the biggest problems with being your own manager. When you have the ability to do anything, regularly you will find yourself doing nothing, or just about nothing. With no chief and no structure, you will find yourself wasting countless dear hours watching television and mindlessly playing games instead of actually getting your work done.
That implies that in plenty of ways , you are your own worst enemy. Being successfully self-employed needs you to gain the self-control to be able to push yourself to work, even when you do not want to. Being your own boss does not imply you get to slack off and have a great time all of the time. Rather it suggests that you have to turn into the mean dominating person who forces things to be done.
Organization is very important when working out the proper way to structure your time in a self-employed situation. The more clutter and disorder you have hovering around you the harder it is going to be to keep your concerns straight. Clutter creates waste. When you can not find something that you either have to go looking for it, or recreate it. When everything around you is orderly, you do not have to waste time hunting for important papers or information.
Another thing that can help you to suitably divide up your time is the making of lists. When you're self employed, it's up to you to maintain a tally of everything that must be done. You do not have a manager to scream at you when you forget to take care of something significant. Lists will help you to not only remember everything that you've got to do, but they can also help you to remember what you have already done.
A calendar is another critical tool, which can frequently be tied into lists. A calendar can help you to recollect dates and cut offs, while also helping you to list all the must haves that need to get looked after on a regular basis. There are a range of digital calendars which are now available. These may help to keep you organized by having pop ups show up on your PC screen to make you think about things that you have got to take care of.
At the start of every day you should check your calendar, and then make a list of everything that has to be accomplished. This list can be made on your personal computer, on a piece of paper, or on a smart phone permitting you to carry it around with you. This list can then be prioritized, with the most imperative and critical things at the top, and less important ones nearer to the bottom of the page. This could lead you as you work through the day, acting as a structural framework for your activities.
It can be complicated obtaining the discipline necessary to successfully pursue a work from home, self-employed career. However staying organised through the use of lists, and calendars can go a long way towards helping you maintain order in your home office.
About the Author:
Andrew James has been involved in the work from home industry for at least 20 years. While the technology used to conduct this kind of business has changed enormously in that time, the guidelines behind creating and operating a successful home business stay the same. You can learn more by visiting the Work From Home Australia business website.