Just about every type of business and every industry has some built in “down time”–a period when work obligations let up and there is a little breathing room. Some people choose this as the perfect time to take a break or a nice vacation. In your home business, you may be able to make productive use of the periods of down time in order to grow and strengthen your business operations.
Are there slow times in your home business in every day or one day a week? Is there a typical lull during a few days each month? Or do you have seasonal slow times when business slows down and you have a little breathing room? Instead of closing up shop or using the time to sleep in, you may be able to make efficient use of those down times to catch up on bookkeeping or paperwork, run errands, stock up on supplies, work on planning and budgeting, or do other activities that can truly help your business.
I have heard of some people who are so organized with their time that they keep a basket or file of work to do during slow or down times–filing, ordering periodicals or reviewing articles, etc. Instead of trying to do these things when business is booming or busy, they simply file them away and attend to them when things slow down. Additionally, down times are a great time for reflection, evaluation and long-term planning–without the pressure of immediate details, you can take stock of what is working and what is not, and look at your operations for improvements and make plans for the future. I find that planning is much easier when I am not feeling pressured and stressed and I can allow myself to get out from under the realities of every day to see beyond the immediate.
Instead of simply closing up shop whenever things get slow, make the most of down time to put more productive energy into your home business and do the tasks that can help support the big picture.
Also: Setting Some Parameters