One suggestion I received from a mentor when I was first starting out as a consultant, was to keep a daily log or diary of my work efforts. The purpose being, of course, to try to keep a handle on my time management–but also to help me see exactly what sort of tasks and activities were going into the work and services I was offering my clients.
Keeping a daily diary of your home business may seem like just one extra step or a nuisance, but it really can give you a great tool for staying organized and understanding where your time goes. I think those of us who operate home businesses can really benefit from keeping a log or journal since we have a tendency to do so much multi-tasking and have overlapping responsibilities. For example, when I am working from home, I may spend fifteen or twenty minutes at my desk, and then get up to throw a load of laundry in the washing machine; on my way back to my desk I may scoop up some dirty dishes from an upstairs room and find myself washing them up before I actually get sat back down to work. When I look at the clock, I may register that I’ve been working for forty-five minutes, but I’ve actually only done 15 or 20 minutes worth of “business” and the rest has been household tasks.
Keeping a diary of work efforts can give you a better idea of what you can actually accomplish in a day, how long specific jobs and projects take, places where you can improve your productivity, AND the diary or log is extremely helpful when it comes time to bill for your services or set (or change) your pricing structure. Having the specific information about how your time and work efforts actually co-exist can give you the tools to make the most of running a home-based business.