I know what you’re thinking—you’re thinking that if you COULD make your work day more organized, directed and purposeful, you would have done it already! Unless you are Martha Stewart or some fine impersonation, most of us can stand some improvement in our organizational and time management skills when it comes to operating our home businesses. I know that for me, even after running my business for over two years now, there are still plenty of days when I stumble to my desk or computer and wonder what I am going to do for the next several hours. A little direction and purpose would be good…
Not all of us like to operate off of lists and I want to take that into account. This does not mean that those who run their businesses list-less are less organized than those who do. Still, I find that if I make a list the night before and have it waiting for me on my desk in the morning—I have a guide and I start the day off much more efficiently. I suppose this could be a mental list as well as something actually written out on paper.
A friend of mine told me that he does not work if he doesn’t have something important to do. I guess this is one way to manage time and purpose. Others of us tend to fill our time with busy-work and little tasks when we are feeling unmotivated. I think I am starting to see where my friend is coming from; however, as he feels like he uses his work time more efficiently and gets more done overall if he makes sure his work time is well spent. If he does not having anything pressing to do, he does something else (other than work at his business.) This can work for those of us who do not have set business hours or a steady stream of customers we have to contend with.
Others find that coming up with a “goal” for the day gives them motivation. Have you ever tried coming to your work in the morning (or whenever) saying “Today, I am going to accomplish…”? This can be a great way to put some structure into your work day and give you something to focus on.
Staying motivated while working at the home business is tough—there are just so many distractions. Getting some organization, purpose and direction into each workday can make a difference in how efficiently we grow our businesses.
See Also: Forget the Internet–I Love the Post-it-Note
Knowing When to “Leave the Office”