What Are You Doing to Stay Organized in Your Business?
Posted 08-22-2008 at 09:42 AM by lennelljones
I admit it. I'm sometimes guilty of wasting time and procrastinating when I should be doing more things to build my business.
What I have found, though, is that I work better when I put things down on paper (both physically and electronically). This simple act helps to keep me organized and focused. For me, since it is actually better for me to have something to physically look at (whether my computer is on or not), I like to print out my lists.
I also like for my lists to be organized in order of priority. So I list my 'to-dos' in order of importance. Now, I understand that having a list is no guarantee that I am going to not procrastinate, but it sure is a nagging reminder that I have things to do.
I usually use plain old Notepad or Outlook for my lists, but I also came across a nice free online tool at Voo2do that helps keep you organized.
Since I often usually have hundreds of ideas and thoughts running rampant in my brain at any given time, I like to use my mindmapping software, so I can sketch out a new project without any worries of forgetting it later. When I re-visit my mindmaps, sometimes I realize that what I may have initially thought was a good idea does not seem so great after all. There is a nice free tool that helps with this at IHMC CmapTools or you can try some of the other mindmapping software available online.
Discipline is a HUGE part of working from home, and initially, I suffered from lack thereof. What really forced me to be more disciplined was realizing that if I do not complete what I need to complete, then I cannot pay my bills and will be in danger of losing everything.
When I lost my job a few years ago, and as a result lost most of my possessions, I realized that that is not somewhere I want to revisit. So I am much more disciplined these days. I will not say that I always get all my goals accomplished as soon as I wish, but I sure as heck try. Sometimes I fail, but I do not let that stop me - I just review and adjust for the future.
The main point is to make sure that your business is organized, and that you have a vision in mind along with some concrete goals to help you succeed. Strong organizational skills are vital for home business owners because most of the work falls squarely upon your shoulders. So if you are not where you want to be with your business, maybe it is time to re-evaluate and adjust your organizational structure.
What I have found, though, is that I work better when I put things down on paper (both physically and electronically). This simple act helps to keep me organized and focused. For me, since it is actually better for me to have something to physically look at (whether my computer is on or not), I like to print out my lists.
I also like for my lists to be organized in order of priority. So I list my 'to-dos' in order of importance. Now, I understand that having a list is no guarantee that I am going to not procrastinate, but it sure is a nagging reminder that I have things to do.
I usually use plain old Notepad or Outlook for my lists, but I also came across a nice free online tool at Voo2do that helps keep you organized.
Since I often usually have hundreds of ideas and thoughts running rampant in my brain at any given time, I like to use my mindmapping software, so I can sketch out a new project without any worries of forgetting it later. When I re-visit my mindmaps, sometimes I realize that what I may have initially thought was a good idea does not seem so great after all. There is a nice free tool that helps with this at IHMC CmapTools or you can try some of the other mindmapping software available online.
Discipline is a HUGE part of working from home, and initially, I suffered from lack thereof. What really forced me to be more disciplined was realizing that if I do not complete what I need to complete, then I cannot pay my bills and will be in danger of losing everything.
When I lost my job a few years ago, and as a result lost most of my possessions, I realized that that is not somewhere I want to revisit. So I am much more disciplined these days. I will not say that I always get all my goals accomplished as soon as I wish, but I sure as heck try. Sometimes I fail, but I do not let that stop me - I just review and adjust for the future.
The main point is to make sure that your business is organized, and that you have a vision in mind along with some concrete goals to help you succeed. Strong organizational skills are vital for home business owners because most of the work falls squarely upon your shoulders. So if you are not where you want to be with your business, maybe it is time to re-evaluate and adjust your organizational structure.
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