Develop a Routine for Your Homebased Business

Posted on February 10, 2012 by crea2993

We all know someone who lives by a rigid routine…they get up at the same time every day, eat the same breakfast, do the same thing, then wrap their day up and go to bed, only to get up and start the whole thing over again. Routine is boring, we say. And yes, it is. But routine doesn’t mean rigidity. In fact, it can mean the exact opposite, giving you room in your day for excitement, spur-of-the-moment activities, and creativity.

Routine provides a framework for your business. It makes it so that you don’t have to “get ready” to work; you know what has to be done and when, and even how. It takes the guesswork out, saving you precious time that you can now devote to more creative thinking.

There are other benefits to routine. It instills discipline. If you know what needs to be done and do it first thing in the day, there’s never any need to expend energy on planning when it will get done. And it doesn’t allow procrastination to rear its ugly head.

Routine also allows you to work with intention. You condition yourself to focus on the task at hand and not worry about all of the things waiting in the wings. Likewise, your work becomes more meaningful because you understand its necessity and purpose in the big picture of what you’re trying to accomplish. Sure, routine might not be the most interesting part of your work, but it’s part of the building blocks needed to get to the fun stuff.

Do you have a routine in your business? Is it a daily routine? A weekly routine? Or even a monthly routine? Your calendar is your greatest partner when it comes to setting up and working an efficient routine. Block out times for the big things that must get done each day, each week, each month. Then you’ll have room in your schedule and, perhaps more importantly, in your brain, for the new activities…even the unexpected ones. Plan your calendar and then work that calendar…until it becomes routine. When you no longer have to devote energy to thinking about where, when, and how, you’ll know that your routine is working for your homebased business.

Out With the Old, In With the New

Posted on February 6, 2012 by crea2993

Did you know that January was National Organization Month? I guess it should be expected that as a new year approaches and we look at our goals, resolutions, etc., we’d also set about organizing. For me, January was a “think about organizing” month, and I never quite got around to it. With all of the craziness of the holidays, I was piling things up in my office and before I knew it, it looked like someone had vomited paper over every square inch of my desk, bookshelves, and floor. I’m normally a very organized person, so you can imagine how this set me on edge. But there was just too much to do to find time to tackle it.

Well, now it’s February and I’ve finally gotten around to doing more than just thinking about getting organized. I took yesterday and today “off” from work to tackle a major office facelift. If only you could have seen my floor you’d realize just what an undertaking this was. I cleaned out cabinets, file drawers, bookshelves…and it took forever. But now that it is done…or nearly done…I’m feeling more energized and eager to work than ever. Funny how that is. Are you living in…

A Homebased Business Dump?

You know what I mean. You may or may not have a separate room for your business, but when home and business collide it can hit with hurricane-like force. Before you know it, your office area is covered not only with things relating to your business but with personal bills to pay, the kids’ school papers, doctor and dentist appointments to make, receipts for the new tires for your husband’s car, the dog’s rabies shot paperwork…you can’t find what you’re looking for and you can’t concentrate on the work at hand because you’re distracted by all the other stuff that has somehow accumulated in your office space. Stop the insanity. Right now!

If you have to, I highly suggest taking a day “off” from work. Silence the phone, only check your email at pre-slotted times, and start organizing. Throw away what you don’t need, get family appointments on the calendar, put the household papers somewhere else (I highly recommend a family binder or file box), and then commit to your filing. Once it’s done you’ll feel more energized and less overwhelmed. When things get really cluttered, it’s difficult to tackle the mess and keep your work schedule going at the same time. So don’t try to do both. One day “away” from the office will be worth it; you’ll make that time up twofold in productivity once it’s all straightened up.

A mess in the office of someone who works from home can prove disastrous to the business. It takes away your sense of confidence, strength, and productivity. And when it gets to the point that it’s overwhelming to deal with, your business suffers. So don’t let that happen. Nip the homebased business dump in the bud…today!

10 Things I’ve Learned About Business in General

Posted on February 3, 2012 by crea2993

There are lessons learned through instruction and lessons learned through experience. Whether you have a homebased business, a small business, or a large corporation, these general lessons come from the cumulation of day-to-day observations and not from being taught.

If you learn and master sales and marketing, you’ll always have income. Although the playing field has changed (i.e. social media) and you still must keep up with the changes in approach, the same basic principles of sales and marketing apply to all industries and levels, whether you’re a CEO, employee, or entrepreneur. If you can sell–yourself, a product, a service, or an idea–you will be always be able to make money.
The cheap printer bundled with your computer is never the good “deal” you think it is. It has taken me years to realize this, but these low-end printers eat ink, and before you know it you’ve spent hundreds more on ink cartridges than you would have if you’d only purchased a better printer.
Working harder does not equate to earning more money. It just means you’re working harder.
The more you work, the more you will be expected to work. Along the same lines as #3, working longer hours does not equate to earning more…unless you’re paid an hourly wage. If you’re salaried, the more hours you work, the more likely you’ll be expected to put in longer hours. And when you step back to a normal work day, you’ll be viewed as slacking off.
If you pick up the ringing phone ten minutes before you’re heading out for the day or to an appointment, know that you’re going to be late. Just sayin’…
Network…network…network. Even when you don’t feel like it. You never know who you’ll meet or what you’ll miss by not showing up.
The stapler only runs out of staples when you’re in a hurry. Likewise, the same holds true for paper and ink in the printer. And toilet paper.
What you know is never quite as important as who you know. Learn all you can and surround yourself with others who have expertise in the areas where you fall short. The more people you know, and who know you, the greater your chances of making connections.
Be a giver. The person who goes out of their way to give…to make others comfortable at a networking event, who introduces people to one another, who shares referrals and ideas…that’s the person who ultimately gets the most, be it new business, loyal customers, industry information, and just plain satisfaction from knowing they have provided service to others.
You can have the healthiest kids in the universe, but they’ll come home from school sick on the day you must be at an important meeting.

And here’s one extra BONUS lesson…

Never stop learning…or you’ll soon find yourself extinct. Your industry is constantly changing, the economy is up and down, people are moving from business to business…you need to be able to change too.

What are some of the lessons you’ve learned through experience in the business world?

Wednesday Wisdom #23

Posted on February 1, 2012 by crea2993

Working from Home Sucks!

Posted on January 27, 2012 by crea2993

Did I really say that? Yeah…I did. Don’t get me wrong. I love working from home; it suits my lifestyle and I wouldn’t give it up to go back to an office. But it’s not all fun and games; and it’s not easy. There are things about working from home that, frankly, do suck. So here is a partial list of those things I hate most about my home office:

No IT Department. When my computer gives me a hard time, there’s no one to take care of it but me. I’m not at all computer literate, so I spend loads of time fretting, doing the wrong things to fix it, and finally biting the bullet and paying someone to get me back working.
No Mail Room. I can’t just drop something in the outgoing box and wait for someone from the mail room to pick it up, put the postage on it, and send it on its way. Instead, I have to package it up myself, get in the car, and drive to the post office, UPS, or Federal Express. Then I need to stand in that godawful line to finally have it weighed and pay the postage. It’s unbelievable how much time this takes out of my day.
No face-to-face meetings. While it’s nice to sit at home (sometimes in jammies) and attend meetings by phone, conference calls are like root canals. You know there’s someone in there drilling away, but you can’t see the damage. In my case, I’m on the phone with a room full of people; I can recognize some voices but not all. I can hear some voices, and others are so faint I have to strain to try to catch a few words here and there to piece their comments together. And without the benefit of seeing body language, I never quite know when I should talk or keep quiet. To make matters worse, every now and then there’s a sound delay or I can hear myself in an echo. Very unnerving and not the best way to present yourself.
No endless supply cabinet. When I run out of something it entails getting in the car and driving to the nearest office supply store. No more heading to the office supply cabinet and grabbing what I need. This is especially frustrating when I run out of ink for my printer–usually when I’m in a rush.
No creative team. There’s no one available to bounce an idea off of on the spur of the moment. Creative collaboration becomes an effort.
No co-workers. When you work from home you often miss out on things that are shared in the hallways and at impromptu gatherings, and you must make a special effort to keep business relationships at the forefront.
Again, no co-workers. When something wonderful happens, or something frustrating happens, there’s no one to share it with. No one to pat you on the back, to pick you up when you just want to throw up your hands, to laugh with you when something funny takes place.
No escape. You’re the one who always gets stuck emptying the trash, filling the paper tray on the printer, replacing the toilet paper roll.
No separation from home. When the house is a mess, the laundry piles up, errands need running…you’re home anyway so naturally the rest of the family expects you to do it and doesn’t understand why it didn’t get done.

Those are just a few of the things that drive me crazy about working from home. What bugs you about having a home office?

Wednesday Wisdom #22

Posted on January 25, 2012 by crea2993

“Every experience in my life is an opportunity for growth.” — Power Thoughts by Louise L. Hay

How true. Absolutely everything that happens elicits a reaction from us, whether that reaction is a feeling, a behavior, or an action. How we respond to an experience is up to us. When something bad happens, we have the ability to turn it around and take something positive away with us, whether that means learning to do things differently, how to avoid a negative situation, or changing our feelings to allow us to overcome something. This is something that we must practice; it doesn’t always come naturally or easily. But if we can learn to sit down and analyze a situation and select a positive response, then we are on the true path to growth.

As my grandmother always told me (and she was the most positive woman I have ever known): Every cloud has a silver lining. We just need to look for it.

Wednesday Wisdom #21

Posted on January 18, 2012 by crea2993

Wednesday Wisdom #20

Posted on January 11, 2012 by crea2993

“I move beyond old limitations and now express myself freely and creatively.” –Power Thoughts by Louise L. Hay

It’s hard to move beyond the old limitations that we have set upon ourselves because many of these limitations are rooted so far back in time that we’re unconscious of them. Sometimes it helps to have a heart to heart with a friend or loved one and ask for their honest impression of you…your personality, what things you’re afraid of, what habits you may have, what you would do or wouldn’t do in a situation. Their impression is not always the right one…because they are reading you with their own personal experiences muddying the water…but it may give you some insight into how to begin to recognize some of those limitations you have placed on yourself. Once those limitations are recognized and out in the open, you can begin to change them.

Our only limits, after all, are the ones we place on ourselves. You CAN do anything you set your mind and heart to.

Wednesday Wisdom #19

Posted on January 4, 2012 by crea2993

“I am safe in the world. I am comfortable with change and growth.” –Power Thoughts by Louise L. Hay

Having a homebased business is as much about personal development as it is about sales and bottom line. As we change and grow, our world expands…personally, professionally, and even physically. When we learn to embrace change…and grow with it…all of the world’s possibilities open to us.

What are you going to change in your business this year? What steps must you take to enact this change? Take a few minutes today to think about the things you would like to change in your business. Choose one or two of them and visualize the path you will take to make this change positive. In order to make a change, we need to first know what it is we’re changing, why we’re changing it, and then establish the right mindset and plan of action to follow. Change is not always easy, but without it we cannot grow.

Create Success At Home

The Joys and Frustrations of Working at Home