1. Truly Know Yourself and Your Business
Be sure you’re running your business and it’s not running you.
It seems like it goes without saying, but many entrepreneurs that contact us have lost sight of their overall purpose and master plan in focusing on day-to-day business operations.
What was your original vision when you started your business? Who are your ideal clients? Are you focusing on the big picture or getting lost in operating activities?
We are saturated with emails, blogs and RSS feeds offering us tips on managing our time, advice for improving our social media efforts, tidbits and tips on every aspect of our business. There are webinars on managing a team, how to work effectively from home … the list goes on!
From the Globe and Mail: survey says owners are happy with their work/life balance. Based on a poll by Intuit Canada, the survey found that 88% of small business owners were satisfied with their present work/free time balance.
Not surprisingly, a large percentage work more than the usual 40 hours per week and are happy with that. Scheduling and organizing their own work contributes to this sense of satisfaction.
We’ve all heard the expression – work smarter, not harder but this is especially important if your office is in your home. You’ve already taken the first step to smart working by physically leaving behind the typical office but your emotional connection to ‘going to work’ may still be there. How do you make the transition?
Recently our team chose The Power of Less by Leo Babauta for our quarterly book review.
Our thoughts on the book are below.
Don’t fill your days from start to finish
Allow time between calls. Schedule breaks for a walk or to run an errand. Set a limit on your commitments each day and focus on each task by being “in the moment”!
Clear your desk
At the end of each day, clear everything you can from the surface of your desk and put it where it belongs. Organize what’s left and throw out what isn’t needed. Then you can start each morning with less clutter. This will let you focus on what needs to be done since it removes distractions and reduces stress.
An article in Psychological Science states that people who are made to think about time, plan to spend more of their time with the people in their lives while people who think about money fill their schedules with work.
With increasing layoffs and the downsizing of many businesses, many of us with a business background are either looking at opening their own offices or, if their company is trying to cut costs, working from a home office. Do you have what it takes to work from home and/or be your own boss?
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