"Oh, my goodness, look at the time!"
You'd think with all the time-saving gadgets you have nowadays
you would have so much free time you'd be bored to tears! But
it's definitely NOT so! Time, for everyone, is at a premium.
Even my children can't believe how fast time flies by - when I
was young, we seemed to have FOREVER!
The lack of time is one of the main problems plaguing sincere
people who want to start their own business. However, to start
ANY business, even with the help of the Internet and its
resources, you DO need TIME. Three ways to squeeze more time out
of your day are to prioritize, organize, and authorize.
Prioritize
You MUST make your business a priority in your life or you'll
never even get started. Your business should come BEFORE
hobbies, recreation, T.V. -basically anything that you'd have to
put after a regular job. You may have other things in your life
that are needlessly taking up your time.
Sit down and THINK about your daily schedule: how much time do
you spend on things that really don't warrant the amount of time
you're spending on them? You may find it helpful to keep a
diary, for a week or so, of how you're spending each moment of
your day. You may actually find you are WASTING precious time
"shooting the breeze" with a co-worker, for example. When time
is as important as it is for a budding entrepreneur, NO time can
afford to be wasted. Sometimes better organization is the key.
Organize
In order to maximize the use of your time you MUST be organized.
You may find that creating a schedule in a day-timer is one way
to keep track of your activities and keep you on time. The
trick, of course, is to actually STICK TO your schedule once
it's made!
Try to organize your way of dealing with things so you don't end
up doing the same thing more than once. For example, when you
receive an email, act on it, file it, or delete it. Don't just
read it and decide to come back later. Don't check your email
box every couple of hours: once in the morning and again in the
evening is enough for most people. ANYTHING you do repetitively
during your day can end up being a time waster if you're not
careful.
Be prepared to take advantage of any EXTRA time that may fall in
your lap! Do you spend a lot of time commuting to your job, or
perhaps waiting for people/things during your day? If you have
something related to your business with you, for example
something you were planning to read or write, then you can take
advantage of these times to get ahead in your own business. If
you work on a computer, perhaps you could spend these 'down'
times, or even just your breaks, doing advertising or research
online.
Authorize
SO many people would have more time if they'd just DELEGATE! You
don't have to do everything yourself - at home or in your
business.
If you find yourself bogged-down by household tasks, enlist your
children or spouse to help: it'll be good for them, and when
your business takes off, they'll benefit from that as well!
Make your business a 'family affair'! Older children may even be
able to help you with advertising, posting ads online or perhaps
delivering flyers or posting advertising on message boards in
your community.
Take advantage of resources online to help you. There is nothing
wrong with cutting a few corners (and HOURS) off your business
start-up and expansion by getting help. There are people whose
business it is to help you succeed, so USE them!
With a little commitment, planning and foresight, you CAN find
the time to start your own home business. And, believe me, it'll
be worth it!