Home Business Organisation Ideas

[amandajane]

Thanks all for the ideas. My colleague and I were discussing scheduling when we answer emails. It's too easy to be distracted.

gtdagenda - that's an interesting site you have there :0)

[West]

Email is a serious time eater. Because I have my own business, I skip the urge to return my business emails right away especially if I have a lot on the to-do list. (I will answer within the day or within 24 hours.) Also, I have a lot of projects usually in various stages of completion, so I always need space to tuck projects away. I bought one of those wire cube storage things and modified it so it has slots. It works well to keep my stuff in line.

[khorrell]

West, I'd like to know more about your system. I have those wire cubes around but they're not in use, and I, too, always have multiple projects brewing at the same time.

[lucille]

I moved to answering work emails 2-3 times a day. I found I had more time to work and others were less pressuring. When people had to wait a few hours for a reply they were less likely to try to ask me to drop everything and do something last minute. It also seemed to lower the number of interruptions throughout the day. I think there was some social engineering going on when they felt they couldn't get a response within seconds throughout the day.

[khorrell]

Thanks to all your suggestions (and Tim Ferriss), I'm trying to keep email to a minimum. I think it is helping!

[egray]

My most important tip would definitely be answer emails immediately when you receive them. This may seem like a distraction but I receive a high volume of emails and if I don't tackle them immediately then I end up with a hundred emails to answer in one go which can be both intimidating and take a lot of time.

I find the need to remove all distractions from my work area. I used to have a guitar nearby but that proved to be a big mistake!

I keep a whiteboard on the wall behind my monitor with my to-do list on it so it's always in view.

A pad of post-its is invaluable too - I keep current and important info on stickies that surround my screen.

I would also advise to make your work area comfortable and pleasant to be in - a couple of plants can work wonders, as can natural light and fresh air so a room with good windows is a must.

I also strongly recommend either morning yoga or meditation or even both. This may sound very new-agey but honestly my most productive days start with a half-hour yoga session and 10 minutes of meditation - it really sets you up for the day and helps keep your mind uncluttered. Plus if you're sitting all day it's great for your posture and general well-being.

[amandajane]

Originally Posted by lucille

I moved to answering work emails 2-3 times a day. I found I had more time to work and others were less pressuring. When people had to wait a few hours for a reply they were less likely to try to ask me to drop everything and do something last minute. It also seemed to lower the number of interruptions throughout the day. I think there was some social engineering going on when they felt they couldn't get a response within seconds throughout the day.

Now that makes sense! With the speed of the internet and day to day life it's tempting to expect instant results. It's a case of 'you say jump and I'll say how high' and I really don't like that! I think I have authority issues, lol

[MoneyMagnets]

I've cut down on the emails I receive by rarely signing up for newsletters and using RSS instead into google reader. The newsletters I do want to keep go into subfolders.

When I'm busy I switch off my email! I use Thunderbird but with Sunbird as my calendar so I can turn email off but still have my calendar with reminders. I also switch off Twirl (Twitter program) and I won't answer the phone either (but I hardly get any calls).

I agree with egray about doing something before you start work. I do morning pages which releases any worries I have and helps me connect with my reason for being self employed (sometimes it can seem easier to be am employee ). It helps me set my priorities for the day.

I have a white board in my office but that's for ideas so I can write them down and then continue with what I was doing.

Timers and calendar reminders are great and they help keep me on track but my daily planner is a spreadsheet with my priorities, tasks and which tasks are income producing and which aren't (with time columns). I didn't realise that at one stage I was spending most of my time on non-income producing tasks and then wondering why I wasn't making any money

I'm also a morning person so in the afternoon I tend to have lively music on, and even get up and dance around the office to get my energy levels up All the hard stuff is done in the morning so the afternoon tasks require less brain power.

Regards,
Karen

[trustno1]

Originally Posted by gtdagenda

Find the activity in your business that makes you the most money, and do it FIRST thing in the morning.

Before lunch and and before checking email.

I adamantly agree.
I have a similar, but more generalized stategy for decision-making and prioritizing tasks and actions. I constantly ask myself this question:

"Am I doing the best possible thing I could be doing (right now) to make money?"

As for my "system"... Keep it Simple and Organized

I analyzed my typical day, then...

-separated all tasks into "activity blocks" (paperwork, phone calls, projects, appointments, etc)

-calculated time committments required to manage each block. (one hour, 2 hours, etc)

-Decided on most productive time of day to work on each block. (mail at lunchtime, paperwork end of day, etc)

-Then transferred all the individual activity blocks (blocks of time) to their chronologically determined positions on a daytimer page (which is printed in hourly format...8-9, 9-10am, etc).

Then I begin the day devoting my work time to the actions specified in the first block, then the second, etc. I begin at the time specified for each block, devote all time to just that area, and move to the next block at the scheduled time. This makes sure each area of business is addressed each day. If the schedule is not working well for me, I take an evening to adjust the time slots in each area, and try it out again. (repeat this until it is "working", then I stick to the schedule).

It is an effective program that keeps me focused, organized and makes sure no areas of business are neglected. It also keeps my mind uncluttered with trivial matters so I can use it for creative thinking.

I have specific paper managing techniques, etc. But this is a post, not a novel, lol. Those are my basics.