Managing your own business can be stressful and time consuming – especially if you’re a solo-preneur who works from home. We can eliminate the obvious home-based time zapping activities such as cleaning, cooking etc., by getting in extra help or allocating chores to other family members… but what about those less obvious business-related time zapping activities? Continue reading “How to eliminate time zapping activities”
Working from home can have so many benefits; you get to spend time with your family, don’t have to commute or spend money travelling to and from work and you may get to save some money on your childcare fees.
But home working can also cause us to form some really bad habits – we can skip lunch, avoid having regular breaks, work longer than usual hours and end up creating bad working positions – and conditions – for ourselves. So what can we do to ensure we are looking after our business AND our health? Here are 7 health tips to get you started. Continue reading “Health Tips for Home Workers”
When we’re holding down an employed position, working from home is something we all dream of doing. We dream of leaving work and setting up our own VA business, turning our hobbies into a home run business and possibly even expanding our second “job on the side” into a profitable dining table business. Continue reading “The Highs and Lows of Working From Home”
When it comes to New Year, it’s traditionally the time to recap on your previous year and make plans for the year ahead. Frequently, those New Year resolutions will revolve around self improvement; what we’re giving up or implementing to better or improve ourselves.
Unfortunately though, the vast majority of New Year resolutions are forgotten within the first few weeks of the year, leaving us in the exactly the same position as we ended the previous year… so, how can you make those New Year resolutions stick past the first month of the year?
Write down your goal
The act of writing down your goals and plans cements them into your mind. It takes them from simple wishes and dreams and turns them into something you can refer to and remind yourself of.
Break goals down
Breaking down your goals into actionable steps will make them easier to implement – but it also gives you smaller things to aim for. Breaking down you goals will also enable you to be specific about what you want – as you can’t break down a goal that is really vague!
Decide WHY you want a “new you”
You have to be emotionally attached to your resolutions to truly connect with them. Ask yourself WHY you want a new you. What will changing this aspect of you MEAN for you? Imagine your desired end result and see how you look, act, feel and behave. What emotion is behind your desire?
Start implementing now
The real secret behind achieving a new you in 2015 is to start NOW. If you can’t start now – what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the right time or the right finances? Maybe you’re not waiting, but looking to get things in the “right” order? This is just another form of waiting!
Stop waiting and delaying – start implementing now! Do what you can do now, with the circumstances and situations you are presently in. What small thing can you start implementing now, that will take you closer to the new you?
Pick a date
One of the biggest problems with New Year, new you resolutions, is the fact that they’re so flexible! We take “2015” as the end goal – and 365 days is just too long a timescale for what we want to achieve. Set a realistic timescale and date by which you’d like to achieve your desired result.
Follow the above steps and you’ll be ensuring an improved success rate with your New Year, new you resolutions.
Are your New Year resolutions related to business or pleasure? Have you established your first action steps? Why not share your intent and REALLY ramp up your determination and motivation – by sharing them in the comments box below?
Images courtesy of adamr & Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
When I launched Your Executive Secretary Limited in December 2012, i didn’t really shout from the roof tops that I was a mum. I really wanted Business Owners to see me as a Business Owner first and foremost. But the reality is, my husband and I both run businesses from home and we have 2 children (age 4 and 8 months) of course they will have an impact on us and our working lives. My eldest finishes pre-school next week for 6 weeks holiday before starting School in September and so I am about to increase my juggling ability.
Being a Working At Home Mum or Dad can often turn into a juggling and balancing act. The duties of work and home begin to overlap, and often one can take over. Many mums decide to work at home to spend more time with their families, but end up dedicating even more time to work. Here are a few tips to help you juggle.
1. Get organized. Figure out what your goals and priorities are, in your business and in your personal life, then figure out how to achieve them. Then put your house, office, and life in general, together in a way that will help you achieve your goals. Outsource the things you can get someone else to do for you.
2. Lists, lists, lists. One you have your plans and goals, make to-do lists. Try to organize your lists by priority. If something doesn’t get done, it probably wasn’t that important anyway. (Personally I use my filofax diary, a notepad for my daily To Do List, the ToDoist software (come back next week for a blog on ToDoist) for managing the work of clients and a weekly wall planner for managing the children’s activities.)
3. Multitask. At some point, you’re probably going to get burnt out doing things that seem tedious or that you just don’t want to do. Try mixing it up. If something is really stressing you out, go on to something else and come back. There ís always something else that needs to get done (like put the washing on or empty the dishwasher).
4. Set work hours, and follow them. Set work hours for times when the kids aren’t around, or don’t require a lot of attention. When your work hours are done, stop working. If you can’t manage to get your work done, you may need to reset your work hours, but you most likely need to look at how much work you can actually take on. At the moment due to school hours etc, my typical working day can be from 0630 – 0830 (normally in my pi’s, while the children are playing, having breakfast etc). I then get into the office for 0910 and work through to 1530 – between 1530 and 1930, I am mum. Then once the children are in bed, its back to work for me til about midnight.
5. Make a separate space for work and family. While it may be easy to work and play in the same area, it helps to have a dedicated office area when you work from home. This will help you focus on what you need to be doing, and even help protect you from getting your work disrupted by your family. (My husband and I share an office – we converted the garage, so that we have dedicated space to work and we actually feel like we leave home to go there!)
6. Get the family to help. Sure, if your kids are young, they aren’t going to be able to help with much, but even very small children can often help organize the house or dry dishes. Make sure everyone does their part. We have a Nanny for 3 days a week – she is awesome and part of our family, (it scares me how alike we can be sometimes) but it means that I don’t have to worry about certain tasks relating to the children.
7. Take time for you. When balancing work and family, you often forget an important part of the equation: you. When scheduling your work and family, always schedule some time to relax, socialize, and do what you like to do. If necessary – put it in your diary.
8. Make friends. Even if you don’t get to see them a lot, friends are an important part of maintaining your physical and mental health. Remember to take time to keep your friendships alive.
9. Stay positive. One of the biggest keys to success is keeping a positive attitude. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish as long as you believe you can do it. Plus, you’ll be setting a great life example for your kids at the same time.
10. Remember that you are unique. Trying to fit into someone else’s schedule and someone else’s plan isn’t necessarily going to be successful. You need to tailor your plan into the unique needs of your family and find something that works for you.
So if you need some help (or a sympathetic ear) with your juggling and staying on top of either your administration or social media, please either drop me an email to [email protected] or call 0800 612 5596. I would also love to hear your tips for juggling your business and your family at this time of year.
Amanda
