With the holidays behind us I couldn't wait to get back to work. In fact, just after 6 a.m. this morning I was up and at it. I'm approaching my job with greater zeal this year, and so far, so good.
Yes, my new year's resolution is to crank up my workload and get successful PR and marketing results for even more people. With several new business proposals out and some good solid clients continuing with me from last year, I'm ready to rock and roll.
If you're in the same boat, here are a few ideas that I'm incorporating into my new routine. Hopefully these will be helpful to you, as well.
1. Get up 30 minutes earlier. People who know me know I'm no slouch. I'm usually up by 6 a.m. and in the office with a fresh cup of coffee 30 minutes later. (I work from home, so this is no great feat.) My early start gives me a headstart on making my to-do list, scratching things off my white board, checking for new jobs on e-mail, and filing away the "done" items completed the previous day. In 2008, I'm setting my alarm 30 minutes earlier. That should result in 2.5 hours of additional work each day.
2. Start the day with a prayer. I'm no religious fanatic, but I've learned that my best plans can go completely awry if it's not what God has planned for me that day. So to make sure I'm on the right path, I'm going to start my work day with some reading of "the good book" and a short chat with God. I highly recommend this exercise.
3. No more daily stops at the coffee shop. Readers of my blog and all of my friends know that I love my coffee shop. Normally, it's part of my daily routine. After I drop the kids at school I usually swing into The Hydrangea House for a cup of coffee and the day's gossip. Sometimes this leads to a little pro bono work for other townspeople, but for the most part, it's just some selfish "me time." By cutting back to two days instead of five I figure I'll be back in the office sooner after the school run and should manage to add another couple hours to my work week (and save a few bucks too).
4. Lunch time work-outs. I gave up my pilates class when I moved last fall, and my abs have really missed it. I herby resolve to work out at least three times a week over the lunch hour. To facilitate this effort, I got a new work-out tape and a bicycle for Christmas. After trying my new bike on Sunday, I went back to the store and got a new, soft bike seat. A noon-time work-out should refresh and re-energize me so that the second half of my day can be just as productive as the first. It also should help me lose that extra 20 pounds that have crept up on me the last year or so. Ug.
5. Touch it, deal with it. I once read that we all waste a lot of time shuffling papers. I hereby resolve that if I touch a piece of paper in my office or open an e-mail, I'm going to deal with it -- right then and there. (Even if "dealing with it" means opening a job sheet and putting it in the "to do" pile.
6. Stay on task. When you're as busy as I try to be and "suffer" from a mild case of ADD like I do, it can be difficult to stay on task. I resolve not to get sidetracked by things that are not billable. (Okay, I'll admit this will be the hardest thing for me to do. I've already spent some time today balancing my checkbook, and changing the address on my drivers license and voter registration on line. I've also been writing this post for about 20 minutes...)
If I can follow these simple rules, I figure I can get an extra five hours of work done each week, which could add up to literally thousands of additional dollars this year. It's a good goal, and I'll need help sticking to these rules, but I know I can do it.
You can too. Here's wishing all of us the best, most profitable year ever! Now GET BACK TO WORK!!!
Showing posts with label productivity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label productivity. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Monday, May 28, 2007
Balancing Work and Life
I started my own business 11 years ago for one simple reason: I had two toddlers who needed me more than they were getting me because I had a job that had me more than it deserved me. So I quit the job, started my own business, and for the last decade I've practiced the gentle art of attempting to balance my work and my family.
Sure, it's easier when you're your own boss to take an hour or two off to attend an awards ceremony or party during the day at school. And sure, it's easier when you're self-employed to rearrange your schedule in the summer to accommodate the needs of kids who are all of a sudden under foot.
But when you work out of your home like I do, summer comes and work is a little harder to do. Parents who have to leave the house for work -- like most people do -- face their own set of summer challenges. I realize those are probably far worse than my own, but then again, they get to leave home.
At my house the scales pretty quickly shifted to the "life" side of the equation as early as two hours into "summertime." In fact, by 3 p.m. Friday (the kids got out at 1), I had four boys in the pool, which happens to be directly outside my office windows. Because of their ages, I no longer feel the need to supervise swimming, but it's a little hard to ignore the splashing and noise of four teenagers in a pool who are wound up from the last day of school.
Thankfully, as an independent business person I learned a long time ago about the value of technology. Quickly on Friday, with noodle smacking and jumping and splashing going on right outside my windows, I grabbed on to what just might be the best technological advance the independent, work-from-home professional ever had -- it's the gadget that is going to help me survive the summer of 2007: my new ipod.
My ipod was a gift for Mother's Day. It is not a fancy one, but it is the one I wanted -- the hot pink shuffle. I can only remember how to load music on it about every other time, so my play lists are still a little thin. But I really like it. Best of all, I discovered on Friday that when those buds are in my ears I am oblivious to everyone and everything outside of myself. It's me and Celine or Sarah or Barry, sitting at my computer, writing articles about outdoor lighting and pitching media via the internet.
Not only will I not hear the splashing this summer, but I also won't hear the front door and refrigerator door slamming every few minutes, and I won't hear the door bell or the beeping from the arrival of non-stop text messages. I won't hear the roar of the video games or the fights --- or even the laughter.
Yep, productivity is going to go through the roof for me this summer. I'm going to be in the zone! So if you've got some work to do, give me a call. Hopefully you won't mind the slight inconvenience of leaving a message. I no longer can hear the phone ring.
Sure, it's easier when you're your own boss to take an hour or two off to attend an awards ceremony or party during the day at school. And sure, it's easier when you're self-employed to rearrange your schedule in the summer to accommodate the needs of kids who are all of a sudden under foot.
But when you work out of your home like I do, summer comes and work is a little harder to do. Parents who have to leave the house for work -- like most people do -- face their own set of summer challenges. I realize those are probably far worse than my own, but then again, they get to leave home.
At my house the scales pretty quickly shifted to the "life" side of the equation as early as two hours into "summertime." In fact, by 3 p.m. Friday (the kids got out at 1), I had four boys in the pool, which happens to be directly outside my office windows. Because of their ages, I no longer feel the need to supervise swimming, but it's a little hard to ignore the splashing and noise of four teenagers in a pool who are wound up from the last day of school.
Thankfully, as an independent business person I learned a long time ago about the value of technology. Quickly on Friday, with noodle smacking and jumping and splashing going on right outside my windows, I grabbed on to what just might be the best technological advance the independent, work-from-home professional ever had -- it's the gadget that is going to help me survive the summer of 2007: my new ipod.
My ipod was a gift for Mother's Day. It is not a fancy one, but it is the one I wanted -- the hot pink shuffle. I can only remember how to load music on it about every other time, so my play lists are still a little thin. But I really like it. Best of all, I discovered on Friday that when those buds are in my ears I am oblivious to everyone and everything outside of myself. It's me and Celine or Sarah or Barry, sitting at my computer, writing articles about outdoor lighting and pitching media via the internet.
Not only will I not hear the splashing this summer, but I also won't hear the front door and refrigerator door slamming every few minutes, and I won't hear the door bell or the beeping from the arrival of non-stop text messages. I won't hear the roar of the video games or the fights --- or even the laughter.
Yep, productivity is going to go through the roof for me this summer. I'm going to be in the zone! So if you've got some work to do, give me a call. Hopefully you won't mind the slight inconvenience of leaving a message. I no longer can hear the phone ring.
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