Perhaps
the scarcest commodity the new home-business
owner just starting out has is time. This is particularly
so if you are also working a traditional, full-time job and
building up your business "on the side" in your spare time.
This
is a situation I am all too familiar with. I still
work a full-time 8:30 - 5:00 job while building my own
internet-based business in my spare time. So how do you
go about burning the candle at both ends without burning
yourself out in the process?
First
off, let's think about priorities. Working a full-
time job while developing a business requires stamina and
endurance if other areas of your life are not to be
neglected. This means being fit and healthy. Make time
to
exercise at least three times a week. Four or five is
better. I know how hard it can be to commit an hour to
working out when you've got an endless (and I mean ENDLESS!)
list of things you need to be doing NOW for your business.
But make the time. It pays BIG dividends in terms of stamina
and endurance. For me, this means getting up at 4:00 am on
workout days. If that's what it takes for you, do it!
Second,
eat right. Don't just grab a McBurger on the way
home from work and scoff it down as you're driving. Take
the time to cook a proper meal and relax for a half hour
or an hour before getting down to business. This gives you
a break and time to unwind from the pressures of the day,
making you much more productive when you do get down to
work. Eating proper meals will keep you in good health and,
coupled with a regular exercise routine, will help keep
your energy levels high.
OK,
so you're physically in shape and taking care of
yourself. The next major thing to think about is time
management. Every weekend, before the working week starts,
prepare a business plan for the coming week. This is
nothing more complicated that writing down the various
business-related activities you must do over the course of
the coming week and then scheduling them according to how much
time you know you are going to have on a particular day. By
planning out your time this way, you can schedule your
business activities alongside your other activities. Take
care of as many of them as you can through the course of the
day. Whether you are able to do this depends on the nature
of your 9 to 5 job but if you have even a little autonomy you
should be able to squeeze out a little time here and there.
Not huge chunks, just 10 minutes here and there.
The
nature of your job may mean you don't have the luxury
of that sort of autonomy. If this is you, then there's
nothing for it but to free up time before and after work.
This may mean getting up an hour earlier every day, for example.
Whatever
your personal situation, by planning ahead you will
at least have the peace of mind of knowing that time has
been allocated to all important business-related tasks.
By eliminating the "scatter gun" approach you will find that
the limited time you do have will be much more productive.
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Elena Fawkner is editor of the award-winning weekly ezine,
A Home-Based Business Online, a down-to-earth publication
containing practical home-based and online business ideas,
telecommuting job listings, original articles, free e-books and
much more. She also runs the A Home-Based Business Online
website at at http://www.fawkner.com.
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