Entrepreneurship and working at home is great if you can become successful. You do not have someone forcing you to be productive, as your profits are directly related to the amount of work you input.
Time management and procrastination can bring with your business to the top or to closing your doors. However, the upside to this is that if you use you time well like outsourcing your work because we all get the same amount of time in the day, you may wind up earning more money, and having more time to spent with family, friend and take a few vacations in the year. But Procrastination is the most important key to failure in working online, and if you don’t combat this effectively, you may find yourself needing to return to a 9-5 job.
The best way to deal with time management and procrastination and increase your productivity is to enhance your time management skills. Time management is a topic which has recently received a lot of attention in this newer, faster paced world.
With the economy on its roller coaster joyride, and job availability decreasing, managing your time to become more productive has become one of the most essential ingredients for a successful work life. This is especially true of people who work online, as the comfort of home as well as the distractions of the internet can seriously limit productivity.
Here are a few tips for time management and procrastination problems
- Hire a person to complete some of your task like a virtual assistant
- Schedule your time on your calendar.
- Here is a common problem don’t try to be a perfectionism (just get it done them make changes later)
- Turn off the T.V. (Simple but it works I do it all the time)
- Put away all distractions
- Take a break (Some times a little procrastination can help with procrastination)
- Use software to speed things up
Several companies have produced time management software to give a little ‘helping hand’ in this area. One very popular example (which is also free) is the Google Calendar. This is an incredibly useful way to both plan your day hour by hour, as well as set notifications for events as well as alarms.
The Google Calendar is available to anyone with a free Google account, so you may want to take advantage of this or other similar software. Although calendars have been around for centuries, the digital calendars can prove to be more helpful with reminders, alerts and the like. It is also possible to sync calendar activities to your iPhone or almost any Smartphone, which will ensure that you stay reminded on the go.
Another of the most important aspects of time management is the creation of ‘to-do’ lists. The fact is that the human brain, although capable of processing more information than the most powerful computers in the world, can often forget simple tasks. That is why creating a simple to-do list can dramatically increase your productivity. When creating a task list, you have to be able to effectively prioritize your work.
This means categorizing the list of to dos according to how important they are to completing your goals. The most important tasks need to have first priority, and you need to be able to give them your quality time and undivided attention. It is usually recommended that you list all the jobs you have to do starting with the most important, and then completing the tasks in the same order.
A very important part of being productive is having fun. This is something that has its place, yet is usually given either too little or too much priority. While an individual can be very productive initially when he neglects recreational activities, this can take a toll, and this very productive individual may find himself burnt out within a short amount of time.
It goes without saying that spending too much time relaxing can also have a damaging effect on ones career. Therefore, a healthy balance would be to slot in ‘relaxing’ time during your day. This can be anything that helps you unwind and takes your mind off the stress of working.
When starting up a business, there is the initial ‘hump’ to get over. This can only be conquered by hard and focused work, and if you have a problem prioritizing or find yourself procrastinating, time management is the key to get your business running. If you find that your business is not doing well due to a lack of hours spent working, or if you feel that you could be more productive, I hope these few tips for time management and procrastination problems can help get your business back on track to success.
Leave A Response