10 Tips to Keep You Organized and Manage Your Time More Effectively
As a solo entrepreneur who may also work away from home you have numerous demands on your time and different aspects of your life that demand constant attention. In the past this seemed to be a challenge that affected women more than men, but in recent times there appears to be quite an equalizing. One of the main reasons for this change is that due to the economy many men lost their jobs and have had to look at other means to create an income, including working from home. I became aware of this significant shift while listening to introductions at networking events locally.
Part of being organized is making sure that you manage your time effectively and the following are time saving tips to help you throughout the day and hopefully lessen stress.
1. Do you have school-age children? Do you also work away from home? Make lunches the night before. Instead of rushing around in the morning, trying to get everyone ready for school and work, make school lunches the night before and put them in the refrigerator. Label them in bags and they are ready to go the next morning.
2. Lay your clothes out the evening before. Â Â I find that this tip alone saves me at least 15 minutes or more and my choices are better. This is
3. Do errands on your lunch hour and make phone calls during break times and during your lunch hour. This can save you a trip to the store after work and will help you stay organized.
4. Keep a timer on your desk for when you call clients and customers. Help them to appreciate when you are calling about business and let your timer be your assistant. Unfortunately many people think that if you work from home you have lots of time to spare.
5. Do your banking online. The banking industry tells us that your identity is much more likely to be stolen by other means than through banking online. You can pay your bills online and where applicable have an automatic deposit of your check into your bank account. Most employers encourage automatic deposits and the good news is that the money is available for you right away. This saves you a trip to the bank as well as time when it comes to writing out checks to pay bills and mailing them.
6. Fill up your gas tank when you need gas. It seems that with the high cost of gasoline many of us loathe to spend the large sum required to fill our tanks on gas but just putting in a small amount every few days, if you are able to do more, does not make for the best use of your time. Instead of having to stop all of the time at the gas station for gas, fill up your tank. You're also likely to keep better records.
7. Wake up 15 minutes early to exercise. This may encourage you to be more consistent in your exercise program, keep you more energized, and save on the time required to go to a gym.
8. Make casseroles and dinners two nights a week. Instead of trying to figure out what you are going to cook for dinner each night, make dinner in advance. Two nights a week, or on the weekends, you can make such things like casseroles that will keep in the refrigerator
9. While walking is a good form of exercise, there are times when condensing what you need to do around your home makes good sense on how you manage your time. For example, removing clothes from your dryer and taking them to a bedroom. Try to think of what items you need from that room or section of the house that you can take back rather than returning empty-handed.
10. It might be a good idea to print out this list and add to it as you think of other ways you can work at keeping yourself organized and manage your time to reduce stress.
I invite you to get your free booklet “50 Ways to Manage Your Time” for additional tips.
