Almost
everyone needs or wants more money coming in, and with this
desire
most would like to start some sort of extra income
producing
project.
The
trouble is, not many of these people seem able to fit "a
second
job" into their time schedules.
It's
true that most people are busy, but extra time for some sort
of
home-based extra income producing project can almost always be
found.
It
may mean giving up or changing a few of your favourite pastimes
-
such as having a couple of beers with the guys or watching TV -
but
if you score big with your extra income project, you will have
all
the time you want for doing whatever you'd want to do.
The
first thing to do is sit down with pencil and paper and list
your
daily schedule.
What
time do you wake up? Then step-by-step,
list everything you
do
each day.
Most
people will find that they have about three hours each day
that
can be utilised in a more constructive or efficient manner.
As
we've noted above, you may have to give up the time you waste
in
your local pub or a few television programmes you watch, but it
will
be worth it in the long run.
Efficient
time management boils down to planning what you're going
to
do, and then doing it without backtracking.
Start
by making a list of the things you want to do tomorrow, each
evening
before you go to bed. Schedule your
trips to the shops or
wherever
to coincide with the other things you have to do, and
with
your trips to or from work.
Organise
your trips to take care of as many things as possible
while
you're out of the house. Take stock of
the time you spend
standing
around - especially the time you spend on the telephone -
and
eliminate all that isn't necessary.
Whatever
chores you have to do at home, set aside a specific time
to
do them, and a specific amount of time to devote to them.
For
instance, just one hour a day devoted to house repair work
would
probably make your property the envy of all your neighbours.
Don't
try to do a week's work in one big flurry.
Whether
it's painting your house, fixing leaky sinks, or mowing
your
lawn and trimming your shrubs, do a part of it, or one
particular
job each day, and you'll be amazed at your progress.
Take
care of all your post the day you receive it.
Don't
let those bills and letters pile up for you.
If you're
unable
to pay a bill immediately, file it in a special place
that's
visible, and note on the envelope the date you intend to
pay
it.
Answer
your letters the same day you get them.
The
important thing is to think of time as your most valuable
asset,
because it is!
So
organise!
Decide
what you have to do, and what you want to do.
From
there, it's just a matter of arranging priorities.
Once
you start organising and planning what you want to do, an
then
carry out your plans, you'll find plenty of "extra time" for
handling
virtually any kind of home-based income-producing
project.
People
in general may not like routines or schedules, but without
some
sort of plan as to what is supposed to be done, the world
would
be in mad confusion.
Laws,
rules and regulations are for the purpose of guiding people.
We
live according to an accepted plan or way of life, and the
better
we can organise ourselves, the more productive and happy we
become.
The
secret of all financially successful people is simply that
they
are organised and do not waste time.
Think
about it.
Review
your own activities, and then see if you can't find a
couple
of extra hours in each day for more constructive
accomplishments.
When
you begin planning, and then when you really become involved
in
an extra income producing endeavour, you should work it exactly
as
you have organised your regular day to day activities - on a
time
efficient basis.
Do what
has to be done immediately. Don't try to
get done in an
hour
something that's realistically going to take a week.
Plan
out on paper what you have to do, what you want to do, and
when
you are going to do it. Then get right
onto each project
without
procrastination.
Set
up your file system with your final plan in mind, and you'll
save
a lot of time as well as frustration.
Get
the kind of file folders that hang from the sides of the file
cabinet's
drawers, allowing you to position the file folder title
anywhere
across the top of the folder.
Then
as you add clients to your file, you can keep them in
alphabetical
order without having a jumbled looking file drawer in
which
you have to search for each title.
It's
also a good idea to keep your active accounts in one drawer,
your
"hoped for" accounts in another, and master copies of all
your
letters, proposals, business contact information and records
in
still another drawer.
You'll
also need business cards.
Your
nearest quick print shop can usually order these and help you
in
selecting wording and design.
Whether
to rent, lease, or buy a copy machine is up to you, but
virtually
no business can get by without file copies.
Carbon
paper means a loss of efficiency, and running over to the
corner
shop to get copies is going to cost you time and money, so
be
sure to fit some sort of copier into your business start up
costs.
If
impossible at first, use the old carbon paper - you must have a
copy
for your file.
Just
how good a typist you are, how well you can write sales
letters,
and how busy you want to be, should be the deciding
factors
about the typewriter.
If
you type at all - and there will always be at least a few
letters
that you should type personally - I suggest you go for the
long
haul possibilities and rent, lease or buy the best and most
modern
typewriter or word processor that you can afford.
Later
on, when you move to a "dream" office, that will be one less
piece
of equipment you have to be concerned about.
Once
you've decided what area of business consulting you want to
be
in, and have your office or working space set up, the next
thing
is to let people know you're available for work.
Definitely
use some common sense and applied knowledge before
spending
any money on advertising.
Generally
speaking, you will pick up some customers, regardless of
the
problem area you specialise in, by advertising in your areas
most
popular newspaper.
Finally,
and above all else, when you're organising your time and
business,
be sure to set aside some time for relaxation.
Be
sure to schedule time when you and your spouse can be together.
You
must not involve yourself in anything to an extent that you
exclude
other people, particularly your loved ones from your life.
Taking
stock of the time you waste each day, and from there,
reorganising
your activities is what it's all about.
It's
a matter of becoming more efficient in the use of your time.
It
is really easy to do, and you will not only accomplish a lot
more,
you will also find greater fulfilment in your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment