Posts Tagged ‘WAHM’
Taking Care of You
As a small business owner, your business can be operating like a well-oiled machine, but if you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re going to be stressed out. It’s ironic that when things are going really well, we typically end up spending MORE hours on our jobs because we’re just having so much fun and we’re seeing all the fantastic benefits of hard work.
To be a healthy person, you need to be a well-rounded person. Here are a handful of tips to make sure your business isn’t taking over your life at the expense of your health and well-being:
- Get physical
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again – regular exercise reduces anxiety, combats obesity, and makes you a nicer person to be around. If you are sitting on your rear in front of the computer most of the day, you have to find some way to move your body on a regular basis. It can be as simple as a 15 minute walk first thing in the morning, or as intense as a 2 hour gym workout. Just choose something and do it. Commit to this for three weeks and you will probably develop a life long healthy habit.
- Get some rest
I’m willing to bet that at least once in the past month, you’ve found yourself up way too late, finishing one last work project, answering one more email, or putting the finishing touches on one last product. On an occasional basis, these nocturnal escapades are no big deal, But burn the midnight oil night after night after night, and you’re frying yourself. Not only does sleep deprivation make you anxious, edgy and unable think clearly, it also makes it harder for you to work at peak efficiency. Set a bedtime, and stick to it.
- Get a hobby
You will probably laugh at this, thinking you don’t have time for a hobby. But the truth is, you don’t have time NOT to have a hobby! Whether it’s knitting, canoeing, genealogy, cooking, or grooming llamas, you need something that will provide balance to your life. There will be days when the business side of things isn’t going so well, and you will need an escape. Get a hobby before you’re forced to find one.
- Connect
Connecting with those around you is critical to minimizing your stress. At the end of your life, you’re going to be worried more about the people you love and less about the business you created. Show your family and friends how important they are to you NOW by giving them their rightful share of your time. The bonus? It will calm your anxiety when you know you’re investing time where it’s going to matter most throughout your lifetime.
It will take time to get all of these items as part of your regular routine, but stick with it, if you do your health, mind and family will all be more appreciative, as will your clients and business!
Working from Home with a Supportive Family
Taking Care of Business = Taking Care of You
Workshop for Biz Owners – Learn how to find a Virtual Assistant
My friend, client and role model, Tawnya Sutherland of VAnetworking is hosting a fabulous workshop tonight for small business owners to learn about using a virtual assistant:
Learn how to Outsource your business tasks to a Virtual Assistant
She also has an opportunity to network and meet some Virtual Assistants – virtually of course!
If you have a business and are feeling stressed, overworked and feel you never get everything done that requires your attention then …this FREE workshop is for you!
Tawnya Sutherland is VA Outsourcing Expert and founder of the world’s largest online Virtual Assistant Social Network. She will share with you the knowledge, tips, tactics and secrets she’s accumulated over the last 10 years on the right way to hire a Virtual Assistant and make it work!
Join Tawnya tonight (Wednesday July 7th) at 6pm EST (along with many other Virtual Assistants, including me) to learn:
- How to gain more time in your business day and in your personal life
- How to become more profitable by working smarter
- How to rid yourself of that extra long to-do list that never gets done
- How to delegate your tasks to a Virtual Assistant
You can do this all and you can learn how tonight! Simply visit this site to register for the call. You can also pick up a copy of her ebook – Finding the Ultimate Virtual Assistant for your Business.
Virtual Assistants who are VAinsiders will be on the networking session at 7pm EST (If you are not one yet, you can be by tonight – visit here to learn what being an Insider can do for your Virtual Assistant business)
Hope to see you there, whether a business owner or a VA!
The Email Inbox Monster
I was inspired for this blog post when talking to a friend of mine the other day. She is starting a bookkeeping business and will be working from home. She made a point of saying how she will have to start managing her mornings better; she has found herself having to take a computer break around 10 or 11 to have a shower and get dressed. (Yes, office folks, that is something we work at home people can do – work in pajamas or sweats if we choose)
What my friend has found happening is she is getting lost in emails and work before she has even gotten ready to start her day. She wakes up before the kids and hubby and goes to check her emails. She starts acting on some of the emails and soon has to rush to get the kids off to school and then sits back down at the computer to finish what she started. When she finally looks up it is mid morning and she now needs to get showered and dressed. She also made the comment – “and it seems like I have been working all morning yet nothing was getting done”.
She’s falling into the email trap and it is so easy to do.
Time Management experts will tell you to plan out your day and schedule in time for checking emails. Your inbox can be the biggest time-suck in any workday – whether at home or in an office setting. The best piece of advice they recommend is to NOT check your emails first thing in the morning but to attend to tasks that need completion first. Accomplish and finish one or two main tasks and then check your emails. The best process I have seen so far is:
First, have a to-do list or schedule set for the day. Take the time to write it out the night before – or once for the entire week with adjustments during the day and things change – then have a revolving system that goes as follows:
- Tackle one or two main tasks first thing. Get them done!
- Then make time to check emails. Process the emails as recommended in another blog post here – DANG my Inbox Looks Great! * VIP!!! remember that you do not have to followup on each email immediately.
- Move onto the next items in your daily schedule and later go back to check your inbox again.
Ideally you should be able to check your emails 3-4 times per day, depending upon your type of business and how work is assigned/processed. The main point is to have a plan around your daily tasks, larger projects and your inbox. Letting them all run wild will result in you thinking statements as my friend did and you will find yourself being less productive, getting more and more disorganized and wasting time.
What tips do you have for keeping the inbox monster at bay?? Please share them here.
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