Newbies to small business often overlook the little jobs in the office. The tendency is to do the big-picture stuff, when there are plenty of little pesky jobs to take care of. This is especially true for solopreneurs, who don’t have other staff to rely on.
As a ‘work-from-home’ who does ‘all the jobs’, here are my top 5 tips for staying on top of both the big and the little stuff.
1. Get office supplies delivered and put them on autopilot
If you are running an office, it’s easy to forget you’ll need to be well stocked with kitchen and bathroom supplies. You can make use of programs like Amazon Australia’s Subscribe and Save to put these tasks on autopilot. You can grab all office essentials such as toilet paper, and soap for the bathroom. Also, grab kitchen gear like coffee, tea and other non-perishables. You can add stationery and photocopy paper to the list too.
Delivery is free after the initial order, and you receive 10% off all items and you can choose how frequently you need your supplies delivered. Plus, you can add or remove products at any time.
If you’ve put a value on your time, you’ll soon see that delivery of such everyday essentials, is well, essential!
2. Work to the 10:20:30 rule
It’s easy to go straight to the fun stuff in business and put the boring stuff in a ‘too-hard basket’. If you tend to procrastinate like this, work to the 10:20:30 rule. Set three tasks to do today.
Do this:
- Set a timer for 10 minutes. Work on the first task and stop
- Next, set a timer for 20 minutes. Now start working on the second task
- Finally, set the timer for 30 minutes. Work on the third task
Here’s what happens after 30 minutes. You’ll stop procrastinating and get three major tasks rolling. Then repeat this process. This kicks you into gear for any task and prepares you for action for the day. I’ve been using this little system for years and it’s a great way to stay motivated.
3. Learn how to visualise
The ability to visualise what I want to achieve has played a key role in my own success. But this isn’t just about ‘the universe bringing you something.’ I use physical visualisation tools.
Here are some I’ve used that have worked for me:
- Sticking a picture of myself in front of a holiday destination
- Placing magazines pictures in a small folder and looking at them everyday
- Adding an image of my biggest goal as a wallpaper on my phone
- Writing wishes on envelopes and sending them to myself
Visualisation is so strong, I’ve achieved every goal I’ve put into the above formats. This is because visualisation works on your ‘subconscious’ brain.
4. Know your motivations
People don’t succeed if money is the only driver. True, successful people have different motivations. For example, I’m motivated by love. I don’t get up in the morning to make ‘money.’
I get up because I want to:
- Take my beautiful kids on a holiday
- Dress them in cute clothes and make them feel proud
- Show my hubby and kids how to live an amazing and creative life
If you determine your motivations and use visualisation to impress goals in your mind – success comes easy.
5. Passion is key
If you must work long hours, which many small business owners do, you must have passion. It is very difficult to get up at 4am in the cold, or sneak into bed at 2am after a ‘late one’, if you don’t have passion for your work. Passion is the one thing that has kept me going when nothing else would. In my mind, passion is the true juice of business.
