One more hour in bed. One more television show on the couch. One more afternoon brainstorming, when I should be making sales calls. Procrastination is the enemy of the home-based entrepreneur, and the urge to put off until tomorrow what you should be doing today must be fought at all costs.
Self-discipline and time management skills are your best weapons in the fight against procrastination, but here are some more useful tips:
- Plan. Writing a simple to-do-list each day will help you set your schedule and keep you focussed.
Take on tasks in manageable chunks. If spending an afternoon each week making sales calls sounds daunting, set aside an hour or so each day and attack the task that way.
- Stay organised. Have an “in” tray, an “out” tray and a “pending” tray so you can see exactly how much work is in front of you at any one time.
- Get someone to monitor your progress. Being accountable to someone – a partner, a mentor or your bookkeeper might be good options – may help you focus a bit better. Discuss your to-do-list at the start of the week, report back at the end of the week and get prepared for a tongue-lashing if you haven’t got your tasks done.
- Get started. Just making a start on a task is the best thing to do – so what are you waiting for?
