It goes without saying that the average day of a Netrepreneur can easily span more than 24 hours. And since the Internet is an open all night operation, it is very easy to devote most of your time to the perpetuation of your e-business. Since one of the basic principles for running an e-comm site successfully is to automate as many tasks as possible, it makes sense to apply that to your own business and personal tasks as well.
By systemizing and automating routine chores, you can easily wind up with spare hours in your day. Here are some simple things you can do to help with time management and to get more accomplished in shorter periods:
- Invest in the tools of the trade - laptop, cell phone, wireless Internet browser, PDA. These devices will allow you to conduct certain aspects of your business when you are away from the office. Use the spare minutes spent waiting or commuting to get some menial tasks accomplished.
- Whether you buy a PDA or you retain some of your Luddite leanings by maintaining a paper organizing system, the key is to actually use these tools! As painstaking as it may be, sit down and transfer the information from sticky notes, cocktail napkins, business cards and letterhead into one centralized address book or database. Set up methods to differentiate business info from personal info.
- Use your computer, PDA or Snoopy calendar to create a consolidated datebook. Of course, looking at it on a daily basis is instrumental in attaining the full effect. Place it somewhere you are sure to see it and add appointments as soon as they are scheduled.
- Create folders with text documents, e-mails and files that provide responses to the most frequent requests you receive. Keep copies of your standard business letters and forms and slightly modify them if needed. Creating a routine method for dealing with correspondence will definitely accelerate response time. Use auto-responders necessarily, but sparingly.
- Don''t stack paperwork in piles to address at another time. This will only result in creating an impenetrable fortress around your workspace, suitable for hiding behind. When you get papers, magazines or memos, put them in their proper places or discard immediately.
- Pay as many bills online as you can. Most banks allow access to your account from your computer and will actually write the checks for you. Set up a recurring schedule in the aforementioned PDA to remind you to pay bills. Or, better yet, if the expenditure is the same amount every month, set up the recurring payment feature with the bank itself.
There are also a myriad of Web sites and software that will act as reminder services, databases, contact lists, expense trackers, calendars and scheduling systems and various tasking tools.
Don''t substitute these time-saving techniques for opportunities to work more. They are actually methods for increasing productivity in shorter amounts of time. Leisure time should not be completely sacrificed when starting up and operating your own business. Take advantage of running an online company by using technology to automate and systemize as many tasks as possible.
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