• Set down a business plan for your business.
• Decide how you can get it started parttime, utilizing the hours when you’re not at another job.
• If it’s an online business, it’s much easier to juggle your activities, fitting your business into the time slots you’re not at your “away” job.
• If you’ve opened a business in your home, decide what hours you’ll be open…in other words, when you’re not away from home, and try to stick to them.
• See if anyone in your family will help you with tasks that must be done while you’re away.

I have two parttime jobs away from home, and the schedules for these are constantly changing from week to week.  With one of them, I’m on call, so don’t always know when I’ll be working there.  My writing/blogging business is online, so my writing times can be fairly flexible.  I also help my husband with his online business and fit these hours between my other work.  It requires much juggling of time and family commitments, too.  However, life is never boring!

What suggestions do you have for juggling a business and another job?

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Image: sxc.hu

How can you take advantage of everything?

• Get up extra early so that you can get the absolutely necessary work done before breakfast.
• Organize your “to do” list so that the priority items are on top.  When those are done, you can play, then get to the not so important items afterward.
• Before being lured away from work, make a commitment to stay up later that evening to make sure everything is done.  Then stick to it.
• If it’s an “at home” business, get family members to help you wherever possible so you all can…get the Christmas tree, go shopping, attend a party, wrap gifts, make the caramel corn.
• Work efficiently and don’t permit distractions when you are working, so your tasks will be accomplished faster.

(I must leave for the day at noon.  Thus, I’m up earlier than usual on my “sleep in” morning, so I can get this post written, along with others.)

How do you organize to get your necessary work done and have the rest of the day to do other things…with family, with colleagues, by yourself…on a lovely day?

What

Post from: My Organized Biz

Image: sxc.hu

I try and do as much as I can “offline” first, like get the emails all composed in outlook, the blog posts typed up, and THEN go the coffee shop or library to hit send on everything. I find I’m more productive at home when working, so I try to take advantage of that, and save the easy part for when I’m out.

I think this is good advice from Jessica and probably is something many of you do.  Unfortunately, neither of the computers (desktop and notebook) I’m using have a word processor on them.  They’re my husband’s (my laptop went “kaput” not long ago so temporarily I have to write everything online.

So I jotted down outlines in longhand and took these to the library with me.  Then I quickly wrote my blogs and posted them.  I was amazed at what I got done in an hour’s time at the library because I rigidly organized my information.  But Jessica’s method is a very good one.

What techniques have you used?

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Blogging image: sxc.hu

I have a habit of jotting down ideas on whatever pieces of paper I have handy and putting them all in a folder, on a pad of paper, or on my desk.

This had become unmanageable chaos until I began separating and categorizing.  Why didn’t I do this before?  Because I was working at only one or two blogs and one column.  I was able to keep them compartmentalized in my mind.

Suddenly the situation esculated…in a good way because now I am writing many blogs.  So I needed to get myself organized to be more efficient and productive.  Also, to avoid sitting at the computer, staring blankly at the screen and wondering where my notes are.

I’ve set up a file folder for each plog and put notes, clippings, drafts and photos into it.  Then these are at my fingertips when I need to write online or at my word processor.

How do you organize your blog, magazine, and book writing?

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Memories image: sxc.hu

• Developing Memory Scrapbooking Kits for nursing homes, senior center or individuals.
• Teaching classes at these locations.
• Teaching more workshops on Writing Your Family Stories, such as I did at the Pease Public Library.
• Blogging at My One-Room School Heritage blog and seeing what spinoffs I can create from it.
• Writing my memoirs.  I hadn’t thought people would be interested in this, but a writing colleague keeps insisting I get it going.

Another friend urges me to create a brand for these memory related projects, something with which people will automatically associate me.  I must look at each of my memory related projects, see which I need to concentrate on first and how to promote it.  Eventually I can see all of them meshing into one brand.

Post from: My Organized Biz

Image: sxc.hu

Yes, it depends on the look you want to achieve.  Some offices may give a more professional message if you use the efficient office supply items.

However, home offices and those with less formal appearance may benefit from personalized containers.  Also, your attitude may be affected positively with these items around you.

Take cans or jars and personalize with artistic designs.  Use mixed media techniques or simply cover with paper, photos or art work.  Some of this might reflect work that you do in your business.  Personalize the files for books, folders, and note pads the same way.

In your home office, you might even have containers decorated by your children.  This also might help them feel part of your business and life and not shut out from it and you when you have to close your office or production room door.

I have an old pencil holder made years ago by my daughter in one of our 4-H Club arts and crafts projects.  We covered with glue and glitter and decoupaged flowers to it. 

Perhaps the youngsters have made something at school.  Use it for your desk and add a bit of cheer to your life and work.

Do you personalize your organizers?

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Sometimes I don’t feel organized as I go from task to task.  But I try to make every moment count, even those when I relax and read.  Basically I enjoy all my jobs, so that helps me keep working at them.

To fit all into my schedule:

• I make “to do” lists for the various areas of my life
• I carry notebook and pen with me to jot down ideas and tasks
• I multi task as much as possible
• I take short “power” naps to keep my energy up.
• I take vitamins, which help me from getting too tired.
• I find small moments of enjoyment with my family, rather than waiting until I can schedule a whole day.
• I’m continually interested in new ideas.
• I’m trying to get better organized so that I don’t waste time looking for stuff.

Mainly, I try to make every moment count!

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One of the main things I’ve learned is that I always packed more clothes than I needed, especially for myself.  So I’ve tried to become more efficient.

• I color coordinate, so everything can be mixed and matched…skirt, slacks, tops and jacket.  I began to realize my husband needed fewer clothes because his were coordinated already.
• I now take one pair of shoes that will do with everything, unless I need sport shoes, too. 
• If we’re traveling frequently, I keep the suitcases open in the bedroom (I’d love a packing room!) and keep them pretty much packed, putting back after washing whatever clothes and accessories I don’t need at home.
• We try to go with only carry on luggage, especially now that you often pay extra for any luggage you ship.
• I carry food with me…a lunch, snacks, fruit…so we won’t go hungry if we’re delayed.  It’s also less expensive than most airport food.
• When we go by car, I carry a cooler with food and usually indulge in an extra pair of shoes, top, skirt or slacks.  I’ll stick in an extra shirt or two for hubby.
• I take my laptop and a few research folders so I can keep up with my writing enroute or at a hotel.
• We’ve learned to pack so we can go through airport security fairly quickly, putting liquids into the plastic bags, taking no beverages (empty bottles allowed for filling inside the airport), making sure perscriptions are well marked, and dressing so that we can slip shoes on and off quickly, wearing clothes without metal buttons or large buckles, etc. 

What packing tips do you have to share?

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“What’s causing this?” I wondered.  Then I realized when I sat in various positions the discomfort was worse than in others.  “Is it Jim’s chair?”

So I exchanged his for the chair I had been using and immediately felt better.  My chair placed me in a more upright position. 

We must organize for comfort, I realized, if we’re to be our most productive.  Sometimes this means using a specific chair or desk or pen or computer.  Find what works for you.

As the day has gone on, I’ve become much more comfortable.  So look into ways to organize for comfort, whether sitting, standing, or moving around as you go about your business.

Post from: My Organized Biz

I like to use them in the little notebooks for organizing my blog writing.  I list the posts I’ve published, then use a sticky note on the page to jot down ideas for future posts.  As I use the ideas, I cross them off.

I have an outside-the-home job, and work different hours and days each week.  So I jot my schedule on a sticky note and stick it to one side of the family schedule calendar.  Everyone knows where to find my days and times.

I use them for bookmarks when readng.

The tiny ones are great for marking multiple places in a book when I’m doing research.  Sometimes I use different colors for different topics.

I also use different colors for notes in a notebook.  For instance, today, while conducting a yard sale, I jotted down ideas and outlines for my blog topics between customers in a small notebook.  Then I marked the different blogs with various colors and noted the name on the small sticky tag.

I discovered my granddaughter had left behind (she’s off to college) some sticky notes shaped in her initial K.  What use can I find for these?  Perhaps when I send her letters or packages.

What uses do you find for sticky notes?

(Image: sxc.hu)

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