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How to Work At Home

Written by: Jim Straw

Article Overview: You will be working for the best boss in the world - yourself - but ...

How to Work At Home

As I have said before, there are only two ways you can have additional income ... either get a second job or start a business of your own. There aren't any other ways.

That means you must study the doing of business - but ...

Even as you begin studying the doing of business, you need to go ahead with your plans by setting yourself up as a "business" ... just as though you were getting another job.

Establish the days and hours you will work. -- You will be working for the best boss in the world ... yourself ... but, just as any other boss does, you MUST have a specific time for your best employee ... you ... to work. Be fair but make it an absolute requirement that your employee be on the "job" at those times ... with exceptions for special occasions, emergencies, etc., just as any other good boss would.

It doesn't matter whether you establish 2 hours each evening; Monday thru Friday ... or 1 hour each evening; Monday, Wednesday and Friday ... or, 6 hours each evening; Monday thru Saturday ... it MUST be specific hours.

Don t say, "I'll work 2 hours each evening." -- Instead, set specific hours to accomplish your work ... say, "I will work from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., each evening." That way, you will KNOW when you are supposed to be at work and when your work day will end. (No fudging.)

With time ... as your business grows ... you might be able to set your hours like mine. I work from 9 a.m. to noon; Monday thru Friday. Sometimes I come to work a little early or stay a little late - but - unless there is a special occasion, emergency, or whatever, I am at "work" from 9 a.m. to noon. (My boss ... he's a great guy ... understands those special situations.)

Give your best employee a specific work place ... demand that your employee keep their work tools in that area AND that other projects not related to the business be relegated to some other area. --You wouldn't go to work in a machine shop with a television sitting next to your lathe (a good way to lose some fingers), would you? -- Be as adamant about maintaining your work area as any other boss would.

The ONLY things you should have in your work area ... whether it is the corner of your bedroom, or a separate room, or a rented space across town ... are the things you need to do your business. -- If it doesn't relate directly to your doing of business, it should be put somewhere else ... even if that somewhere else is just across the room on top of the TV; which is never on during your business hours.

Assign your best employee a series of tasks that must be performed each time that employee enters the work area ... at first, you might have to write down a list of things that MUST be done first, before anything else, upon entering the work area. After a while, it will become almost instantaneous.

When your best employee ... you ... has completed ALL of the mundane, but required, tasks, only then may your employee move on to further assigned tasks in order to build the business.

But, since the boss and your best employee are so closely related, where do those further assigned tasks come from?

Here s how I do it for my best employee ...

As I go through my emails, if I find something that may improve my business, I grab a yellow sticky-note from the pad on my desk and make a note to myself to check it out ... I might just write "check email msg: subject" ... then I stick the note along the edge of my computer screen, or on my desk.

NOTE: I used to just "flag" the emails I wanted to refer back to but, with incoming email all the time, too many of them got lost - SO - I created a new Mail Folder labeled "Alpha." When I encounter an email I want to follow up on, I simply move that message to my "Alpha" file. Then, when one of my sticky notes refers to an email message, I know I will find it in the "Alpha" file.

Beyond that, any time I am reading anything about business and I come across something I think will increase my business ... in any way; even by adopting and adapting it ... I, once again, reach for my sticky-notes and write myself a note about what I need to do or investigate. -- Some of those notes may only have a brief idea on them (such as: "change headline on xyz page to new headline") ... or, the note may direct me to "check out: www. xyz. com" ... or, "find: new source of printer ink" ... or, "search for: web sites about whatever." ... or, "new email subject for xyz product: new subject""

NOTE: I also keep note pads everywhere ... on my bed side table, next to my recliner, in the car, by the telephone, in the bathroom. When an idea flashes across my itty-bitty brain; rather than forget it, I jot it down. I collect those notes and take them to my desk; where I transcribe them to yellow sticky-notes.

Each of those sticky-notes get stuck to my computer; or on my desk, until I have a chance to do them. -- Once they are done, that note goes in the round file so I don t inadvertently redo things I have already done.

The one big thing you MUST keep uppermost in your mind is that, when you are in your work area; during your specified work period, you must complete your "required, daily" work duties, before you move on AND you must NOT leave your work area until the end of your specified work period ... even if you have nothing more on your list to do. Spend the time surfing the web for new ideas, or reading a report, book or article specific to the accomplishment of your business.

REMEMBER: Your work area is for working and your work period is for working - to do otherwise would violate your boss' trust ... even if the boss won't fire you.

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Article Tags: absolute requirement, additional income, boss, emergencies, exceptions, fingers, lathe, monday thru friday, second job, special occasion, special occasions, special situations, television, two ways, work tools



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