As a business owner, a mother and a wife, I have found that putting systems in place is an absolute necessity to achieving success. All too often, business owners attempt to do it all – just as mothers – we want to be able to do everything. There comes a time when we must realize that we need to step back and admit that we are not superwoman!

While we may not be superwoman, we can get a lot done with systems in place. Think for a moment about your morning routine. What systems do you have in place to get your kids off to school on time? We all use systems in some area of our lives, so why should our business be any different?

If you are currently an online business owner, how much time do you spend checking your emails? At the end of the day, do you feel like you haven’t really accomplished much? Time management is one of the most crucial systems to put into place when working from home. It is very difficult for many business owners to divide work time from family time and personal time; yet they are each vitally important.

My coaching clients and I often work on time management together. To return to my earlier email question, the majority of clients that I have worked with have had the habit of spending too much time checking and responding to emails. In order to address this, I suggest scheduling email checking times. For example, one of my clients online office hours are from 9am to 4pm. She had a very difficult time managing her time. After having her breakdown her day, we discovered that she was spending 70% of her time checking and responding to emails. So I suggested checking her email three times per day at 9am, noon and 3:30pm – right before her work day ends. I am happy to report that she is having much more productive days.

Another piece of time management is putting communication methods in place; not just email systems. Your voicemail should be systemized – on the same schedule as your email. Have a specific time for responding to calls. Let your clients know on your voicemail message what time you return calls.

Time management can be difficult to put into place at first, but it is crucial to your success; without time management you will find yourself spinning your wheels all too often. Next week I will focus on business marketing systems.

To your success,

Cindy Clark

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