I’m a chronic procrastinator (a common failing, according to Procrastination: Ten things to know). Much of the time, this trait causes me problems, but I have noticed that occasionally it helps me to get things done. For example, last week I finished about 10 small jobs that had been hanging around for some time, just to avoid working on a …
Getting things done
This week I made lots of progress on my company intranet (thanks to help from an IT expert). The plan is to have all my procedures, checklists, style guides, etc in a central place, so that (a) they are readily accessible and (b) there is no confusion about which is the latest version. This is all part of setting up systems …
Accepting my limitations …
I’ve really enjoyed my first year in business, it’s been a great experience and I’ve learnt a lot. One painful lesson, which I’ve had trouble accepting, is that I’m not a well-organised person. To some extent this deficiency has been offset by Intervals, which has been fantastic for keeping track of work. However, the program is only as good as …
Getting organised
It’s been a major week for getting organised. First, I sorted out Thunderbird. Last year I managed to find and install a SmartSave add-on for the program, to allow me to save folders of emails to my computer when archiving a job (and I started this blog to brag about my amazing technological feat). However, that system broke down a …
A useful plan
Back in June 2009, I started work on a business plan using a 20-page template provided by a friend. However, I didn’t finish it (hence my post last December that I didn’t have a plan, even a 1-page one). So I was pleasantly suprised last week when I opened up my half-written plan to find that: the bits I had …
All-day jobs
When I worked for someone else, a job that took all day – such as running a training course or attending a meeting – was great. I was pleased to get out of the office and meet new people, focus on a single project for a day and have lots of billable hours to record. Now that I’m working for myself, all those positives still apply, …
A creative use for business cards
Last week I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the need to work both on the business and in it. To reduce the stress, I took a stack of my business cards (I can’t see myself ever needing all 500 of them) and wrote one aspect of the business of the back of each card. I included everything I could think of, and ended …
Working from anywhere
Last week I said that carrying the tools of my trade around with me didn’t necessarily mean that I could get myself in the frame of mind required to work while away from home. Now, I’m actually updating my blog while bussing up to Sydney in a rain storm (and have been able to edit a document, email clients and …
Working from anywhere
This week I learned that there’s a difference between being technically able to work from anywhere and being mentally able to do so. Camping with my teenage daughter, I found that, although I had the computer, electricity and an internet connection, I could not get myself into the focused mindframe that I need for editing or any other business-related activity. Even …
Hidden problems
I’ve had a remarkably busy working week, given that I spent 4 days of of it visiting friends on the NSW coast and in the Victorian bush. I worked on a couple of documents – a scientific paper and a short document for an international organisation. Both looked straightforward at first glance, but once I got stuck into them, I …
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