In This Issue...

- FEATURE ARTICLE: Why Are You Working So Hard?

- COACHING
- TELECLASSES
- RESOURCE LOUNGE
- VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS

Today's article is about systematizing the work you do to keep you from working harder than you need to. So many of us get caught up in our busy-ness that we don't take the opportunity to see how it might be different.

If you are anything like me, you may have caught yourself doing something again and again that could be so much more effective if systematized, yet you don't do it because it would take longer to create the system than to simply do the work again. But we forget that a little up front work will save a lot more time down the road. If you often catch yourself saying, "I'm too busy to get organized", this article is for you.

Angee Robertson, an Administrative Consultant and Business Advisor to The Solopreneur Zone is currently doing a study on how entrepreneurs handle their administrative tasks and why and how they choose to outsource them. Just as I have noticed with my own clients, Angee is finding that many overwhelmed entrepreneurs actually delay getting administrative help because they haven't been able to systematize what they do enough to be able to hand the work over to someone who can help.

When I first started working with Angee, I found the same thing to be true for me. There was so much work I wanted to give her, but nearly everything was in my head and I was doing tasks differently every time I performed them. With her help, I now publish my ezine every two weeks instead of monthly and because of our system, it takes half the time!

If you are a Solopreneur who currently works with a Virtual Assistant or are considering whether you should do so in the future, Angee would love to hear your story. To discuss an interview with her, email her at angee@assistx.net or visit her website www.assistx.net. She plans to publish her work in the near future, so you'll get a little free publicity in exchange for your thoughts too!

Stop Working So Hard

We all do it now and again. Some of us do it all the time. We work harder than we need to. How? By doing our daily tasks again and again without noticing that we are often reinventing the same wheel. Or, by spending too much time on things we personally aren't suited for doing instead of letting someone else do it.

Both of these cause us to work harder than we need to. The harder we work on things that don't require it, the less energy we have for the important parts of our business.

Don't Reinvent the Wheel

How many times have you caught yourself doing something that you've done before, yet you are starting again from scratch? Maybe you never kept a sample of how you did it the last time or don't remember the steps you took to do it.

Don't reinvent the wheel. If you notice that you are doing a task regularly, you will be much better off if you create a system for doing it.

For example, I send a lot of the same emails out regularly. I have a folder in my email program that stores samples of the various types of emails I send. When I need to send something, I look for a similar sample, then simply adjust any dates, details or comments. I'd estimate that this saves me nearly 2-4 hours each week alone!

If You'll Do It Again, Systematize It

A majority of the things we do every day are routine. If you'll do it again, create a system for it. This way, you'll be able to do a lot of your mundane tasks without using as much energy.

How do you create a system? Typically, it's as easy as keeping copies of how you did the work before or writing down the steps you take to complete the task. Sometimes, just scheduling a specific time slot each day or week to complete the task is enough of a system to get the task done more easily.

Being Busy is No Excuse Not to Get Organized

It's true, we're all very busy. So we think it would take far too much time to stop and get organized. But most of us probably waste nearly a day or more each month because of a lack of organization.

Wouldn't an extra one or two days a month be great if you could spend it on long-term business planning and strategizing? Think of how much farther along your business would be if you spent less time on paperwork and more on the business itself?

Entrepreneurs Aren't Designed to Love Organizing

Most entrepreneurs just plain aren't built to be organized. There's nothing wrong with that. Organizing isn't where our talents lie. We live in the world of possibilities and ideas. We aren't meant to think in a logical manner. If we did, we wouldn't be good entrepreneurs.

However, we still need to get what's in our heads down on paper or in some format that would enable us to get the support we need to keep organized.

So You Think You're the Only One Who Can Get Things Done?

Another trap we entrepreneurs fall into is "no one else can do it as well as I can". The fact is if it's administrative in nature, you are probably the worst candidate for the job. Your job is to do the core work of your business, not all the other little things.

Sure, it will take longer to finally systematize what you do, but once it's done, you'll never want to go back to being a "jack of all trades, master of none". Guaranteed.

Have you been considering The Solopreneur Zone's new Coaching Membership Program? There are still a few Founding Member spots available at a "won't even dent the wallet" rate of $150 per month.

Once the Founding Memberships are filled, the membership will go to a budget-friendly $225 per month. However, the Founding Members' rate will never go up. Ever. Even as we add tons of additional benefits to the program.

Members have access to me during my open coaching hours, access to a growing group of business advisors (marketing/PR, web design, virtual assistance, etc) and hours of recorded and live teleclasses and group coaching opportunities.

Sound intriguing? Here's a link to the details about the program to learn more http://solopreneurzone.com/Membership_Home.htm.

Teleclasses

One-Hour Teleclasses: the best way to spend an hour...

Expanding Your Business Network Wednesday, March 10, 2-3pm ET

Creating Partnerships and Alliances Wednesday, March 24, 2-3pm ET

Each 1 hour teleclass includes worksheets and access to the teleclass recording via Real Audio. Cost: $25, Members: Free

To register, visit http://www.solopreneurzone.com/Teleclasses_Live.htm.

Ezine Queen's Magic Text Formatter www.EzineQueen.com/textmagic.htm
This is a great tool for those of you who publish a text version of your newsletter. Because there are so many email systems out there, it's best to keep the text to 65-characters per line. Trying to do this yourself manually will drive you crazy. Instead, try this free tool from the Ezine Queen, the resource for creating and publishing successful newsletters. Simply cut and paste your text into the box on this page, click Format, then copy your text back to your email system. Don't forget to bookmark this page to use again and again.

Professional Cart Solutions www.profcs.com
One of the best systems I put in place for my business was credit card processing and a shopping cart for my website. If dealing with payments is starting to bog down your productivity, these services are the solution. I use the Practice Pay Solutions www.practicepaysolutions.com suite of products, but there are several good choices out there such as www.kickstartcart.com and www.clickbank.com. When looking for the right service for you, be sure to compare the fees involved with credit card processing and the features of the shopping cart system.

For a complete list of resources we love (growing weekly), visit the Resource Lounge at http://www.solopreneurzone.com/Resource_Lounge.htm

DISCUSSION GROUP: Have you signed up for The Solopreneur Zone's Yahoo Discussion Group?

This discussion group was created to support you in trading questions, ideas and tips with other Solopreneurs. Why go it alone, when you can build your business more easily with the support of others? Questions, thoughts and ideas should be directed to the entire membership. I will read the messages regularly and contribute my thoughts to the discussion when appropriate.

The group will be moderated by Angee Robertson, Administrative Consultant for The Solopreneur Zone, to make sure you only receive messages from members who want to be an active part of this community.

Join Today, by visiting our home page at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/solozone

* Check out The Virtual Water Cooler...It's a free monthly community teleconference call where you can share ideas and questions with peers from around the globe. Have a quick business question? -- you can also pop onto the call to ask Dawn a quick question -- and begin making progress on growing your business again.

Join our next call on on Thursday, March 25 from 3-4pm ET (note that the call will now be the last Thursday of each month at 3pm ET). For details, visit http://www.solopreneurzone.com/WaterCooler.htm

DID YOU LIKE THIS PUBLICATION? Please forward it to your friends and associates and anyone else who you think might appreciate it. Thanks for your feedback and encouragement.
PRIVACY POLICY: The Solopreneur Zone never sells or gives out subscriber names or email addresses.

SUGGESTIONS? Want to CONTRIBUTE to future issues? Send an email to info@solopreneurzone.com

Copyright 2004 Dawn Nichol, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the Solo Flyer publication as long as you keep the entire publication intact.