In This Issue...

- FEATURE ARTICLE: How to Know When You Are Done Working for the Day

- COACHING
- TELECLASSES
- RESOURCE LOUNGE
- VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS

In contrast, self-employment, especially for those of us who work from home, means that you do bring the work home, because work and home are the same place. Some of us are good at closing the office door at night or on the weekends, but others of us catch ourselves leaving the computer on all night or innocently checking email on the weekends.

We rationalize that we love our work. And we have so much flexibility with our schedule that we feel we should keep the computer on in the evening if we ran errands at 2pm instead of working on our marketing.

But we need to be careful. I often ask Solopreneurs to stop and rate themselves as a boss. Nearly always, the response is nervous laughter. We realize that we would never put up with the hours or lack of support and feedback that we often give ourselves as an “employee”. Sure, you’re self-employed, but take some time over the next week and watch what type of working environment you’ve created for yourself and consider whether you’d put up with it from any other “boss”.

When You are Self-Employed, You Have Ultimate Time Freedom (and other myths)

Have you noticed that others around you think you have plenty of time freedom because you are self-employed? Or, maybe it’s you that views your time this way. And yet, most Solopreneurs find themselves leaving the computer on until 10pm (just in case you want to do something quickly) or checking email for “just a minute” only to suddenly realize 2 hours have passed.

Because we have “freedom” over our schedule, I find that Solopreneurs either have trouble getting everything done, or “turning off” for the day. If you were still working for someone else, would you really leave the computer on until you go to bed and check email on the weekends?

Just because you love your work, doesn’t mean you don’t still need some separation and time off from it. In fact, you probably need it more.

You’re Never Going to be Done

Let’s face it -- when you are self-employed, there’s no such thing as being “done”. There’s always something more we can be doing. Particularly when you’re business isn’t full. How can you be done when you aren’t quite paying the bills yet?

Self-Employment is like Housework

Self-employment is like housework. Every week, you clean, and yet, the next week you are right back where you started and have to do it all over again! And it’s amazing how much work it can take just to keep things functioning, let alone get ahead of yourself.

But a Solopreneur is never going to be “done”, so we have to create milestones, develop measurements and set goals so we can celebrate being done with some things along the way. If we don’t, we’re setting ourselves up for frustration and exhaustion. Can you imagine never getting a review or promotion for a job well done at work? And yet, that’s what we often do as boss of our one employee, ourselves.

Working More Than 40 Hours a Week is Counterproductive 

Studies have shown that working more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week does not yield more production. In fact, typically the opposite is true. The more hours worked beyond this threshold, the more the quality and the quantity of the work decline.

One of the best things you can do for your business is to take time away from it and take care of yourself. Just like with physical training, it’s the time between workouts when the body is getting stronger. If you work out the same muscles every day, you will damage the body, not strengthen it.

If you are anything like most Solopreneurs, you probably get your best ideas in the shower or while taking a walk. That’s because you have given your mind the freedom it needs to be creative. Time at your desk does not equal productivity. Some of the most respected CEOs actually wander the halls of their offices nearly all day long. And no one complains they aren’t contributing to the growth of their companies.

Managing Your Work, AND Your Expectations

So, how do you measure how you are doing each day so you can sleep at night? The key is to set goals rather than be at the mercy of your “expectations”. Expectations are dangerous because they are often unspoken, yet have a silently strong influence on us. Unspoken expectations will keep you from feeling “done” and keep you working long into the night or weekend. If you have specific goals, you’ll be able to measure when you have done enough -- there’s nothing more to do if you’ve checked something off your list.

Some Solopreneurs designate certain days each week for particular tasks. Others set aside time blocks within the day for doing certain things. Once that time has passed, it’s time to move on. With these strategies, you shouldn’t go over the number of hours you’ve set aside for your work and you can feel complete at the end of the day.

A Secret Weapon for Your Toolbox

Gillian Hood-Gabrielson, MS, master Fitness by Phone Coach and exercise physiologist will be speaking to the participants in my Coaching Membership program in two weeks and has generously offered to invite the readers of the Solo Flyer to this custom teleclass on how Solopreneurs can use exercise to generate more business success.

Gillian points out, “It’s no secret that 70% of America’s top CEOs exercise at least three times a week, reaping huge financial benefits for their companies and themselves. What if you could use exercise to reap those same benefits, seeing your business and personal success soar?” You can. Gillian will show you how in this free teleclass called “What if You Were Paid to Exercise?” on Wednesday, March 24 at 2pm ET. For more details, visit http://www.solopreneurzone.com/Teleclasses_Free.htm.
 

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...

RF Flow www.rff.com/download.htm  You can use this great software to help create systems for your workflow (remember last issue’s discussion of creating systems) and help you plan your day. It’s also great for those who love to use visuals to map out their work or ideas. I personally have a marketing plan that is in flow-chart style and love to be able to look at it to motivate myself to move forward. You can download a free trial (which has plenty of features), or buy the entire program for $49 (which may be more than any of us needs).

Ideal Day and Weekly Planning Worksheets http://www.solopreneurzone.com/Resource_Free_Worksheets.htm Feel free to use these free worksheets to help you be more proactive and thoughtful as you plan your work days and weeks. Sticking to what you’ve committed to do each day (and only what you committed to) will help you know when you are “done” for the day.

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

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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.