sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
(OP)
It's just me here at my company so I wear all the hats. I'm finding it hard to actually get any work done with all the calls, emails, etc. I try to ignore them for a while to focus on actual work but then something else intrudes.
So, for you other sole proprietor folks: How do you schedule your time? Do you have certain times for returning emails, calls, etc? For billing? For marketing, if you do that? Or is it all mixed up chaotically for you too?
So, for you other sole proprietor folks: How do you schedule your time? Do you have certain times for returning emails, calls, etc? For billing? For marketing, if you do that? Or is it all mixed up chaotically for you too?





RE: sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
I truly hate to quote Stephen Covey, but if you put the big rocks in first there will be room for the small ones.
I schedule time in the calendar each week for the highest priorities. Generally, these are the billable hours or anything that otherwise is needed by a client. I might block out 2 hours each morning and the entire afternoon for all week if a deadline is looming.
The things that aren't priority one get the squeaky-wheel approach. For example, on the 14th of each month the state revenue department becomes a big rock.
It seems to work for me. I truly got burnt out on listening to Stephen Covey principles, maybe a decade ago. Two of them stuck with me, though. Put the big rocks in first. Sharpen the saw.
Best to you,
Goober Dave
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RE: sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.
The plural of anecdote is not "data"
RE: sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
Bruce Youngman
http://www.dynamicsolutions-mi.com
RE: sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
I would then assign a priority to the task. I would take care of the highest priority tasks first either by doing them or delegating them. Then The next highest priority, and so on, If I did not get them done, they would be added to the top of the sheet for the next day.
Bottom line, if all tasks did not get done in one day, at least you got the highest priority ones done first.
You are not going to do that any other way.
B.E.
RE: sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
In your case, it might be the part about finishing certain tasks that is holding you back. You have to focus on getting important things done (accounting, billing, taxes, strategizing etc.) before the distractions start coming in and after they stop. If it's quiet during the daytime too then you don't haven enough clients so you still have to get off your keester and drum up business.
Simple round numbers: you have to be billing for 2000 hours per year to be profitable, if you're a consultant. To get billable work done during those hours, you need another 1000 hours per year for all of the overhead stuff. Hopefully you have that much time to spend on it. Starting up is hard; everything is on the steep part of the learning curve, at the same time.
STF
RE: sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
I ended up with a cash flow like a saw tooth, because when we got a bunch of work in , we concentrated on getting jobs out of the door,and not looking for work, the result, the overtime would stop and five guys would be eyeing each other across the shop, wondering where the next job was.
B.E.
RE: sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
So how I schedule all of this? Its all memorized, and somehow with more and more stuff to remember it becomes easier to know what needs to be done, and forget what isn't important. Building a good contact list on my phone helps though.
B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer
http://bwengr.com | http://bwstructuralengineer.com | http://bwcivilengineer.com
RE: sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
, be sure you will need long chunks of sleep to catch up....
RE: sole proprietors: how to schedule your time?
I also found that a good administrative assistant makes me 10 times more productive.
David
:):):)
www.kirkhammotorsports.com