Quote:
Originally posted by JanTM
Thanks for the inputs everyone. Maybe I DO need to be more "coorporate" about this. Maybe I need even more structure on the daily stuff that needs to be done.
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It really can make a huge difference. My partner (venturi) and I have been at this for a few years, and it's only recently that we've REALLY buckled down and started treating it like a business. We finally bought ourselves a nice pair of office chairs, a "real" filing cabinet (as opposed to the file boxes that were doing the trick), color-coded folders; silly stuff like that - and installed a real time-sheet program. All these things combined have made an amazing difference, but honestly I'd say it's the time sheet program that has done the most. It forces us to account for how we spend our hours, which has two possible affects - if we're not working enough, we get guilt-motivatied. On the other hand, when we're working enough (or too much) it makes it much easier to feel free to take some time off.
That's one of the big monsters in working for yourself, I think - with no real set hours, it's too easy to just work and work and work until you drop. Or, to spend hours reading the boards and call it "work" and then wonder why you haven't managed to get a thing done. Actually tracking your time lets you see exactly what you're doing, and whip or reward yourself as appropriate.