Do you think it’s possible to be profitably organized every day when you work from home?
When I first started working at home there were jobs I didn’t realize I would have to do. Coming from a corporate job at the bank I relied on different departments to help me. When our doors opened and business started to come in the excitement of earning money from home was my primary focus.
I’ll never forget though the first month that a phone call came in from the phone company. They reminded me my payment was late. I had never been late on any payment, let alone my phone bill. Embarrassed I hurriedly made my payment over the phone. I promised to not be late in the coming months.
Has anything like that ever happened to you? Well, if you are like me odds are it has probably already happened. If not it will one day if you aren’t profitably organized.
As a business owner who has no employees, you are responsible for every aspect of your day-to-day operations. You will find yourself sometimes overwhelmed. You are responsible for marketing, sales, customer service, accounts payable, accounts receivable, janitorial, and of course there’s the office clerk and filing clerk.
How on earth are we supposed to do it all and do it well to boot? Even though I’ve been self-employed and have worked from home for the past seventeen years I don’t have all the answers for every business or business owner. I know, shocking isn’t it?
But, remember that article I wrote sometime back, “50 Things I Wish I Knew Before Going Into Business For Myself”?
Tip number 2 was to use a calendar.
That tip may have sounded somewhat trivial without much use to a new business owner. However, that very tip is what has saved my bacon time and again. How so?
How to be profitably organized every day
A good friend once told me, “Carla, never leave your bank account to your memory”. Now, think about that for just a moment. Take that thought and apply it to your household chores like grocery shopping, clothes shopping, or packing for a business trip. If you’re like I am using a list helps you remember what you need, right?
I’ll bet you’ve gone shopping once or twice and thought “I can do this without a shopping list”. You buy what you remember you needed. It’s now the night of the dinner party. You get ready to fix your favorite recipe and now you find you are short an ingredient or two…drat!
If you’d had that list with every ingredient on it you wouldn’t be running back to the store now when it’s time to be fixing the meal.
Running a profitably organized business from home is similar to running your household.
There is no way one person can remember every detail that needs to be tended to all the time. Write it down on a calendar – don’t use your iPhone the battery can die, it can get dropped in water or on the floor, who knows what can happen to it. Use a desk calendar with daily pages to note deadlines, due dates for bills, invoices, and delivery dates. This will free up your mind to focus on your number one priority every day – your customer. If you struggle to make invoices, it might be worth checking out an invoice template to help make your life easier. It'll save you a lot of time too!
Another benefit to using a desk calendar is that it can serve as your to-do list. Each night before leaving the office you can transfer any tasks that didn’t get done to the next day. In the morning you can prioritize the daily tasks and none will be forgotten.
So, when you begin redefining success after 50 don’t leave your bank account to your memory. You can be profitably organized every day by using a desk calendar. Believe it or not, organizing can take the whole stress away from your life. This guide by Groom & Style can guide you through creating your very own stress-free day.
If you have profitably organized your home office, share your tips that have helped increase efficiency and your bottom line in the comments below.
"Very well put. I've been with a health and nutrition company for over 26 years and I understand exactly what you are going through. I shiver to think what my health might be today at age 68 had I not stuck to my guns as far as practicing what I preach. Yes, I fall off the wagon regularly but my daily routine life reflects taking care of my health. That way I can keep up (somewhat) with my 7 grandchildren. You keep it up, Carla". 
"For most people the thought of venturing out there in pursuit of your dreams, in a place outside of your comfort zones is just what stops them. But I could sense your excitement not resentment in going against the competition. In planting your stake and truly making a difference in the clients experience. That's ultimately what matters, the rest just falls so easily into place. Thanks for that reminder"! 
Carla, I’ve got to say that I LOVE your focus on the joys and challenges facing women over 50. I’m definitely in that camp! I’ve been inspired by your candor, practical ideas, and refreshing determination to joyfully tackle life. The hours we’ve spent on the phone, in person, and through social media have enriched my life immeasurably. YOU are one Fiery Grandma, and I love your style! 
I have known Carla Gardiner for 6+ years. We met at a business training for bring business online. She is a business women at heart and willing to do the hard things to make the results show up. I have watched her run a business, work a job and take care of her family. She is a go getter when it comes to putting in the work to build her business to the level of being able to enjoy her grand kids.
She is the example that age is not a limit it is a tool for sharing knowledge to those she empowers to use their own skills and talents. Excuses are fuel to push her to learn and apply. I have seen her scared to death about implementing new technology and rock it out despite the learning curve.
I love watching you grow into your greatness Carla! Don’t slow down. 
"Carla, you are a model for me to follow. I love your site. And, I like what you have to say - very kind, very gracious. I have to say though that nothing in my life has ever been crystal clear". 
"I've known Carla for 5+ years and can tell you that she has lived every bit of this and more. We shared tears and laughs and hard work....you will enjoy getting to know Carla."
You hit the nail right on the head. My calender is my memory. Without it I would forget so many things. I use it for banking, content production, personal life, tax payments – you name it it’s in the calender. In fact I have various calender for different things – eg. coaching clients, onsite technical assistance, personal, etc. Google provides an excellent mechanism to maintain various calenders. Not only are those calenders on my desktop computer, but on my smartphone too. Thanks for sharing this Carla.
Thank you Gary. Great to see your actions in, well action. Due to living in a remote location I’ve taken it one step further. Losing power throughout the year it’s made it practical to put my memory not only to a calendar, but a paper one. That way if my iPhone dies or computer crashes, as it has in the past I don’t lose my appointments or scheduled tasks.
Loved this article! I completely believe leaving everything in a calendar or at least a planner is a better bet than an iPhone. Thank you
Thank you so much Gilly. It’s really great to see that you use a calendar and planner. Your business will reflect your organization efforts, too.
Nice blog with great tips I’m a little obsessed with my calendar but you’re so right it keeps you organized thank you
Thank you Joy. I’m not sure I understand what you mean obsessed with your calendar. But, I can tell you that I’m hooked on using mine and plan to utilize it more.
Great topic! Nothing beats being organized. Do you actually allot a certain time to a particular task as you organize?
You know Lorii many people tell me that I should allot a certain amount of time to one task. The only task I do that for is social media. Other than that task time allotments don’t work for me.
Great tips Carla! I’m always finding that I forget everything as there is so much to do in one day. I use a calendar as well as I like to see it in front of me as a daily reminder. Technology is great but it sometimes breaks down so it’s not always reliable. I still like to use ‘paper’ as a back-up.
I need to get better at calendaring everything Maureen. My goal is to get a social media calendar, too. I’m working on consistency.
Great tip Carla! I would be lost without my calendars. I have one just for bills, and one for everything else, and a notebook for making those lists!
That’s great Helena. Interesting you keep your bills separate. Do you find you are more streamlined that way?
Loved the post, and I agree that we can not have everything in our memory. I learned to make use of lists and also I try to have a perfect calendar, including all my family activities to unclutter my mind and be more productive!
Wow, Meire you’ve taken the calendar to a whole new level. I like the idea of condensing several calendars into one. That makes a lot of sense. Then the whole family will know what is up on what day. I’ve forgotten an important family event and scheduled a business call…not good! Great idea!
Thanks, Carla. I SO needed this and tweeted it.
Oh, thank you Grace. Much appreciate the tweet, too.
I think your tip about using an actual paper calendar and to organize from there is such a sound tip! I find that even though I use online calendars, they really don’t organize my LIFE the way I need. Using an actual calendar just makes so much sense! You have motivated me to go dig up my calendar and to start using it!
Thank you Mindy. Glad I could inspire some time saving tips for your business.
great post – organisation is key
Thank you Diane.
Very good tips Carla. I have found it a necessity for working from home.
Thank you Ernestine. Glad to hear you already use a calendar.
You must stay organized or things get out of hand.. Especially when you wear allot of hats during the day.
So very true, Rob. I’ll bet with Kungphoo and all it’s circles you are a stickler for using your calendar and lists, too.
Carla, I like to write things down where I can see them. It’s either a calendar or a sheet, usually a long one. I then determine which is the most important. As I finish each one, I check it off and continue. Of course it happens that I don’t accomplish everything and that’s ok. I do what I can and move on. Great post, as always! Thanks!
The benefits of a desk calendar Alexandra is that if you don’t finish all tasks in the day, you can roll them over to the beginning of the next day and add to the bottom of the list. That way those tasks don’t get pushed back forever. Thanks for sharing what works for you.
The hardest part for a new entrepreneur, especially one who comes out of a job situation, is discovering all the moving pieces that they never thought about before. Jotting everything down the first time through makes the subsequent rounds easier. Eventually it all becomes pretty automatic … until you get distracted with all the online demands of sales and marketing! (Lists are good, wherever you write them!)
Absolutely right Sharon. It took about 6 months for me to figure out every detail that I had to handle on my own. Before I had department heads who delegated tasks, took care of computer issues, accounts receivable and payables were done by someone else. When you work for yourself, by yourself it is imperative to make lists and use a calendar, too.
GReat post as always. Has me thinking of all the ways I am not automated & organized the way I intend to be.
Don’t be so hard on yourself, Roslyn. Trust me, bringing your business online is definitely a process and a journey. Enjoy each step of the way, one day you’ll look back and say “see what I did”
Love your ‘keep it simple’ solution to being profitably organized every day. I do it myself, and it makes a big difference. Thanks for a great post!
Thank you Dawn. That’s me, super simple. After all, as entrepreneurs we do it all…it must be simple to get it all done and done right.
Yes, write it on a calendar. The family needs to see the schedule as not to make conflicting plans.
Thank you Roxanne. That’s a great idea…to write it on the calendar for the family to see. I’m going to snag that and implement, too.
I absolutely agree Carla. Writing down things is the old fashioned way, but much more useful. I have a list in every room in the house on the go. I get them together every morning and make another list. I then mark the list in a,b or c.
a is must do.
b is can do
c. is could be left if I haven,t got time!
As for the bank account I check it everyday on line and I also have paper statements through the post. The internet still is not reliable enough and it could break down!
I love your blogs so keep em coming!
Thank you Patricia. I never thought of having a to-do list in each room. That is a brilliant idea. Love how you organize, prioritize and rinse and repeat. Appreciate you reading, sharing and contributing to all of our efforts to serve others here online.