My workload has bubbled down from raging inferno to a slow simmer, so it has been a natural time to evaluate my business structure. Specifically, I decided I needed help. The problem was determining: help with what, and who to do it? And where is Alice from the Brady Bunch when you need a whole-life personal assistant? But when I examined the summer of my discontent, I discovered that it was due to just a few issues:
–Work overload exacerbated by taking a 2-week vacation
–House a mess and disorganized
–Business finances undone, leaving me cringing as tax time rolls inexorably around
–Lack of an effective schedule for accomplishing work-home responsibilities
So which problems should I work on, and how? and did I need to delegate or hire? And why doesn’t Alice work here anymore?
For daily picking up, I picked me. The solution of hiring a housekeeper or assistant would easily overwhelm my fragile delegation skills. I’ll ask for help from the hubby and kids when I need it. Laundry is all my husband. He affirmed it was OK with him.
For home/office organization I picked me, provisionally. While I don’t like the job, it will only take 2 days. If after a month I haven’t done the processing, I will hire temp help for certain areas.
For bookkkeeping/tax accounting, I picked expert, paid delegation. The cost of not having this done and potential tax savings justify the expense. So I’m interviewing 2 potential new accountants now.
For housecleaning, I picked a housecleaning service. This may cost more ultimately than an employee, and leaves me with less flexibility, but I work from home and prefer less of a revolving door on my office, to minimize the productivity cost.
For scheduling, I picked me. I’ve discussed with my family the need for shorter, sweeter, and ultimately more relaxing vacations with no work-related fires to put out or smolder while I’m sippy fruity umbrella drinks. With school starting, scheduling has become much simpler. I’ve also found the value of a regular daily block for regular daily tasks: for example, I drive my kids home from school, so I know not to schedule recurring meetings from 2:30-3:30. I can be flexible, but keeping the time blocks helps in planning.
For work, I prefer to just maintain the happy 2 woman band. At this point, the additional potential for profit doesn’t outweigh the stress and hassle of added management responsibilities. To reduce/prioritize workload, I plan to look at profit potential and client value. When the schedule’s tight, lower paying, less regular clients will have to hear “thanks but no thanks.” I am planning to jot down a referral list so that I can add value to fellow freelancers, in hopes that they may return the favor!
Troubleshooting correctly is a valuable skill. Ultimately, to fix or improve business systems, it’s important to pinpoint and fix the problem, rather than just let resources (time, people, emotion) get sucked into the black hole of disorganization.
–Andie
Tags: Add new tag, business systems, Goal Setting, Home-Based Business, Housework, Work from Home