Time Management Challenges for Home-Based Agents
by Anita Pagliasso-Balamane
Author of “How I Made A Small Fortune as a Home-Based Travel Agent” (www.redticketproductions.com)
President, Ticket To Travel (www.aticket2travel.com)
OSSN Western Regional Manager Email: sanjoseca@ossn.com
Phone: 408-531-9228

One of the most challenging aspects of running a home-based business is the matter of managing time effectively. Many of us feel there are just not enough hours in the day. Don’t beat yourself up. Think about all of the hats that you wear on a daily basis.

• Marketing Manager
• Sales manager
• Customer and supplier relationships
• Accounts payable
• Accounts receivable
• Advertising and promotions
• Data entry and maintenance
• Correspondence / office administrator
• Janitor

If this hasn’t made you reach for your bottle of Excedrin, also take into consideration the fact that you still need to make time for family obligations and other social activities.

Clutter control

Often the biggest time waster comes about when the office is unorganized and cluttered. A lot of time can be wasted when looking for a misplaced file or a brochure or how about that important note that you scribbled on the back of a used envelope you pulled out of the waste basket?

To help eliminate too much clutter in my home-office, I have put the majority of the file cabinets in the garage. I have narrower storage cabinets with doors on one side of the garage that hold office supplies, brochures, travel guides, books, etc. These types of cabinets are fairly inexpensive and easy to assemble and it’s nice to have all the brochures and supplies behind doors. The brochures are then put in labeled magazine holders and arranged by destination.

Keeping up with the industry takes time

Trade publications are an excellent means of keeping current of what is happening in the ever-changing travel industry. A lot of these magazines are published weekly so it can be difficult to keep up with them and not allow them to pile up. However, stopping to ready them when the mail arrives takes time away from other important tasks. I now put them straight from the mail into a tote bag that I take with me on flights, to doctor visits and any other appointments where I know I will have a wait time.

Flexibility and control

A benefit of working from the home is that you have the flexibility to set your own hours and the availability to schedule appointments to fit your personal and business needs. What we sometimes forget is that we must discipline ourselves to control and manage our schedules and calendars.

Nothing seems to upset my work flow as much as having to leave the office. When I return to the office it always seems difficult to get back into the swing of productivity. What I have learned to do is manage my calendar better and schedule all out of the office appointments so that I can cluster them. For example, I know that every week I have a Chamber of Commerce meeting on Wednesday at noon, so whenever possible, I schedule all other out of the office appointments around that event on Wednesday. I will also make appointments during non-commute hours to avoid the wasted time in traffic jams. When I have whole days that are not interrupted with appointments where I need to leave the office I tend to accomplish so much more.

Freedom

Working from the privacy of your home gives you the freedom to run the business exactly how you want. You can work the hours you want, schedule your appointments to suit your needs and adjust your hours to fit in personal appointments.

But with freedom also comes temptations.

• Get dressed or don’t get dressed?
• Sleep in late or stay up late?
• Oprah or Days of Our Lives?
• Snack or not to snack?
• Laundry and other household chores
• Procrastinating
• Naps in the afternoon
• Or…just plain working too much!

Some days I do just fine with this freedom and then there are days that I long for more structure and not so many choices.

You will need to develop reliable self-management skills that will work best for you and your personality. For me personally, procrastination is my biggest challenge. I have had to discipline myself to complete projects and mundane tasks before they become critical or overwhelming.

When work is home and home is work

For home-based agents, home IS work and work IS home, meaning “You are always at work.” As confusing as this sounds, is about how conflicting it sometimes feels. There are times when I wished I could “go home from work” but when you have a home office the work is always there. It is important to set reasonable hours for yourself, know when it is time to quit, shut the doors, put up the “CLOSED” sign and “go home.”

Activity vs. Achievement

How many of us experience the finishing of an exhaustive day, then sitting back and wondered what we really accomplished? I do try to go for an “early” morning walk each morning before I start work. This keeps me healthy and allows me quiet time to mentally compose a list of what I need to do for the upcoming workday. When I get back I write my list of tasks and goals for the day. Find you own hour to set your goals and you will find that there is nothing better to achieve a sense of accomplishment then having a list of items to cross off at the end of the day.

(To order Anita’s book “How I Made A Small Fortune As A Home-Based Agent, go to www.redticketproductions.com and click on “New Releases”)

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