Preparation Saves the Day!

After months of hard work, I was finally able to take a break and just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Australia to dive The Great Barrier Reef. It was a fantastic experience. And two days after getting back to the States, I was off on another trip to celebrate a big, family birthday. A big fish comes up to say hello!

It was an exciting whirlwind, but I was ready to get back to work. And wouldn’t you know it? On Monday morning, I woke up with a bad cold. And with my jetlag, the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed! Well, the good news about owning your own business is that you don’t have to call in sick. But most of the time (as I’m sure most of you can relate), you end up working just to keep your clients happy and things moving forward. And right now, I still have a few sniffles, but my business is going strong. Want to know my secret? Prepare Work in Advance. We can learn a lot from the Boy Scouts and their “Be Prepared” motto. This simple slogan has saved me a lot of time, money and undue stress. After all, before I went on vacation, I took care of all of my current assignments and worked on several, upcoming projects in advance. This way, I was ahead of schedule when I returned from my trip. Sure, it took extra time and made my workdays a little longer, but I didn’t need to stress over deadlines when I returned. (And I was able to squeeze in a few naps to help get over my cold.) And with today’s fast-paced business environment, it’s important to stay ahead of the game… so keep this in mind as you start your day. There are always unexpected activities lurking around the corner. Why not spend a few minutes each day working on future projects? After all, you never know when you’ll get sick, have a family emergency or a last-minute client issue that requires your attention. Plus, if you fall behind, you can be sure your competitors will be right there snapping at your heels! Need help getting organized and learning how to prepare in advance? Check out these helpful sites: http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Organized, http://www.abc15.com/content/financialsurvival/yourjob/story/Work-at-home-5-ways-to-avoid-burnout/8AaWX6JvTkCpsda9Yry_Wg.cspx, 
www.startupnation.com

By Melanie Rembrandt