What keeping time really means is...being on time!
You know, there was once a upon a time when my friends or my husband's friends invite us for dinner or a gathering, they would expect us to be late by half-an-hour. They would be totally prepared if we were late and come in with unironed clothes, grouchy kids and soup stains all over our jeans and shirts. But whenever we appeared earlier or ON TIME, they would all start writing down numbers to buy lottery the next day!!
I never really realized how important timing is until a client woke me up. I didn't really piss him off but he subtly reminded me that being on time would bring me more customers and also more referrals. Coincidentally, that was also the time that I was looking through a book about being organized and becoming a more successful home-preneur.
My husband is a fanatic about time - so, my disregard towards timing makes him ill - really, really ill. Sometimes so ill that he would promise to throw the whole idea of going out together out the window.
Then it occurred to me - if it was so important to my husband, imagine what it would be like for my clients. Imagine what it would be like for them to have to wait for me all the time when THEY ARE PAYING ME TO DO WHATEVER THEY HAVE ASSIGNED FOR ME!
Thinking about it and mentally reversing the situation made me really sit up and think. And today, I am no longer as late as I used to be. I can be an occassional much-too-laidback or lackadaisical or procrastinator...whatever you call it.....person but, all in all, timing is now more important to me.
It's very important for us, home business owners, to be timely than for others. If, for example, a sales person from Braun is late for an appointment, you'd just sit back and wait cause they're BRAUN, you know what I mean. They must have about 100 appointments a day. But when a home business owner is late about handing up a project, the client would automatically think one thing - this person is not serious about his/her business. And it's bad to work with someone who's not serious about his/her work. And you know, you'll just lose the business this way - much too easily.
So, take my advice. If there was one thing you have to change. it's your timing.
Everything else, you can change tomorrow.....no pun intended here. :-)
Marsha Maung is a freelance work at home graphic designer and writer who resides in Selangor, Malaysia with her husband, Peter and 2 kids, Joshua and Jared. She is the author or "Raising Little Magicians" and other work at home books. For more information, please visit http://www.marshamaung.com
elite cleaning services Mundelein ..Years ago when I started in this business, it seemed... Read More
Here's a smart system for doubling or tripling your daily... Read More
As a small business owner, does the following paragraph sound... Read More
This past Friday I was asked to speak with a... Read More
You can use the Power of 90 Seconds to transform... Read More
Many of us get so caught up in day-to-day pressures... Read More
"It's just been one of those days?I can't seem to... Read More
All too often we can feel overwhelmed by the amount... Read More
How many people do you know who are so busy... Read More
Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking... Read More
"Fashionably late" is no longer in fashion. In today's heavily... Read More
We all face decisions that involve doing things that affect... Read More
I keep a fossil on my desk at all times.... Read More
Work brings together people of different characters and behavior, and... Read More
One of the most common complaints that small business owners... Read More
It's amazing how many sayings there are in our culture... Read More
Increased productivity, the ability to get more value for our... Read More
Despite the best of intentions, most of us don't use... Read More
Would you describe yourself as extremely busy? Do you often... Read More
"Time is what we need the most and what we... Read More
Most of us know how to manage our time. It... Read More
It's 6:00 a.m. I'm awake. I'm pumped! I'm ready to... Read More
Q. I have several projects going at once -- but... Read More
How do you know what's the best use of your... Read More
What does it mean to practice self care? It's creating... Read More
Airbnb cleaning service Mundelein ..Do you have plenty to do, but don't have enough... Read More
Time and money are both very important in business. Yet,... Read More
Most of us know how to manage our time. It... Read More
The most powerful resource that we have is time. Everything... Read More
One of the most common complaints that small business owners... Read More
You can lose, damage or waste some things in life,... Read More
Benjamin Franklin wrote: "If you want to enjoy one of... Read More
I used to think video game addictions were a joke... Read More
As I sit here in front of the computer... Read More
"Time is what we need the most and what we... Read More
As a home-based, self-employed woman, mundane tasks can be as... Read More
Why Read?It's been said that there are three kinds of... Read More
One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools... Read More
The Internet is increasingly becoming a major time killer for... Read More
This may not sound like a big deal. But it's... Read More
Are you obsessed with getting everything just right? Do you... Read More
If you work from home, you know the kind of... Read More
According to a Miller Heiman 2003 Sales Effectiveness Study, over... Read More
There are two ways to start your day. The first... Read More
Most of us have a to-do list ? some of... Read More
We all face decisions that involve doing things that affect... Read More
Your productivity depends on good tools and effective environments, and... Read More
I give presentations on organizational skill building as it relates... Read More
My husband and I recently returned from a trip to... Read More
Whenever I've worked on 'de-cluttering' my living or working space,... Read More
Time Management |