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
Flossmoor limo rentals .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareLetters, magazines, bills, flyers, what to do with them all.... Read More
Time management is absolute crucial nowadays where business decisions have... Read More
PROCRASTINATION: You've known about it since high school or college,... Read More
If you work from home, you know the kind of... Read More
Still awaiting the birth of my baby (I am overdue),... Read More
So What Then Is The Opposite Of Procrastination? Urgency is... Read More
Almost everyone in business knows the balancing act between the... Read More
As I sit here in front of the computer... Read More
Time management consultant Stephen Young claims that the average time... Read More
Setting goals is the easy part -- but sticking with... Read More
Want to improve your time management?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker,... Read More
Many people want to be coached to manage their time... Read More
Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number... Read More
Do you wish you could work less and play more?... Read More
Balancing Your Work, Family and Social Life... Read More
If you have spent any time at all working at... Read More
I am an ordinary man - A middle class high... Read More
Benjamin Franklin wrote: "If you want to enjoy one of... Read More
If I had a dollar or even better a pound... Read More
A working manager needs more than time management.That old saying,... Read More
Frustration is when an obstacle blocks your ability to achieve... Read More
Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking... Read More
* spreading yourself too thinTaking on too many things at... Read More
How much time do you spend on Mastering Your Time?... Read More
OK...let's assume that you're truly motivated to change. Great. But... Read More
Medinah cheap limo .."I never seem to have any time for myself. What... Read More
An expert in time management was speaking to a group... Read More
Time, time, time. It seems there is never enough of... Read More
Zak is my three-year old godson. He is the apple... Read More
Everyday, in life, we are bombarded with 101 tasks that... Read More
To work smarter all you need is the consciousness of... Read More
How do you eat two elephants? The same way you... Read More
Almost everyone in business knows the balancing act between the... Read More
Women's health issues often are focused on goals to reach:... Read More
Do you believe that the best way to deal with... Read More
I am an ordinary man - A middle class high... Read More
If you operate any kind of home business, you must... Read More
This is one more article on "Organizing and Enjoying Your... Read More
Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking... Read More
Last week I had the privilege of spending some quality... Read More
According to a Miller Heiman 2003 Sales Effectiveness Study, over... Read More
The concept of Mercury Retrograde is very well known even... Read More
In most organizations, meetings are often the biggest time-wasters. With... Read More
There are two ways to start your day. The first... Read More
As I sit here in front of the computer... Read More
I have a habit of sending a thank you letter... Read More
Whenever you have projects that can't be done in one... Read More
Get a grip. Is it possible to manage time? Can... Read More
If I had a dollar or even better a pound... Read More
Yesterday, I'd just gotten comfortable at my favorite table in... Read More
Time Management |