When you are working for yourself, the responsibility for staying on top of projects, communicating with clients, and collecting money you're owed falls completely to you. There's no boss checking in to make sure you are meeting deadlines, no team to keep you on track.
It helps to be naturally organized. If you're not, you can learn to be. "Most people aren't naturally good golfers, but they can be taught how to do it," says Lisa Kanarek, founder of WorkingNaked.com in Dallas.
If you don't put in some effort, you'll have a tough time being successfully self-employed. Mark Miller, a self-employed marketing specialist who founded High Impact Marketing in Los Angeles, says he learned this the hard way. "I have never been a particularly organized or neat person in terms of keeping my things in order. Unfortunately, those traits did not translate well into the business world," he says.
After spending hours each week digging through "50 archeological layers" of paperwork on his desk and missing a couple of crucial project follow-ups, Miller says, he realized he needed help: "I got a couple of books and took a couple courses on getting rid of clutter." He learned to use a hard-copy planner, backed up by electronic Outlook task and appointment reminders. He combined that with a filing system that turned his horizontal layers into labeled, vertical files and has been more successful ever since, he says.
You don't need to spend a fortune or invest a lot of time implementing a complicated system, Kanarek says. "It's okay if you're not completely organized. Don't beat yourself up. Just find something that works for you and fits into your work style." She recommends a few basics: Designate a specific workspace in your home, set up a regular work schedule, and establish a filing system for your paperwork.
With today's technology, it's easy to carry your computer and phone around and work in your kitchen, living room, or at your local coffeehouse. But if you don't have an office space with a desk and a comfortable chair, you will never feel serious about working at home, Kanarek says. "Having a home base, where your printer and your files are going to be, mentally gets you focused."
The same goes for having a regular schedule, whether you work days, evenings, or from midnight to 6 a.m. "Get up at roughly the same time every day and work out a routine. It can be flexible, but if you wait until 11 a.m. or noon to get to your desk, it's going to be hard to get any momentum going," she says.
