At first it was like so many work-at-home businesses that I didn’t know how to organize both my time and my workspace. After a lot of learning and experimenting, I was able to find what works for me.
Here are some suggestions that I have found useful. You will find what suits your needs and also your business. Try the tips below, find out what works for you. Only you will know what works and what doesn’t work for you.

• You have to plan.
• Have a notebook to jot down ideas very quickly.
• Have thoughts and pencils ready.
• Have an area to keep all your CD Roms that you use within easy reach.
• Have a file cabinet to keep all your files, sales receipts, etc.
• Hang a HUGE wall calendar for at-a-glance viewing near your desk.
• Keep your phone near your computer with the answering machine so you can screen your calls while you’re working. Call your friends and family back when it’s a more convenient time.
• It has caller ID, WHY? So you can look at your phone and decide if you can answer the phone. I hate it when I’m in deep thought and get annoyed by an unimportant call, like the one from the newsboy or a recorded message that I could have listened to later.
• Keep your printer supplies close at hand. If possible, keep an extra ink cartridge, extra recording paper, and extra highlighters, etc., so you don’t run out. Check in your area to see if Office Depot or Office Max will exchange your ink cartridge for paper. I never have to buy paper since I have so many ink cartridges saved. I take a cartridge to one store and go to the next with another, and therefore have two reams of paper on my desk at all times.
• Keep any books you refer to for work on or near your computer table for quick reference.
• Have an index box to store all your customer contact information.
• Keep track of clients’ birthdays and send them cards when you arrive.
• Keep a journal. Why is this important? On those days you are so frustrated and you just need to vent… write it all down! Get it off your chest! Then walk away for a while and do something else.
• Have a briefcase to store any information for those times when you are disconnected from the network. Yes, I said offline. To be truly successful, no matter what you do, you need to be marketing both online and offline. So have a briefcase or file folder ready at all times to run out the door, you never know when and where your next client will come from.

Remember that to be successful in a home based business you need to be organized. Start each day knowing what you need to do that day. Don’t spend all your time trying to get organized, do it in small steps and soon your business and your life will be running smoothly.