Sometimes, those involved in a home based business find the business controlling them, instead of them controlling the business. Their Day Planner becomes their bible and they are upset any time something pops up that wasn't in their plans for the day. Once that other thing gets in the way, it plagues them the rest of the day and they lose productivity because of it.
Stay Flexible in Your Schedule
Your Day Planner is a guide and nothing more. You rule it and you tell it what you'd like to do. You can't be so rigid with it, though, that you don't allow for some flexibility each day. Yes, some things are must-do activities. However, if you look over your personal schedule, you'll find that most things can be delayed if something more important comes up. Don't beat yourself up if your Day Planner winds up having something crossed off.
Be Prepared for Emergencies
Allow some time every day for what I call "down time". Having that included in your schedule means that if an emergency comes along, you've allowed some time for non-business activities. Don't make every task of every day so vital that missing one will damage your business.
Learn to Pace Yourself All Week
Sort needful tasks by using a prioritized list, then insert them into your weekly schedule. Address the urgent immediately, of course, then work everything else into your week long schedule. Cramming it all into one day only serves to make you a wreck at the end of the day if you haven't done it all.
Take Care of Emergencies and Surprise Events
Have you ever had your day planned out, then you get a flat tire or a child falls on something and needs stitches in his knee? What does that do to your plans? Yes, it wrecks them and sets your mood, sometimes for the rest of the day. All you can do as a human is address these emergencies when they come along, then re-sort your schedule and perhaps move some things to another day. Fretting and stressing are counterproductive. Let it go, take a breath, and see what you can do to get your schedule back on track at a later time.
