| With the daily grind of travelling to and from work | | | | for your working day and block out the time in |
| taking valuable time out of every day - whether it | | | | between, in half hour segments. Allow an hour for |
| involves sitting in traffic jams for hours on end, or | | | | lunch and make sure you get a break from your |
| braving the railway system - it's no wonder more | | | | office during that time. You might feel you get more |
| people are deciding to go it alone and start their own | | | | done by working through your lunch, but taking a |
| business. | | | | break will lead to a more productive afternoon. |
| The attractions are obvious, especially if you are | | | | Discipline isn't just about putting in the required hours; |
| intending to set up a business from home. There are | | | | it's also about making sure you prioritise the jobs at |
| no travel costs, you can spend more time with your | | | | hand. At the end of each day, make a list of the |
| family, and you won't have a boss looking over your | | | | three most important jobs you have to do the next |
| shoulder every minute of the day. But before you | | | | day. You can then focus on completing these before |
| dive in, it's a good idea to make sure you are fully | | | | tackling anything else. |
| prepared for every eventuality. Setting up your own | | | | It's important to remember that when you have |
| business means giving up the regular pay cheque | | | | your own small business venture, the chances are |
| every month and working hard to bring in your own | | | | you will be taking on more than one job role. Unless |
| income. This requires discipline and determination - | | | | you are employing staff, you will be responsible for |
| especially in the early days. | | | | accounting, winning new business, promoting and |
| Discipline is more easily attained when starting a small | | | | advertising your business, and much more besides. It |
| business if you keep a timetable of your working | | | | takes discipline to learn about these new roles and |
| week. When you are working from home one of | | | | transfer those skills to your work - but that's what |
| two things can happen - you will either find you are | | | | marks out the successful small businesses from those |
| distracted and don't get the required amount of | | | | that fail. |
| work done, or you will continue working all hours | | | | Research your business idea thoroughly before you |
| even when you should be relaxing and enjoying some | | | | dive in and be prepared to follow a steep learning |
| time off. | | | | curve. Working for yourself can be a hugely |
| Having a schedule will ensure you learn to manage | | | | rewarding experience in more ways than you can |
| your time effectively and give priority to the most | | | | imagine. |
| important tasks. Decide on the start and finish times | | | | |