Faux Painting for Profit

What to do if you aren't getting thing done in your Creative Faux Painting Business Life.

Tip 1:

Do you keep to-do lists? Do they help you manage your time?  Almost everyone keeps a list of things they must accomplish during the day, week and months ahead. The problem is… are they working for you?  

If you have a ton of lists floating around in your head or on your desk and still you feel like time slips away without you accomplishing your goals, then read on… Help is here. 

To Do Lists are only effective if you know how to use them.  They are only a tool to use in managing your time.  Great tools – like a great paintbrush – save effort and time, if it is used effectively.

Keep a list of all daily tasks you need to accomplish.  If you just can't finish the entire list… put the unfinished items on the next day’s list.  Do this at the end of the day while everything is fresh in your mind. Prioritize the list, keeping the most important daily tasks on top.  

High priority items are those that will make you the most money or keep your business out of hot water.  Calling clients, paying bills and taxes and keeping your calendar up to date, are far more important than reading trade journals, cleaning your studio or having the oil changed in your car.  All of these tasks are important, but can you see how they should be prioritized now? 

Those items high on the list are usually the jobs we don't like to do.  Do you tend to put off the items at the top of your list?  Learn to tackle these jobs first thing in your day.  Make it a point to tick off all those high priority tasks before you start working on any other task.  If you make this a habit… it will get easier.  

Do you know when you are the most efficient?  Some creative people are inspired in the afternoon or evening.  Of course… this is not regular business hours.  You must learn to do business tasks during business hours. 

Usually anything that has to do with managing your money should be done in the morning. Banks, accountants and billable clients are all available in the morning, or at least you can contact them and leave messages in hopes of a return phone call during the day.  Calling in the late afternoon, will not get you on their high priority to-do list.   

Tip 2:

Keeping your office in order.  I admit… I do have paper piles in my office.  Just a few.  One is for mail that hasn't been filed yet.  One is for notes about billings, client info and small tasks that haven't been added to the to-do list.  I also have a pile of design and trade magazines that need to be read. Otherwise, my office is usually very organized. 

I have a waste basket and shredder in my path from the mail box to the office area.  I try to hit this area every day, with my pile of mail.  Shredding and trashing all the junk mail before it hits my desk, keeps the mail pile pretty tiny.

When you hit the office, if something can be filed within 5 seconds… file it.  Don't keep it laying around in your way.  I have a file that is for upcoming bills.  I have 2 days a month I look at that file and pay bills.  Otherwise it is in the file cabinet, not out where I can loose a bill.

I learned early in my career years, to clean my desk every night.  Don't leave an unorganized mess for yourself.  The only thing left on the desk should be your list of things to do tomorrow.

Tip 3:

I talk too much.  I love to get to know each client.  I want to know some things about them and their lives before I start creating decorative paint treatments for them.  I do tend to get off subject… and it is a time waster.  I have learned to tell clients during our first phone contact that the first appointment should only last about an hour.  This should give us both time to get to know if we can work together and if the client can trust you to create something wonderful for them. If I go over an hour… it is usually my fault. 

I have learned over the years to read the fidgeting or anxiety a client may be having if I am taking up too much time.   

Tip 4:

Multitasking in your Faux Painting Business is an art!

During the time I have been writing this article, I have also moved the laundry to the dryer, gotten a cup of coffee and had a short conversation with my husband.  I didn't look at my other to-do list items, answer the phone or check my email.

Can you see the difference in multi-tasking with a focus and doing many unrelated tasks?  Yes, I did get up and do other things, but I got right back to my computer and focused on finishing this one task.  I didn't loose focus. 

If you find yourself working all day, and not finishing anything… multi-tasking the wrong way is probably the culprit.  Pay attention to your work habits.  

Don't try to work on twenty different projects in one day.  It is far better to start and finish one or two projects each day.  At the end of the week you will have much of your to-do list crossed off, instead of constantly adding the same tasks each day to a new list. 

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This entry was posted on Saturday, May 19th, 2007 at 9:05 pm and is filed under Faux Business Skills. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.