Time Management Skills for the Family Business

Family run businesses often have unique issues compared to other types of businesses, however, family run businesses can benefit from time management skills as much as any other type of business.  Communication is vital in a family run business; after all, you don’t want to waste time  taking care of business that has already been taken care of.

Who is going to do What?

At the outset, family members should discuss who will be responsible for the various aspects of the business.  These decisions may also be influenced by other factors, such as whether or not any of the family members have jobs outside the home as well as the unique talents of each individual.  Many husband and wife teams are Internet marketers and make their entire living from this business. It can and is being done.

Dividing up the various duties of the business at the outset is the greatest time management skill you can implement.  If one person doesn’t know what the other is doing, chaos can erupt.  Also, even though you live with one another, don’t rely on the other person to remember everything you tell them.  Use email to let your partner know of important events and deadlines.

Managing a Family Business with Children

Many Internet marketers have children and spouses who work together may need to also divide up household chores and activities with the children so that one of them can mind the business.  If you have very young children, you may find that you get the bulk of your work done after they go to bed at night  You might also discover that one spouse is more productive at one time of the day while the other spouse is more productive at a different time.  If this is the case, don’t fight it or hassle your spouse if they are not working at the same time you are.  Some people are naturally morning people while others are night owls.  With the global time zones of the Internet at play, for many Internet businesses, it really doesn’t matter what time of the day or night you work.

Make Time for Family Time

Even though you and your spouse may be working together, it is still work so don’t make the mistake of thinking you are spending quality family time together while you are both working.  Many people who work for themselves actually end up working harder and working longer hours than they did when they worked for someone else.  If you use your time management skills to manage both your home and your business, you should still have plenty of time to lay work down and spend time together as a family.  If you find that that is not happening, you may need to hire someone else to help out, either in the home or with your work so that your family life does not suffer.