Setting Yourself up for Success

Today, in 5 minutes or less, you'll learn:   

1. How to organise your desk space, workspace and mind space for success   
2. Getting started in business is possible as a mum 
3. Taking small steps is all that is needed in the beginning 

Today, I want to share my tips for organising your spaces. I will focus on three essential spaces you need: your desk space, workspace, and mind space. This newsletter will help you see the many small ways to get in and start.  

#1 Desk space:  

I recommend setting up a desk space you can work on for your business if you don't already have one. Our nursery became a study for my partner and me once our kids were ready for their bedrooms. We are both just on cheap, fold-out tables (we previously had in the garage for entertaining outdoors), but the space works so well. We can close the doors; it is situated at one end of the house, away from our kids' bedrooms and main play area, and has good lighting and heating/cooling.    

I have a desktop computer, printer, notepaper, stationery, post-its and notebooks. I also invest in good quality felt tip pens from Officeworks as I love how they write. Sitting down to work, I have space for tea, snacks and a drink bottle. I have lots of inspiration around me, too – a wall of my kid's artwork, letters I have written to my future self, quotes, an inspirational picture book, candles, and photos. I put some music on, and I get to work.    

Some other tips from me when setting up your computer and desk space include:   

• I set up a Gmail account for my business email account. A separate business account is crucial as it communicates professionalism and helps you create boundaries between your work and personal life. I chose Gmail because an account includes the full suite of Google products, including Google Drive (for cloud storage, up to 15GB free), Google Docs and Google Sheets. I have saved freebies, photos, images, and other PDFs from courses in my Google Drive for a while now, and I also create a lot of my content in Google Docs.   
• I have since upgraded to open a One Drive account for more storage for recordings I am making, images I am using, etc. I also decided to open a One Drive account (rather than pay for more storage on my Google account) as Microsoft had an excellent family deal (so my husband could also have 1TB of storage). I could also download Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, which my Apple desktop didn't have (I only had the Apple versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote).  
• Cloud storage is fantastic because it means you can access all your files and notes on the go. I have phone apps for One Drive, Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Sheets, so I can add any new ideas or information I want at any time.    
• One helpful thing I did at the start of organising myself was bookmarking all the key websites I needed to use on my computer and saving the password for each account. I saved the passwords in my web browser and wrote them all down in one spot to refer to them quickly if needed (I will update this to an electronic solution when I can find the time). The result was that when I wanted to start working, I could quickly get into the program and wasn't wasting time trying to reset lost passwords, find the correct login pages from emails, etc.   
• I also created folders on the wallpaper of my phone so I could organise all my app tiles and quickly find what I needed on my phone, including a folder for 'Alison O'Sullivan Coaching'.    

#2 Workspace:  

Take some time to set up a workspace you can use for the work you need to do.  

I focused on setting up a filming space (a corner of our front room) for my work. My sister gave me a spare desk she didn't want to put my computer on. I placed a table and a standing whiteboard behind me, which I was given as a Christmas present. I made the space look professional and appealing by adding a decal of an inspirational quote to the wall behind it and a beautiful dried flower arrangement in my brand colours.    

I purchased a Logitech Brio camera to improve the quality of my videos. This camera is impressive as it has a built-in microphone (up to one meter from the camera), filters the image quality automatically and can film in different modes – from up close to further away. In addition, it was quick and straightforward to install and relatively inexpensive (we price-matched from Amazon at Officeworks for $250).    

After researching, I also purchased two soft box lights on Amazon (an upgrade from my original ring light setup). I found them inexpensive; they arrived quickly and were easily set up. I have put one behind each corner of my screen, facing inwards. They give me much better lighting on my face, and my video now looks studio-quality! I no longer have anything appearing in my glasses, and there are no shadows anywhere. I can film day or night, and the quality is so good. The only drawback is that they are pretty large, but I have still been able to leave them set up in that space. I can also fold them down quickly and store them if needed.    

#3 Mind Space:  

Mindset and working smarter are everything when getting started in business. I have found the following have been a big help for me:  

• Make a start: Often, the most challenging part of achieving anything is making a start. I have learnt this many times, especially through completing the coursework for my Commerce degree, Dip Ed, and Masters. Staring down a big marking load or having to crack into report writing for my teaching career are tasks I have also really procrastinated on over the years. My secret is breaking the task into parts and doing one small thing. Doing this has enabled me to get into it and get going. It has often shown me that it is easier than I built it up to be, and I can achieve what I want.    
• Don't put the more challenging tasks off: I am also notorious for working on low-hanging fruit – easy tasks I can get done quickly on my to-do list. I have even found I am doing this as I work on my business, where I have given a lot more focus to starting and publishing my newsletters, for example, but I put off creating my course as I saw it as a much more significant challenge. It is also essential to start the larger and more complex tasks in some way to get through them quickly.   
• Listening to audio is fantastic: My husband gave me an Audible book subscription a few years ago. I have always loved reading, but I had a break from reading novels over the past five years while my kids were little. I was always busy and too tired to read at the end of the day. So, it has been great to get back into reading by listening to Audible, and I have always been a big podcast listener, too. Both mediums fill my head with many great ideas and inspiration for life and my business journey.    
• Practice self-care throughout your day: Another big tip from me is to get as much exercise and self-care in with your kids so that you have free blocks of time when they are asleep to work on your business. When my kids were younger, we would walk around our neighbourhood and play in many local parks. I park our car away from parks and pack my kids' bikes so we can walk/ride to the park and exercise. My kids love going to our local splash park at the pool on weekends, and my husband and I tag-team swimming laps. In the afternoons, when my kids have rest/TV time, I have a heat pack sitting around my neck (I fell in love with this during my breastfeeding days), I have music I enjoy playing, and I make my favourite chai latte on the stove.   
• Free up time: The most significant obstacle to starting my business has been finding time amongst my week's busyness. I need to make time in my week if I am ever going to get my business off the ground. Whatever gets prioritised and focused on will get done. So, I have pushed hard to free up time in my week by working smarter and organising myself better. This has included using Trello to organise all the 'to-do's' in my head, finding shortcuts on housework (e.g. robot vacuum cleaner), better meal planning, using online grocery delivery, and decluttering and organising our spaces better.  
• Save thoughts and inspiration that pop up throughout your day: A great tip is to create somewhere on your phone to save all the ideas and inspiration that come to you for your business. It is essential to be able to take notes when you can't focus on things so that you don't lose them. You will constantly think of new ideas and action points as you move through your day - in the shower, doing housework or with your kids. Write them all down so you can follow through on them when you have more focused time. I use Trello and Google Docs/One Drive, but the Notes App on your phone will also work well.  
• Ask for help: Have conversations with your partner about how you can balance out your physical and mental workload for your family. Such discussions may focus on standards and expectations regarding tasks like housework or dividing up responsibilities. It would be best if you worked out your priorities together. Also, outsource what you can afford – cleaning, ironing, gardening, car-washing, and meal preparation are all examples. You will also need to create blocks of time to work on your business, which may mean you need help caring for your children. There are many childcare options: time with your partner, time with grandparents, childcare, preschool, family day care, high school and university students, family friends, neighbours, close friends, or play dates. Choose the best option for you and your family, and don't be afraid to ask.  
• Be ready with strategies for the obstacles you know will arise: Think carefully about the obstacles that will likely arise when starting your business, and start thinking about strategies that will help you overcome them. For example, if you know that creating focused time will be a struggle, start working on strategies to help you carve this out. Such options include exploring childcare, organising your household better, or speaking to your partner about having time blocks away to work on your projects.