Don't be fooled by, "I'm still young I have lots of time...'' Life does fly by and waits on no one! In addition, the younger we are, we tend to believe we have so much time ahead of us, and we don't need a plan. Plans are for the older, mature type folks -- is a major misconception. Everyone needs to plan.

We need to organise our life goals as early as possible. Planning and organising are essentially important to secure successful futures. Even a pie in the sky plan is better than no plan at all.

This article will deal with some of the stresses clients have expressed they experience because of not having a concise plans.

Two of the predominant concerns I hear from clients on a regular basis, are the daily routine of getting ready for the workday and their desire to be self-employed.

1. In any normal household, the preparation for the morning exiting can be stressful and hectic. We as parents can help our children by trying to instill good organising habits in our children as early as possible. If the children see that we aspire to be punctual, more than likely, they will follow. Here are some simple organising suggestions to relieve the weekday morning blues: Prepare clothing the night before: Decide what you and the rest of the family will wear the following day and lay out the clothing before going to bed. This will save lots of time in the morning and relief the stress of deciding what to wear.

Always running late: Try setting your clock 20 minutes ahead. If you find this impossible, try it in stages. For a week set the clock 10 minutes ahead and when comfortable with that keep moving it back until you reach the desired time for you to be up and ready to go without being grouchy and tired.

Have the children help: Depending on age of the children, they can help with various chores. Develop a schedule and a reward system for your children and you'd be surprised at the level of cooperation you'll receive in return.

Start car pools: Car pools are fabulous. Make sure you are getting what you need from the car pool and not just giving into someone else's schedule. Many clients will say they don't know how to develop a car pool relationship. Other parents are in the same situation and need assistance just like you do. If necessary, pursue the children to see which ones live nearby, question the teachers, other parents, or put a note up at your local grocery store. This is a great way for your younger children to develop friendships and play dates.

2. Clients with young families often say they want to go into business for themselves in order to have more time for their families. If this is the only reason for going into business for yourself, your may need to do more research and rethinking before hanging up you own shingle. Speak to other entrepreneurs, most will tell of all the extra work, stress and time involved in developing a new business venture. An excellent rule of thumb is not to give up the day JOB until the new business is stable. In addition, when planning remember it can sometimes take up to three years for any new business to turn a profit and sometimes even longer.

Evaluate and get assistance from all avenues available and don't take just one person's approval or disapproval. Small business administrations can be extremely helpful, if you get the right counselor to assist you.

Most businesses can start up with the bare essentials and the next article will follow up with just that.

Cindy Swan is a Professional Organiser with over 20 years of office administrative managerial experience and a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers. Her column appears in the business section on the first and third Thursday of each month. (This Thursday is a public holiday so there will be no paper.) Address inquiries to Cindy Swan, PO Box 304 St. George's GEBX or email her at bermudagolf yibl.bm