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March 3, 2023

7 Time Management Tips for Mobile Notaries

Filed under: Notary Public 101 — Tags: , — Tom Wilkins @ 11:00 am

Setting your own work schedule is a wonderful thing, but it can also be a challenge. Unless you’re naturally self-motivated, you might struggle with time management, especially at first. Here are a few useful time management tips for mobile notaries that help you stay on task.

1. Choose Your Working Hours

When working remotely, it’s important to structure your day just as you would in a traditional 9-to-5 setting. Otherwise, it’s too easy to fritter away your time.

That’s not to say that you must adhere to those hours exactly. After all, one of the benefits of being a mobile notary is setting your own hours.

For example, if you’re most productive in the morning, consider working from 6 or 7 AM until 2 or 3 PM. On the other hand, night owls might prefer starting the day at 10 AM and working until early evening.

Notify your clients and colleagues once you’ve set up your work schedule so they’ll know when you can be reached. Applications such as Google Chat allow you to set the status to “Away” or “Don’t Disturb,” making it easier to adhere to these guidelines.

2. Make Yourself Available

While it’s important to stick to your set working hours, you want to ensure you’re easy to reach.

When you’re getting started, you should set up a social media page and print out business cards to distribute to potential clients. You might also consider adding your name to local notary signing agent directories.

Once you’ve done that, respond to any calls, voicemails, and emails as soon as possible. Consistency and availability are key to maintaining good business relationships. Moreover, staying on task will help you remain focused, which is a great time-saver.

3. Be Prepared For Travel

When one of your clients calls and needs something notarized, you should be ready to head out at a moment’s notice. Keep your supplies together in a safe location so you can access them whenever you need to head out the door in a hurry.

On a related note, maintaining your vehicle properly is one of the most important time management tips for mobile notaries to prevent service interruptions. You might not have to punch the clock at a second location, but you’ll still need reliable transportation if you expect to service your customers on time.

4. Use Invoice Reminder Software

If certain clients don’t pay you on time, chasing them down can distract you from your other projects. Use a program like InvoiceOcean to set up automatic reminders when customers are late on their payments. It will allow you to set up the time span just once, so there’s no need for continuous adjustments.

5. Track Your Time

Mobile notaries aren’t paid hourly, but that’s no reason to neglect this step. Tracking your time can help you understand how much time you spend on certain tasks and how you might manage projects better. Consider using a tool such as Toggl or Indy to help you make the most of your work time.

6. Keep Skills Sharp

Becoming a mobile notary is a huge step forward, but there’s always more to learn. Consider setting time aside to pursue new lines of work or even take a class or two. This might mean turning down jobs that need to be a better fit for you personally, but developing a niche will help you strengthen your business.

7. Take Time Off

Pay attention to your personal time, as doing so can lead to burnout, making you less productive in the long run.

Take at least one day off every week, and schedule vacations occasionally. You’ll need to plan ahead on the practical and financial levels, but you’ll come back from the breaks refreshed and with a clearer focus.

In Summary

Effective time management is essential for any freelancer, including mobile notaries. These time management tips for mobile notaries should help keep your business on track while improving your work-life balance.

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October 23, 2013

What makes a mobile notary a mobile notary?

We get calls everyday from notaries around the country who want to be a mobile notary. They always ask, “What do I need to do to become a mobile notary?” I tell them to become commissioned as a notary in their state and then get in you car — then you are a notary, and you are mobile.

But, you should really learn how to be specialized in mobile notary work. Notaries who work in an office notarize simple forms all day long. Mobile notaries have to deal with very different issues. Loan signing is no easy task, and there are many snags, delays, and complications along the way. You should take a loan signing course from 123notary.com to learn the ins and outs of the entire procedure from A to Z as well as how to market your service.

But, non-loan signing mobile notary work is complicated too. There is a lot of work going to places where they can’t drive themselves such as hospitals, convalescent homes, jails, prisons, movie sets, busy offices (too busy to drive), and late night visits to people’s homes for last minute travel or school documents.

Mobile Notaries also need to know what to do if people don’t have the right ID. After you have driven 40 minutes to a job, you are invested in the completion of the job. You need to know how to get your trip fee before you see the signer & documents (takes being pushy and negotiating in advance), you need to negotiate your waiting time, and you need to know how to use credible witnesses to identify a signer if there is no ID. Most states allow credible witnesses, but you can research whether yours does or not.

Have fun becoming a mobile notary public. It is a rewarding profession, and 123notary can help you a lot in your pursuit of a profitable mobile notary business.

Tweets:
(1) You just need a notary commission & a car to be a mobile notary, but signing agent training really helps!
(2) Anybody can become a mobile notary, but to be a good one, you need training!

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