Does it always seem like you are under the gun to get things done?  Time seems to get away from you and you don’t know why.  Maybe what you need is a way to effectively manage your time.

Time management is an age-old problem.  Remember Wimpy in the old Popeye cartoons?  He’d pay on Tuesday for a hamburger today.  Why not pay now?  Procrastination is the enemy of all who try to manage their time.  If you have been bitten by the procrastination bug, it’s time to take an antidote.

Time management issues can be dealt with in three stages:  planning, tracking and assessing.  Just like with other issues in life, the best way to handle them is head on, before the problem gets to be too big for us to even want to look at it.

1.  Planning – Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.  We’ve all heard it and it’s true for the most part.  You have to have somewhere to start or you’ll spend half of your day deciding what to do.  Planning begins with the end – deadlines.  Know how much time you have for each task you have to accomplish.  Within that timeline, you can break down the larger goal into more manageable pieces. 

This method is less of a drain on your resources and your brain.  Use a planning tool like a calendar.  The calendar, preferably a computerized one, needs to have the capability of looking at a several views:  daily, weekly, monthly and yearly.  Use the calendar to map out work and personal tasks so that nothing gets overlooked.

2.  Tracking – How are you using your time?  Use tracking software to monitor how much time is spent on business projects and how much is devoted to each project.  Tracking lets you see where time is being lost.  Maybe it takes too long to do the research for a project or the final organization of it.

If your desk is unorganized, you could be losing what amounts to hours just trying to find what you need.  Time tracking software allows you to create categories for the way that you spend your time so you can easily follow.  If you don’t want to make that investment, create a time tracking spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel to prioritize tasks each day and track the time you work on them.

3.  Assessing – So, where did the time go?  Are you spending more time on minimum priority projects and less time on high priority ones, or is it vice versa?  Take a look at where you are developing black holes of lost time.  On your logs, choose a place for comments about what exactly you did during the time spent on each category during the day.  If writing up a proposal is supposed to take two hours but it is taking you four, what is being missed?

It is easy for time to escape us.  For a business, time is money that you are losing.  Re-evaluate how you spend your time and tighten up on projects that are taking too long.

Why do you procrastinate?  There are several reasons and some might surprise you.  Fear of failure is one reason.  No one wants to be make mistakes but they are a part of life and they do happen to everyone.

Fear of success is also a reason why you might procrastinate.  Here is the rationale:  If you succeed you will be expected to do so all the time.  The pressure alone can stop your work.

Stress causes procrastination, too.  It is easier to deal with a problem by hiding and pretending it will go away than meeting it head on.  The problem is that the day you are ready to deal with it never comes.

Use the following tips to stop procrastination from hindering your work.

1.  Make a list. Use dashes instead of numbers so the items on the list aren’t ranked in any particular order.  Add deadlines so that you can prioritize the list.  As you finish a task on the list, cross it off with a colorful pen.  Every time you look at the list you will get a sense of accomplishment.

2.  Set aside time for other tasks. All work and no play, as they say.  Sometimes when you work, you’ll notice your mind thinking about taking a break and doing something else.  We’ve all done it.  Avoid those breaks in productivity by scheduling time to get away and take a break.  Knowing that you will get a break makes you want to stay focused on your work until that time.

3.  Don’t overload your schedule. If you have too much to do in a small span of time, procrastination will surely creep in.  No one wants to slack off at work, but biting off only as much as you can chew is not the same thing.  You are more productive when you can manage your tasks instead of drowning in them and missing all of your deadlines.

4.  Find coping mechanisms. Stress can lead to procrastination.  Deal with the stress before it affects your work.  Learn breathing techniques; take an exercise class; chant a mantra.  Whatever will relax you can also keep you working.

5.  Stay organized. A desk piled with papers, folders, and sticky notes is not what you want to see every morning you walk into the office.  Keep your desk neat and everything where you can find it when you need it.  Organization stops you from abandoning the task at hand because of a misplaced file.

Procrastination is hard to beat because it comes from within us.  Use the above tips to regain your level of productivity in the workplace.

For many of us, nothing is more simple or instinctive than calling someone up to chat.  While we may want to keep it professional, there is a good chance that we will spend a lot longer on the phone than we thought we would, and before we know it, the day has sped by and our efficiency is shot. The work we intended (our intentions are always good in the beginning aren’t they?) to get done is being put off until later.  Have you ever experienced this?  This may be a sign that you need to think about your phone use and how it is affecting the bottom line in your business.

There are many tell tale signs that your phone calls are distracting you from your real work.  One way to determine just how much affect phone usage has on the productivity of your business is to time your phone calls.  How long are you spending on the phone?  Keep in mind that when you get on the phone, you are breaking up your work. Once you finish the call and head back to the task at hand, time is also spent refocusing on what you were doing prior to the phone call.  Put together all the time that is devoted to your phone calls during the course of the day, from getting the number, to talking on the phone, to getting back to work.  The time that you spend “on the phone” just might surprise you.

Next, think about how often you actually take calls.  Do you feel as though the number of calls that you are taking detracts from your ability to work, or do you feel as though it contributes?  You may find that other phones ringing is enough to distract you, or that if the phone stays silent for too long that you get nervous or antsy.  Any of these symptoms might be a sign that you need to form a plan to get out of this productivity killing dilemma.

All hope is not lost however, even if you live with your phone what seems like attached at your ear. In order to combat the time wasting telephone and start making your phone calls and in turn your other tasks productive for your business, try putting this practice into place.

Begin by setting up a rough call time limit based on your average call time. You will need to find out just how much time you spend on the phone using the steps mentioned above beforehand.

Next, make sure that you know what topics need to be discussed before you call anyone.  This is an important way to make sure that your call is not out of control and lasting longer than it should. This step alone will make planning your time better and get more done during your work time.

Although it’s not always easy to determine when someone else will call, you can implement these same strategies for calls you receive. Screening calls will also help reduce or even diminish wasted talk time. Remember that your time is valuable and your business is important, so don’t let the telephone distract you anymore than you have to.

First and foremost, you have to decide what exactly you are going to do to earn money as a home business owner. Being computer literate certainly opens up many more possibilities, but there are other ways to work from home as well. Your interests and talents should be considered as well as how much of an income you are hoping for.

If you are going to work from home, you should probably be the kind of person who enjoys being somewhat in control. This means that you need to be comfortable with making decisions and planning your time. With a job, these elements are something you normally don’t have to worry about as it’s already decided and planned for you. As your own boss however, these responsibilities fall squarely on your shoulders. Your decisions directly affect your home business and in turn your bottom line profit.

You must be flexible. Sometimes you will be forced to change and adapt to situations. If you get a phone call to pick up your sick child from school and a deadline is looming, you may need to work through your night out with the girls or forego your eight hours of sleep. On the other hand, if it’s a beautiful, sunny day and the garden beckons, you have the ability to shuffle your day and spend some time puttering in the great outdoors or anything else you may be itching to do.

Time management skills are another extremely crucial factor to work at home success. There will be no time card to punch, no boss telling you what to do or how much time to spend on a specific task, but you will need to decide how to divide up your working hours so that the majority of your time is spent on completing money earning tasks.

You will have to be able to keep your attention focused for blocks of time. This is one of the most challenging aspects of managing a home business, particularly if there are children present while you are attempting to work. Although it can be difficult, it is possible with a bit of forethought and lots of patience.

Organization goes hand in hand with time management. Setting up your working space, maintaining a supply of needed materials, using a planner to do both long range and daily planning, and having a bookkeeping system in place, are a few of the important organizational tasks facing the work at home business owner. For a work at home mom, you’ll have to manage and organize your business as well as your family, so be prepared for double the planning.

The nice part about setting up a home business is that it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing type of venture. If you’ve never experienced working at home, why not try setting aside a few hours here and there to see if it’s really for you? This will allow you to try your hand at it before making the major commitment of quitting your current J-O-B.

Working at home can be challenging, but there are things that you can do to better your chance for success. Read on to find out the top ten tips for mothers who want to work at home successfully.

1. Set up your work space to match your personality. If you are bubbly and enthusiastic, use bold bright colors on your walls, and even for your mouse pad and file folders. Have matching accessories that reach out and make you want to use them. If you tend to be quiet and laidback, a more subtle approach may be more your style. Surrounding yourself with your comfort level, will actually encourage you to spend time in your home office and enjoy what you are doing.

2. Be organized. Lack of organization is the single biggest time waster and energy zapper. It’s too easy to get off-track and lose focus on the task at hand when you can’t locate that crucial piece of information.

3. Use a planner to organize your day, your week, and your month. Make lists, prioritize planned activities, and then set out to accomplish what’s on your list. It’s so satisfying to cross things off the “to-do” list.

4. Set up a work schedule. Although this may vary from one day to the next, after all that’s one of the perks of working from home; be realistic in your expectations. Be careful not to over-schedule yourself. Working too many hours is often a bigger problem than devoting too few hours to a home business.

5. Have call display on your phone. Only answer if it’s business related, during your scheduled work hours, if at all possible. Ask family and friends to understand that you will be unavailable at times each day, and to leave a message.

6. Be professional in your dealings with your clients. Even though you are at home, maintaining a business-like atmosphere makes it easier for you to act professional and be treated like a professional, rather than just someone who is working at home.

7. Have set times to read and respond to daily emails. Unless an email relates to your current project, don’t open it until it’s the designated “check email” time. It’s too easy to fall into the trap of quickly checking and the next thing you know a half hour has elapsed.

8. If you find that you are having difficulty devoting the necessary time and energy to your business, here’s something different to try. Treat your home business as if it belongs to someone else. Although you love your boss, she is very demanding. You want to show her that you can do this job well, but to do that you’ll have to put forth a solid effort. Sound kind of silly? By pretending that you have a boss you may be more likely to treat your home business like a real job that you want to keep and work that much harder at.

9. Eliminate distractions whenever possible. That may mean that the blinds on that window right in front of your computer are closed or that the TV in the corner is off.

10. Stay creative! If you have small children at home, you may want to be very creative about balancing them and your business. Do remember that this season with little ones is very, very short. You don’t get this time back. It is very, very difficult to balance work at home and tend to the needs of children at the same time. Stay creative! Get up a little earlier–I used to get up 2 hours earlier every day. I wrote almost all of my books in those early morning hours. I also stayed up later than them. I put them to bed every night on time. After they were in bed, I snagged that time until dad came in from work to brainstorm, write, set up books, work on my website, etc. I still get SO MUCH done that time of day. Plus, I can end the day feeling productive. Another thing that helped when the children were little was taking work with me. If you set up an Idea Notebook with your ideas, brainstorms, and writing, you can take it with you to the park or to lessons. You can also take a smaller laptop with you too. Use that time that would be lost to plug away. Just stay creative!

Keep in mind that working at home is challenging, but greatly rewarding. Following these tips will help you to overcome the challenges and become a successful work at home mom who still has her sanity at the end of the day.

For many of us, nothing is more simple or instinctive than calling someone up to chat. While we may want to keep it professional, there is a good chance that we will spend a lot longer on the phone than we thought we would, and before we know it, the day has sped by and our efficiency is shot. The work we intended (our intentions are always good in the beginning aren’t they?) to get done is being put off until later. Have you ever experienced this? This may be a sign that you need to think about your phone use and how it is affecting the bottom line in your business.

There are many tell tale signs that your phone calls are distracting you from your real work. One way to determine just how much affect phone usage has on the productivity of your business is to time your phone calls. How long are you spending on the phone? Keep in mind that when you get on the phone, you are breaking up your work. Once you finish the call and head back to the task at hand, time is also spent refocusing on what you were doing prior to the phone call. Put together all the time that is devoted to your phone calls during the course of the day, from getting the number, to talking on the phone, to getting back to work. The time that you spend “on the phone” just might surprise you.

Next, think about how often you actually take calls. Do you feel as though the number of calls that you are taking detracts from your ability to work, or do you feel as though it contributes? You may find that other phones ringing is enough to distract you, or that if the phone stays silent for too long that you get nervous or antsy. Any of these symptoms might be a sign that you need to form a plan to get out of this productivity killing dilemma.

All hope is not lost however, even if you live with your phone what seems like attached at your ear. In order to combat the time wasting telephone and start making your phone calls and in turn your other tasks productive for your business, try putting this practice into place.

Begin by setting up a rough call time limit based on your average call time. You will need to find out just how much time you spend on the phone using the steps mentioned above beforehand.

Next, make sure that you know what topics need to be discussed before you call anyone. This is an important way to make sure that your call is not out of control and lasting longer than it should. This step alone will make planning your time better and get more done during your work time.

Although it’s not always easy to determine when someone else will call, you can implement these same strategies for calls you receive. Screening calls will also help reduce or even diminish wasted talk time. Remember that your time is valuable and your business is important, so don’t let the telephone distract you anymore than you have to.

There are many ways to manage time while working online. The computer, Internet, and various other types of activities that can be pursued while working may prove to be quite overwhelming when it comes to time restraints or deadlines. If your income is dependent upon the financial success that you achieve online, it is absolutely imperative that you take the time to ensure that you are maximizing each and every minute of your working time.

Productivity is an extremely important element to the overall success of an online business. In order to reach a high level of productivity, time management skills are a must for every home business owner. Here are five ways to help manage your time while working online in turn boosting your productivity and hopefully income.

One of the first methods you can implement to manage your time is reducing the amount of time spent on the telephone. One of the biggest time restraints that individuals experience are telephone calls. It is quite easy to experience a severe time lapse while working due to unexpected calls, long conversations, and even calls that are necessary for the overall functionality of your business.

One way to manage this aspect of your time is to turn off the ringer and purchase an answering machine or subscribe to voice mail. Then, you should set aside a time each day to check your messages and return calls as appropriate.

The next way that you can manage online work time is to avoid the act of constantly checking email. Just like the phone, this can take up a lot of your time. You should set aside small chunks of time on a daily basis where you can go through your email and respond when needed.

For the average eight hour work day, I recommend setting aside up to four intervals of fifteen minutes a day to handle the task of dealing directly with email. While this may seem like an awful lot of time at first, you will find that it actually saves you time in the end.

Do you work at home? Do you have children? If so, you may consider setting up a schedule in a way that works well with the schedule of your partner. This way, your partner can contend with the kids and you can focus on your work instead of sitting down to work and getting interrupted after 5 or 10 minutes. If this is not possible, you may consider implementing the services of a babysitter, daycare or mommy’s helper a few days a week. This way, you aren’t neglecting your business or your family.

If you want to learn ways to manage your time while working online from home, it is important to express to family members, friends, and neighbors that you work at certain times and it is important that you are able to maintain a sound level of productivity while working. Come up with times that these individuals may call you to chat or come by for a visit.

Although not always intentional, these friends and family will end up testing you initially and drop by and call anytime. However, if you let them know it is not acceptable and set up appropriate times for these activities, you will find yourself getting more accomplished during these times.

The last way for you to better manage your working time is to take breaks. Yes, I said it! You may not believe that by taking a break you can actually increase your overall productivity, but it is quite true! Why do you think employers allow their employees to take small breaks?

It allows the employee to experience a short time of relaxation and also provides them with the opportunity to refresh! You can experience this too, so be sure to work in those breaks and take them – you can always finish what you started when you get back!

As you can see, there are a number of ways to successfully manage your time while working online. Sometimes, all it takes is a little creativity and persistence to come up with successful time management techniques. Here’s to a better organized and more profitable online working environment.

You know the drill. Can you drop what you’re doing to help out at today’s bake sale at church? Would you mind looking after their sick child for the day because they have a J.O.B. and can’t stay home? While you’re home, pick up the dry cleaning or stop at the post office for that parcel and on and on it goes.

Short of alienating everyone, it’s not easy to say no when they know and you know that you don’t have any firm time commitments. It doesn’t make it any less irritating that no one seems to value your time or what you are doing with your day. Stop and think about it, how much value do you put on what you’re doing?

You need to first make it clear in your own mind that your time is important. You can clarify this for yourself by answering a few questions.

Is your home business a hobby that you do because you enjoy it or are you working to make money? Do you have a set schedule that you stick to, or do you just work when the mood strikes or there’s nothing better to do? Are you making up a to-do list so you know what you need to do and when you need to do it? Your responses should tell you a lot about your work at home commitment.

Now that you’ve clarified your level of commitment, it becomes easier to deal with requests for your time. If you have decided that your time is valuable, spread the word that you are unavailable during certain specific parts of the day, or days of the week. Be firm if someone attempts to override your decision.

Use a day planner to record your daily schedule. Write down tasks that you need to accomplish. The act of writing things down gives them importance. When you see it in writing there is more of a sense of urgency to complete the task than if something just occurs to you.

If you have your schedule written in a planner, it’s easy to open it up and deal with a request honestly. If you feel that you must justify refusing a request, you can actually tell them that you’ve checked your planner and you have something already scheduled. Asking them if another time would work gives you a way of bowing out gracefully.
The bonus of all this is that after you refuse a few times, you won’t be looked upon as the soft touch. People may still call, but they may actually ask ahead of time to see if it will fit into your schedule.

You’ve put a lot of effort into being a work at home mother. By avoiding these time stealers, you’ll accomplish a great deal more and you’ll feel good about your commitment to working at home. So what are you waiting for? Get that planner out and get ready for the next request.

This is called procrastination and it can lead to feelings of stress, anxiety and being overwhelmed. It can stop you in your tracks! Not only can it make you feel bad, procrastinating can have negative effects on both your personal and working relationships. Procrastination will keep you from reaching for your dreams.

There are many reasons why someone may be procrastinating. The first and most obvious reason may be that they really don’t want to work on that particular task. It’s natural for a person to avoid working on a task they do not enjoy doing.

Some people procrastinate because they have too many options in front of them, and others because they are easily distracted and have lost focus. Still, others procrastinate because they do not have any goals or simply lack the motivation to complete things.

One of the biggest reasons people procrastinate is because they have a fear of success or failure. The fear can almost seem to paralyze them and the person is unable to make any decisions or take any actions that would move them forward.

Fortunately, you can learn how to stop procrastinating. Here are some tips to help get you moving in the right direction:

• Catch the Vision! Decide what it is you are trying to accomplish. Where do you want to be? What do you want to see? What are you working toward? Catch the vision for where you are going.

• Set Goals! Got a vision? Maybe HAD a vision? What do you do now? Now, it is time to break down the steps for getting where you want to go (those are goals), putting them down on paper, and giving yourself a timeline for completing it. Having an estimated date of completion will allow you to measure your progress and for those of us who are hard-core procrastinators, this will give us an urgency. Tip–If you tend to fall to pieces with pressure, give yourself LOTS of time. If you tend to wait until the last hour, give yourself LOTS to do FAST!

• Create A Timeline TODAY! If a goal is too large, it can seem overwhelming. Breaking a large goal into small pieces will help you achieve it gradually, without feeling stressed or anxious. Take time to brainstorm. Brainstorm all that needs to be done. Then, take all of those things that need to be done and brainstorm what it takes to get those done. Write it all down. Put it in order so you can see what needs to be done first…second…etc. Then, create a timeline plugging in all of those goals/steps. I put my timeline in my planner. This is my key to getting MUCH done consistently!

• Give Yourself A Reason To Work! Sometimes, finding the motivation to accomplish something can be a painstaking process. Having a reward to look forward to at the end of a task can help you work towards completing the task faster; for example, if your goal is to organize your computer over the span of the weekend, give yourself a little treat when you are finished–maybe dinner out with your husband or dinner and a movie! For big projects, plan big treats. I am working right now to save up for a camper. I want it so I can take my puppies on getaways. Plus, I can stock it up with all of our goodies and get regular writer-getaways. I just rewarded myself with a new computer. Rewards will fire you up to keep on working, even when the work is tough! OR boring.

• Do What You Love, Delegate The Rest! When working on a project, focus on doing what you enjoy and delegating the other tasks. For example, when it comes to preparing the weekly meals, if you love cooking, but hate cleaning, ask your spouse or children to do the dishes. For your business, if you love writing and speaking, but you are struggling with doing it all, why not hire a virtual assistant to help you out? Why not get help for things that just keep slipping between the cracks?  Recently, my websites (including this one) needed to be revamped, reorganized, and refreshed. I had that task on my wish list for SO LONG. I could not fit it in with all of the things that needed to be done even though I do enjoy doing the work. Honestly, I enjoy it when I am finished, but figuring out all of the code and getting it do what I have on my mind is taxing and very time-consuming.  Well, this time I am proud of myself! I hired Freshnets to redesign my templates and help me reorganize my site structure. It was priceless. Not only did they GET IT DONE, but they also had fresh ways to make everything more efficient. We need to always be open to have others do their part in making us great. Do what you enjoy. Do what you can. Delegate those things that are tough, straggling along, or that just add to much to your day. See if you don’t get a fresh enthusiasm!

• Get Rid Of Fear. Many people put off tasks because they are afraid of the outcome. Fear is tricky! It will cripple you! If you are afraid of failing, or even succeeding, put those fears to rest. Visualize yourself completing the tasks and go over each circumstance in your mind. What’s the worst thing that could happen? And what is the best thing? Once you have visualized these things, you will be better prepared to deal with the reality of the situation.

• Just Do It! Sometimes, the only way to get over a bout of procrastination is to just do the work. So get up, and just do it. Then, soak in the feeling of completion…success! It feels too good!

So, in short…

STOP procrastinating! What are you waiting for? Dig in now!

First things first – start your day by getting yourself ready for “work.” Take a shower, relax with that extra cup of coffee, work the crossword in the newspaper, tidy up the house, drop the kids off at school. Allow yourself time to stop and smell the flowers before plunging in. 

Some of us like to start slowly. For others, immediately heading to the computer, coffee mug in hand and starting in right away, is best. There are no right or wrong answers here. Whatever works best for you is the right way. Doing things your way is how you will begin setting up your day for work at home success. 

The one thing you should savor is the thirty second commute to work. If you previously worked outside the home, any time spent on getting to and from work is now newfound time. This found time is yours. Use it as your gift to yourself to do with as you wish.  

Most people are creatures of habit. Habit can be a wonderful thing because it allows us to get in our comfort zone without consciously expending any effort in doing so. As a work at home mom, creating good habits for yourself will allow you to accomplish a lot more in a limited amount of time. Put your day on auto pilot as much as possible. 

You will no doubt want to be creative in some aspects of your home business. But in general, try to maintain a similar schedule from day to day. That way you won’t waste time with changes that may not be productive. Leave the creativity for times spent with your family or friends, or for when you are working on an improvement in your home business.

There is nothing quite as satisfying as the sense of accomplishment that comes from successfully completing tasks. To ensure that this happens, make a to-do list each day. Some people make their list at the end of a work day for the next day, while others prefer to make their list in the morning. In either case, it’s a good idea to prioritize the items on your list based on importance. 

Before plunging into the first item on the list, take a few moments to check over the list and mentally decide how much time will be required for each item. As you complete an item, be sure to cross it off. There’s where that sense of fulfillment comes in. 

Now that your day is set up for success, you are ready to face whatever challenges or frustrations may come along. Just don’t forget to enjoy the successes, no matter how big or small, along the way.

Dear friend, when you work from home there still aren’t enough hours in the day to get things done.  Deadlines for projects hang over your head and dinner still has to be made.  Your customers depend on you and so does you family.

When you are a work at home mom, it’s hard to separate work from family life.  Not only are you working out of the place where you live, but, depending on the nature of your business, you may not have to leave your home all day.  If you run an online business, you could be running a load of laundry or fixing lunch between business teleconferences and webinars. This can be good… and bad.

The dividing line can get smudged for family business moms.  To eliminate the tug at the elbow from your little one, solutions need to be found to restore that line between the business and the family.  Separation is important to your sanity and to reducing work related stress. Setting up clear boundaries will help you balance the demands of all you have to do. But, how? Here are some tips:

–> Assess the current situation.

If you use your dining room as your base of operations, you may want to consider alternative options.  If the dining room still gets used for dinner or other projects then it is not exclusively your office, so you are uprooted several times each day, for meals. That isn’t effective. You will lose much time in packing up your laptop and getting it back out and set up. You will constantly battle with having to keep up with things. It isn’t a comfortable working environment. It will not work for very long. It will affect your productivity.

The home office needs a room with a door where you can be apart from the rest of the house.  A den or a garage can be converted into office space that is exclusive to your business.  I have a friend whose office is the laundry room, just because it has a door! When that is not an option, set up shop in your bedroom.  One side of the room can be your office.  You won’t be able to meet with clients in your bedroom, but if the business is an online venture, that is not a requirement anyway.

–>  Take time to get organized like a real business!

Organization is the next step.  A messy desk is not a sign of an uncluttered mind.  Everything needs to have its place.  If you worked in an office, your boss would not stand for a messy work space.  He would know that it affects your productivity AND your stress levels. You are the boss now, so don’t stand for it either.

A basket with separate compartments will help to organize the odds and ends on your desk.  You can keep rubber stamps, letters, invoices, pens, pencils, and the like in here.  If you need to, use a label maker to designate which space is for what.

Have a separate telephone line.  In your office space, all calls should be for business.  You don’t want one of the kids answering a business call or picking up the phone while you are on a conference call.

This also goes for the printer and the computer.  If it is shared by the family, then sensitive material could be compromised by other users.  You don’t want to go looking for the laptop for your online meeting only to find out that your husband took it to work.

A calendar or date planner will help you to keep business appointments and deadlines straight.  You can coordinate your business calendar with the family calendar so that there are no conflicts.  On the business calendar, cross out the dates when you have family events planned.  I color code all of the things on my calendar so I can keep things straight as I plan my month, week, and day. Color coding helps to get my attention. Set up your calendar with everything on one calendar. Then, keep your calendar with you. It will make a world of difference.

–> Get help!

If you have to, hire a sitter on the days that you have the most work to do in the office.  As a work at home mom, you control your schedule.  Having a sitter keeps the kids away from your office and, with a good sitter, having fun.  Someone else is caring for them so you don’t have to worry.

What do you think? Got an idea that will help you?

Mixing business with family in the home setting can be a major source of stress.  Keeping the business side of your life organized and separate though inside your home is crucial to success in both areas. Get things set up so you can relax and enjoy your business to the max!

The very best way to get organized is to find the loop holes where we usually end up in a mess and see whether we can get around them. We need to find the pitfalls that always get US.

The following are often pitfalls:

• Forgetting appointments
• Forgetting deadlines
• Being unable to meet deadlines
• Sitting down to work and having no idea what to do.
• Being late for meetings, lessons, and appointments
• Forgetting names
• Forgetting telephone numbers
• Forgetting to take important documents and things along
• Misplacing objects and so on

I have used the following tips in my life and they have proved to be quite effective. In fact, I believe that they are secrets to organizational success. Maybe you too could try them out and see whether they work for you.

Nine tips to organize yourself:

1. Accept the fact that we cannot rely too much on our memories. Our minds are exposed to a hurricane of information every day. As a result the mind does a very nice filtering process and very little of what we see and hear is retained in our minds. So instead of depending on our very selective memory why not depend on a piece of paper. You will be less stressed. Plus, you will not find things slipping through the cracks as much. I use Post-It Notes. I have two different sizes in my purse and planner at all times. I love the little ones for small reminders. I also use the larger ones with lines for more details–lists of things to do for the week or detailed lists of things to do to complete a bigger task. I do not ever rely on my memory. My kids used to help me remember things. Now, they are grown and gone. I have to remember for myself. The only way is to realize that paper is MY FRIEND!
2. Carry a tiny scribbling pad and a pen with you all the time. The moment you commit to an appointment, a commitment, or are asked to attend a meeting, jot it down in the scribbling pad (I use Post-It Notes). Do not bother about others laughing at you. You will have the last laugh in the end.
3. It is a good idea to write down appointment details/orders/commitment details in your book. Each time you tell somebody to do something or when somebody asks you to do something write it down in your book along with the date and the time. Do not be afraid of being thought about as a person with a very poor memory. It won’t be long before people start thinking of you as a highly organized person.
4. If you have an smart phone or electronic pocket organizer be sure to use it. Each time someone gives you his or her telephone number, immediately enter it into your pocket organizer, along with the person’s name of course. I also take their picture (My phone has a camera–I can take their picture and set it by their name!). I also use my phone to set reminders for tasks, appointments, and commitments. Talk about a brain-saver!
5. Business cards can be your helper! Use the backside of business cards to help your memory. Usually we get a lot of business cards as we go about our daily business of life. The business card of course contains the name of the person, his or her telephone number and probably the name of the business for which the person works. But the problem is, the next time we meet the person, the face may seem familiar but we won’t have the foggiest idea as to where we met the person. One thing that helps me is to jot down a few points about the person, things they can offer you, and probably the reason for meeting him or her and the place as well. This will certainly lessen the load on your brain. Keep away the business cards properly. As soon as you get back home or to your office take care to keep away the business cards you collected properly. Don’t just stuff them into your card folder. Take care to read them properly and perhaps keep the cards of important clients separately. If you do not find much use for a person’s card, toss it.
6. Prepare a to-do list everyday. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of to-do lists in getting yourself organized. It is probably the most sensible thing that a busy person should do. In fact, I thought of devoting an entire chapter for to-do lists and I think that is just what I will do. Actually, I plan my week ahead with a big list of things to do. It is usually very lofty in goals. Each day, I make a list the night before of my top-five things that NEED to be done the next day. I try to put them in order of priority. I look at my list throughout the day and mark off each task–that helps me to feel accomplishment throughout the day AND stay on task. As I mark of a thing to do, I look at the next most important thing to do. I get a mental deadline and work to complete that task in my deadline. At the end of the day, I look back over my list from the day. If I did not get something done, I add it to the next day’s list (or if it is better on another day of the week, I move it to that day’s to-do list. I keep my to-do list on Post-It Notes until I do them. I stick my Post-It Note in my planner to view throughout the day. Then, I transfer the task to my planner and mark it off as I complete it. Talk about a great way to not just MAKE A LIST, but USE IT! Takes tons of stress away and keeps me productive. A must!
7. Plan what you have to do well in advance. It is a good idea to have daily, weekly and monthly plans. I set aside time usually twice a year to “get away” for the weekend and really plan. I spend time taking my plans before God, trying to hear His leadership on what I am to focus on. I dump my brain into my journal–all of the things that are floating around in my brain. I put everything from things needed to do around the house to business to-do’s to ideas for blessing my husband and children…on and on. Then, I take out my planner and plan out a monthly focus for my family, home, business, and myself. I brainstorm all along the way all of the things that need to be done for that monthly focus. For example, the other day I began work on my websites for my business. I had already brainstormed all that I wanted to do with them, even sections that I wanted to be sure to include and things I wanted to add. This helps with every task. When the month gets here, all I have to do is take all of the ideas and DO THEM. I add them to my daily calendar. Talk about saving my brain AND time all along the way. I don’t get down to the last minute and have no idea what needs to be done or what I want. I can always add extras, but I have a clear vision well in advance.
8. Develop systems and WRITE THEM DOWN. I have taken my to-do lists through the years and tweak them into systems. Let me explain what I mean by this. I found that many times I was doing the same “task” over and over and over. I was also writing the to-do list for that task over and over and over. Sometimes it got better. Sometimes I forgot key points. Always it took extra time to write everything down fresh. I guess it was laziness, but I am going to call it a “quest for productivity,” but I found that the key to really getting even more done each and every day was re-using those to-do lists. If I see some things that need to be added, I add them. I have also tweaked them into the order that needs to be done to get the task done quickly, without missing anything. Over time, they have developed into a system for doing things–writing an article or book, setting up my Talk-a-Latte studies and Membership Sites, cleaning up the house, packing for a trip, preparing my Christmas dinner, on and on. I even have lists for smaller tasks that I have gotten mixed up over the years–like steps in sending out my ezines, cleaning out the office, etc. Can you see how helpful a permanent list for those things would be? It saves my brain. It saves time in doing the list brainstorm for tasks that are done over and over. It also helps me to delegate to others–they can use my list to get busy doing the things that I want done. One tip–type the list into the computer. Print it out. Laminate it. Then, you have it to use over and over. Develop that system.
9. Set deadlines! It may seem kind of mechanical but it would be wonderful if you could have a fixed time for everything and try to stick religiously to the time table. Believe me it really helps because in that way you will have time for everything and everything can be done in the time for it.

Feel a bit of organization coming your way? Little things make a big, big difference. If you will implement even ONE thing from these ideas, you will be on your way to a more organized life!

I know, I know.

It was a study that took on a life of its own. It began with a simple biography about a great businessman. We continued through as many biographies as we could find. We STILL pursue these studies even though my son graduated almost 4 years ago!

What’s the point? Oh! This is a good one!

We read one book about Mary Kay. You always learn so much when digging into the lives of others. One of the life-changing things that I learned from her life was from one thing that she attributed to her success–her daily to-do list. Daily, she kept a list of 5 things to do for the day. Each day the list changed. She wouldn’t list the impossible. She just plugged away each day on 5 vital things.

I pondered that for a while. I knew that my biggest struggle was having bigger plans than I have hours to work on them. I decided to pray for my daily “5 things” for the day. I get everything dumped into my “Little Black Book.” I brainstorm and break things down until they are in bite-size pieces that can be done in just minutes. Then, I go through and pick the things that need to be done first. I make them reasonable and do-able. I add them to my daily schedule. Things get done!

Remember that saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time?” How do you get things done? One “to-do” at a time!

Talk about a great secret for getting and staying focused! It would even work if you had ONE thing for the day or three things for the day. The point is to not miss one day where you intentionally plan in one thing that helps you move forward. It can take 5 minutes or an hour. It is just something that helps you to move forward. It is SO essential!

First, it keeps us from going day-after-day never getting “anything” done. You know that feeling? It comes from a lack of purpose and direction. You cannot get things done if you are not clear about what needs to be done. You have to know which way to go or you will probably sit still.

Also, it clarifies everything. It clears your brain and keeps you focused on how you will get things done. You can clearly see a step that you can do. It is clear. It is doable. That clarifies everything!

Keeping a journal with all of the stuff on your heart for the year is great–it is one of my biggest secrets to getting LOTS done. But, I hear all of the time from friends who share with me that writing down the ideas and brain-dumping is where they stopped. They get so frustrated because they cannot fit things into their life. Days go by. Weeks go by. Months go by. Years go by. Still in debt. No books written. House is still a mess. On and on. Their journal becomes a nag. It condemns them.

It can be frustrating if you do not have a plan for getting all of that in motion. It can be so frustrating that you either think that it is impossible or that YOU are the only one who cannot get things done. There is nothing worse than having lots of goals, dreams, and desires, but seeing them SIT there in your little black book for years and years without a plan to make them happen.

The answer? “To-Do” lists, of course!

Then, we can look at our daily schedule and add into our daily schedule our 5 things for the day or, if you are just getting started, just one thing “to-do” to work toward our goal or our project. In fact, maybe this might be key for some of you. 5 things look completely overwhelming to you? Just choose one thing to do each day.

So, what ONE THING can you do TODAY? One thing can make a difference! We can all fit ONE THING into our daily schedule.

Now, I am not saying that your ONE THING should be “clean the house” or “write a book.” NOT! That can be a big problem!

Having a thing to do that is made up of many, many other things/tasks is not brainstormed and broken down enough. To just say, “Clean the house” as your thing “to-do” almost always insures that it will go from day-to-day undone. at minimum, you will never “feel” like you are getting anything accomplished. That because it is not broken down into things “to do” that you can manage and SEE each day as you can fit them into your day.

“Cleaning the house” or “Writing a book” are GOALS or PROJECTS. Those need to be broken down into small, small tasks that you can do. For example, if you want to write a book, the first thing you will need is your topic. So, how about taking 20 minutes today to brainstorm for your topic–write down all of the ideas for what you would like to write about. Just dump it all down on a page in your journal. Want to clean your house? Same thing. Brainstorm out all that needs to be done. Get them out of your brain and on paper (preferably into an Idea Notebook so you don’t LOSE your ideas!!).

Feel good? YES! That is a simple thing to do. It is part of the process. It is a very VITAL part of the process. That will get you moving forward and out of your rut. That will give you tasks that CAN fit into even YOUR day!

Now, quick note! You may not know all of the things that you need to do in order to reach your goals. That is where you get a mentor, a coach. That is where you invest in a book or a class to teach you how. I am not saying to hit EVERYTHING on your life-list. I am saying focus on ONE THING. Give it your entire focus as you get down the process. Learn what needs to be done to make it happen. Get busy. (Quick note! If you want to be a writer, I am working on a course to take you through all of the steps. I am also going to offer personal coaching for several key areas for writers. Stay tuned! It is going to be the ULTIMATE course! More on that very, very, very soon! )

After I brainstorm all that needs to be done, I try to add at least ONE THING per day from my journal into my schedule, even if it is a little thing. My personal goal is to work on 5 things per day. I try to balance those from things that I am working on for different aspects of my home and business. Of course, there are days that I have to be realistic and limit myself to the demands of the day. I am OK with that when I have hope that I will not put off the heartbeats for years to come.

Adding them into my “5 things” regularly helps. Also, on those days that I am blank or that I happen to have some extra time to myself, I go through my journal and work through some of the simple tasks that I can attack and conquer.

It works great! I get SO MUCH MORE done each day…each week…each year. Now, I am seeing those books finished that were dreams years ago. I am able to pursue those business dreams and make them a reality. We even beat debt a few years ago–same principle! We hit it bit-by-bit adding it to our list of things for the week. Lists get things done!

Oh! On those days that I have 25 things to choose from…you know that those days pop up constantly, don’t you? I am having one of those weeks this week. Well, during those times, I have a secret that may help some of you who are battling with just TOO MUCH to do–I pull out my Post-it notes. I love the Post-it notes that are around 5X7 and lined. I write my whole list on them. Then, I post the note on my daytimer. As I get things done, I mark them off and journal them in my planner on the day that I finished them.

I know what helps me the most–I NEED to mark things off and see things getting done, especially on those “25 THINGS TO DO” kinda days.

Each day, I will go through them as I plan my next day. I jot my top five for the day into my Daily Planner (I call mine my BRAIN-IN-A-BINDER ). I keep the “Post-it” on the opposite side of page (I use a planner that has the Daily To-Do’s and a Daily Appointment Schedule on the left side of the notebook and Daily Notes on the right side of the notebook. I just post my “Post-It Note” on the right side. That way it is right there in my face all day. If I get more than my BIG GOAL of 5 things completed, I mark them off and work on more. I just jot them down on the Daily To-Do list and mark them off there and on my Post It note. At the end of the day, if I have finished my big list on my Post It note, I leave it on the right side of the page. That lets me know everything on that task is done and when I finished it. Then, on to the next big project! Is this clear as mud?

Special note… I have some things that I do over and over that have a huge list of things that need to be done–set up a website, set up an online study, work on a book, write articles, etc. They once had a cute little “Post-It Note.” Since I do them over and over and over, I have set up a permanent checklist that has been tweaked into a system that make it easier to complete that project. Talk about simplifying the process!

All I have to do is print out my checklist again. Put the project name at the top of the page. And, start working on that checklist each day until that project is complete. I have those tasks broke down into very quick and easy things to do. I have worked through them so many times that they are tweaked to a perfect order and everything that I need to remember to do is included. Talk about DESTRESSING big jobs! That is how I recently sponsored the largest online homeschool convention ever. In fact, it was almost as large as the largest state homeschool conventions. I was able to do it this year with my lists from last year. Since I have it tweaked even more, next year I can hire helpers to help me get it all done! That is where we are going! Over time, using to-do lists gets easier and easier. You can do bigger and bigger projects. Plus, you CAN use your lists over and over too!

Give it a try! Take time today to brainstorm. Brainstorm until you get a nice list of do-able tasks that help you get busy on the projects that have only been on your heart until now. Then, plug them into your schedule this week.

There is nothing quite like moving forward. A daily “to-do” list will help you move forward and stay focused. Give it a try! This year will be your best year yet!

End Of Week Business Checklist
(Questions to ask yourself)

1) Have I and/or my business advanced this week? If yes, in what areas?

2) What mistakes did I make that I can learn from and improve upon?

3) Have I done at least 1 thing each day this week that I didn’t want to do,
but that would help myself or my business if I did it? That means I would
have to have done 7 powerful things toward my business development.

4) What have I put off that needs to be tackled next? Write it down..

5) What are the most important actions I need to be
focusing on next week? Write them down..

6) Am I focusing on the most important thing? Did I keep my laser beam focus
or was I not targeting my actions and energy?

7) What was my primary focus? Was I distracted or focused? How did that help
or hurt me with my goal achievement?

For many years I was in a downward entrepreneurial spiral, many ideas and little to no action thus I had no attraction for success. When I started asking myself more powerful and productive questions, and
became more and more clear about what I wanted, better results immediately followed. You and I have greater aspirations for our lives and we need to stretch ourselves. Become more disciplined and more aggressive toward out own business. Because in the end, no one can make you rich, healthy, successful, happy… but you.

Evaluate and be present working toward your goals and vision. Keep your pictures, affirmations, goals and prayers visible and handy. Discipline yourself to hold the vision, the picture, the amount, the goal in your
conscious and subconscious mind.

DO it Daily, Hourly, Minute by minute sometimes.

About Victoria Johnson…
Victoria Johnson has overcome poverty, race discrimination, and eating disorders including obesity, anorexia, and bulimia, to become the nation’s premier health and fitness “activist.” Victoria is the owner and president of http://www.VictoriaJohnson.com, has produced and starred in over 24 award-winning exercise and dance fitness videos, produced and starred in her own television show entitled “Victoria’s Body Shoppe” and most recently authored her second book, Body Revival, Lose Weight, Feel Great and Pump Up Your Faith!