Are you planning on working from home? Are you finding it challenging to complete tasks without being distracted? Is time management a challenge for you?

When I started working from home with my internet marketing business, I found it easy to get distracted and lose my focus. I am disclosing some of my best tips, so that you can learn from my mistakes-which brings me to tip #1!

1. Leverage your time by finding a mentor – The easiest way to get good at something is to find somebody who is good at it and copy them. There are many ways to find a mentor. One is by searching online for your business and see who comes up. Read recommendations and download free offers from their site to see who might be the best fit. Check out people who have written good articles about working from home.

Another way is to ask friends who are in the same or related business. If they are very successful, take them out to lunch and ask questions. Most successful people truly enjoy mentoring others, so don’t be afraid to ask.

2. Make a schedule and stick to it – When you worked for a boss, did you have certain hours that you had to be at work? Did you have certain tasks that you needed to accomplish? Now that YOU are your boss, create your own hours and tasks and treat your business like a business!

3. Cut out distractions – Are you distracted by email and social networks when working from home? So was I and I still am if I don’t take steps to avoid it. When I first boot up my email for the day, I delete everything that is not related to what I am doing. This includes offers for the next shiny object and the next magic software. Today, when I booted up my gmail account, I deleted 111 emails and kept 4. If I can’t see it, it can’t distract me.

4. Set a timer – Set a timer for 25 minutes and work with intensity. When the timer goes off, take a 5 minute break and begin all over again. This creates an artificial deadline and it really works. I use a clever little iPhone app called “Pomodoroplus”. It basically is a timer that shows me how much time I have left for my task and how many tasks (called “Pomodoros”) I have accomplished for the day. Currently, I have 5 minutes to go while writing this article so I know that I have to keep focused.

5. Don’t answer the phone – When you were working for a boss, you were probably asked to not take personal calls. Your family and friends have to be trained to understand that this is a business like any other, even though you are working from home. Even a quick phone call will lead to distraction, so turn your phone off while you are working.

Well, I have 75 seconds left and have managed to write an article from start to finish in my 25 minute period. Try these tips and you will be accomplishing more that you ever thought possible while working from home.

If you work at home it’s not hard to get distracted. Friends and family stop by because after all, you are “home all day”. Spouses may demand YOU do all the house work because again, why not? You are “home all day” to do it.

Then of course there are the distractions of your children. Not always bad distraction, but still something that takes you away from your business.

A normal day may go something like this: Answer personal emails, grab the children breakfast, talk to someone on Instant Messenger or someone that called, do a little house work, get the kids lunch, break up a fight or tend to the children more, talk to others that call or instant message you, start supper. Where did the day go? Why didn’t you get to work on your business today?

Here’s a few tips to keep you from getting distracted:

• Separate Business & Family – Let your children know you have work to do during certain hours, and DO NOT feel guilty about it. You work at HOME and being in the same house with them at all times is a huge deal. Should an emergency arise, you are right there for them. Summer can be difficult to work around, but once school starts it becomes easier to work in the day with the older children in school,
• Turn off Instant Messenger – Or at least go invisible during your work hours. If someone likes to just chat, they won’t even know you are online if you are “hiding”. When your work hours are over, you can turn it back on again. If you get any personal phone calls, quickly set up a time to visit in person outside of your work hours. Make plans to go out so you can get them off the phone and get back to work.
• Business Email First – Either let your personal email sit, or set up a separate email account for your business. Don’t even think about checking that personal email until after work hours.
• Set Weekly Goals – Have clear cut goals and tasks you know you want to get done within a specific amount of time. If you have a list you are more likely to keep on track and not fumble around with non-productive tasks.
• Share the Housework – If your spouse doesn’t take you seriously, it might be time to sit down for a talk. Let them know you work too, just in a different industry. Show them the business hours you have set, and housework will not get attended to within these hours. Get him involved in certain tasks. If you share the income, you share the housework!

Hopefully these tips will prevent you from getting distracted, and increase your income over a period of time.

About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. For free direct sales tips, visit: www.DirectSalesHelpers.com/newsletter.html

Conserve Time And Precious Resources

Time is a crucial element in the lives of the leaders. Setting schedules when it comes to meetings, tasks, deadlines and other responsibilities need careful time management. Efficient time management is a common difficulty among leaders, and this is one thing that has to be dealt with accordingly. One of the major pitfalls of good leadership is inefficient time management. Not rectified and addressed, poor time management can lead to leadership and organizational failure.

“Time is gold” as the saying goes. Ignoring this fact results not only to wasted time but a waste of precious resources for the organization, too. Good leaders see to it that they utilize time to their full advantage as well as to the organization. Spending too much time on one thing is not a good idea, when in fact they could have done several tasks over the period already. There ought to be no time wasted on playing the blame game or avoiding responsibilities. The goal is to progress and really accomplish something, not run around in circles.

Day One Ready For Time Management

On day one itself, a good leader is ready to assume the position and get on with the responsibilities. From the beginning, he/she is equipped with motivation, determination and commitment. Many short term leaders have their time wasted because they didn’t start their first day with a clear vision and direction. A good leader does not let time pass without doing something worthwhile.

Good leadership refuses to be hampered or hindered by unforeseen events. Thus, they are prepared for greater challenges and anticipate the possibilities along the way. Even in times of faltering, they are productive because they choose to learn and harness their strength. They don’t let precious time go to waste by despairing. Time lost is never found, so make the most of your time. Successful leadership always depends on successful management of time. A leader that is ready and has everything carefully can accomplish a lot with their time and bringing in more productivity and returns. A person may have all the qualities of a great leader but if they time management skills, failure is the likely upshot.

Excellent leadership and leadership that makes a difference is not possible if a leader is not willing to go the extra mile. Endeavoring more and exerting more effort does not only apply in the aspect of managing and leading people, but also in handling time.

In today’s society many women feel totally overwhelmed by the demands made on them. Work and family balance can seem like a constant battle.

So what is your definition of work life balance? Working out your priorities and deciding what really matters is the most important thing. Sometimes simple changes are all that is required.

1. Family. My daughter, now an adult, still fondly recalls the times we spent baking cakes in our kitchen. I still remember the pride in her face as she burst through the kitchen door to show her daddy the finished cakes with the pink icing.

I doubt very much if she has any memory at all of how often the oven was cleaned. The oven would have to be cleaned at some point but this task held no importance in her eyes.

Family time should be guarded carefully. Children in particular need to know the time you spend with them is not grudged or rushed with one eye constantly on the clock.

2. Work. There is no doubt some people have little control over their working life and many are wary of “rocking the boat” for fear they may lose their jobs. A good employer will respect work and family balance and it is worth remembering they have a responsibility for your wellbeing.

If you are working very long hours and feel stressed or unhappy, you should talk to your employer. It may be possible to reduce or change your hours. Flexible working is the best way to endorse work life balancing.

Working for yourself from home can be the answer for some as it offers the flexibility to work round family commitments and allows you to gain some control over how much work you do and when.

3. Being Organized. Knowing your priorities and planning your time will help you stay in control. Recognizing that one person can not do everything is key. If you have a partner it is time to divide up the workload. Sitting down and discussing things such as who does the household chores, takes kids to activities etc. all make a difference.

Work and family balance is about allowing time for yourself. Being organized will allow you some guilt free time out. It is very important to look after yourself and find ways to relax. For some it is having a night out with your partner or friends. For others swimming or simply relaxing in a bath makes them feel good.

In the end the benefits of balancing life and work are immeasurable. For the employer there is an increased commitment, productivity, retention, higher morale and less absenteeism. For the individual the feeling of being in control and valued, better relationships both in and out of work and a happier healthier life.

Sales MOMS Sponsor

Some days 5 minutes might be all of the time that you have for organizing your home office or for organizing anything at all. So how can you make the best use of that time to get as much as you can organized? Here are a few tips that can get you started.

Organize one small pile of paper. If you have a stack of about 10 papers, you can get that organized in 5 minutes. The trick of this is to actually put those papers where they belong rather than just reorganizing them into different piles. So if it is something that needs to be filed, you actually take the time to file it appropriately. If it is a bill that needs to be paid, put it in your action or “bills to pay” folder (assuming that you have one – if you do not, quickly create one). If it is a piece of junk mail that you know you no longer want or need, toss it.

Organizing your home office supplies on your desk. If you know that you need to sit down and pay bills or organize your finances soon, taking 5 minutes out of your day one or two days beforehand to organize your office supplies can help make that time go more smoothly. This way you will know that you have everything you need and can then focus on the task at hand.

Organize one or two files. It is a good practice to go through your files once a year and get rid of anything that you no longer need. This includes old bills and paperwork that is no longer relevant. Be sure to shred any sensitive information. If it is documents that you need to keep but that you no longer reference, finding a box to store them in is better than having them take up filing space.

When it comes to an office, organization is key. Of course, consumers need to buy the best office supplies for their needs, but if items are not logically placed around the space and kept in an orderly fashion, their benefits will be lost.

It is likely that few people keep their offices strictly organized, but with these tips, even the biggest clutter bug can create a serene and efficient office space.

The filing and paperwork systems must be simple and easy to use, according to Eric Loechner of the website DIY Life. There is no correct way to file, but consumers should make sure that they create a system that matches the way their brains naturally categorize things. Perhaps investing in a labelmaker will help keep files clearly marked. Additionally, only keep current files in folders. Anything older than a year can be “archived” into a different box or file separate from the current space, says Loechner.

A supply drawer should never have too many supplies in it. A good rule of thumb is to keep one item that is needed plus one refill. Make sure everything is in working condition as well. It’s a good idea to have more than one refill, but these can be kept in a separate closet or storage space, advises Loechner.

Home and Garden Television suggests that offices have activity centers. An efficient space is zoned into different areas: a clear workspace with a computer and frequently-used office supplies; a reference center with binders, manuals and professional materials; and a supply center, where printer ink and toner, paper, pens and other necessities are stored.

An office should fit the needs of the worker, so hardware and peripherals should be properly placed, says HGTV. For example, if the printer is used daily, it should be within easy reach. Try to avoid blocking access to drawers or taking up leg room with cords and drives whenever possible.

Adequate office furniture is always a smart investment. If it is a home office, consumers can integrate the style of the furniture into the design and style of the other rooms in the house, but they should also be conscious of the function of each piece. Make sure that the furniture doesn’t just look good, but that it provides ample space for work and storage, as well. When designing a workspace at a place of employment, a worker’s options may be limited. However, a key element for any office is a comfortable and ergonomically correct desk chair. Employees should do all they can to lobby their employer for this necessity.

Cathryn Poth is a business journalist for concordsupplies.com who covers a range of topics including new business trends, printer ink, printer supplies, office supplies and recycling in the office.