With the holidays fast approaching, thoughts turn to work-life balance more so than any other time of year. If you are like many of us, you must keep up with your work responsibilities while fitting much more into your personal life. This can get crazy stressful if you let it. Whether you are a work at home mom, business owner, or employee, here are some tips for avoiding or reducing stress this holiday season.

1. Accept that life is an eternal work in progress.
It is not supposed to be all done. This goes for life in general, but especially around the holidays. Let go of perfectionism and the need to do everything on your lists. Each day, take a breather to reflect on your accomplishments and feel proud.

2. Know when you have done enough.
Many of us are overachievers when it comes to holiday preparation, household chores, work responsibilities, or all three. Ease up on yourself this year and use the added time to celebrate or relax. Working two hours late at the office is not REALLY necessary; family and friends will do fine with smaller tins of fresh-baked cookies; it’s OK if your floors are less than pristine.

3. Share the workload.
Rethink your tendency to do everything for everyone. Be creative in thinking how routine tasks can be completed differently. The drudgery of housework can become quality family time, for example. A woman recently shared how proud her son was to do his first load of laundry, start to finish.

4. Understand what activities are important to you.
December can become so crowded with activities it is easy to become overwhelmed. The solution is to prioritize according to what’s important to YOU. If seeing your daughter’s school play is what matters most on a particular day, then put that ahead of all else. Most other responsibilities can wait until another day.

5. Focus on gratitude.
Instead of obsessing over what needs to be done, be grateful for what you already have. When you consciously express positive and emotional appreciation, you attract more feelings of contentment and peacefulness. This will create positive change in both your personal and work life.

6. Consciously direct your reactions.
Happiness is a choice. Finding the positive–delight, excitement, and contentment–in everything you do will change the outcome of each day. Work tasks, for example, will go by quicker and you will be in a more lighthearted mood afterward.

7. Organize your whole life with a women’s planner.
Buy a planner that includes all critical aspects of your life: fitness and nutrition, wellness, healthy finances, and fulfilling your personal passion are all critical to your complete happiness. By using a day planner that recognizes this need, you will be better equipped to live each day to its fullest, even through the hustle and bustle of December!

Bobette Kyle is cofounder of Lifestyle Inspirations LLC, where the company’s day planner for women, MY LIFE MATTERS, guides women on the journey toward empowerment by turning goals and dreams into action. Get this month’s planner pages for no charge at: http://www.womansplanner.com/free-month

Have you noticed how direct sellers seem to take a "holimonth" instead of a holiday every December? It’s like they neatly put their direct sales business on the shelf for most of the month of December (or at least from the 15th on) and hope against hope that it will be there, strong as ever, waiting for them come January 2nd when the world starts to turn again. Unfortunately, it’s often more the case that their neglected business has withered and is in dire need of resuscitation come January.

It’s important to make sure you’re booking yourself solid for January in November and early December, but once you’ve done that, do you have any options besides just taking two weeks off at the end of December? Absolutely!

Remember all those business activities you’ve been saying you didn’t have time for all year (like personal development, follow up calls, and planning)? Well, now you’ve got two weeks spread out in front of you like a gift. Grab it and rip it open!

Here are just a few ideas for how you might spend your work hours over the next few weeks.

I’ll start with some ideas for direct sales leaders (and just FYI, if you’re a leader, this is a great opportunity to get yourself and your team set up for success in 2012!)

• Plan all of your meetings for 2012. You can even include your direct sales team or down line leaders if you have them in your planning time. Throw a small party, put some cookies and coffee out, and have fun! You’ll be surprised at how quickly this task will go when you’re brainstorming with others.
• Take 1/2 day and call all of your down line leaders and direct down line to check in and learn how you can support them with their goals for 2011.
• Make a recording for your entire team giving them ideas for how to succeed in the new year. Here are some ideas for what you might share with them:
  • Some fun ideas for theme shows in the coming month, complete with a themed invitation e-mailed to them
  • An overview of the host bonuses for the following month
  • A quick recognition of those on her team who are new consultants
  • A booking incentive (like a drawing for a great item from your line)

If you’re not yet a leader, here are some great ideas for using your time at the end of December:

• Call all of your September, October, November and December home party guests and make sure they’re happy with their products. Come armed with some great reasons to host a party in January and make it your goal to book at least three parties.
• Commit to listen to/read at least one training program related to your business and write down at least three ideas you want to implement based on that training.
• Set up and launch a "Host of the Month" club. Here’s a simple format:

o 12 participants are required, 1 Hostess for each month of the year.
o Each hostess is required to place a minimum order of $30 each month.
o Each member will have one month assigned to her as Hostess of the Month at the beginning of the year.
o The Hostess of the Month will receive ALL Hostess rewards for her month.
o If the Hostess of the Month decides to have a personal Home Party in her month, she will have the Monthly Hostess Club funds applied to her party! She begins with at least $360.00 worth of orders, thereby increasing her Home Party sales & Hostess Rewards!

There are just a few ideas. Most importantly, make sure whatever you’re doing, you’re doing something! Taking two full weeks off at any time the the year just isn’t healthy for a thriving direct sales business. You owe it to yourself to at least work part time during the last two weeks of December so that you have a business to come back to in January.

Julie Anne Jones is direct sales corporate consultant, keynote speaker, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services and to read more blog posts, visit her at http://www.julieannejones.com.

I have been professionally working from home for the past 21 years and at times I have gotten so bogged down with doing things for my family, friends and my business that I had no time left over for myself. Over the years…I have learned to say no to others so that I had time for myself.

At the beginning of my work at home career I was juggling way too much. I tried to put in 6-8 hours a day working on my business, cleaning my home, taking care of the kids, making dinner, running errands and all of those things that we are responsible for as mothers. At the end of the day I would be stressed out and exhausted and didn’t feel any self-worth or self-importance.

Over the years I have learned to balance both my professional life, family life and personal life into something that works for me. The solution for me was to come up with a daily schedule and routine. To start your own daily schedule and routine you need to sit down and make three lists. Label your three lists: Work, Family and Pleasure. Your next step is to list the tasks you want to accomplish along with the amount of time you think you will need to accomplish those tasks in. You will want to block off 1 blank hour per day onto each of your lists for those things that ‘pop up’ that you didn’t plan on.

Your next step is to put your newly drafted plan into action and to come up with a daily routine. Once you get into a daily routine you will find that your day will run more smoothly and you will get more things accomplished…getting things accomplished will lead to self-worth and self-importance and you will end your day feeling fulfilled and happy.

As work at home moms…we need to realize that we are only one person and at times we won’t get everything done. When that happens, there is always tomorrow!

Shelly Hill has been working from home since 1989. Shelly is a wife, mother, grandmother and a professional online writer and blogger. You can visit Shelly’s Work At Home Business Options site for home business articles, tips and ideas at www.workathomebusinessoptions.com and you can visit Shelly’s Two Classy Chics Blog at twoclassychics.blogspot.com for information on product reviews.

In this short article, I want to share three of my favorite direct sales ideas for generating new customer. As you are well aware, the direct sales industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. And with our sagging economy, more and more people are entering the world of direct sales for the first time.

Most of these people struggle to make money in their new business, because they have zero real world sales or marketing experience. Some of these people take the time to learn the ropes and discover what it takes to succeed. But most people quit the industry within a few short months.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. Anyone can succeed, if they have the desire to do so. It just takes a little time to teach yourself how to generate leads, how to set up appointments, and how to sell.

I’ve been in the industry almost ten years now, so I’d like to provide 3 cutting edge tips to help you get started.

First and foremost, get a day planner. You need a simple day planner so you can plan your out in advance. Each month, set a goal of how many appointments you want to schedule and then call people to book those appointments. Make sure you block off time for personal time and family time too.

My second tip is to get referrals. You can start out by making a name list of everyone you know. Make sure you write down your current and former customers too. Call people up to book appointments and ask them for referrals. If needed, offer a free gift or cash bonus for anyone who schedules an appointment with you. If you treat people well, most people will give you 1-2 referrals.

My third and final tip is to be consistent. You need to work your business every single day. You need to book appointments, prospect, do in-home parties and demonstrations, follow-up with people and other important activities every day. This helps build momentum in your business and allows you to make progress. If you do things sporadically, it will be hard to get results.

In conclusion, we just covered my top three favorite direct sales ideas. I’ve found that building a successful direct sales business is fun and easy to do if you get started and never quit. It’s also important to have a game-plan, a mentor, and a schedule. If you can do that, you will make money with your own direct sales business.

You can visit my website to learn more Direct Sales Ideas… Charles Holmes is an author, infopreneur, and business coach. He is also the creator of the MLM Resource Center.

As a mom you probably go through times in your life when you think you can’t possibly manage work and taking proper care of your family. In fact, there are probably times when you feel you’re not doing a good job at one or the other or maybe even both. Don’t despair! There is help for you whether you work from home or outside of the home, your family is large or small or you have other commitments like volunteer work.

Time Management – Knowing where and how you spend your time is key to balancing your life. Start by keeping a calendar of all your activities. You can do this online, on a paper calendar or in a journal. Track everything from showering, exercise, meal preparation, driving time, and so on. You will probably see areas where you can cut some time out by doing certain activities while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store or riding in the car. There are lots of useful ways to spend idle time and you can figure those out as you fill out your calendar or journal.

Set Priorities – As women we often have a hard time saying “no” because it is in our nature to help others and want to be useful. However, you must know when to say “no” to those activities that don’t help you reach your family, personal or business goals. And even if the activity does in some way help you reach your goals, you will need to prioritize the activity according to its value or importance.

Don’t be Afraid to ask for Help – Another trap women tend to fall into is the “I can do it all” syndrome. For some reason society has taught women that they have to be “Super Mom” otherwise you’ll be seen as lazy or a bad mother. That is a lie! When you are feeling overwhelmed by work, family and kids, have a friend, relative or neighbor give you a hand by helping you clean your house, or taking the kids away for a couple of hours while you get some work done. Whatever the situation may be, don’t hesitate to ask for help.

These are just a few of the suggestions you’ll find in my report, Real Life Guidance to Balancing Work and Family. The “Real Life Guidance to Balancing Work and Family” report shows you how you can find a balance between work and family, without letting any of those balls you are juggling fall on the floor. This report gives you real life solutions, and the best part is that you can get started right now.
Not only are there tips for everyday life, but inside The “Real Life Guidance to Balancing Work and Family” contains valuable insight for work at home moms and moms who work outside of the home.

In addition, I also show you how to get started and then keep the momentum! So don’t wait another second. Stop doing the juggling act and get your life in balance now with the Real Life Guidance to Balancing Work and Family report.

Looking for tips to get your life in balance now. Get ‘em right now… 24/7! Real Life Guidance toolkits are available for easy and instant download to your computer.

Control is a big thing and a must for business owners, but it’s a difficult thing to have when you work from home. You don’t have a boss standing over your shoulder or someone pressuring you to complete a task by a certain deadline.

As you may know, the telephone can be a distraction, but one that’s even bigger is the television. The television is one of the hardest distractions to handle, but it can be done if you work hard and push through the hard times.

The reason the television is such a distraction is that you can turn it on very easily. It’s hard to say you’ll only watch it for 30 minutes or an hour and then turn it off. It seems as if the shows run together with the commercials and before you know it the next show has started and you didn’t even know it changed. If you’re distracted you could easily spend two or three hours watching it and not even realize it.

While you know you must stand strong to avoid this distraction it may be very hard to do. One way to make it happen is avoid turning it on from the beginning. Once it’s on it’s hard to turn it off. Another way is to turn it on when your work is done.

This will give you something to look forward to, but you must stand your ground and stick to it.

If you find you really struggle with the television, you need to consider the location of your office. If you don’t have a room you can dedicate as an office, you need to consider using your bedroom, the kitchen, or another room without the television in it. If you don’t have a desk, consider a table and chair or a TV stand and a chair. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just a place to work.

If you find there is a show you really like to watch, you should consider recording it. All satellite providers and most cable providers offer recorders you can purchase, so recording your show is a good way to make sure you don’t miss an episode. Your record could be watching your show when your work is done.

There are a number of distractions that can cause you to not reach success with your business. When you do what it takes to avoid the distractions you’ll have a better chance of reaching success.

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant business. She enjoys helping her clients reach their goals through the services she offers. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, click here to see how she can help you make that happen.  http://www.wahm-articles.com