| When you have a home business, time management | | | | account to access your personal items on your |
| can be a big challenge. Laundry, personal phone calls, | | | | computer. |
| errands or other distractions are always calling your | | | | If you have to make a conscious effort to access |
| name. If you're a work at home parent, the addition | | | | your personal items, you won't be able to drift into |
| of young children into the mix will make time | | | | doing personal things without first thinking about |
| management and getting down to work that much | | | | what you're doing. |
| harder. Depending on what you're working on, all of | | | | Expect Respect |
| the distractions and other responsibilities at home can | | | | Others may not respect your time management |
| be a lot more compelling than business related tasks | | | | needs when you run a home business. If you don't |
| that need to be finished. | | | | have a traditional 'day job,' you may become the first |
| I have worked at home for several years now, and | | | | person people call on when they need a favor on a |
| in that time I have learned a lot about managing my | | | | weekday. |
| time at home through research, trial and error and | | | | I've dealt with this issue in a couple of ways, |
| the support of great colleagues. These 6 tips will help | | | | depending on the person and the situation. If I feel |
| you get focused and get to work on your home | | | | someone is impacting my time management and |
| business too. | | | | really imposing on my work schedule, and they're |
| Set a Schedule | | | | someone I deal with on a regular basis, then I'll have |
| When I first started working from home, I thought | | | | an honest conversation with them and explain the |
| I'd just work whenever I had a free moment. I didn't | | | | time I need for my business and what I need from |
| realize that time management would be such an | | | | that person to ensure I have that time. |
| issue, and I thought that being flexible with my | | | | However, those kinds of difficult conversations can |
| schedule would be ideal for my family and my work. | | | | be, well, difficult. Honestly, there are times when I |
| Big mistake! Without a fixed work schedule, every | | | | feel like they're just not worth the effort. For |
| time I was handed a new project, my first response | | | | example, when I'm dealing with someone who is |
| was to feel a huge amount of stress. I'd panic and | | | | imposing on my work time on a one time basis, and |
| feel that I'd never find the time to get each new | | | | I'm pretty sure they won't understand if I simply say |
| project finished on schedule and manage my family | | | | I need to work, in that case, I just make up an |
| responsibilities. | | | | excuse. Some people would disagree on this point, |
| It's tough to find the time needed to run a successful | | | | and that's fine, but I personally find that there are |
| home business by grabbing a minute here and there. | | | | times when a difficult conversation will take a lot of |
| Setting and committing to a defined work schedule | | | | energy, and my energy would be better spent |
| and building that work time into your week is the | | | | somewhere else. |
| most important work at home time management tip | | | | Minimize Distractions on the Phone |
| anyone has ever given me. | | | | I've had a few days that I had intended to use as |
| Address Childcare Needs | | | | work days, only to have my time slip away as a |
| Depending on the nature of your home business, you | | | | result of taking personal phone calls. When you work |
| might not need full time childcare, but if you have | | | | from home, you might decide that you will not take |
| young children and you work at home, you probably | | | | personal calls during your scheduled work hours. This |
| will need at least a few hours of childcare each week. | | | | strategy becomes easier to put in place when you |
| Planning a few hours of childcare ahead of time | | | | have a dedicated business phone line or number (so |
| (maybe even trading days with another work at | | | | you know which calls to ignore). |
| home parent) can go hand in hand with setting up a | | | | This time management strategy has been very |
| work schedule and sticking to it. I'd also suggest that | | | | useful to help me focus when I need to. After all, if |
| you shouldn't cancel your childcare days if you don't | | | | you were off at a traditional workplace you wouldn't |
| think you're going to be busy. It's amazing how | | | | be picking up endless personal calls. |
| quickly things pop up, and you will be glad you had | | | | Give Yourself Space |
| the time set aside. | | | | Many people who have a home based business try |
| Minimize Distractions on Your Computer | | | | to grab bits of time to work on tasks while kids are |
| Often people who work from home use their home | | | | playing or between loads of laundry. That strategy |
| computer for both business and personal use. Storing | | | | can be fine for simple tasks, but for more complex |
| your home business documents and email in the | | | | tasks, you really need a dedicated work space where |
| same place as your personal documents and email | | | | you can get away and think. |
| can cause time management issues if you're not | | | | Without a dedicated home office space, most people |
| careful. | | | | who work from home will really struggle to focus on |
| It's amazing how easy it is to become distracted by | | | | more complex tasks. From a time management point |
| personal things, like reading the five email jokes your | | | | of view, the less you focus, the more time you will |
| friend just sent you and then forwarding them to all | | | | waste and the longer it will take to finish a task. |
| of your other friends, when you're supposed to be | | | | When you're running a home business, time |
| working on something else, like your home business. | | | | management can be a challenge. If you recognize |
| Setting up a separate, business only email address | | | | that work time often doesn't just happen without |
| and user account on your computer is a useful time | | | | planning, schedule your work time and use a few |
| management strategy when you're working from | | | | simple strategies to minimize distractions, you will find |
| home. That way, when you're in your home business | | | | that getting to work when you're working from |
| user account, you know you're working. You will | | | | home is much easier. |
| have to log out and switch to your personal user | | | | |