Article by Stefani Padilla

I was listening to a time management guru online the other day, and he gave this simple time management technique. He said:

“I want you to write down your top 3 distractions, whatever they may be.

Once you have them written down, all you have to do is eliminate them.”

Excuse me as I pick myself up of the floor from laughing. You see, my top 3 distractions are my 8 year old, my 4 year old, and my 20 month old! I cannot really see myself “eliminating” them!

Now, of course what the guru meant was if it’s e-mail, close your e-mail program, turn off your IM’s, and shut down Twitter. But it also goes to show how different men and women, (and even women and moms) work from home. For the work at home mom, you can’t simply “eliminate” your top distractions, actually, what you have to do is distract your distractions!

Here are a few tips for distracting your distractions if you’re a work at home mom.

Play Dough

I only bring out the play dough when I am trying to work. And I only bring it out in the kitchen. Sure I end up with an extra hour of cleanup getting those little play dough pieces off the floor, but if I get anything accomplished in the hour it distracts them, I still consider myself ahead.

Bubble Machines

In my experience, a bubble machine is good for about 20 minutes of un-interrupted work time. These are those little machines that you put in a battery or plug it in, add a little bubble solution, and ta da – it blows the bubbles for you! They are best used outside, however, if I use it inside, it tends to give my floor a bit of a between the mopping cleaning! (Now if only I could find a non-toxic floor cleaner that makes good bubbles, then I could really take advantage of this little invention.)

Computer Games

Although it only really distracts one child at a time, two at the most, I try to pick up educational computer games on a regular basis. You can get many for less than , some even less than . That way I feel a little better about letting my kids spend time on the computer. Depending on the game and the child, I can get anywhere from 20 minutes to almost an hour (or more if I let it go that far) of uninterrupted work time.

Nap Time

It’s free, it’s easy (if practiced regularly) and it’s usually worth at least an hour! Yes, the afternoon nap. When my kids are too old for the nap (like my 8 year old), I simply call it a “quiet time.” Set the timer, and set them on their beds with several books and get to work. The hour will be up before you know it.

Television

Well, I hate to admit it, but yes, I use the television to distract my kids. I have a television in the room with my computer, so I usually have them watch in there so that I can monitor what they watch. I’ve found that even on “safe” channels, there are often commercials or things that I may not approve of, so just to be sure, I make my kids watch cable in the same room with me. We also have a stash of DVD’s that I’ve already approved of, and those they can watch in a different room. I’ve also discovered that the public library is a good source for DVD’s to help change things up without costing me a fortune.

Last Resort

As a last resort, when I can’t seem to distract my kids, I simply take a break and spend some extra time with them playing a game or reading a book or taking a walk. Sometimes all kids want is your attention, and there is no substitute for that. And that is what makes working from home so great!

Article by Sheri Purfield

Time management can be a big issue for stay at home moms that have many things going on in their lives. For mothers that truly want the best for themselves and their families, time management can play a major role as to their success.

If you always feel rushed and you feel you can’t get anything completed during the day you might want to address your time management methods. If you have the feeling of not being able to focus on one thing at a time and not being able to handle distractions well, then you should take a step away from the action and relearn the basics.

Time management is a simple concept: plan and organize your schedule to make your time as clear and productive as possible. However, as with most stay at home moms, we must accept that there will be plenty adversity during the day and we have to deal with it.

If you are finding that you are pressed for free time or that you just feel too busy chasing your kids around, here are some tips to make your time more productive and find some time for yourself.

Wake up a Little Earlier and Take Time to Take Care of Yourself

Remember you have control as to when you wake up. Consider waking up a little earlier. I find that taking the first 30 – 60 minutes of the day to just think does wonders for my mental outlook. Take a few minutes to have a cup of coffee or tea and write down what you need to do for the day or maybe do absolutely nothing. If you want, write down any tasks you promised your family or yourself to do earlier and prioritize as to when you can complete them.

If you really want to do something great take on exercising: wake up 60 minutes earlier than your family and work out. Movement is a great way to start the day and it clears your mind. There is so much to be said for exercising and living a healthy life style. The point is that you want to give yourself a head start. Again: you can control when you wake up.

Take Control of Incoming Demands

Children can be a very powerful distraction that can easily take your focus away. I have two young children (six and three years old) and it seems that they have a request every 30 seconds. Some days I’m reaching for the Excedrin by 9:00 am. However, you must embrace the fact that your family comes first.

The best thing to do here is to try your best to teach your children to ask for things one at a time and also (if age permits) show them how to do things on their own. If you are doing something very important and it’s not a life and death request from your child, try to defer it until you complete the task. Your time can be well spent by teaching your kids to take care of a few things themselves when they ask for something.

Keep a Note Book and Pen Handy

Try to keep a note book with yourself at all times. As long as you are not driving or doing something dangerous, it is best to write down your random thoughts in a note book. This way you can decide what to do with the task when you are ready to review new information. This is a good way to decide if an idea is good enough to pursue. More importantly you can prioritize the idea.

Writing down your ideas and forgotten tasks in a note book can be a powerful tool in dealing with distractions. If you are like me (with a mind going a mile a minute), a note pad and pen is essential to time management.

Time management is necessary for almost anyone in this super busy world we live in. However, I feel it’s even more important for stay at home moms because we are responsible for keeping our families together. Our days are filled with running around for our children, working on multiple projects at the same time plus some of us try to juggle school or a home business. So time management skills are definitely needed and can really help.

Article by Harrold Swalve

People who work at home have the freedom to set their schedules and hours. However, it can be difficult to stay on task with so many additional distractions when you work at home. Here are some time management tips to help you stay on task as you work at home.

First of all, have a set agenda when you use your computer and go online as you work at home. Keep a list of your daily tasks and goals and stick to your list. It’s very easy to stray from your work tasks and check your personal email or just surf the net. Work from your to-do list and cross off your tasks as you accomplish each one. You should group similar tasks together. Check your email 2 or 3 times daily and answer your email at those same times. Work on one project at time and stick with that project until you are finished. Jumping between tasks as you work at home takes more time.

Assess your needs and see if it is justifiable to get wireless Internet and/or a laptop for your work at home needs. A laptop can enable to you to take your work with you if need be. This might be beneficial if you spend a lot of time waiting for kids at practices or if you are watching your kids in the yard while you try to work at home.

Identify things at home that waste your time. Perhaps friends call to talk or your favorite television show comes on during the middle of the day. Try to eliminate these time wasters as you work at home. Don’t answer the phone for personal calls during your work time and avoid household distractions such as the television.

Use a timer to keep on task. Allow yourself so much time for a break or to accomplish quick tasks and stick to that set amount time. Having a routine helps with time management. A routine allows you to do task automatically and takes up less time. For instance, checking your email first thing everyday as you work at home can become routine and help you to get your day started right away. A routine allows your day to run more smoothly.

Finally, you have to set limits for yourself. Sometimes it’s not feasible to get all your work at home projects accomplished in one day. Make sure your goals are realistic and can be accomplished in the time you have allotted for them. Following these few rules can help you save time as you work at home and make your days a little easier.

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Article by Regi Ross

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Article by Pasi Kaarakainen

Something that countless individuals struggle with in life is managing time. It can be difficult fitting everything into the schedule; especially with internet marketing. When running a home business on the internet, there are countless responsibilities you are in charge of. With these five time management tips you will have no problem accomplishing everything you set out to do.

1. Where is the time going?

Before anything else you have to figure out what are your problem areas. In order to determine where you are wasting time the most, take out a pen and paper and track your schedule for a few days. Every time you switch tasks jot down what it is you are doing, what time in the day you do it, and how long you end up spending on the task.

2. Prioritize

You will quickly learn when running a home business on the internet there simply is not enough time in the day to finish everything. For this reason, prioritization becomes crucial. If you are aware of which things are necessary to do today and which can be postponed for tomorrow it is easier to stay with your schedule.

3. Plan

A lot of people find it is helpful to wake up each morning and write out a plan to follow. First you should write down all the tasks you need to get done. Then, try to imagine how much time it takes to complete each of the tasks. Finally, make your schedule for that day and stick with it. It is important to stick with your schedule because otherwise it will limit what you get done for that day.

4. Set goals

Goal setting is beneficial for countless things in life, including managing your time. For example, aim to complete five or six different tasks every day. You can also try to spend a half an hour with a task that is not very appealing for you. Having motivation can really push you to the limit while helping the business excel.

5. Break large tasks down

There is nothing worse than seeing this large task and dwelling on it for days. Starting some big project that needs to get done can be very intimidating. It is unappealing and will ultimately sit in the back of your mind until it is finally completed.

But if you break it down into several small tasks, it will seem like far less of a big deal. You can take different aspects of the task and complete them throughout the day, or simply spend 20 minutes every day eating away at the project for your home business on the internet.

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Article by Grant Shields

Thanks to the Internet, more and more people are now realizing their dreams of starting up their own business even on a very small capital by simply setting up an office right in the comfort of their own home. Unfortunately, home offices have their own downside. Because you are working at home, trying to juggle the things that you have to do at home and completing the tasks that you need to accomplish for your home business can be quite a challenge. The solution for this is to learn how to effectively manage your time in order to accomplish both your responsibilities at work and at home. Here are just some effective time management tips that you can try out.Identify the TasksThe first thing to do is to make a list of all of the tasks you will need to accomplish within the entire day. The best time to do this is at night before you go to bed or in the morning as soon as you wake up. Categorize these tasks into three: family, your home business and yourself. If there are any deadlines that come along with this, make sure that you also include these deadlines in your list. By doing this, you are now able to determine which are the most important tasks that you will need to complete immediately and which ones that you can do later in the day.Start with the Most DemandingQuite often than not, many people would often tend to start off with the simplest tasks first and then work on the most difficult ones later in the belief that they would be able to accomplish more. While this may be true, remember that you will be juggling with both responsibilities both at work and at home. By leaving off the more difficult tasks to accomplish later on in the day, you may eventually find yourself being unable to complete this at all because you are already feeling tired and worn down. Instead, start with the most difficult tasks first in the beginning of the day where you are the most alert and have the most amount of energy, and then slowly work your way down to the simpler tasks that require minimal concentration and energy on your part.Take a NapAnother helpful tip is to allot some time to take a power nap of 30 minutes early in the afternoon. This way, you are able to allow your body and your mind to relax and recharge itself to help you complete all of the tasks you need to accomplish within the day more effectively without feeling drained or stressed.