Time Management For Home Business Owners

As each day passes, and more and more things need to get done
with your business, you may find yourself alittle overwhelmed
with how much is left to be done. This is nothing new, and a
problem that almost every home business owner encounters.

There are too many things to do, and such little time! So how
does one get all of these things done without interfering with
family and friends time? The answer is simple enough, but not
very easy to do. It's called Time Management. Managing your
time to make your time spent during "business hours" the most
productive it can be.

There are many distractions when running an online business that
many people easily become victims of. Some at home examples are
things that consist of your everyday. Things like the chores
that need tending to, eager kids simply wanting your attention,
the television blaring, dogs barking, errands that need to be
ran, and on down the line.

Some classic examples of distractions that occur online are not
as easy to identify, but can consume many hours if you're not
aware of this. A good example includes just "surfing" for
something, and you get sidetracked and end up reading something
that you weren't even looking for to begin with! Another classic
example is how many times you check your email a day, or how
much time has passed before you last checked it. How much time
do you spend visiting discussion boards or online communities?
What about the emails you respond to? How much of your time is
consumed by that? These are all examples of distractions that
can get in the way of your businesses productivity.

It all boils down to time management. Listed below are some good
things to consider when using your time online for business.

1) Make A List

You've probably heard this before and with good reason! Write
the things you need to do with your business down on a piece of
paper. List in order the things by two factors. One is the
importance, and the second is which of the things you least would
like to do.

Once you have your list, put them in order of the things most
important and are you're least favorite at the very top of the
list. This way, the more important things that need to be done
will get done first, and you won't procrastinate because it's
written down. As you progress with your list, you'll find that
the last things you need to do will go by very quickly because
you'll enjoy doing it.

2) Set a time Limit

Let's say you spend on average 2 hours browsing forums and
discussion boards on a daily basis. Is this really necessary? I
mean, there are alot of good resources out the on forums, and
you get to interact with like-minded individuals.. but is this
helping your business?

The best way to stick to a plan is by giving yourself a specific
amount of elotted time for each activity you conduct online. If
you normally spend 2 hours in forums, and think this is simply
taking too much away from your business, set a limit on how much
you do it. Say to yourself, "Ok Jason, I will participate in
forums for no more than 45 minutes. From exactly 12:15 to 1:00
today, I will spend this time browsing forums and being an active
member." And stick with it!

3) Give Yourself A Break!

This may sound a little contradictory, but it's very true. If
you have been working consistently for a few hours online, and
find yourself to be slipping into the "dull glare" mode, give
yourself a break. Step away from your computer for 30 mintues,
and move around. Go to the fridge and grab a nice cold drink,
and relax a bit. When you get done, you will feel more fresh and
will be more focused on your list that you've already made to
complete your daily business tasks.

4) Punish Yourself For Not Sticking With It.

This may seem a little weird, but it will work if you give it a
chance to. For example, let's say that you need to get something
done by a certain date and you don't. To make things more
productive for you, punish yourself for not getting it done! I
personally love those Little Debbie "Star Crunch" cakes. I
usually have one every day. One time I told myself, I said,
"Self, if I can't eat a Star Crunch unless I get these webpages
uploaded by 5:20 today!". And when 5:20 came, I didn't have it
done. So I punished myself for not completing the task by the
time I set. I didn't eat one that day.

Let's say you have a favorite TV show you absolutely love
watching. You must complete 3 things on your list before you can
watch it. And stick with it! Believe it or not, it actually
works! But only if you stick with it.

Having many distractions can make things a bit more difficult
with productivity when spending your time online. The first
things to do to solve the time management problem is to identify
what things are keeping you from being productive in your online
business. The next step is to avoid these things at all costs.
The hardest part is identifing these distractions. But after
you do, more than half the battle is already over! I wish you
much success with your businss and all your on and offline
goals!