Today I am pleased to welcome Aurelia Williams to the blog as a guest expert for part of her Journey to Joy Blog Tour. WTR is Aurelia’s first stop in her week long blog tour. Below is Aurelia’s guest post.
As a work at home mom (aka WAHM), one of the biggest struggles you probably face is staying focused for any length of time. When working from home, you probably have little ones running around, meals to make, and spouses needing your attention or perhaps young teens who may need to be driven here or there. Or you may find yourself being distracted by other things. How many times have you turned on your computer, with the full intention of pumping out a couple hours of work, only to find yourself pulled into one or more social networking sites, such as Facebook or Twitter? Next thing you know, you’ve just wasted 2 hours chit chatting instead of working.
Here are a couple of tips you can use to help avoid those distractions.
1. Set a schedule. If you know you only have 45 minutes in a day where you can work without distractions or interruptions, prioritize your work to get the most important job or jobs done during that time. If you have a room in your home designated as your office, close yourself in there, if you can, for those 45 minutes or whatever amount of time you have. If it’s baby’s nap time, for instance, don’t spend that time social networking or checking email. Spend that time doing your money making activities or client work. Don’t open your email, Facebook or Twitter during this time if at all possible.
2. Plan ahead. If you’ve only got 45 minutes a day for uninterrupted work, you need to be prepared and have a plan. If you don’t, you’ll end up spending that time thinking about what to do or what to blog about. Carry a notebook and pen with you at all times, or use a voice recorder to record blog ideas, marketing strategies, or whatever the case may be. Then when you sit down to work, open your notebook and get to work. You won’t have to spend that precious, uninterrupted time thinking about what to do; instead you’ll find yourself being much more productive in a short amount of time.
Time management is one of the area’s which work at home moms struggle with the most. We love working from home because we can set our own schedule, we are our own boss and we can work around our family life, yet most work at home moms end up floundering around, unfocused and unproductive. Make time management a priority and soon you will begin reaping the benefits, and profits, you so desire.
Contest
Don’t forget to leave your feedback on this post. One lucky commenter will win the Journey to Joy Gift package that includes:
1. A free session with the Real Life Coach, Aurelia Williams
2. A copy of the Journey to Joy e-book
3. A $25 Bath and Body Works Gift Card
All you have to do for your chance to win is comment on this post and the others in the Journey to Joy blog tour. For each comment that you leave your name will be entered into the drawing for the prize. Comments must be more than 15 words long and relevant.
A winner will be chosen at the end of the blog tour and announced on Monday March 1, 2010. Be sure to provide your email address in the provided space so that you can be contacted in the event that you win.
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My biggest issue is setting a schedule. It just seems like I can't stick to it for some reason. I am trying to find a way to make a schedule that fits me but maybe I am the one that needs to conform :)
Great post Aurelia!
Kelly, Thanks for letting Aurelia stop by your blog this week :)
LaTara – that is a big concern for many people. Finding a good schedule that works for you is key… then sticking to it of course :)
Thanks for your comment.
I'm right there with LaTara! I'm horrible at setting a schedule. Honestly, I can't remember the last time where I actually sat down and sat okay here's what I'm going to do and stick with it. I find myself getting lost in the moment then stressing out when I realize how many moments just passed by and I have gotten no where!
Perhaps I need to schedule a time to schedule!
I think you hit on something there, LaTara, when you said maybe you are the one that needs to conform. I, too, have a hard time sticking to a set schedule. I recently adjusted mine “to fit me” more. I think some people's personalities are such that they have a hard time sticking to a schedule. My youngest daughter is very schedule oriented and is a planner. She has no problem sticking to a schedule, and even gets frustrated when the schedule or plan gets changed without much notice. I, on the other hand, am more of a “go with the flow” kind of girl, and tend to “fly by the seat of my pants” making it harder to stick to a set schedule….but I'm trying :)
Alaina — as silly as it may sound — scheduling a time to set a schedule is the 1st step :). Be sure to design a schedule that fits you. Schedules aren't one size fits all and you may have to do some tweaking until you get your schedule just right.
Start off during a week that isn't too “crazy” then you can work other things into your schedule. 1st step is to ask yourself… Should I manage my schedule on paper or electronically? Then take it from there starting with the things that you do on a regular basis (pencil or type those items in automatically).
One of my favorite tips about time management is this. “Go to bed as the boss and wake up as the employee.” In other words, it really helps me to spend a few minutes at the end of each evening figuring out what the following day is going to bring. I then try to make preparations as best I can for the next day so that I can wake up and get right to work without having to think about what I have to do that day. Now, this doesn't always happen like clockwork but when I stick to that idea, it really makes a difference in my productivity level. Best wishes with your blog tour Aurelia!
Nikki — I love that saying! Thanks for your comments and the well wishes on the tour. Its a blast so far :)
I've pretty much given up on the whole schedule thing. I've tried and tried and tried some more over the last 4 years to make a schedule & stick to it to no avail. I tend to be more of a night owl and that's often when I find I'm most productive!
However, I do still have my Monday through Friday business hours set on my blog but very rarely do I work those hours (of course the business hours are for the sole purpose of letting prospective clients & current clients know that I don't work on the weekends and here's the hours I do work…as long as I'm meeting my deadlines they don't need to know I'm not working during those business hours if I don't feel like working then).
Tishia – if it isn't broke.. don't fix it :) If that schedule works for you then GREAT. Actually you do have a schedule… you work at night and that's when you are most productive. I think its great that you stick with that and not try to “conform” to what others may see as the “norm”. Keep up the great work. Hey, are you getting rest during the daytime then?
I went from a full time job while I was pregnant and for the first 9 months of her life to a mostly work at home job and I love your ideas about setting aside time. My husband is off Mon and Tues and I have made it clear to him that those are my days to work all day if needed. Although I still have the flexibility to not work all day if I want. I really need to move my desk to a separate room so the baby doesn't climb or pull everything off of the top of my desk. I also think one of the most important thing for WAHM is to still get out of the house for yourself. I mean no grocery shopping and other work stuff. Actually do something for yourself even if it is a one hour yoga class once a week. I am lucky that we have free yoga and kickboxing if you have a child taking tae kwon do lessons. I live in a really small rural town so this really surprised me. Check out what is available in your area.