Why You Need A Work-At-Home Schedule
One of the attractions of working at home is the vision of freedom it invokes - no time clock, no time sheets, and no one to account to for how you spend your time. Yes, it is an attractive proposition, but like so many attractive propositions there is a heavy downside - you are likely wasting a lot of time.
- Internet home business
- Home based business
Need advice?
Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better
Amazon Price: $18.89 (as of 12/28/2009)
What's here?
Really?
My husband spends time every day filling out these large spreadsheets to account for his day. He works for a large engineering company and his day often encompasses work on a variety of projects for different clients. He loathes the activity and I have always dismissed it as a waste of time - that is until my home business recently took off and I realized there simply wasn't enough hours in the day to accomplish all my goals.
I now have my own spread sheet and agenda for the day and I have improved my productivity and reduced my stress immeasurably. If you don't think you need a schedule for your home business then think again - and read on.
After a spate of relatively unproductive days when my "To Do" list seemed to grow exponentially every time I looked at it I knew something had to change.
Granted I was going through a rough patch. My home business was experiencing growing pains and taking up more than the usual time, my four-year-old was only in preschool part-time, my husband wasn't pulling his weight on the home front, and my extended family was experiencing a number of crises. But I'm also old enough to know there is never a perfect time in life - you just live the one you've got. These are simply the problems I'm dealing with this year. Next year these problems will be traded in for new fresh ones.
I now have my own spread sheet and agenda for the day and I have improved my productivity and reduced my stress immeasurably. If you don't think you need a schedule for your home business then think again - and read on.
After a spate of relatively unproductive days when my "To Do" list seemed to grow exponentially every time I looked at it I knew something had to change.
Granted I was going through a rough patch. My home business was experiencing growing pains and taking up more than the usual time, my four-year-old was only in preschool part-time, my husband wasn't pulling his weight on the home front, and my extended family was experiencing a number of crises. But I'm also old enough to know there is never a perfect time in life - you just live the one you've got. These are simply the problems I'm dealing with this year. Next year these problems will be traded in for new fresh ones.
Need tips?
Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 12/28/2009)
Time Passing By
¿Siempre estamos a...
P1000256
P1000257
P1000255
the cat watch
Clock
Watch
Chess
IMG_4497
Above the bar @ The...
automatically generated by Flickr
What To Do?
After studying my time and chatting with some other work-at-home folks, I discovered five reasons to embrace the schedule:
1. It's too easy to waste time doing nonpriority tasks
2. It's too easy to get sidetracked or distracted from your current task
3. Unscheduled work time can often overlap into your free time until you don't have any free time at all
4. Your free time can overlap into your work time until you fall behind with important projects
5. Concentrating your time and effort on highest priority projects means more gets done
I'm not the only work at home business person encompassing the schedule. I recently took part in an online forum where men and womenhad moved to embrace it - and found it more freeing than restrictive. After all, you are still the one setting the schedule so you are free to schedule yourself off for a 3-hour lunch, an afternoon, or a whole day whenever you choose.
If you find it difficult setting up your schedule and priorities for the day and week then perhaps your significant other or a friend can help you set your schedule.
1. It's too easy to waste time doing nonpriority tasks
2. It's too easy to get sidetracked or distracted from your current task
3. Unscheduled work time can often overlap into your free time until you don't have any free time at all
4. Your free time can overlap into your work time until you fall behind with important projects
5. Concentrating your time and effort on highest priority projects means more gets done
I'm not the only work at home business person encompassing the schedule. I recently took part in an online forum where men and womenhad moved to embrace it - and found it more freeing than restrictive. After all, you are still the one setting the schedule so you are free to schedule yourself off for a 3-hour lunch, an afternoon, or a whole day whenever you choose.
If you find it difficult setting up your schedule and priorities for the day and week then perhaps your significant other or a friend can help you set your schedule.
Share Your Favorite Time Management Titles
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
What do you do? Tim Ferriss has trouble answering more...1 point
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
In today's world, yesterday's methods just don't w more...0 points
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
In <i>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopl more...0 points
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman
The greatest managers in the world seem to have li more...0 points
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Jeff Cox
Over 2 million copies sold! Used by thousands of c more...0 points
How well do you manage your time?
Do you have a work at home schedule?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYup
Nope
GroovyFinds says:
Nope my work priorities change from hour to hour so I just go with the flow.
Posted July 11, 2009
Need help?
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Business & Marketing Articles From Deanna Mascle
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byShare Your Time Management Tips & Questions
submit
-
Reply
- GrowWear GrowWear Dec 17, 2008 @ 7:28 am
- Very nice and helpful lens. If we don't learn to control our time, it will control us, that's for sure.
-
Reply
- tdove tdove Sep 27, 2008 @ 2:06 pm
- Thanks for joining G Rated Lense Factory!
-
Reply
- gmarlett gmarlett Aug 8, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
- I tend to take a long view of time, but could use some time management for sure. Nice lens and welcome (again) to the Squidoo All-Stars!
The Isle of Squid
You can find us on by rwoman
I have come to terms with my Squidoo addiction at Squidooholic by taking the Squidoo Pledge! But being a Squidooholic can't be all bad as it helped me...
(more)Explore related pages
Isagenix International Product Review: 9 Day Cleanse, 30 Day Cleanse, Isalean Shake, Weight Loss, Diet, Isagenix Distributor- From Your Independent Isagenix International Distributor. Isagenix Internat...
Home Based Business Idea - Best Home Business Opportunities- Home Based Business Idea... Now you can find and research the best home based bu...
Starting A Home Based Business
- Every year millions of people answer "Yes" to that question and every year that...
Work From Home Based Business Opportunity
- Learn how to start your own home based business opportunity I have lost track o...
Home Business Opportunity- Just about everyone has at least giving a passing thought to starting a business...
Small Business Management
- One problem that many small business owners run into is simply thinking too smal...
