Home Business Schedule

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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

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Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better

Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better

by: Gina Trapani

Amazon Price: $18.89 (as of 07/11/2009)Buy Now

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.

Need tips? 

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

by: Brian Tracy

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/11/2009)Buy Now

Time Passing By 

Digital Chess Clock by TomGazpacho

Digital Chess Clock

Analog Chess Clock by TomGazpacho

Analog Chess Clock

DSC_0067 by n0nick

DSC_0067

10July09 ~ snooze by g_kat26

10July09 ~ snooze

IMG_0121 by ttarasiuk

IMG_0121

Musee d'Orsay by jchong

Musee d'Orsay

Oriental Textile Mill Building, Houston Heights, Texas 0709091300BW by accent on eclectic

Oriental Textile Mil...

Vintage Bulova Accutron Date by alexkerhead

Vintage Bulova Accut...

St. Mary's Church, Putney, London. by Jim Linwood

St. Mary's Church, P...

St. Mary's Church Tower, Putney, London. by Jim Linwood

St. Mary's Church To...

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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.

Share Your Favorite Time Management Titles 

1

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The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss

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

2

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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

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

3

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

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4

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First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman

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

5

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The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Jeff Cox

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?

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Yup

GrowWear says:

Scheduling is a must. Mine is not perfected yet, but I am working on it.

Posted December 17, 2008

gmarlett says:

I do, I work almost non-stop!

Posted August 08, 2008

Nope

GroovyFinds says:

Nope my work priorities change from hour to hour so I just go with the flow.

Posted July 11, 2009

 
 
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Share Your Time Management Tips & Questions 

Lensmaster

GrowWear wrote...

Very nice and helpful lens. If we don't learn to control our time, it will control us, that's for sure.

ReplyPosted December 17, 2008

Lensmaster

tdove wrote...

Thanks for joining G Rated Lense Factory!

ReplyPosted September 27, 2008

Lensmaster

gmarlett wrote...

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!

ReplyPosted August 08, 2008

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