Is Working From Home All Roses?

Honestly, sometimes it is and…sometimes it isn’t. Many of us fall in love with the idea of working in our favorite pajamas or t-shirts and jeans, working when you choose to whether you’re an early riser or a night owl, no commuting to get to the office on time or just simply not having to answer to “the boss.”

There are many, many benefits to working from home.

But…there is also a flip side to the benefits. I’ve found that sometimes it can be very difficult or almost impossible to achieve anything…

Why?

- The phone calls

- Family and friends wanting to meet for lunch

- Friends and family members wanting you to take them to a doctor, dentist or chiropractor appointment etc..

- Noticing things around the house that need done

- Spending too much time reading e-mails, surfing the Internet or reading your Facebook page updates

- Oh what a beautiful day it is! I think I’ll take the day off and enjoy the weather

Interruptions such as these take away your focus and concentration from your business, leaving you busy…but not productive.

Anyone can get off track…the beginner – the advanced and yes, even the big shots. One unexpected phone call can change your output for the entire day.

So what’s the answer?

Something so simple…Goal Setting.

I’ve  listened to numerous – very well known – successful Internet Marketers who set goals for themselves every single day. I figured it really couldn’t make that much of a difference. Boy, was I wrong!

This is so simple to do, however, you must stick to it for it to be effective.

First things first…

- Set 1 hour aside to go through your e-mails, make phone calls or any other miscellaneous things that need taken care of. This can be around lunch time or at the end of the day.

If you start the day off reading your emails first, chances are you’ll never get away from them…spending all day either answering them or being distracted by following all the links to several products or services you think you need to know about.

This next one was a “biggy” for me…

- Let everyone know you are working. This is your job. They need to respect your wishes. People think just because you’re home that you are at their beckoned call. Let friends and family members know what time you will be available and stick to it. Even go as far as putting up a sign on your door saying “do not disturb” or “working until noon.” They’ll learn not to bother you.

- Whatever is the best time of the day for you is when you do the most important goals first. You’re fresh and ready to tackle anything.

- As you start scratching off goal after goal, you’ll be getting some serious work done, achieving results faster and faster.

- If you don’t finish everything on your list for the day, make those unfinished goals a priority for the next day.

And whatever you do, don’t make your goals unachievable! You’ll become discouraged if you set your standards too high and will literally not accomplish any of them. Believe me, I’ve done it!

Just set your goals daily, personally and professionally, and you’ll be amazed how this keeps your focus and concentration centered on what you need to accomplish. This works, and works well.

We’re all very busy with kids, work, family, friends, etc. Follow a protocol to get these goals accomplished in a timely manner.

With that being said, feel free to use this template for your own personal use to keep your mind focused on the tasks at hand..

My Top 10 Goals to be Achieved: ( In no specific order…just list )

Date:__________________________

1.)____________________________
2.)____________________________
3.)____________________________
4.)____________________________
5.)____________________________
6.)____________________________
7.)____________________________
8.)____________________________
9.)____________________________
10.)___________________________

Now, put in order of importance: First one being the most important, last one the least important. Example…

1.)____________________________6
2.)____________________________9
3.)____________________________8
4.)____________________________1
5.)____________________________7
6.)____________________________3
7.)____________________________4
8.)____________________________10
9.)____________________________2
10.)___________________________5

Now, List the Top 5:

1.)____________________________
2.)____________________________
3.)____________________________
4.)____________________________
5.)____________________________

Another tip: Put a time limit on each one of the top five. Now, some of these goals might take longer, some not that much, but it gives you a rough idea or a “guestimate” on how long you think it will take to achieve each given goal.

Example: If you are an early riser, start there.

6am__Goal number 1_____________________________
7am__Goal number 1_____________________________
8am__Goal number 2_____________________________
9am__Goal number 3_____________________________

Are you understanding the importance of this? Certainly you will be amazed at what you can accomplish when these goals are written down for you to specifically follow.

Now like I said, don’t get discouraged if you only meet 1 or 2 goals written. Just copy forward to the next day, and if something more important arises you can always change things in order of importance. This is the beauty of writing your goals down manually.

You can flip, reverse, add and subtract whenever you need to!

By following this model on a daily basis, you will be one of those who accomplishes more in one day than most people get done in a week. For you, working from home will be all roses!

Try it for a week or so and leave your comments on how it has helped you plan your day, get more accomplished, and have more free time left for you!