Time Management Basics When Working From Home

Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time at home either working, watching kids, or looking for something to do because you're unemployed, you know that time can simply slip right through your fingers. The entire day can just be gone in the flash of an eye with no significant accomplishments being completed.  You could have the best intentions of doing the laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, putting in several job applications...and then you get online or you start something else and then POOF...the day is gone.  The kids are home from school, the spouse is home from work and it's time for dinner.  You then look back on your day and think "Why didn't I get these things accomplished?"

Well don't be too hard on yourself.  The first step is being able to recognize when it's time to search for some answers and put together an action plan. :)


Through the course of working from home and attending some excellent courses on Time Management, I've learned and developed some tips to making the most of your time.
 
Adopt some of these principles and actions into your own daily life to help you accomplish the tasks at hand.
 
1.  Make a list starting the night before of the things you'd like to get accomplished the following day. (Take 10-15 minutes to start putting these tasks to paper and then know you will be adding to them possibly the next morning)
 
2. Each morning, take the time to get yourself ready for the day.  Taking a shower, getting dressed, doing your hair and/or putting on your makeup go a long way in setting your mindset for the day.  This time could also be used to complete other personal tasks such as exercise, yoga, scripture study, etc.  Putting yourself first and getting these things out of the way will enable you to feel confident as you start your day of business.  Whether that "business" is processing client invoices, making phone calls, or doing the laundry...the tasks are not important.  The important part is making sure YOU are taken care of before you try to take care of anything else.
 
3.  Take 10-15 minutes to analyze and priortize the task list you have created for the day.  You can use a "abc-numeric system" or simply list them in a specific order with check boxes for completion.  When thinking of your daily tasks, be sure to include things relating to not only what you'd like to accomplish but the things you have to do such as pick up Johnny from school, or run Suzie to her 4pm dentist appt.  Putting ALL the activities in your daily lists will help save you from unnecessary stress.
 
4.  Use a paper planner and/or family notebook to keep track of your scheduled events, dr. visits and other vital appointments.  When you use a paper planner such as a Franklin, all the tools you will need to plan your daily activities will be at your finger tips each day/week/month.  For stay-at-home moms/dads, Family Notebooks have become a great tool in organizing your family.  You can find out more information on these at http://www.organizedhome.com/.
 
5.  When working from home, set your business hours.  This one item is VITAL for your business.  Be sure you figure out the times you will be working each day of every week and post those by your computer and/or on the fridge so the other people in your household know the schedule as well.  Once you have set your "business hours", commit to doing worthwhile activities that promote or further your business during those times.  Alphabetizing your Rolodex for the 3rd time doesn't count as a "worthwhile" activity. :)
 
6.  Schedule business training into your weekly activities.  Many times we don't put these items on our task lists and then we just don't make the time.  If you don't have regularly scheduled training that is put on by someone else in which you just attend, then use the time to research information on businesses like yours online, network with other like-minded individuals or attend training on business building skills.  Keeping your mind engaged will catapult your successes.
 
7.  When planning long term goals, success or activities break down the time and activities you will have to do each month, week and day in order to reach that goal.  Once you have those activities broken down put them into your daily, weekly, monthly task lists with a projected completion date if desired.  Something I learned recently was that the "projected completion date" isn't as vital as knowing the baby-steps needed to complete your goal and putting those into action.  The theory is if you have broken down the steps necessary to complete your long term task and you are completing those tasks on a daily, weekly, monthly basis you will automatically reach your goal within the projected time frame.  And that putting a specific time frame could set you up for emotional let down.  On the other side of that coin, some people believe having an "end date" in mind helps you stay focused and pushes you to work harder.  So decide for yourself whether or not the "projected completion or end date" is for you.  Either way be sure to break down all the smaller steps necessary to complete your larger projects and add those to your daily lists.
 
8.  When you put together new plans or new time management techniques, be sure to give yourself two-three full weeks of committing to these techniques before expecting them to be second nature. 
 
Developing new habits can be difficult at first but most find they are so very rewarding in the end.  So get busy, spend a few minutes putting your days together and maximize your efforts for success!
 
Good luck in your endeavors!