5 Tips For Staying On Task
by Melody
Distractions, whether intentional or not can totally blow a work-day. Here are a few ways to help you stay on task:
Create & Use To Do Lists
Before you sign off for the night, make a list of the things you must get done the following day. Then mark items off as you complete them.
Break Down Large Projects
Large projects can be overwhelming. Instead of thinking of the whole project, try breaking it down into manageable tasks. Add just one or two tasks to each day’s To Do list and before you know it, the whole project will be complete.
Use A Timer
Does it seem like you are always working on the same task? Try using a timer to remind of when to stop. Decide how long you want to spend on a task, set the timer and when it goes off, stop and move on to the next task.
Take a Break
If your mind keeps wandering, stop and take a break. A short walk, drink of water and a stretch will make you feel refreshed and ready to work.
Switch Tasks
If you simply cannot stay focused on a task, stop what you’re doing and move on to something new. Come back to the first task when you feel more focused.
Balancing Your Family and Home-Based Business: Ways to Reduce Stress and Be Productive
by Melody
If you own a home-based business, you may have found that you spend more time working and less time with your family, the reason you started a home-based business in the first place. Finding a balance between the two can be difficult because you want to be successful at both. What happens is you get tired, stressed and become unproductive in both areas.
You can successfully balance your home life and your home-based business. The key to finding balance is controlling your time first by deciding what you can and cannot do and then organizing yourself so that you complete your daily tasks more efficiently. When you begin each day knowing what you need to accomplish and how you are going to do it, you will get more work done, in less time and with less stress.
A schedule is crucial to your success at work, but even more necessary if you expect to have any time left for your family. When the workday is over; leave your desk, shut the door and give your family time the same undivided attention as you do your work. All the pressing business matters and unfinished projects can wait until the next day.
By following a schedule and accepting that it’s okay to leave unfinished work for another day, you may find you have fewer unfinished business matters at the end of the day and far less stress.
Here are some ways to use your time more effectively:
Prioritize. Write down everything that needs to be done and then prioritize the list.
Keep it simple. Don’t make everyday tasks harder than they have to be. Learn the quickest, easiest way to complete the task and do it that way every time.
Where are you going? If it’s your first time driving to a new location, get directions. A big time waster is driving around aimlessly trying to locate a building you were sure you knew how to get to. Instead, take 5 minutes to look on mapquest.com or maps.google.com and get driving directions.
Are you done? When you are organized, you can quickly see what has been completed and what needs to be finished. Using a to-do list is one of the easiest ways to keep track of your tasks. A simple spiral notebooks works great.
Declutter your office. If you don’t need it, want it or use it, why should you keep it? By eliminating clutter, you not only free up space but the time it takes to move all that unnecessary stuff around because it’s in your way.
Eliminate unnecessary interruptions. A pet peeve of mine is to be half way through a project that requires my complete attention and the phone rings or someone barges in and needs something done right now. For times like this, let your voice mail take your calls, give family members a 10 minute warning ahead of time so they can get all their questions, requests and emergencies out of the way before you begin. For smaller children, give them a quiet activity that they can do while you are working.
Toss Junk Mail. When going through the mail have a wastebasket next to you so you can toss any junk mail that you may have. Better yet, toss it at the post office so you don’t drag it home! While at the post office, buy stamps by the roll and envelopes in bulk so you have them on hand.
Plan your attack. Whether you are shopping for groceries, clothes or office supplies, you need to make it as quick and painless as possible. Instead of making short shopping trips every day, plan on doing all of your shopping once a week or if possible twice a month.
Make a list of what you need and where you have to go to buy it. Know your route and plan to shop for non-perishable items first and groceries last, while also trying to avoid backtracking. Only buy what’s on the list! As much as this hurts me to say - if you don’t have shoes on the list, stay out of the shoe section. Browsing wastes time and money.
Prepare in advance. Mornings will run a lot smoother if you set the kid’s school clothes, hair accessories, shoes & backpacks out the night before.
This is true of business tasks too. At the end of the workday, set out anything you know you will need the next morning. If you make all your calls first thing in the morning, leave yourself a pen, paper, any account information and the Rolodex out so it shaves off a few minutes the next morning.
Ask for help. If your business has grown to the point that you can no longer handle it alone, you may want to consider outsourcing certain jobs or hiring a virtual assistant.� You can have routine jobs or special projects completed by others and for a reasonable price. Virtual assistants are great at doing all the tedious, time consuming tasks that take up so much of your time.
You can balance your home and business if you get organized, manage your time wisely and set realistic goals as to what you can accomplish in one day. Making small changes in the way you work can add up to lots of extra time.
Work-At-Home Moms Can Be Organized Too!
by Melody
Working from home or operating a home-based business has many benefits, but one of the biggest issues that many people face is how to get organized so that they can be productive during work hours.
Many work-at-home moms (Wahms) choose to stay home so that they can increase the time spent with their families while still bringing in an income. The harsh reality is that often times, they end up working longer hours because they have too many little things to distract them. By getting organized you can reduce those distractions which will increase your free time.
GETTING ORGANIZED WILL
- Reduce stress for the entire family
- Increase productivity
- Optimize your work & personal space
- Increase free time to enjoy life
- Streamline your work flow
- Reduce procrastination for everyone
Getting organized can seem a little overwhelming but it’s really not that hard if you follow these steps before you begin.
Decide what you want organized and focus on that goal. Some people may only want to organize their desk or office while others may want their entire home to be organized including their schedules & meal planning. Either way is fine and you can always add to or take away areas as needed.
If you choose to tackle multiple rooms or the entire home, I suggest you break this ultimate goal into small, more manageable mini goals. If necessary, make yourself a note stating your ultimate goal and the time frame in which you wish to complete each mini goal and then post it where you can see it daily so you don’t lose your focus.
Be willing to replace old, undesirable habits like reading through junk mail with new, more productive habits such as tossing that junk before you leave the post office. The more you use your new skills, the sooner they will become a habit.
Take the time necessary to get your new system in place. You didn’t get disorganized overnight and you probably won’t get organized that fast either.
Realize that your new system must be maintained. Just like with a car, your system must have regular maintenance or it will eventually need a complete overhaul once again.
Determine where you would like everything to go. Make sure you choose a logical place for everything. Pencils, pens and paper clips shouldn’t go in the bottom drawer furthest from you if you use them daily. But if you have a supply of them, the extras can be stored in a plastic tub, shoe box or other container with a label.
When you reach each of your goals, reward yourself. Start work an hour late or take off an hour early, rent a movie that you’ve wanted to see, or how about you and a friend go out for cup of coffee and a big slice of hot apple pie & ice cream. Yum!
Create a Filing System That Works For You
by Melody
Creating a good filing system is one of the best things you can do to save time, money and your sanity. Managing paper with a good filing system will put you back in control, and increase productivity.
Some things to think about before purchasing a filing cabinet are:
How often will you use it? This will determine if you can use a lightweight cabinet or if you need to purchase a sturdier one that is made for daily use.
Where will it be located? The standard cabinet comes with a choice of vertical or lateral files. If your cabinet will be sitting next to your desk, a lateral file will be easier to read and access. However, if it will be sitting behind you or somewhere where you have to stand up to access the files, a vertical file would be better.
How much information will it be holding; do you need a four-drawer cabinet or will a two-drawer cabinet be sufficient for your files?
What will it contain? If you will be keeping important information such as birth certificates, social security cards, financial information and insurance policies in your filing cabinet, I recommend you spend the extra money and purchase a locking, fireproof filing cabinet. They aren’t cheap but it will save you a lot of headaches, heartache, and time if you ever have a fire or theft.
One thing to mention is that fireproof filing cabinets are extremely heavy. Plan ahead; you will need a few strong men and a hand truck to get this cabinet into your office and where you want it. Once it’s there, don’t plan on moving it very often.
Once you have your cabinet in place you need to decide how you want to arrange your files. But before we get into the actual organization of things, let’s talk a moment about working and archived files.
Working Files:
These are files you access regularly and may include utilities, financial folders, projects you are working on, birthday & holiday cards, automobile, life and house insurance policies and anything else you may need quick access to.
Archived Files:
Your archived files contain items you need to keep but rarely access. These may include old tax papers, bank and credit card statements, school records and so forth. If you haven’t touched it in the last 12 months, it can be archived.
The bottom drawer of your filing cabinet is a great place for archived files because you won’t have to bend over often to retrieve things. If you find that you don’t have enough room or have outgrown that drawer, then you can purchase cardboard containers from any office supply store like Office Max or Staples for just a few dollars. These are great for using broad headings on the box and more defined labels on the inside. For example, a box may be labeled “Financial” but inside it is separated into sections for taxes, bank statements, credit card statements, etc.
When archiving, I recommend you make a Table of Contents of what is included and how long you need to keep it. If you are unsure of how long a record should be kept, contact your accountant or professional advisor. As you add updated items to your files, you can remove the ones that are no longer needed.
Deciding what type of filing system to use may seem overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be complicated at all. The most common choices are:
* Alphabetical — great for client or customer name files.
* Subject — a good choice if you’re using subfolders.
* Numerically — excellent for dated material, such as purchase orders and bills.
* Geographical — appropriate if you have satellite operations.
* Chronological — a good solution for back-up files that need to be set up by month.
* Tickler files — great for very detailed tasks, such as tracking bills, correspondence and reading materials. Set up tickler files by the day, month, and/or year.
You can also make up your own categories & system but be sure that it’s logical so your spouse, business partner or other person can easily find what he or she is looking for in case of an emergency.
What about those things that don’t fit in a regular file folder such as photos, magazines, or catalogs? Some file folders contain inside pockets to keep small items. There are also multitudes of products available for storing odd shaped, oversize items. Look for boxes, envelopes, magazine organizers and tubes at your local office supply store.
Sifting through stacks of papers every day trying to find that one sheet you need is time consuming as well as a stress trigger. By setting up a good filing system you will have less stress and more hours to spend on the important things.