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One thing I have run across during my time as an online marketer
and while counseling others is the time factor.
When you work out of the home, you know that from 9-5 you will
be working and your mind will not be on having to do laundry or
making the kids behave so you can work in peace and quiet. Not
so when you work from home.
You need to learn to be more organized and have set times you
know that you can work around your family. Unless you have older
kids, for now you will work crazy hours, I know I do.
When I first started working from home, it seemed I was working
all the time. The truth was if I really added up all the hours,
I really wasn't working more than 8 hours a day. But I worked
all week, including weekends for eight hours, because I wanted
to be successful. I didn't want to be out in the work force.
Those who know me know I do not handle well structure imposed
upon me by someone else; hence, the 9-5 job isn't for me!
I had to learn to find out what times worked for me. I had to
ask myself what are the kid's hours? Are they in school? What
time do they go to bed? What is the most important thing I have
to accomplish today? Once I established those "rules," I was
able to set up a day-to-day schedule for myself.
I am not always organized, but I do have to write things down or
I will forget! Hey, having three kids and a hubby around you
tend to lose track of items So what I did since I
couldn't find a big enough organizer that I liked, I went out
and bought a nice 3-ring notebook with file folders and
dividers. I also bought a large refill pack for the day-to-day
calendars and monthly calendars to see what needs to be done at
a glance.
Here is how to set up the organizer for starters. Later, once
you get used to what you are doing, feel free to set the
organizer up the way you feel comfortable.
Purchase three divider labels--one for ideas, one for marketing
ads (type these out on the computer, than print them out and ad
to this divider), one for contacts that you meet everyday.
Purchase folders to keep those print outs from the Internet
during your online classes or searches that will help you later
on.
Do you have more than one company? If so, make sure you have a
folder for each one of your companies. Keep all the information
pertaining to each company in a separate folder.
Now organize your daily and monthly calendars.
Another useful tool I have is a Rolodex. I add WAHP's contact
information to my Rolodex so in case I lose any information, due
to computer loss or deletion I have it on hard copy. This was a
HARD lesson I had to learn this past year. I had relied so much
on my computer that when it crashed I lost everything. I also,
sad to say, never backed anything up! Now I make sure I back
everything up at least once a week.
I also have a business card holder that I place in the folder.
It contains the cards of anyone I do business with, whether it
is someone I bought products from or they bought from me.
On the back of each card I write myself notes for instance:
After ordering how long did it take for me to get my order? Did
they have good customer service? Did I feel like a valued
customer? Would I go back to them? Would I do any type of
business with them? ETC
I know it sound tedious but it's been worth it to me.
Now that we have your organizer all set up, I want you to take
one divider and use it for the next week. Go about your business
and work schedules like you always do. Write down what you do,
where you go, how long you spend on a project, the hours you
work, the time you get on the computer and the time you get off
the computer. List the errands and normal household duties you
need to accomplish everyday.
After two weeks, I want you to go back over your notes and see
what your day really is like. See how to set up your schedule.
When were you the most productive? When were you the most
frustrated? What is your best time to work with peace and quiet?
Now take a few minutes to write up a schedule for the next week
and stick to it. I know it's going to be hard. This is to allow
you to realize what you can do and cannot do. This will also
help you set limits and know exactly what goes on around you.
Feel free to adjust your schedule after the first couple weeks
to better suit your needs. My point in all this is you need to
know exactly how you spend your time. If you were networking and
then decided to go play a game online or just post in forums or
shop online, you cannot count that as working.
About the author:
Rebecca White has been marketing online for over 3 years. During
the 3 years she has used e-books and software products that she
has purchased to help her become the well known WAHM internet
marketing expert that she is today. She started out on the
internet not knowing how to build a website, not knowing how to
market online. Visit her site today and Learn while you Earn
http://www.experts4wahms.com
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