Time Management

Time management and business go hand in hand. You need both to be successful.

Problem is most don't quite understand what this means. For some its doing tasks in a timely manner. For others it means watching their time. And for a few it just means sticking to a schedule. Now these are all valid. While they look the same, they are different.

Before you can effectively manage your time correctly you need to be aware of time. For this here is a simple exercise.

For 1 week keep track of individual tasks. Notate the start time and end time. When you change tasks end the time. Notate everything. No cheating now. Note everything from email writing sessions, phone calls, lunch break, even bathroom breaks. It can be a laborious task but you will find this extremely helpful. At the end of the week add together all your business time. Once this is done break it down to the individual tasks such as emails, phone calls, party time, prep time, etc. This will give you a sense of how much you not only spend your day but how long you spend on tasks and business as a whole.

The reason for the task is because often people see themselves as working all day when in reality they only worked a full 2 hours on business. Once you have a sense of how your day is spent, lump all the individual tasks into one. Now you can create a schedule of daily tasks in blocks of time. At first this can be difficult but you will soon find it can be easily accomplished. Use an egg timer to keep you on track. When time is up, time is up. Move on to the next task.

When creating your schedule you need to create breaks, lunch. Turn off the tv, This can be more distracting than anything else. Even more than children if that seems possible. If you are working with children at home, schedule around eating, naps, playtime.

If you conduct parties or workshops, set up and take down your display several times and time it. Get an idea of how long it takes. The bonus to this is you do get faster. Knowing this will help managing your time before, during, and after parties. Do this each time your display changes too. Rehearse your presentation. Knowing how long your presentation will help manage your party time. Even video taping yourself and seeing how you look and sound can be helpful. You may find you are repeating yourself unnecessarily or leaving out important information.

Keep notes around in regards to your product. Not only is this very helpful during parties but also on phone calls. Keeping frequently used information at your fingertips can be a big time saver. This prevents you from wasting time looking up frequently asked information.

Know your products and how to explain them. When first starting out you always have that learning curve but learn quickly the features and benefits of a product. You don't have to explain it in its entirety. An example is if you are selling moisturizing lipstick. A feature is the moisturizing and the benefit is the prevention of cracked lips. You don't need to go over how it moisturizes, every color it comes in, or why it is better. Find up to 3 features and matching benefits and keep a list. If you get stuck refer to the list.

Do not always try and demonstrate every piece of your display unless it is absolutely necessary. Pick out the favorites, play games in the middle, then invite guests to view and try the products on your display.

Use tools such as mapquest for mileage and time estimates for getting to a location. You will need the mileage for your taxes but the time estimate is extremely helpful. I personal use mapquest and a GPS application on my phone. This helps keep me on track and less likely to get lost.

Use a day planner of some sort. Keep contact info and a calendar handy at all times. Update this regularly. These can be digital or paper. Use the method that works for you but use it. I personally use 3. Yes I know its overkill to some but this ensures I always have an updated version at all times. I use outlook on my computer, my blackberry, and a day planner. I print out my outlook calendar and take to parties or meetings.

Do not overbook yourself in your schedule. This can and is a deal breaker in time management. Have specific slots open for meetings, deliveries, parties, and travel time. Giving yourself a set calendar will keep you from overextending yourself and keep your business on track.

Olivia Vidal
© 2009-2010

Stay On Task

Staying ong task is a challenge aat some point in time as a WAHM. Some worse than others but you need to find ways to work through it. I know do several things I should not just because I can be easily distracted. You just have to be aware of it and get back ontrack asap. I might find a typo on my website then realize I need to call a supplier about a shipment coming in which will lead me to remember its my mothers birthday then I have to do grocery shopping and back around again.

Here is a few tips to staying on task:

Create a task list on Sunday evening of all of your projects and deadlines for the week. Do not just leave this on our computer calendar. Write this down somewhere that you look often such as a desk calendar. The constant reminder helps keep you on task.

List your goals for the week. This should always be part of your weekly schedule of tasks. Having your short term goals listed keeps you in forward motion to accomplishing these. Make sure these are on mark to reaching montly and quarterly goals.

Create a schedule of the above in blocks of time. Stick to this. If you get distracted you know where you need to return based on your block of time scheduled.

Turn off the instant notification on your e-mail. This allows you to only receive emails when you are ready to read and respond to them them properly. Constantly checking email as a notification pops up takes away valuable time.

Use an egg timer to keep you conscious of time. Your will be surprised how quick time passes when you are made aware of time. Reset the timer for each block of time that passes and stick to your time schedule. This can be difficult at first but you will find you manage time better.

If you would not do it on the clock for someone else, don't do it on your own time clock. It is easy to get off task and run errands but keep those to your break times.

As a WAHM it is easy to get distracted with typical home noise. Keep the t.v. off. If you must see the show, tape it, dvr, or something but no t.v. while working.

Do not overfill your plate with tasks for the week. Too many projects will take you off task. Yes you have a lot to accomplish but overdoing it will not get it done. What it will do is create an exhausted you whom won't even be able to handle the tasks you would normally be able to.

Staying on task is work but as you become aware it will become habit for the most part. Business is every changing so it will never stop taking effort. It will just get easier as you find what works for you.

Olivia Vidal
© 2009
http://sochicbagboutique.com/

Create an Office

As a WAHM you are in business. To stay organized you need an area to do your work. Working at the dinner table or on the couch and coffee table is not an office. You need a dedicated space.

Not everyone has the luxury of an empty room but you can make yourself a corner of a room and turn that into your office. This should have a desk, pens, pencils, folders, computer, file cabinet or portable file folder box (can buy one at your local discount store for about $10). This is where you do all your work. This is where you make your calls, keep your schedule (a wall or desk calendar is best so you have instant access).

A small shelf with product, a basket for brochures or catalogs, business cards, samples, is very helpful. This can be your mini demo area when clients stop by.

Once a week take a few minutes to organize your area. Remove clutter, file loose papers, or anything else that needs to be done to keep your area tidy.

Purchase a comfortable chair. You want a place to sit and work comfortably.

Keep it simple. A work area with a lot going on can feel overwhelming. If you feel overwhelmed you will not want to work.

Do not eat at your desk. This is an easy habit to get into and we all do it at some point. The biggest reason you want to eat away from the desk is you need to take a break.

Keep office hours and work only in your work space. Being a WAHM it is easy to overwork. Keep to a schedule and close shop when it is time.

Olivia Vidal
© 2009
http://sochicbagboutique.com

Organize It

Representing multiple companies is fast becoming a popular trend in the WAHM world. Problem many women face is organization. Starting and building one business can be a great deal of work in itself. Add a second, third, or more, and that can spell instant stress and move towards overwhelming before you even really gain momentum. Along with just gaining sales you need to market and network. Getting and staying organized is absolutely necessary.

Here are a few tips to get and stay organized:

Create folders in your bookmarks or favorite list in your browser for every day of the week. This will make 5 new folders. In those 5 folders create bookmarks of sites you need to visit that day. Each day you will click on that days folder. This can include:

• Social networks
• Message boards
• Blogs
  

You can have multiple days with similar sites but plan to visit each site you have joined at least once a week. This will help keep you on track and consistent in your marketing and networking.

On your desktop create a folder that says WAHM business or anything that refers to your business. Within this one folder you will have a dedicated folder for each company. Each company folder can have several folders.

Folders on computer for each company should include:

• Keep online notepad for important links
• Files containing rules, guidelines, handbook
  
• flyers to handout, bookmarks, business cards, brochures
• Product information, use tips, ingredients
  
• Newsletters
  

Having these folders separated by company help keep all you need easily accessible. Keep these folders in one main folder on your desktop. This is your daily reminder of where to visit once you sit down.

Most have just one email for all business and even personal. Keep your email organized for business as well. In your email create a folder for each company.

Folders in email for each company may include:

• Sign up info
• Welcome letter
• Email correspondence related to company
• Newsletter

Keeping a folder for each company in your email keeps your email organized and easily accessible. This will help keep important emails where you need them without having to spend unnecessary time searching.

Here we are with that trusty notebook. Some are discovering how useful this. You should have one notebook dedicated to each company. You can have one general notebook for general notes but anything that pertains to a specific company should be in your company notebook.

Notebook for each company is for you to write about:

• Goals for your business - you need to know where you want to end up. I suggest you start with short term goals and move to long term goals.
  
• Ideas - ideas can be marketing your business, a new party idea, contests, etc
  
• Budget - whether a business owner or consultant you must have a budget for your business. Your budget will include samples, business materials, advertising, demonstration kit needs, hostess or customer thank you gifts, shipping materials, and so forth. If it relates to the cost of your business, it needs to be included.
  
• Training - this can be notes you received in training or how you wish to train your team members or staff.
  

Having a notebook per company keeps your thoughts clear and organized based on company vs general ideas.

Create a schedule

• Daily schedule - know what needs to be done in your daily life as well as your work life. Keep a schedule so you are always on top of what needs to be done.
  
• Open schedule for prospect appointments - always have time open to meet with a potential customer, hostess, or new team member.
  
• Email reading - this sounds like a given but what most are trying to do is read email all day long. Instead read email at specific times instead.
  
• Networking - this is where those bookmarks come in handy. Schedule time to visit those daily bookmarks and spend time networking. Networking and advertising is different so know the difference and network.
  
• Marketing and advertising - start or check in on advertising campaigns. This can include researching, changing advertising, learning new advertising techniques, and learning how to properly advertise.
  
• Training - schedule important training for your business into your schedule. Also schedule time to train team members and staff. This is an area to not neglect. You may not need to include this weekly but at a minimum of once a month.
  

Having a schedule ensures you are taking care of business as needed on a daily basis. This schedule includes work, home, family.

Staying organized is vital to your success. Without staying organized you will never reach your full potential and can lead to the failure of your business. No matter starting out or a seasoned business owner get organized and stay there.

Olivia Vidal
© 2009
http://sochicbagboutique.com

Keeping your eye on the goal

In your business, whether a consultant or owner, you need to always have your eye on your goals. Without goals you have no direction. Goals are vital to your success. You cannot succeed if you don't know what the means and have a plan of action to get there.

The competition for business is heating up especially in this economy. The advances in technology, ease of communication, and increasing expectations from customers when combined make the marketplace more competitive than ever. In this day it is crucial for businesses to be proactive about creating their future. Without this, things happen without your control and usually for the bad.

It sounds simple enough, but most consultants and businesses don’t set goals ever. The idea of setting goals can feel intimidating if you don’t know where to start. The process is not difficult and can be very simple but there is a process. You may already have an idea but haven't gone any further.

There are 3 steps in the goal setting process:
* Your goals - what you want to achieve
* Actions needed to achieve your goals
* Review your goals

Sounds simple right? Of course it does. But that is also why you probably haven't taken the time to do this. You have it in mind what your goal is so why bother writing it down? Because until you lay it all out it is a dream not a goal to work towards. Achieving goals doesn't just happen. You make them happen.

So what are your goals? You may have several "dreams" but we want goals right now. Financial freedom is not a goal. It is a dream. Making $1000 a month is a goal. This may spell financial freedom but when you get down to the nitty gritty and make it specific you have a certain level to reach - a goal. See the difference?

Now ask yourself this, what do you not like about where you are in your business? Why ask yourself this? You need to know what you do not like so you know what you need to improve. This may be a long list and that is OK. When you are done with your list I want you to list your top 3. These are the most negative when it comes to impacting your business. Be specific. This is your list of goals. You will work on the other goals but lets concentrate on your top 3 right now.

Next I want you to write down all that you have not been doing that you could be doing. This list can include things that you don't know how to do, afraid to do, or simply just put off. This will become your actions to achieve your goals. Being a WAHM does not make this list easier or more flexible. You have to work and work towards what you want to achieve.

Last write down all that has been going well. What is working for your business. This should also include what is working well but can still be improved upon. Nothing is perfect in business so include all that you like. This is your review of your current business and will give you what you need in the future for reviewing.

You have identified your goals so match those to the actions you have listed. Don't list what you want to do. List what you need to do. If we only did what we want to do we may never get anywhere. Each goal will have more than one action and you may have more than 1 goal with the same set of actions. This is OK.

Keep your goals reachable and reasonable. It is OK to reach a bit but don't go too big. Making a million dollars your first year sounds great but this is not realistic. Separate your wishes from your wants. At the same time don't only go after goals you know you can do. You have to go beyond.

Each goal you have specified you will break down into steps based on your matched actions. There are steps. These steps will be broken down into time frames. Set short term, incremental goals. Short range goals are very important. Begin the first month and increase a little bit each month. Work up to larger goals. Never put yourself under huge pressure from the word go. This will only set you up for discouragement leading you to give up and quit.

Set your time frames in increments. Give yourself a chance to succeed. Never give up too early.

Every week you need revisit your goals and where you are in your progress. Each week list your progress and honestly. This is not the time to lie to yourself about what you have and have not done. There are also no excuses here. You either do or don't. Partner with someone who will help you stay on track. Stay on track. Always revisit your goals and be sure you are still after the same things.

Your confidence builds as you move along. If you fall down, get back up. If you miss a goal by its selected time frame, correct the problem and move on. Do not stop and dwell. Keep going with the same passion and determination as before. If this was your problem, fix it.

This process is a constant review and resetting of goals and actions based on actual progress. It is never over. You will also be adding to your list of goals as you complete goals. This is business not a to do list.

Make the time and set your business up for success. Put this on your schedule. Invest a few hours each week in the careful planning and goal setting for your business. Only then will you and your business reach it’s full and true potential.

Olivia Vidal
© 2009
http://sochicbagboutique.com

Balancing work and home

As a WAHM you may feel at times overwhelmed and either neglect the home or work. Its a balancing act that many just don't understand. You may feel as though you are the ring master at the circus but it doesn't have to be that way.

Full-time WAHMs often times work harder than those outside the home. Reason is work is easily accessible and you try to keep the home and children in order at the same time. A mother with an office job doesn't have to juggle the distractions of small children or the dishwasher malfunctioning. This is not to discount moms working outside of the house. Part-time WAHMs can run into the same time constraints as full-time WAHMs.

Some WAHMs begin working from home because they figure it will be easy to arrange then find it wasn't as easy as they thought. Its the dream. Stay home with your children so they aren't in day care and make a great living all while staying at home. That dream is quickly crushed when they see it is not as easy as they thought. In the beginning you work harder for the money than a traditional 9-5 job that pays you for the work you have done, not the sales you bring in. Working from home can mean flexibility but remember it is still work. It doesn't just happen by itself. Anyone who says differently is either lying or has been doing this so long it comes naturally and effortlessly.

We often see glorified WAHMs who have been doing their job for quite some time who do work less hours and have a good handle on the balancing act. It didn't start that way. It took a lot of trial and error trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. The best example of seeing what a WAHM goes through is look online for a video replay of Wife Swap Harris/Van Noy (season 1, episode 8) and see how a WAHM works a full 8 hour work day from home and take care of the family. That woman takes care of the kids and house all day while trying to fit in her medical transcription job in. She many times goes to bed at midnight and even has to work on the weekends. This is reality of a WAHM.

To balance work and home you will need to plan. Yes this means a schedule. You need to be disciplined to be able to work from home. If you are not motivated you will fail. That doesn't mean you can't learn to be disciplined and motivated. Before you cringe at the idea, be open to it.

A schedule does not mean strict by the book to the second planning of your entire day. All you are doing is organizing your day in blocks. If you are not used to a schedule, blocking is the best way to start. As you get used to it you get a bit more detailed. Every day does not have to be the same.

An example of schedule block:

8am - 930am: get kids ready for school, take kids to school or bus stop

930am-11am: housework

11am-1pm: work

1pm-3pm: grocery shop, run errands

3pm-5pm: kids home, snack, homework

5pm-7pm: prepare dinner, eat, family time

8pm-9pm: bath time, put kids to bed

9pm-10pm: quality time with spouse

10-11pm: lay out clothes for next day, finish work

11pm: bedtime

This may seem detailed and it is somewhat but this is not as detailed as you can get. This is just an idea of what your schedule may look like. It also may not include all you needs for a day.

You will notice some important things everyone must include in their schedule, spouse time. Everyone talks about there just is no time. Make time. This is your partner in life. You have to work together. Spouse time can be watching TV or a movie, talking, sharing a cup of tea, intimacy.

I suggest if you are thinking about becoming a WAHM, map out your day. What do you do and how long does it take. This will give you a good idea if you are able and willing to become a WAHM or if you need to rearrange your life, if possible. If you are not willing to work, you will not be successful at working from home.

When you first write a schedule of your day it may not be completely correct. It will have to be fine tuned when you see where you need more time and less time. It will always be a work in progress so don't feel anxious when you can't stick to it at first.

To work in more time dedicated to your business, work while the kids are doing their homework. If the kids make too much noise, make calls only during nap times or keep customer correspondence to email only. There is nothing more unprofessional than screaming kids in the background or you having to yell at them. Just don't do it and find a way to work around it. I have seen some moms put their younger kids in part time daycare to make a more productive day. This can be great for kids needing interaction with other kids but not old enough for preschool. if you don't want to do daycare, hire someone to come in and assist you - a nanny. This can be for 2-3 hours a day.

WAHM has the word work. You have to work. Do not push it aside and do it "later." Adhere to your schedule as much as you can. Putting it off won't get anything done. While you do have the flexibility to move things around do not brush off work.

With your weekly schedule make sure you take a day to just family. I also highly suggest you do something for yourself. I like to get a pedicure. It's relaxing, I get to interact with other adults, its inexpensive, and not time consuming. This happens every 2-3 weeks and well worth the cost. Let someone take care of you for once. This is a great way to do it.

Being a WAHM is hard work but very rewarding.

Olivia Vidal
© 2009
http://sochicbagboutique.com/

**Edit:

Please keep in mind the schedule is a simple example of how to schedule a day and does not reflect the actual work time you will be scheduling. To be successful you will be putting in far more time than 2 hours a day. It is also very basic because a consultant vs a business owner can be very very different in time put in. Both work hard but I can guarantee a business owner will work far more hours than someone who works asa consultant for a company.

Coming this week

I am starting to create a schedule of blogs for the week. My time online is becoming less and less due to my husband going to school and needing the computer at night (only until he purchases his laptop). Because of this I have 4 blogs in the works for this week.

2 product reviews - MonaVie and Just Tarts
Starting a website - things to look for and things to watch out for
Relay for Life - what it is all about and how to get involved
And anything else my heart desires

Have a topic you wish for me to cover? Send me your ideas.