5 Steps to Get Your Priorities Straight at Home
and in Business
by Jill Hart
Published on this site: May 19th, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
Operating a successful home-based business is a time-consuming endeavor.
This is doubly true as work-at-home moms in that we are responsible
not only for the success of our business, but for our family as
well. We must be self-reliant, self-motivated, and discipline ourselves
in order to attain success in both areas.
When running a business from home, it's easy to let the phone calls,
emails and paperwork keep you tied down, making you feel that you
don't have time to take a break or to spend quality time with your
family. Maybe you've noticed that you spend a little more time than
you'd like in front of your computer or on the phone. Maybe you
see your kids acting out, trying to gain your attention. Perhaps
you are seeing that this isn't the work-at-home dream you envisioned.
You started out with such noble intentions, but maybe the excitement
of success in your business has caused you to lose sight of the
real reason do what you do each day. It happens to so many of us,
but don't worry, help is on the way.
Below are five ideas to prioritize your life and business:
- Be honest - You probably didn't start your work-at-home
career to climb the "corporate ladder" of your at-home
business. Chances are that you started your business with the
best of intentions - to be able to be at home with your children,
to contribute financially to your family, or simply to have a
little spending money of your own. Spend some time in prayer and
ask the Lord to show you the things that you need to change.
Take a moment and honestly ask yourself how you've been handling
the time commitment of owning a business:
- Are you spending too much time on the phone, the computer,
etc?
- Are your kids spending more time than usual in front of
the TV?
- Do you snap at your children because of the stresses of
your business?
- Do you worry about your business - to the point that it
distracts you when you are with your family.
- Make a list - Sit down and write out a list of things
that you see that you'd like to change. This can be a list of
things you can do differently to limit the time you spend on your
business; or a list of ways you can "de-stress" so that
you can deal kindly with your family.
- Log your time - Buy a notebook or create a spreadsheet
that you can use to log the time you spend on your business each
day. Make a column for each day across the top and a row of half
an hour increments down the side. Every time you sit down at your
desk, write "IN" in the box that corresponds to the
time and day. Every time you leave your desk (or complete a task),
fill the appropriate box with the word "Out."
At the end of the week, total up the hours each day that you have
spent on business tasks. Are you surprised or is it about where
you thought you'd be? This can be a real eye-opener and show you
in black and white if your priorities have gotten off track. Take
special note for how much time you spend on e-mails and things
that aren't billable.
Diana Ennen of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com
also recommends that you plan ahead and schedule your time. Prioritize
things and have the work that will require the most effort and concentration scheduled
for your peak time. Try and not get sidetracked and stay on task
focusing on what you need to do. You'd be amazed how much more
work you can get done by simply changing how you work e-mails.
If you only answer them at set hours, you save yourself from being
online all day and not accomplishing much.
- Take a break - If you get to the end of the week and
your time log has you in shock, it's time to take a break. If
you normally work during the weekend, make it a point to take
this weekend off. Shut down your email, turn off the ringer on
your phone and shut the door to your office. You'll be surprised
at how refreshing this will be.
Use this time off to re-evaluate how you need to be spending your
time. Try to plan out when you can work on your business without
losing out on time with your children. If your children are in
school, make it a point to stop working when they get home. If
your children are still small, maybe you can limit work hours
to naptime or, if possible, have a grandparent watch them once
or twice a week to allow you a bit more work time.
- Plan an activity - Now that you're ready to make a change
in your routine, why not plan an activity once a week? This can
be an outing with your child or just something simple like setting
aside time to make cookies together.
If possible, find another work-at-home mom and hold one another
accountable to keep to your new schedules. Make a weekly play date
where your children can spend time together - you can talk business
if necessary or decide to make it a "no business talk allowed"
discussion time.
The years that you have at home with your children are a gift as
is your business. The time necessary for each will be different
for every family and situation. Take the time to find what works
for you and set your schedule accordingly. Make it a point to evaluate
your priorities every few months to make sure that your time in
spent properly. The rewards will be well worths it, when your family not only is proud of your accomplishments in
your business, but also more importantly your accomplishments as
their mom. Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms,
CWAHM.com. This site is dedicated to providing work at home moms
with opportunities to promote their businesses while at the same
time providing them spiritual encouragement and articles. Visit
CWAHM.com for additional information. Jill and her husband, Allen
of CWAHD.com (Christian Work at Home Dads) reside in Nebraska with
their two children.
Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms,
http://www.CWAHM.com
This site is dedicated to providing work at home moms with opportunities
to promote their businesses while at the same time providing them
spiritual encouragement. Jill and her husband, Allen of http://CWAHD.com
(Christian Work at Home Dads) reside in NE with their 2 children.
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