“The purpose of time management and getting more done in less time is to enable you to spend more face time with the people you care about and doing the things that give you the greatest amount of joy in life.” ~ Brian Tracy
Time management skills are essential for anyone who wants to achieve success. How you manage your time will determine how fast you will succeed in your endeavor.
People think that managing your time will make you too rigid and inflexible.
The reality is that many people hide behind this false idea and use it as an excuse for not having the self discipline they need to succeed. The fact is that people who are disorganized often suffer a good deal of stress. It turns out that the better organized you are, the more time and opportunity you have to be truly relaxed and truly happy.
Home-based businesses have provided income for families long before the internet. However, the internet has made opening and operating a home-based business easier than ever. These new businesses can provide you the opportunity to earn a substantial income in the comfort of your own home.
However, the picture isn’t always so positive. A home-based business requires work just like any other business. It has to be treated like a business and NOT a hobby. It’s important to make the best use of your time to enable your business to bring you the profits and success you deserve.
Being at home gives the feeling of comfort, relaxation, and escape from work, so it’s very easy to lose focus and get much different results than the ones you want from your business venture.
Making the Most of a Home-Based Business
So what’s the answer?
Developing a timetable to help manage your life at home will help ensure everything gets done when it needs to be.
Follow these 3 tips to enable your time management plan to work effectively for you:
- 1. Use work time wisely. Allocate a specific time slot each day for work and use the time just for that. Avoid being distracted by TV or anything else. Remind yourself that you’ve scheduled enough time for everything, so work time should be just that!
- 2. Schedule enough rest time. Lack of rest can significantly impact the results from your home-based business. You’ll start to feel tired and cranky if you’re not well-rested, which will undoubtedly affect the quality and quantity of work you produce.
- Avoid the temptation to cut into your rest time to get more done; use rest time for actually resting so your work doesn’t suffer.
3. Include scheduled breaks. Once your timetable includes scheduled breaks during work slots, you’ll have something to look forward to. You’ll also have less of an urge to take “unscheduled” breaks while working.
Watch the following Brian Tracy video and learn about the self-discipline need to become an efficient time manager..
Poor Time Management Can Lead to Unnecessary Challenges
Of course, how you manage your time at home will significantly impact the success of your at-home business. But what poor time management can also affect is “the rest of your life.” That’s right, working at home in a careless manner can really take its toll on other things. You want to strive for a work/life balance.
- Family time and other important activities could be negatively impacted if you do not work in a desirable way and don’t reserve enough time for such things.
- Fitness, health, and diet also need your direct attention when you’re a home based entrepreneur. Not paying enough attention to those things could result in your health being in jeopardy. And that’s the last thing you want when your only source of income is your home-based business!
It’s very easy to get so absorbed in your home-based business and overlook the importance of other aspects of your life. Once you lose focus, your relationships will start to suffer and you may start neglecting your health. If you’re working 16 hours per day, then you’re most likely not exercising or eating properly. Additionally, you will not be spending time with your loved ones. Try to avoid this situation!
Here is the key: Structure and organize everything that you possibly can. Think ahead, expect the unexpected events, prepare thoroughly, and focus on specific results. If you do this, then you can be completely relaxed and ready to take action when the situation changes.
Once you create a structured approach to your business and life in general, you’ll find that you’ll accomplish more, get more financial fulfillment from your business, and be able to achieve balance in other aspects of your life as well!
So, try to take a step back on a regular basis and evaluate yourself, your life and your time usage. You need to become a master of your time rather than a victim to the continuous pressure of time.
I hope you got some great value out of this post today! Please leave me a comment down below and let me know what you liked the most.
And don’t forget to share this post with your Twitter and Facebook friends and followers!
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To your success,
Marc@monitium.com
Network Marketing Coach
Continuous Learning Advocate
Skype: healthysuccess
(973) 879-1627
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Hi Marc,
Super post. The four quadrant image of ‘Time Vs Importance’ speaks tonnes of the things that need to be done. There are enough challenges in our lives and poor time management surely don’t help, but only worsen those things. I’ve had huge problems in the past, doing the unimportant things first or procrastinating for no reason. But I dealt with it. I started making a note of the things that need to be done and would slot them at various times throughout the day. The written notes, somehow make you accountable and help you meet those deadlines.
Thanks for this wonderful post,
Kevin Rudd
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Hey Marc, great tips in this post! Scheduling and TAKING breaks is something that can be difficult when working online. Time can sometimes just fly when on the computer working. Personally, I find it helpful to actually set an alarm to make sure I’m taking enough breaks to stretch move around even to eat! Organization and thinking ahead though is key!
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Great post, Marc! It is totally on the money! I like the way that you brought in elements of information from both Stephen Covey and Brian Tracy. These are definitely titans in the world of personal development, and it really is amazing what can happen when we think about the importance of that second quadrant so we have a lot fewer things that find their way to the first.
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count me in! I am one your fan now marc!
I am always too stressed out, I thought I knew how to budget my time but I guess don’t. Imean I don’t have a work schedule to follow, so I thought I could benefit from waking up late and working till early mornin’ but there are times when I really feel terrible that I can’t get my work load done the whole week because I had to rest from time to time…
and when you said treat it like a business and not a hobby,…I thought ..yeah, I should have right from the start!..I love this post!
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Hi Marc. I so enjoyed this post. Time management takes work, especially if you are in your own business. I’ve been in my own business for about thirty years now. What I’ve learned to do and APPLY is to mark my time each day in my daily calender. I usually schedule at least 4 appointments a day, which is very important, then the next important thing is one hour of a learning curve, 2 hours on social media and writing, and of course an hour for a relaxing lunch, and 30 minute walk or exercise.
I used to run around with post-its in my head, multitasking and never accomplish anything but run myself down to the ground. That is what taught me this big lesson. TIME MANAGEMENT! It helps me focus when I write it down and stick to it in my daily planner.
Sometimes life situations cut in, but I accept the time it takes me away. It is part of life. Acceptance of that and the art of letting it go helps balance my life.
When there are days that I don’t check off my daily plan, I forgive myself. That’s important to, but keep on track the next day. Time management is something you start doing and eventually becomes a habit. When I am eating or taking a walk, I let the answering machine get my calls. It is also important these days to leave that cell phone home when you are taking time for YOU! It distracts you from the moment.
Thanks for this wonderful way to show people how important it is to manage their time. If they don’t they will probably crash or give up.
Thanks again,
Donna
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Thanks for the useful tips.
Agree with bumbai that Time management is a must for the independent network marketer.Focus on work does not mean we forget all things around.We need to broaden business relationships by playing goft with our parters,go to restaurant….The most important thing is to relax.It helps us to avoid stressing and have comfortable mind.
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Hi Marc,
I keep reading about taking breaks, something I am slowly learning to do!
I find that running a business from home and being everything from CEO to the cleaner, it is easy to get muddled with so much to do (this was supposed to give you extra time).
I find an hour mediation and teh start of the day, and organising tasks into lists and ticking them off when completed works well. It is important to prioritise so your time isn’t taken up with trivial things.
Thanks very much for this valuable information
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Hey Marc! Excellent tips on time management and I agree that managing your time well is Absolutely essential.
I know this has always been a personal struggle for me especially when I first started working from home. When I worked outside, I wore my “corporate executive” hat at work and when I came home, changed to my “mom/wife” hat. Well, working from home, it was definitely difficult to learn how to transition between the two but like anything else, over time it becomes easier and easier. You just have to find what works for YOU and apply it.
When prospecting, I am always asked the question about how many hours do you work, how many hours will it take, etc. etc. and it really boils down to WHAT you’re actually doing with your time and not the amount of time.
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Hey Marc (my Mentor), awesome points you put together about a very strong topic. When I started my home business and explored the various ways an online home based business can be run and which tools are available (endless tools by the way…) I found myself overwhelmed and thought how can I do this all (next to my day job)… It was really a challenge for me to step back and start thinking where I want to go from there and time was all I asked for… After I have evaluated all the possible ways I started to chose one way (Network Marketing) and put a path together to see which actions and activities fit into this direction… Together with time management this was then a much more enjoyable activity and the financial results are a byproduct of doing so. Again thx for reminding us of this precious gift we have every day… TIME. All the best, Alex
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Marc,
These are some great tips you’ve mentioned here. I find I work best first thing in the morning, babies are asleep, husband is at work and it is completely quiet. I have found since I added some organization to my life, it’s been a lot easier to keep track of everything. Thank you for sharing.
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Marc,
I love the graphic at the top!
Also, it is great that your emphasis should be on relaxation and rest.
Andy
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Hi Marc,
You’ve certainly hit on a critical topic for home based businesses. I see Yasser has pointed out that time management is a bit of a misnomer nevertheless, I think that we can agree on the fundamental point. It’s very easy for the scattered to focus on the ‘busy-ness’ rather than on the ‘business’ and that is certainly a losing proposition.
I find that prioritized lists, and following the 80/20 rule helps a lot. It helps me to focus my most productive hours on actual income producing activities.
Thanks for your post.
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Marc Reply:
June 9th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Hi Linnea,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
It is true that we have no control over the passage of time, but we have to be smart with the way we spend the hours we do have, especially for the home based entrepreneur.
You summed it up perfectly by stating…‘busy-ness’ rather than on the ‘business’
The 80/20 rule is one of the most important ingredients of proper time management…that helps me tremendously.
Not all activities and task are equal. Use the 80/20 rule when prioritizing your task. Select the top 20 percent that will bring you the highest reward. Put those activities at the top of your list.
To your continued success,
Marc
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Another great article Marc. I’ve always been a HUGE fan of making the most of my time each day. One of the most valuable tips I ever learned was to schedule returning calls. When I was in direct sales I had 700+ Representatives, another 50 managers, not to mention my boss and dozens of vendors calling at all hours of the day/night – 7 days a week. I learned to use my voicemail more effectively by leaving a special ‘FAQ’ extension for my Reprs, a message that explained my days/hours of operation, and my commitment to return calls within 24 hrs … and then all of my phones (including my cell) went on voicemail. Depending on my schedule and whether or not I was traveling, I checked messages 3 to 5 times each day and return calls at that time. In between, I was actually able to have uninterrupted, productive time!
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Marc Reply:
June 9th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Hi Marty,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
I’m happy to hear that you find value in my posts…
Your Direct Sales experience is a perfect example of the importance of managing your time in an efficient manner. It becomes a matter of survival when you have a schedule like you had.
Good time management skills will ALWAYS help in situations like that to avoid overwhelm.
To your continued success,
Marc
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When I was in the tradeshow business I could figure how much time a show should take to put into a facility and how much time it would take to remove. It did not matter if I worked 4 guys for 6 hours or 6 guys for 4 hours. The job always got done. But, I could take 6 guys and tell them they had 4 hours to get the job done and they would do it. I could take the same 6 guys and tell them they had 6 hours and, well you get the idea.
We all have control over how much time something takes, or takes from us. The only thing we all have an equal amount of is hours in the day. Can’t even say we have the same numbers of days.
Well, must run. I gave myself 30 minutes to make a couple of posts.
RICK
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Marc Reply:
June 9th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
Hi Rick,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
I can certainly understand your example, but in the case of a home based entrepreneur, it is very easy to fritter away your time or spend it in a non productive manner if you don’t set priorities.
Regardless of the number of hours we have in a day, we have to be smart about how we use that time to accomplish our most important tasks.
To your continued success,
Marc
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Hi Marc,
Time Management or the lack of it can have a major impact on our relationships and our businesses. I also like that you pointed out that we have to treat home businesses like BUSINESSES instead of hobbies in order to see the best results. If we spent all our time at a job outside our homes it would be easier to see how that could make us less effective and affect our personal lives. But with the computer right in our homes, sometimes we forget to schedule breaks and turn it off. There is some great advice here for people who want to make sure they maintain balance.
Have a great week! Allegra
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Marc Reply:
June 9th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Hi Allegra,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
Improper time management can effect many areas of your life and make you far less productive than you desire.
People tend to forget that just because you are working at home, this still has to be treated like a SERIOUS business, because IT IS!! …If you want it to be successful…
It is difficult to just keep plugging away without taking proper breaks and taking care of yourself….you don’t want this to lead to burn out…balance is key.
To your continued success,
Marc
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Hello Marc
Excellent use of a grid to show how event management works in achieving effectiveness in our life. Using the gird helps one to see what is important and then focus on that before attempting the less important. Self Discipline (control) is the key to achievement Napoleon Hill says, No doubt all people who refuse or neglect to exercise self-control are literally turning opportunity after opportunity away without knowing it.
Thanks
Perry A Davis Jr
Music City
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Marc Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 1:51 am
Hi Perry,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
Self discipline definitely is the key to achievement in most worthwhile endeavors in life.
It is so critical to be able to set priorities and learn how to determine what is essential from what is non essential and attack your tasks with full focus.
One of the biggest time wasters is to not plan ahead and know what it is that you have to achieve. You need to have a written plan and be disciplined in executing the plan for any given day.
to your continued success,
Marc
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Awesome post Marc, time management is the #1 reason why some people are successful while others aren’t.
With all that I goes on around us, having this skill will definitely make life easier and more effective.
Thanks for your insight
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Marc Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 1:46 am
Hey John,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
Time Management is a skill that develops over time and we have to become disciplined and focused if we are going to achieve our goals and accomplish our tasks.
To your continued success,
Marc
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Hey Marc,
I personally feel ‘Time Management’ is a misnomer.
We’ve absolutely no control over Time and its inexorable passage; but we can only control ourselves in time.
But your post definitely addresses this crucial skill; if we don’t master ourselves in time, we’ll get overpowered by it in no time.
Also, the time given to complete a specific task is ALWAYS the same time it takes to complete it!
Yasser
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Marc Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 1:39 am
Hi Yasser,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
I agree and it is critical to learn how to control yourself in time. The problem that many people run into when trying to complete a task is that they allow more time than is actually needed and are distracted or lose focus along the way.
If given 6 hours to complete a task, most people will take the full 6 hours. However, if they work more efficiently and focus on the task at hand, they may be able to complete the task in 5 hours and have an extra hour for relaxation or time spent with family, etc.
The key is to use your time wisely and not become overwhelmed with all that needs to be done as a HBB Entrepreneur and to have a solid plan and to know what is important and what is not important.
To your continued success,
Marc
[Reply]
Hello Marc,
Time management is a must for the independent network marketer.
I agree with all the different aspects you touched upon.
We definitely don’t want to neglect our family and our health for not being properly organized.
Thanks for the useful tips.I’m sharing your information out there.
Wendell Bulbaai
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Marc Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 1:24 am
Hey Wendell,
Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your comment…it is greatly appreciated.
It is so important to use your time wisely and work smart. Your time is too valuable and is the key to having a life/work balance.
To your success,
Marc
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