Managing Your Time
Time Management Methods for Entrepreneurs

Managing your time effectively can play a big role in the success of your home business. Developing good time management methods can be a big challenge for entrepreneurs. When you work from home, you lack a lot of the structure that would be a part of your day if you had a traditional job.

It's not difficult to create that structure, but it does require a little planning. It will be up to you to create that structure to ensure that you will reach your home craft business goals.

Tips for Managing Your Time When You Work From Home

1. Set smart goals.
   
   • SMART goal setting is closely tied in with managing your time well. When you determine the results you want to achieve you'll be better able to plan and accomplish the tasks that will lead you to those goals.
     
   • Determine your own big picture business goals and then create a business plan, or at least an action plan that will get you there.
     
   • Create daily prioritized to do lists based on your action plan.
     
   • Reward yourself for accomplishing your daily goals and tasks. Whether you enjoy a movie, a good book or a walk in the park, create rewards and savor them when you've met your targets.
     
   • At the end of each day, plan and write down your activities for the next day; it will help you to keep your momentum going from day to day.

2. Create a schedule.
   
   • Creating a daily schedule for yourself will help you to manage your time and find the time to devote to your craft business.
     
   • Set your alarm, get up and get dressed just as you would if you were going to a traditional job. That routine helps you with maintaining your confidence, managing your time and staying focused on your home business goals.
     
   • Set office hours. These are the times when you will be working on your business. Expect people to respect that time.
     
   • Before you dive into your tasks for the day, prioritize them and determine when you will be best able to complete each task. For example, if you have children, try to complete tasks that require focus and concentration while your kids are at school or having a nap. Save simpler tasks that you can do with your children around for later when they are home from school or after they wake up from their nap.
     
   • Within your schedule, allow times to give yourself a break. While building a business takes time and commitment, you need and deserve breaks in order to be able to work effectively.

3. Beware of self sabotage.
   
   • Self sabotage is tricky. You need to be willing to really examine yourself and your deeper motives in order to beat self sabotage.
     
   • If you are not following through on business related tasks, consider whether you have any underlying fear that you may fail.
     
   • You may even have a fear that you'll succeed and that success may bring things into your life which don't fit with your deeper view of yourself.
     
   • Determining the source of self sabotage requires some really honest soul searching, but if you're consistently not following through on tasks that will lead to achieving your business goals, do consider whether there's something inside you that you want more than you want your goal. That may be exactly what is preventing you from achieving your business goals.

4. Beat procrastination.
   
   • Break your tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. People often procrastinate because they feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of a task. Determine some productive tasks that you know you can manage and start there. Try to avoid thinking about the entire task at one time, and remember the Peruvian proverb, "Little by little, one walks far."
     
   • Do not wait for the right mood to strike or the right time to appear before you start working on business related tasks (particularly ones that you don't enjoy); it may never happen.
     
   • Make yourself accountable to someone else. This strategy is particularly helpful for accomplishing those daunting tasks that you know you should do, but you find really difficult. Tell someone supportive that you intend to accomplish a specific task by a certain time and you will report to that person when you've finished the task. Ask that person to call you if you do not report back to them by the agreed upon time to determine whether you have finished the task. Positive peer pressure can work wonders.

It's important to treat your business with the same focus and seriousness of purpose that you would bring to a traditional job. You won't have anyone but yourself monitoring your progress, so managing your time effectively becomes your responsibility. If you create the structure you need, you will be bringing yourself many steps closer to reaching your home business goals.