The Secrets to Effective Time Management When Working at Home

Effective time management is something that many business professionals struggle with on a daily basis. This is no different for the work at home mother. In fact, it may be more difficult for a work at home mother then a business professional who works outside the home. Why? When working from home, mothers tend to get side tracked by the small things that need to be done around the house, running errands or making phone calls. However, with a little determination and effort, effective time management can be achieved by the work at home mother!

The most important thing you can do to make your day productive is to set daily work hours and stick to them. Working from home is not like a traditional 9-to-5 job because you are in control of your own schedule. While many consider this one of the benefits of working from home, it can also be your business' downfall if you aren't careful. It is so easy to get consumed with the small everyday chores around the house and put your business on the back burner, which will ultimately cost you money. In order to prevent this, you need to evaluate your daily routines and set your work hours accordingly.  Then you must stick to them!

As a work at home mother, your schedule will constantly be changing due to school plays, sporting events, field trips and so on. The key is to make out a weekly or monthly work schedule that accounts for these things. Then you need to stick to the schedule. When you are making your schedule, you should also include break times as well. These scheduled breaks should be used for things such as checking e-mail, facebook and making phone calls. By allotting time for these activities, you will be much more focused during your scheduled work hours.

Once you have your work hours established for the week, you need to prioritize your daily tasks. You should start with the most important and end with the most trivial task.  At night, you should review the to-do list for the next day making sure you haven't forgotten anything. These to-do lists are like daily goal sheets and provide you with a list of all the things you want and need to get done during your scheduled work hours. They also make it much easier to say "no" when your child's teacher asks you to volunteer for a field trip or a friend unexpectedly asks you to go to lunch.

Finally, you need to limit distractions during your work hours. This may mean you need to schedule your work hours when your children are napping, at school or in bed for the night. It may also be as simple as closing your office door and turning off your phones. Whatever it is that helps you stay focused, you need to do it. Making these changes will be hard at first, but your business will reap the benefits from it in time!