So, did you win? Check it out:

The winner of any PLR pack from EasyPLR.com or YummyPLR.com is…

… Corrie from virtualfreedom4you.com!

The winner of a copy of List P.R.O.F.I.T. System is…

… Cathy from doggybloggies.com!

And the winner of any report from SRZone.com is…

… Teresa Hall!

Cathy, please send your email address to me at lexi at natural-moms dot com.

Corrie and Teresa, please email tracy@getawayvirtualservices.com to let her know how she can get your prizes to you.

Congratulations everybody. It’s been fun having Nik on the blog, hasn’t it?

I think everybody who stopped by the blog last week was a winner, because Nicole gave us such valuable productivity tips. So these giveaways are just icing on the cake. She could charge for that information (God knows a lot of Internet marketers do). But remember, all that information helps only if you put it into practice.

So, which of Nik’s work at home productivity tips have YOU been applying? And what results have you seen? Do share in the comments below

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Doing everything the SLOW way.

Let me give you an example from your day to day life.

Do you scrub all of your clothes in a stream on a washboard and then carry them back home in a basket and then hang them out to dry on the clothesline?

While I am a big fan of the clothesline part, since I love the smell of fresh clothes dried in the sun… I would certainly not drag my laundry down to a stream and scrub it by hand if I didn’t have to.

Why not? Because I use the right tool for the job. A washing machine and a dryer.

We usually use the right tools in our “real lives”. If there’s a way to make work get done faster and easier, we normally choose that option.

When my grass gets too long, I don’t grab the scissors or the tweezers. I get the lawn mower. Or I hire the neighbor kid, but that’s another story. I’m also a big fan of outsourcing.

So, why in our businesses do we do everything the hard way?

I have a theory about this. I think there are three reasons why people struggle and work too hard in the first place.

1. Not following ONE mentor who has done what you want to do and is where you want to be.

2. Not having a mastermind group to go to where you can ask questions and get solid actionable advice.

3. Not knowing the right questions to ask in the first place.

I’m a serious techno-phobe. I also really struggle with mechanical stuff, so I’m not one of those who’ll tell you to install some scripts to make your life better. (Ooh, that gave me a cold chill just saying that.) I’ve never installed a script. I have a hard time changing the printer ink cartridges in my laser printer. I’m a serious struggle-bunny when it comes to learning new things.

However, I’m also not stupid. I’m not going to waste my precious time every day doing things the hard way if there is a tool for the job that can save me hours each and every year by automating the process.

Which sounds the best to you?

Option 1: Spending time doing tedious stuff.

vs.

Option 2: Paying someone else to do tedious stuff.

vs.

Option 3: Having a computer do tedious stuff for free every day so that you can focus on making money and living your life.

I choose Option #3 (and I hope that’s the one you picked, too!)

Here are some examples where you might be cutting the grass with scissors instead of using a lawn mower when working in your business.

Blog Spam.

If you are manually deleting your blog spam, we need to have a chat. There are plugins that will screen your comments for you. My favorite at the moment is Aksimet. It seems to be more accurate than my old favorite which was Spam Karma.

Now that’s not rocket science. That’s common sense, but only if you know the right questions to ask in the first place and/or have mentors who are telling you these things when you’re starting out.

Twitter.

Now, before I get hate mail, no, I’m not suggesting that you take the “YOU” out of Twitter and have a computer tweeting for you. Twitter is about relationships. However, the auto DMs can be a pain in the bottom. Do you get tons of those? I used to, too. There is a free tool called TweetLater.com that will help you eliminate most of your DM’s.

Here’s what I use: Tweet Later

This service will also automatically follow people when they follow you so that you no longer have to click on new people and decide whether to follow them or not. I know that it’s fun to poke around and find new people, and you can still do that, but this keeps things running day in and day out so that you don’t have to.

Or you can choose to “Vet” followers using Tweetlater. That’s what I do now. I used to autofollow people and I may do it again, but there was a stretch where some gross people were slipping into Twitter and I was autofollowing them, which I wasn’t crazy about. So, the Vetting program is the next best thing for me. Every morning or every few days, I log in and TweetLater lists all of the people who have followed me in the last 24 hours, and they’re pre-marked “Follow”, “Ignore”, “Block”, or “Spam” based upon some settings that I chose. Actually they’ve pretty much nailed it. I change the ones that they mismarked. Then, I click “submit” and I can follow/ignore/block/spam 25 people at a time. That saves me time, and, more importantly, keeps me from feeling rude when I take a week’s vacation without internet and leave people waiting for me to follow them back.

There are countless examples. Nowadays a tool can be found that can pretty much do everything but go to the bathroom for you.

It’s about finding a Mastermind Group, a Mentor, and asking questions to get the right answers.

That’s it for my week here. But before I go, I’d like to invite you to learn more with me.

I have a free tutorial at www.WebTrafficBasics.com that is great for beginners that I recommend you check out.

I recommend you grab this free ecourse at List PROFIT System (from Jimmy D. Brown).

Follow my blog tour and listen to my podcast at my blog here: Nicole Dean’s Blog & Podcast

And, of course, follow me on Twitter: Nicole Dean on Twitter

I thank you again, Lexi, for inviting me. And, I thank all of my readers for following my Blog World Tour.

Warmly,
Nicole

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Yesterday I talked about making a to do list for yourself and how that simple activity can help you to get more done every day. If you haven’t read that post yet, check it out here: Productivity: A Daily Action List

Today, I’d like to talk about giving the kids their own jobs to help you better focus. My kids are 7 and 12, but, I’ve been working from home since 2001, so I’ve been home with little ones long enough to share battle stories. But, let’s make sure to clear one thing before I begin. I surely don’t want to sound like I know it all. Anyone who has been to my house knows that I do not have it all under control. Not even close.

I’m figuring it out with you, so I’ll just share what works best for me. Every parent knows there’s no such thing as a “one size fits all” solution when you’re talking about kids, so read my suggestions and adjust for your family from there.

Set Expectations and Communicate Them Clearly.

I am a creative, go-with-the-flow kind of gal. That’s one of my best assets, but I believe it’s also a huge hindrance when working from home, compared with someone more structured than I am. Structure and routine is not something that comes easy to me. Therefore, I found that I have the best results when my expectations for my kids are put in a written list. My kids have daily to do lists that must be performed in order to keep Mommy happy. And, since Mommy’s business pays the bills, it better get done… or else.

Now I sound like a total meanie, but the lists are basic stuff, which, unfortunately won’t get done unless I either have it on a list where it has to be crossed off – or I cross my arms and stand in front of each of my children until it’s done. I choose the list.

Specific Tasks are Essential.

I try my best to set my kids up to succeed. I find that kids do much better with specifics rather than blanket statements. I have found in my parenting over the years, with my own kids, neighbor kids, and in being a Girl Scout Leader that kids respond much better when given a specific task rather than a general one.

For instance, when my son was about 5 years old, I’d come into his room and he’d be surrounded on the floor with Legos. I’d say “Please pick up your Legos” and he would promptly burst into tears crying “there’s too many!” I found that, by asking differently, I’d get a much better response. So, instead I’d say “Please pick up all of the green legos.” or I’d say “Please pick up 50 legos”. Either of those would get him moving. It still works.

I say this because you have to break down tasks to their very basics for certain children.

Example.

Here’s my daughter’s daily to do list. She’s 7. (Click here to view it as a .pdf file.)

She is required to complete everything on the list before friends can come over and before she can use any form of technology. That means, no TV, DS, computer, etc, until the list is done.

Benefits for Me.

What does this all have to do with productivity? If my kids are doing their jobs, then I’m free to be focused and do mine.Otherwise, when I’m battling and micromanaging my family, I work too many hours, am miserable and spend less quality time with them. Of course, listing “Kiss Mommy” on the list isn’t such a bad thing for me, either.

Drawbacks for Me.

I have to make sure that it gets done and stick by my rules, even when the TV would be such a nice babysitter. However, I’m a mom first, so… the list has to be done before the TV goes on in my house.

Can this Work for a 2-Year Old?

Certainly. In fact, I highly recommend it. Of course, you’d need to use pictures instead of words until your child can read and you’d probably want to laminate the list. But, outlining the morning and evening routine for your toddler, including brushing teeth, picking up toys, and kissing mommy is a great way to give your child pride, confidence, and set him/her up to succeed.

On that note, I’d love to hear your tips for working from home with children. I’ll be back tomorrow with the last post in this series.

Reminder: don’t forget to check out Jimmy D. Brown’s report: “Homepreneur Habits: How To Run A Successful Home Business” to learn how to work less and profit more.

Warmly,
Nicole

Nicole Dean on Twitter| Nicole Dean’s Blog & Podcast

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Today I’d like to talk about something that’s huge as far as being a Work at Home Entrepreneur.

Actually planning your workday before you sit at the computer. (*gasp*)

This is, again, where Jimmy D. Brown’s report: “Homepreneur Habits: How To Run A Successful Home Business” is such a valuable resource. He shares his daily schedule, including what he does every day of the week to run a hugely profitable business in only 3 hours per day.

Let me back up a bit here before I get too far ahead of myself.

Why a “To Do” or “Action” List is Important.

Let’s take a peek into the work day of two twins: Silly and Sally.

Silly’s Day: Silly gets up, grabs a cup of coffee and sits down at her desk. She thinks “Hmm… I wonder what I should work on today?” and then wanders off to check email and twitter while she continues to decide what to work on. Several hours later, it’s time for her to get off the computer and she thinks “I didn’t get anything productive done! There’s never enough time in the day. I just don’t understand. I was busy all day!”

Sally’s Day: Sally gets up, grabs a cup of coffee and sits down at her desk. She picks up her action list of 6 items that she wants to get done for the day, and determines which one to tackle first. She then spends some focused time and finishes 5 of the items on her list. After that she decides that she’s almost out of time for the day, so she quickly checks email and Twitter. Then, she makes her list for the next day, making sure to transfer the item that didn’t get done to the new list.

Which one of those days looks more productive to you? It doesn’t take an efficiency expert to see that Sally is much more productive and gets more done (and probably makes a heck of a lot more money than Silly does.)

Both Sally and Silly are moms, so they’re interrupted more than a few times in the scenario above, but when all things are even – Sally is the winner by a long shot.

So are you Sally? Or are you Silly?

Now, I could talk forever about this topic, but I’m trying to stay very focused on what works the best, so I’ll try to keep it short.

Do it at Night.

A tip that I learned awhile ago is to make your to-do list at the end of your work day.

So, at the end of today, I will make my to-do list for tomorrow.

Why is this such an important tip? Well, just think of the alternative.

Did you notice that Sally sat down and was immediately able to jump into her action list? Not Silly. She had to sit and try to remember where she left off the day before. That’s not exactly the way to start off a productive day, is it?

Keep it Simple. Keep it Short.

I’m easily overwhelmed, so I like to write my action list for the day on a standard index card and limit it to 6 money-making tasks that I believe I can get done that day. I do not list everything that I need to do on that list or I’d just look at it and freeze and wander off to Twitter or grab someone on Instant Messenger to chat and stay “busy” but not “productive”.

I’ve tried numerous systems, including mind mapping, expensive day planning systems, and complicated computer programs. And, yes, I do use a larger system for planning my overall business.

HOWEVER… for the daily “to do” list tasks, I have found that simplicity is the one trick that works best for me. So, I run back to the simplicity of my wonderful index cards and my list of 6 items on it every time, simply because it works.

By keeping my list of 6 tasks in front of me and having it ready for me in the morning, I find that I accomplish two things:

I get more accomplished in my day. This is pretty self-explanatory.

I know when I’m done. If you don’t have a daily action list, how will you ever know when to leave your computer? There will always be more to do… Without my action list, I could grow roots to my swivel chair within a week’s time.

Finding your Way Back.

A daily action list also serves a busy home entrepreneur in one other way. When I get interrupted (and I do, often), I can very easily find my way back to productivity with one glance. Which of the six things was I working on? If I wasn’t any of them… well, then I was off track to begin with and I just busted myself.

When I didn’t have my daily list, I would have two major problems for a work at home entrepreneur. I’d be unproductive. And, I’d be unproductive for a really long time, since I didn’t know when I was done for the day. I know it sounds silly, but it’s practically an epidemic of colossal proportions when talking with online entrepreneurs.

The Moral of the Story? Don’t be Silly! Get your Work Done.

Your challenge for today is to buy some index cards and keep them by your desk. Every day before you call it “quitting time” make your list of 6 items to do the next day. Start your day with that list. See how much more work you get done and you can thank me later.

And, again, if you have $15 to invest for a whole lot of productivity, I highly recommend: Jimmy D. Brown’s report: “Homepreneur Habits: How To Run A Successful Home Business.”

Warmly,
Nicole

Nicole Dean on Twitter| Nicole Dean’s Blog & Podcast

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I know that, when you are working from home and you have kids at home, you’re constantly conflicted. On one hand, you feel like you’re never able to get onto the computer to work. On the other hand, you feel like you’re on the computer all the time.

Some days, I would just sit and cry from frustration. I’d feel like I was letting everyone down in my life. I was letting my kids down by being crabby and not spending enough time with them. Letting my husband down by not making enough money and for not spending enough time with him. And, I was letting myself down for not making enough money, not being a good enough wife and mother, and not taking the time I needed to exercise. Bleck. So, I can certainly relate. We ALL face that feeling at some time or another.

One of the items that saved my sanity was a simple $7 tool. It has been invaluable in my business and has made me more money than any other investment that I’ve made.

Would you like to know what it is?

A simple Kitchen Timer.

For instance, right now, I’ve given myself 15 minutes to write as much as I can during that time. When the timer goes off, I will take a break and check on things around the house.

Now, you may think “Sure, Nicole. That may work for you. Your kids are 7 and 12. They’re older and can be left unsupervised for longer periods of time.”

True. It’s true. However, the timer is as much for me as it is for them. Here are a few reasons why it works to make me more productive.

It provides an Urgency.
I don’t know about you, but I can dilly-dally on my computer all day long and not get a thing done. I can take my time… write a bit and then think… and then write some more. Doo dee doo. You know the feeling? Well, when I know the timer is counting down and I’ve got to leave my desk no matter what I’m doing, when it starts beeping, all of a sudden I work a heck of a lot faster — and get a heck of a lot more done!

It keeps me Accountable.
I can’t wander off from this blog post. If I headed over to Twitter and the timer went off, I’d be busted. I have to stay on track because I have allotted time for guest blogging and I don’t want it to take 3 hours. I want it to take 15 minutes tops.

When I was in High School and College, I noticed that I’d always finish a project the night before it was due. It wouldn’t matter if the teacher gave me 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 months to do it. I’d always finish the night before. And, not too long ago, I realized that I was the same way in my business. If I give myself 3 hours to write this blog post… that’s exactly how long it will take me. If I give myself 15 minutes… that’s exactly how long it’ll take me.

Now that’s not to say that I’ll do shoddy work. This is just a tool. Nothing more. If I get done with my writing after the timer beeps and this article is junk, then I’ll have to take another stab at it. And, of course, I’ll spend some time going over it again to make sure I covered everything that I wanted to.

The point is that I’ll be much further ahead in 15 minutes with a timer clicking down than I would just sitting down and thinking “ok, time to write a blog post”. It forces me to focus for 15 minutes. How else do you think I could guest blog for an entire summer without going totally insane?

It’s about me valuing my own time as much as others valuing it, too. Yes, I tell the kids “I’ll be writing for X minutes. If there’s an emergency, come and get me. Otherwise, I’ll be all yours when the timer goes off and we’ll (insert thing here whatever it may be).” I get a lot more focused work time out of my day when the kids understand the rules.

And, my kids and my hubby love the timer, too.

It’s tangible.
They see an actual number rather than hearing me say “I just need a few more minutes” – and then coming out of my office an hour later. In fact, I keep several timers in the house. When the kids were younger, they’d keep one to count me down, too. I would keep one by my desk and they’d take one with them to their rooms. They could watch the timer count down while they colored or played, knowing that I’d be all theirs when it got to zero.

It teaches them time management.
They are learning time management, too. When my daughter was five, I asked her to clean her room. She said “Can I please use a timer?” She got it already at that age. My 12 year old homeschools with me. He uses a timer a lot. It saves both of us from frustration and the feeling of “open-ended” assignments that never end. If I told him to read for “awhile” he’d become frustrated. If I tell him to read for “2 hours” — he’ll buckle down and start reading. It’s how he ticks. (Pun intended.)

They feel important.
My kids ask me to set a timer if I’m not using one, even when hubby is home and is watching them. They’ll come into my office and say “We want to go swimming. Please set a timer and then watch us?” I’ll set it for a certain number of minutes, work my bottom off, and then head outside to watch them in the pool.

If you don’t have a timer – or the kids ran off with yours, here’s an online version that I use. http://www.online-stopwatch.com/eggtimer-countdown/full-screen/ There are many others. Just search Google(tm) if you don’t like that one. Some you can choose the sound that plays when time is up. I just like the look of this one and the ringer isn’t obnoxious so it works.

Jimmy D. Brown – remember him? I mentioned him yesterday as being my mentor. Well, he recommends scheduling your day with exactly 45 minutes of focused time, alternating with 15 minutes of rest and going through that cycle 3 times per day. Yes, he’s built a huge business working only 3 hours per day max.

In fact, if you have $15 to spend, I highly recommend this course that he’s put together all about working from home. It’s one of my favorite reports that he’s written and I’ve read them all.

It’s called “Homepreneur Habits: How To Run A Successful Home Business“

If you’re enjoying these tips, you’ll love his Homepreneur guide. He doesn’t share tips about working with kids underfoot, but he feels as I do that any time spent in front of your computer should be productive so that you have time left in the day to live your life as it was meant to be lived – taking care of yourself and spending time with those that you love.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more tips.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean – Summer Blog World Tour

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