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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I supposed you’d like to know a thing or two about me to understand why Lexi would invite me here. Obviously she 1. knows me, 2. likes me, 3. trusts me, and 4. is confident that I have something worthwhile to teach you this week if she’d entrust her blog (and you) to me.

Here’s a short bit about me to show you why she’d invite me here:

‘Nuff said? Yes, I’m humbled by that video and touched and I just adore Lexi and find her to be an extremely talented copywriter and budding entrepreneur. Keep your eye on her. She’s got the heart and drive to become a key player in this business.

I am currently sitting out by the pool, having a glass of wine, watching the kids swim and am thinking about my journey from a struggling “work all the time for very little money” mom to today when I’m earning more money than I ever could at a job in this recession-struck town.

A few major things have changed over the years. Surprisingly, it wasn’t my increased knowledge of internet marketing that gave me greater profits and freedom. That hasn’t been the hard part.

So what changed? My productivity, confidence and focus did. I learned these things.

I learned what makes money and what doesn’t. As much as I love hanging out on forums and chatting it up on Instant Messenger and Twitter with my friends… I have to put my time where my money is, which is in solid lasting business tactics like article marketing and list-building.

I learned to take action. I love buying ebooks and getting my hands on every opportunity to learn, whether it’s a $10 ebook or a $3000 coaching program – learning isn’t doing. It’s also important to understand that you’ll never know everything there is to know. Just doing something – even if it’s not perfect. You can always revise later.

I learned to shut off the noise. Oftentimes the biggest obstacle for a WAHM is paralysis by analysis. That is a fancy way of saying “HELP! I’m totally overwhelmed by everything flying at me!” Unsubscribe from most of your mailings. Choose one or two mentors to follow, not 50 of them. Regularly disconnect from the internet and just tackle your to do list without the distractions (and temptations) that are available. If you love Twitter, schedule time to play. However, do the things that make money first – whether it’s calling clients, getting your billable hours in first, sending a mailing to your list, or building your passive income.

I learned to ask for help. And, when I say “ask for help” I don’t mean going to a free forum. I go to people who have achieved success and are doing what I want to be doing. I learn from them. I no longer take advice from people unless they’ve proven their credibility to me. I have one main mentor – Jimmy D. Brown. If you don’t know him yet, head over to his blog and read everything you can get your hands on. It’s SOLID information and I guarantee that you won’t ever look at your online business the same. (If you would like to Mastermind with successful work at home moms, you’ll want to check out Mom Masterminds)

I learned to value my time. I love giving of myself – usually to a fault. I had to realize that any time that I gave away meant time away from my children, my husband, my hobbies, my mother, and my life. Therefore, every request of my time has to be weighed against those things. That has given me the clarity that I’ve needed to ensure that requests of my time benefited me in multiple ways.

Would you like an example? I have helpers (Virtual Assistants) who answer my email. We receive multiple requests from my readers daily.

I get emails asking me questions. (ie. Free personal coaching.)

They ask me to send mailings to my lists even though neither I nor my list members would benefit in any way. (ie. Free advertising.)

They ask me to recommend Virtual Assistants, Ghostwriters, and Affiliate Managers. (ie. Free outsource matching.)

Now I don’t blame them for asking one bit. And, I honestly love helping people.

However, as my lists grew and my business grew, the number of requests grew. Once I realized just how much time I was investing in these free requests, while I was turning down big-time paid work – I got smart real quick. I learned how to become an expert in content repurposing and efficiency in my business. And, I learned how to say “no”.

Are you doing the same thing that I was?

The timing of this post is very ironic. I just watched “Yes Man” a movie with Jim Carrey last night. In the movie, he takes on a personal challenge to say “Yes” to everything asked of him, whether a homeless man asked for a ride or a drunk guy in a bar asked him to fight. Yes, it’s a bizarre movie. And, yes, it’s bizarre that I’m asking you to do the exact opposite here today.

Learn to say “no” to time wasters.

Learn to say “yes” to your life.

Here is today’s task. I want you to take action to better protect (value) your time.

1. If you have Instant Messenger, Skype, or Google Chat open, set your status as “away”, “busy”, or even “invisible”. If there’s an emergency, people will find you. If there isn’t an emergency, you’ll have focus for the time that you need it to get things done.

2. Turn off email notifications. If you get a little flash, beep, or any type of interruption whenever a new email comes in, turn that off. Every single time that your eye gets drawn to the flash it distracts you and causes you to lose your train of thought. Even if it’s a split second, it adds up and cuts into your productivity.

3. Speaking of email, unsubscribe from most of your email notification lists. Choose just a few that you really enjoy reading and dump the rest. If that’s a scary thought, then set up a new email account and resubscribe with the new email address. Plan to check it once each week. You may find that the new email account never gets opened.

4. Turn off the ringer on the phone while you’re working so you can focus without interruptions. However, if the kids are at school or camp, then obviously you can’t do this because you need to be available for emergencies. If that’s the case, set the phone by your desk so you don’t have to get up and run to answer it. Check caller ID and ignore everyone that you can. Call them back later when you’re sitting out by the pool or you’re at the park with the kids — on your schedule. You wouldn’t call them at work to chat — don’t let them do it to you.

5. If you have a client who is calling you at home, give him or her certain hours when you’re available. Do not allow that person to interrupt your family life.

6. For the love of Pete, avoid Twirl, Tweet Deck, and any other Twitter applications that flash and beep and keep Twitter in front of your face all day long. Log in to Twitter, check your “@ replies” and answer them. Play for a bit and then log back out.

I know, you’re thinking that those distractions are nothing compared with having the kids at home. We’ll get to that. Right now, I’m concerned with getting you thinking about every moment of the day that you’re sitting in front of your computer and really making that as productive as possible. Also, I want to make sure that we ALL (myself included) protect our time.

I’ll close out today with my favorite quote:

The Days are Long but the Years are Short.

My son is in middle school and I wasted too many hours sitting on my butt in front of my computer before I learned the lessons above. I beg you to value your time with your children and your husband and your mother/sister/father/grandparents. Value your OWN time, too. Take care of yourself. Take a walk. Take time to cook and eat healthy meals. Those things are critically more important than most tasks we do during the day in front of our computers and call “work”.

Say “no” to time wasters. Say “yes” to your life.

I’ll be back tomorrow to share more lessons that you can apply to work smarter and reclaim your life.

Warmly,

Nicole Dean – Summer Blog Tour

PS. If you’ve been following my summer blog tour, I give away prizes at each stop randomly to those who take the time to comment. But, you’ve got to comment to win!

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