Creating a Schedule–Treating Your Business Like a Business

When one is used to being in the corporate world, they are used to having a set schedule and deadlines as to when certain tasks need to be completed I know as a teacher, my schedule was run by the ringing of a bell. I knew what I needed to get completed in that 45 minute period.

When one leaves that environment, it can be difficult to adjust to no bells, no time clocks, no boss telling you when to do certain tasks. I know when I first began working at home, I went from not spending any time working on my business to spending too much time in front of my computer instead of balancing my time with my family (The reason I was working from home in the first place) I knew I had to change something and that something was to create a schedule for myself.

Creating a schedule has multiple benefits:

*It forces you to treat your business as a business, not as a hobby.
*It helps you see what you are really spending your time on when you are working.
*It creates a high efficiency when you are working–it keeps you on task
*It helps you balance your time between family and business.(Perhaps the most important)

How do you create a schedule?

That depends much on you.

You will first need to figure out how much time you need to spend on your business each day. Then you can figure out how you are going to schedule that time.

Are you an early riser? Can you do a lot or all of your work before the family gets up in the morning? What time can you start? What time will you be done?

Are you a night owl? Maybe you can get a lot or all of your work done after the family is asleep.

During the day if you are at home with children, you may have to work during nap time. Is nap time enough time? Will you have to find more time during the day?

If you have children who are a bit older and can entertain themselves for a bit, I recommend a timer. I usually set it for 30 minutes and sit down and work during that time. while my children are playing in a nearby area (so I can keep my eye on them!) When the timer goes off, my children know that they have my undivided attention for the next 30 minutes. I may repeat this a few times during the day. This really helps me make sure I am not overly-focused on my work.

For some of you, it may be a combination of all of these things. When you know how long you need to work and when you can work, write it down what you need to get accomplished during that time. Personally, I make a list of “Things to do” each day for the following day and as I have time to work and I complete tasks, I check them off my list. It may even help you to jot down next to each task, how long it will take you to complete it.

Each person’s schedule will be different and you may have to tweak it to make it fit for you. Of course, there will be those days when things need to be adjusted due to a doctor’s appointment or an unexpected visit, but for the most part, you should be able to stick to your scheduled work times.

You are now your own boss–so act like the boss, make a schedule, and get to work!

Do You Visualize?

Those of you that know me, know that I am one of the “believers” of The Secret. Some of you may also be a believer, some of you may not, and there may even be a few of you who have yet to hear of it. If you are one of the latter, you can take a look here.

Now, for those of you who are believers, I have an important question for you: Do you visualize? Do you take time each day to really see in your mind the things you want? And then, do you feel the feelings that are associated with that? You should be feeling pure joy when you are visualizing.

Joe Vitale tells us that visualizing should not be a chore for us, but something that we get excited about doing. I agree. A chore is typically something that does not bring us joy and that feeling of joy is what we want. Visualizing should bring you such excitement because you can see for yourself anything in the world!

I try to take time each day to visualize because I know of its importance. Since I have been doing this, my life has really made a turn for the better. My successes seem to come much more quickly and easily. To help myself, I have made a vision board and written what I want on pieces of paper and I read/look at them daily as well. Every time I think of something else I want, it goes on my vision board, I visualize it, have the feelings of having it, and then have the unwaivering faith that it will be mine.

So go ahead, close your eyes right now and begin to visualize what you want.  A new car–feel yourself driving it!  A new home–feel yourself cooking in your beautiful new kitchen or making your bed in your new master bedroom.  Taking a great vacation–feel yourself laying on the beach with the warm breezes blowing over you or feel yourself taking pictures of the architecture you have wanted to see all your life.

When you visualize…you materialize!

Will this work for you–YES, but first you have to do it and then you have to believe that it will work for you.

To help with your visualization, here is a visualization tool for you Visualization Tool

Finding the Right Mentor to Help You Succeed Online

You have finally decided to start your own business at home. Great! But you don’t really know what to do to succeed. What you need is a coach, a mentor who will teach you the ropes and answer your questions. But how do you find good one?

First, you need to know just what a mentor is. A mentor is someone who coaches you and guides you. Teaches you how to set up and run your business. He or she doesn’t do it for you but gives you direction in how to do it yourself. Your mentor will be there to answer your questions and give you feedback. A good mentor makes a good leader of those he or she helps.

The right mentor will be someone in the same kind of business you are in. If you have joined a particular network marketing company, someone who has been in that same company for a while, is successful and a good leader is the kind of mentor you want. This could be your sponsor but don’t assume that it will be. Your sponsor might only have been in the company a few months longer than you and still learning.

A good mentor will help you know how and where to market. Rather than just tell you to go to forums, etc., He or she will help you find the best forums and give you advice on how and what to post. Your mentor will also give you guidance in every aspect of advertising, letting you know what works and, more important, what doesn’t work. You will learn from your mentor’s experience and it is a good idea to follow his or her advice. This can make the difference between earning an income within a short time and spending more than you make for a long period of time.

You could go it on your own if you chose and find your own way in the business. You could learn from your own trial and error. But that could get very expensive very fast. Without the experience of another to learn from, you could make mistakes that could cost you more the money, too. You could get reported as a spammer, for instance, if you buy leads from a disreputable source. Such leads could have been collected unethically or be so old that the people you contact don’t even remember signing up for anything. You could get scammed trying to buy traffic or spend a lot of money on advertising in the wrong places. These are all things you want to avoid as well as many others.

So a good mentor is the way to go. What is the best way to be in contact with your mentor? Well, a lot will depend on your mentor, of course. Phone and/or instant messenger contact could be set up on a daily or weekly basis, depending on what works best for your and your mentor. These would be pre-arranged times. In between, email would be used to ask questions that come up or notify your mentor you need to talk about something that can’t wait until the next regular phone or instant messenger conference. There should be some flexibility but it is not good to occupy all of your mentor’s time. Neither of you would get much accomplished that way. Too little contact isn’t helpful, either, as your questions will need to be answered, so email is a good way to maintain regular contact along with instant messenger and phone contact.

Once you find the right mentor, you will see a difference in how well you run your business and how confident you feel that you will succeed.

I am so thankful that I found a good mentor, one whose main goal is to help me succeed. I am happy to be learning much from him and following in his footsteps of being a great mentor.

One final note, and perhaps the most important. Your mentor should be focused on YOUR success. Because your success brings their success.

Demand Success! You Deserve It!

Consistency

Continuing on with the theme of one word tips…

Consistency is a must! Unfortunately, repetitive tasks must be undertaken to achieve success. If something works, you need to continue to do it. Very obvious, but you would be so surprised at how many people start to stray away from what works and eventually get very frustrated at their apparent lack of success.

Note: Again, you must stick with it and make it past 90 days and make sure you fund your marketing enough to keep it working 24/7..

So How Do You Know?

So, how do you know which on-line money-making program is right for you? First, I recommend making a list of what you are looking for in a program.

• Do you want to get paid by the hour?

• Or do you prefer making more of a residual income?

• How much time can you commit each day/week?

• How much money do you have to invest?

• Are you looking to make quick money or are you looking for something that will pay bigger longer down the road?

Once you have determined your answers, it is time to begin searching. This may take a great deal amount of time as there are many programs out there. Do your research on any that you find interesting.

These are questions you should ask yourself as you research:

• Does the ad say you don’t have to do anything? (Be reasonable–do you ever get something for nothing?)

• How much does it cost to join? What other fees will be involved to really get started?

• If you join, what is it exactly that you will be responsible for? Marketing? Selling? Calling people? There is some role you will have to play–remember–you don’t get something for nothing

• Can you get in contact with the person promoting the program either via email or phone? (If someone is truly behind their program, then they should be able to be contacted)

• DON’T just join the first program you see that looks good. Take a little time, a few days to a week or more if you need it to delve into it a little deeper. Ask a lot of questions. You have the right to do so. If the person you are asking seems annoyed with your questions, then I would stay AWAY. After all, you may need some help once you get started and you want someone who will be there to support you.

Once you have found what you are looking for–stick with it. Don’t be a program hopper. Much money gets lost this way.

If you are looking for a program that gives you all the support you need go HERE