Time Management

When I made the transition from working full-time outside of the home to working full-time from home, I struggled with self-imposed deadlines — and therefore, struggled with productivity. However, after a few years of practice, I’m getting better

In my personal experience, self-imposed deadlines are one reason I’m able to do everything I do and still have time left over for fun!

Would you like to make MORE time? Join the club!
And what about multi-tasking? Do you love it or hate it? I think I fall somewhere in the middle on that one…

Today I’m sharing two guest posts I recently wrote on these subjects… and I have a lot to say!

I get SO many questions asking about email management; so in today’s post, I tried to break it down into baby-steps to give you a clear picture of what I do each time I check my email — and how these specific steps help me take control of my Inbox.

If you’re struggling with email overload, this post is for you!

It’s a common misconception that any amount of organization must take lots and lots of time and energy. However, that’s simply not true.

Not only can you GET organized over a series of 5 to 10-minute increments, you can also STAY organized by spending 5 minutes at different points throughout the day, quickly cleaning and organizing your workspace.

We’re almost 2 weeks into the New Year so if you haven’t made any New Year’s goals yet, it might be time to sit down and think about a few things you’d like to do, change, or improve on in the year ahead.

If one of your goals is to get more organized, today’s giveaway from TidyMighty Printable Organizers should help you do just that!

This past month, I wrote several guest posts for other blogs — these post topics include my thoughts on “Being Committed vs. Being Over-Committed”, “Unplugging and Recharging”, “Creating a Successful Work-From-Home Routine”, and “Being Busy vs. Being Productive”

As much as I don’t want to admit it, the lazy days of summer are winding down, and the crazy, busy back-to-school days are just around the corner.

If you’re feeling overly busy right now — or if you’re like us and wondering how you’re going to fit everything in over the next few months — I have some tips that might help

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about WHERE I work best, WHEN I work best, and HOW I work best, partially because I’m weird and like to think about things like that… but mainly because my time is limited these days and I need to know that I’m making the best use of my working hours.

I wrote a bunch of guest posts this month and included a few of my favorites right here. If you’re looking to simplify your summer schedule or add hours to your day, I’ve got several tips to share.

I’m also talking about the pros and cons of working as a virtual assistant, as well as how listening to music can actually help you be MORE productive!

I write anywhere from 7-14 posts each week — both for my own blog, as a contributor for several other blogs… so I definitely need to have a “plan” in place to assure that I don’t duplicate topics, miss deadlines, or run out of things to say {although, I think Dave would tell you that’s impossible!}

And since a few of you have asked how I manage all these posts, I figured maybe I should share “my plan” with you!

Most of you know that I am a HUGE advocate for getting enough sleep. However, I’m also big on productivity and “getting stuff done”… so with a new baby who rarely takes naps during the day, I’m often forced to use the time when she’s sleeping at night to get stuff done.

Since I’m definitely a morning person, I’ve started getting up at 4:30am ONE day per week — which gives me about 3 totally uninterrupted hours to buckle down and get a whole bunch of stuff done!

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Instagram, Quora, Digg, YouTube, etc. etc. There are so many different social media venues… I find it impossible to keep up with them all!

While I think it’s absolutely essential for small businesses to utilize the massive {and totally free} advertising and promotional opportunities provided by social media; I’m also the first to admit that they can be a HUGE time-suck.

I like to think that I’m pretty good at managing my time, being productive, getting things done, etc. etc. however as much as I might try, I can’t do it all. I have to make choices every day about what I will and will not spend my time on. Sometimes, it’s an easy choice, other times it’s not. Many times I make wise choices, but other times I don’t. It’s all just a balancing act I suppose.

So since a few of you asked, here’s a short list of things I do and don’t MAKE time for…

Since I work for a handful of other companies, blogs, websites, etc. it’s important for me to accurately track all my “billable hours” so I know how much to invoice the people I work for. However, I also like to track the time I spend on my own website so I know where all the hours in my day are going… and if it’s all worth it!

Today I’m sharing the simple method I use for tracking my time and how it helps increase my efficiency.

Each month, I write a few posts for other blogs… and for the month of January, my guest posts were all about setting, managing, and reaching your goals {fitting for the first month of a new year!}

So if you are still searching for the motivation you need to set and achieve your goals this year, I’ve got some helpful tips that just might help!

Ever since we brought Nora home from the hospital {7 weeks ago today!}, I’ve been diligently trying to figure out the best way to schedule my day around the intense needs of a newborn. It has been a bumpy road so far, and we most definitely do not have it all worked out yet; but I recently got an email from a reader who sensed my frustration and told me about how she implimented a “block schedule” to help her better manage her time with small children.

I’ve been trying a block schedule ever since then… and it seems to be working!

I talk about lists A LOT — but that’s because I’ve made a list for myself almost every single day since high school. Every night, before I go to bed, I make a to-do list for the next day. I also have long-term project lists, grocery lists, lists of my goals, a bucket list, etc. etc. I have lots and lots of lists!

So I’m super excited to share today’s giveaway from ListPlanIt.com — a website that offers over 700 different printable and downloadable lists for people like me who simply love lists, and for people who don’t necessary love lists but NEED them anyway!

Based on my past experiences, it’s quite difficult to take any amount of time off from my business {especially since I’m a one-woman operation} but it’s also 100% worth it every time I do. Even taking a few days off seems to give me a fresh perspective and even more energy to get back to work when I return home.

So as we enter another very busy holiday season — and as I enter a period of maternity leave — here are a few of my thoughts about how I plan to continue generating a decent income, keep my business running, and prevent possible issues {all while being as “hands-off” as possible}.

I often receive emails from readers {women in particular} who are interested in working from home. They ask me how I got started, if I have any good ideas for other stay-at-home jobs, and what the pros and cons of working at home are.

So while I’m not complaining one bit about my current working situation, I do think it might be beneficial to list some of the pros and cons I feel are part of running a business, working from home, and trying to juggle everything I do on a daily basis.