Quick Tips to boost Productivity for Always Busy Women Entrepreneurs

1. First things First. Instead of checking email or Facebook first thing and possibly wasting an hour or two in a blink of an eye, try focusing on a project or task and get it done.

2. Speaking of Email. Do you drop what you're doing every time you hear the new e-mail sound or see that little envelope icon in your system tray? Close Outlook and focus on the task at hand. Better yet, turn off the alerts and notifications in your email program. Try scheduling a specific time of day that you check email.

3. Tracking your Time. Do you have a good idea of how you spend your time each day? If you don't, use a paper time log or track your time in Outlook so you know how your precious minutes and hours are being spent. You might be surprised. This is a great way to see if you are wasting too much time on a certain aspect of your business that might be able to be delegated to a virtual assistant.

4. Best Use of Your Time. In the simplest terms, there are really two sides to a successful business: saving money and making money. If what you are doing doesn't help your company do one or the other, give some serious thought to whether it's a good use of your time.

5. Breakdown tasks. If you are having trouble wrapping your head around a project, make a list of the first few steps to get you started.

6. Guard your time. Manage your time, just like you would manage your budget. Don't just give yourself away to anyone that asks. Be selective.

7. Schedule appointments with yourself. Don't just use Outlook for your daily appointments. If you need to carve out time to work on something specific, put it on your Tasks and block out time just like you would a meeting with a real person. Don't stand yourself up!

8. Break It Up. If you can never seem to get the ball rolling on a big project, think of it as a series of smaller tasks. The work will seem less intimidating, and you'll have a good chunk done before you know it.

9. Group tasks. Don't let small, repetitive tasks repeatedly interrupt your day. Carve out a few dedicated minutes each day to handle repetitive tasks like filing, processing mail, or handling invoices. Get things done in groups.

10. Be decisive. Don't waste time with indecision. It will often take less time to correct a mistake than it does to obsess over the decision. Once the decision's been made, it's easier to move forward.

11. Organize your space. Clutter and confusion will not only slow you down, but it will drain your energy as well. Make the effort to get your work area in order and reap the benefits day after day.

12. End Your Day with a Great Start. Close out the day. Don't waste the last few minutes of the day. Make it a priority to close out your day by organizing yourself and setting priorities for the day to come.

A Healthy Competition or a Deadly Comparison

Have you ever heard the term “healthy competition”? Competition can be a fabulous driving force when used properly. A great motivating competition might be when two or more Always Busy Entrepreneurs get together and see who can sell the most product in a month or who can make the most customer follow-up calls in an hour. Having that competition going can give you something to work for and you may end up accomplishing more than you would have otherwise.

Comparing yourself on the other hand to your fellow Always Busy Entrepreneur friends is unhealthy. If you have found yourself thinking “Wow, she is so successful. I wish I was more like her. My life would be perfect if I could be like her.” You are comparing yourself to others. Do not fall into this trap!

You need to be proud of who you are and what you are doing. You do not have your friend’s life – she may have older children and eight hours a day to work on her business whereas you have a newborn and a toddler and only a few hours a day to work. It is important to set your goals realistically. Remember the old saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day?” It applies to your business as well! And who knows if your successful friend is really as successful as she is? Maybe she is saying she is more successful than she actually is. It is quiet possible that she is comparing herself to you as well!

It is normal to wonder if your business is doing well, or if you are making as much as you could be. Seek out advice from someone who has been where you are now. They can offer an honest opinion and can tell you what they did to achieve their success. Remember to use their advice as a guideline. You need to set your own deadline. It doesn’t matter if it takes you a bit longer to achieve your goals. Building a successful business is not a race – it is a marathon! By working consistently on your business, you will achieve your goals.

Easy Time Management Tricks for Always Busy WAHM’s

From the outside looking in, many people assume that work at home moms have it easy; however, if any of those people have ever lived a day as a WAHM they would know it is far from easy. There are children to take care of, a house to clean, a dog to walk, groceries to buy, dinner to cook and dishes to wash. Oh, and then there’s that business to work!

It may not be easy, but it is possible. By using some simple time management tricks, a WAHM can find time to “get it all done!” One thing every WAHM should have is a planner. Schedule your “me time” and “family time” first! Then schedule in the time you are going to work your business. Once you have your “work time” scheduled, make it a priority to stay focused on your business during those hours. It can be very easy to procrastinate or get off task when you are a WAHM.

If your work requires you to do lots of different tasks, try to group similar tasks together. For instance, if you are in a direct sales business and you have a team under you, designate one day to be your “training day”. Instead of helping various team members throughout the week, schedule all of your mentoring sessions for one day. Set aside an hour in the morning and an hour in the late afternoon to respond to email and/or return phone calls. By scheduling that time in, you will find that you are able to get more work done and feel less scattered.

Outsourcing some of your activities is another great way to manage your time. If you find that you are spending too much time on responding to email, returning phone calls, or updating your website, hire a virtual assistant to do those tasks for you. This will free your time up to work on your business, and by spending more time on the parts of your business that actually bring in money, you will be able to increase your profits.

You can also save time by setting aside a block of time each week to do your “regular” errands, such as grocery shopping. If you plan your meals for the week and go to the grocery store once, you will save lots of time during the week by not taking those daily “quick trips to the market”. And while you are planning your meals, try to schedule a few “cook once, eat twice” days. For instance, you can plan on having spaghetti on Monday and tacos on Tuesday. So, on Monday, brown the hamburger you will need for both days. On Tuesday, half of your work will already be done. And if you are making a meatloaf or lasagna, make two and freeze one for later.

Most importantly, do not feel as if you have to do it all by yourself. You are not a super hero. If you have a spouse or significant other, ask them to chip in on household chores. Children love to help out, and depending on their ages, there are multiple things they can do. And when it is all said and done, don’t forget to take out some time for yourself. Everyone needs a break– WAHMs included!