Taking My Business to the Next Level - A Progress Report

August 2, 2007· Filed under Working from Home

I know I have mentioned it before, but I am looking forward to the kids going back to school in late August. It’s not that I don’t enjoy spending more time with them (after all, that is one main reason I am a work from home Mom), or that I don’t enjoy hanging out at the pool, coordinating playdates, or constantly picking up after them. I enjoy all of those things (well, except the picking up part), it’s just that I am really looking forward to having 6 hours a day to focus on taking my business to the next level.

While I don’t exactly have it all ready to execute, I am gradually laying the foundation for growth now.  Here’s what I have done so far:

Purchased and installed QuickBooks. Yes, this is something I should have done a long time ago, but up until now, my Excel spreadsheet and I did just fine.

Made a list of other talented professionals that may be interested in taking on projects and tasks as I have a need for additional help. The blogosphere is a wonderful place, and while you might not realize it, your own blog and the relationships you create via blogging act as a dynamic resume.

Outsourced one energy draining task - house cleaning.  Yep. I hate house cleaning and I don’t really do a good job. Thanks to the gift certificate my brothers gave me, I had Molly Maids come out today and work their magic. They were very organized, professional and did a great job. But, the best part is, that during the 2.5 hours they were here scrubbing and dusting, I was able to work and earn more money than it cost me to have them here. That is good business.

There is obviously much more to do and I have quite a bit on my plate as it is, but I feel like I am taking steps in the right direction!

Oh, I almost forgot! If you need a good read, check out Tim Ferriss’ book The 4-Hour Work Week. I am just getting going on it, but so far, so good.

Comments (3)

Making the Most of Your Time

July 24, 2007· Filed under Family, Organizing, Working from Home

As I get older I am also getting wiser. I am learning (although slowly) that in order for me to be a successful business woman, mother and wife, I do not have to do it all myself. Doing it all myself does not make me a better person - it just drains me of my life energy!

I am learning to outsource even the most basic tasks so I can have more time and energy to be a great Mom, a better wife, and more efficient in my business.

One of the things I am most excited about outsourcing is the deep cleaning in our house. Let’s face it, I can barely keep up with the dishes and the laundry. I don’t enjoy the nitty gritty cleaning and don’t have the time to do it right. Thanks to my awesome brothers, I have a gift certificate for a cleaning service - it is just the right amount to get me started and get our family hooked!

Here are a bunch of great sites that will help you streamline, organize, and may even inspire you to do some outsourcing yourself:

• Wendy at eMoms at Home published an awesome list of 25 Parent Productivity Tools - lots on there that I had never seen before and worth checking out.
• Ariane Benefit has is a professional organizer. Her Neat and Simple site is packed with tools to help you conquer clutter, get organized an streamline your life.
• Working Mom is the site of my favorite grocery list generator. There are lots of other goodies there too.
• Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie is the mastermind behind my favorite way to start the week - Menu Plan Monday. You would not believe the time I save each week (and money) by taking 30 minutes each Sunday to plan our menu.
• David Seah makes great task planning notepads and tools. His site has plenty of additional productivity tips, too.
• Achieve IT just published an awesome list of The Top 50 Blogs That Will Unleash Your Motivation. Just be sure to schedule some time to go through this list.

What are your favorite time savers? What have you outsourced? I’d love to know!

Comments (11)

Too Much Information

July 18, 2007· Filed under Working from Home

I am suffering from a MAJOR case of too much information right now! Not “that” kind of TMI (you know the kind that makes you queasy or blush), but the TMI that comes from living and working in an environment that thrives on information and having the kind of mind that really wants to take it all in.  By the looks of things, I am not alone!

• Wendy at eMoms at Home put up a post yesterday that could have easily been written by me  - The Top 10 Distractions for the Work at Home Mom or Dad. I love being able to be home with my kids and wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it does get a little hard to concentrate on ANYTHING at this time of the year.
• Dawud must be feeling it, too! In an effort to be a more productive work at home Dad, Dawud is taking drastic measures. Follow his lead and Shut Down Your Email and Close Your RSS Feeder to eliminate some of the excess information noise.

My strategy for today is to set my timer for 30 minute time blocks and during that time block I will focus on ONE task at a time - no checking email or following links during this time. I have a list of 5 things I really need to get accomplished today - if I follow my plan, I can have them pretty much done by noon and then I can PLAY.

PS - I am also in meme debt thanks to HomeMom3 and Angela. I will probably catch up on these some time over the weekend.

Comments (4)

Balancing Work from Home and Your Marriage

July 5, 2007· Filed under Family, Working from Home

For those of us who work from home, so much of our focus is on the kids. We openly discuss working from home with kids and we share lots of strategies, tips and techniques for making it through summers and holidays. But, what about the balance of working from home and our marriages?

As a work at home Mom I have the flexibility to work around the schedules of my children’s activities, sleep schedules, and need for Mommy time. The result is that often I get up early and work before they get up, and I know that many of us work after the kids go to sleep at night.

It is this fragmented work pattern that can leave me in a catch-22 of sorts. A lot of days I am faced with a choice - one I don’t always like to make - spend my evening doing work to earn money or spend my evening hanging out with my spouse.

And what about times when your spouse has the day off or the week off? How do you manage expectations? I can’t afford to put my business on hold every time my husband takes the day off or the week off.

While I have found that communication and compromise go a long way, this is still an area I struggle with! Some of the ways I have found to help maintain the balance include:

• Get a laptop and work while your spouse watches TV - at least you are in the same room and can have a conversation at the same time.
• If I know my husband will be off for a day or two I try to schedule a block of time for a family activity or a lunch date.
• Keep my husband informed of my successes and what I earn so that he can see the value of what I do.

Now, I’d like to get your input! What has worked for you and what has not?

Comments (10)

I Don’t Want You to Miss the Fun!

June 27, 2007· Filed under Technology, Working from Home

Things are hopping at my web design blog called Essential Keystrokes! We are celebrating my blogging birthday for the whole week and I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the fun. So just in case you haven’t ventured over there, here is some of what has been happening:

• Win some great prizes! Come over and celebrate my blogging birthday and you could win some fabulous books, a cool game, an iTunes gift certificate or even a guest post opportunity on a really high profile blog.
• We all have to start somewhere - I started my blogging at Blogger and have redesigned a few times. Whether you are just starting out or have been blogging for a while, you might want to see the Evolution of my Blog.
• How about 164 Essential Tools for Online Success? Dawud Miracle gave me a great blogging gift - he compiled over 500 links while going through more than 25 Essential Tools features at my site. This is some list!

There is still time to enter the contest and there will be more great posts this week! Don’t miss it.

Comments (1)