Working From Home Time Management Tips

It's important to balance personal and business time when managing a home business. In an office setting, a co-worker might stop by your desk taking up valuable time. At home, distractions may come from a spouse or a child. Most anxiety regarding time management is created by being disorganized. Emails and instant messages engulf us while phone calls and interruptions abound. Here are a few tips to help tame some of these common tasks and help you better manage your time.

Email
Quickly identify urgent/important email messages. Many emails require just a few minutes to evaluate and reply. Carefully sort the remaining emails that need attention into individual folders. Don't spend time organizing emails you haven't read or aren't sure about. File them unsorted in one folder to look at later or set up filters to automatically organize messages as they arrive.

Avoid Interruptions
Turn off instant messaging when working to meet a deadline. Let calls go to voice mail, too, so you can stay focused on a particular project. Constant disruptions to our thought process slows down our efforts to stay on task. Turn off music and television for the best production.

Work in Concentrated Blocks of Time
Select a thirty minute timeframe to begin, develop, or complete a defined assignment. Exerting special attention without any outside interruptions will most likely impart first-rate results. You'll feel pride in being so productive and will be less likely to feel overwhelmed.

Afternoon Checkup
Rather than spend all day worrying about a 'must do today' list, take a mid-afternoon check-up. Don't wait till the last minute, now is the time to make that vital phone call, return that important email or place that necessary order. Be effective and efficient in prioritizing this session to keep stress down.

Just following a few of these tips will keep your business well-organized and perhaps add more time for personal and family life.

Article © 2007 Heather Quarnstrom. All rights reserved worldwide.

Heather Quarnstrom is a writer and creative designer with decades on online experience and the owner of Bishop's Corner, an online/catalog shop offering hundreds of quality gifts, home decor items, toys, housewares, furniture and more with nearly 1,000 products under $20. Visit her online store today at http://BishopsTN.com.

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