One of the elements I found that helped me in my home based businesses was a report that a major university tracked a class of graduates for 20 years that used goal setting. After 20 years, it was discovered that only 20% actually had a plan and only 5% of them had them written down. The major successes came to that 5% and it was determined that 85% of the wealth belonged to that 5%.
After hearing this statistic I immediately took an eight hour goal setting seminar with Franklin Covey, used their planners and systems and was amazed at the different results I had. Here are some of the discoveries I learned, but I would suggest that the best investment you might make is learning how to manage your time productively, whether you are starting a conventional home based business or an online one. In order to make money at home or make money online, organization of your events and time will be key elements to your success. Making choices for your activities every day will assure long term success in your home based business. Your dreams and goals can come true when they hold a high priority every day; when you have a strong why it overcomes the obstacles of the "how to".
Important tips on time management for home based business opportunities
First determine what you want. What are you willing to do and what are you willing to put on hold for a while. Most people only have a vague idea of where they want to go. Think not only short term, but where you want to be in 5 years, 10 years, 25 years and lifetime goals. You should be able to believe that you can accomplish these goals and something that stirs your emotions. Once you have thought about this go to the next step. This applies equally to offline or online businesses.
Second, everything should be written down (this is critical, do not skip this step). I use 3x5 cards. Write it down in vivid present tense detail. i.e. I am (your goal) at such and such a date. Once you have done that then do the following daily exercises. Because you work at home, discipline becomes even more important. Your daily tasks can be just as easy to do as not to do.
Third, read what you have written out to yourself silently and repeat for about 10 minutes.
Fourth, now read contents of your cards out loud and repeat until you have spent about 10 minutes in the process.
Fifth, dwell and spend time with your dreams and goals every day. "Whatever is planted in our subconscious mind and nourished with repetition and emotion, will one day become a reality." Imagine how you would feel if your dream was here today. I spend about 10 minutes a day in a quiet place and think about the result I want. See the end at the beginning.
This may seem an unimportant and simple exercise but this 30 minutes will implant your goals and dreams firmly in mind. Our actions always tell us what our belief systems are.
Unfortunately most of us have about a 90 to 1 ratio of negative to positive messages long before we have the guards up against unwanted programing We come into this world I believe, a blank slate, "Tabla Rasia" and then all the important people around us begin to influence our thought processes long before we can protect ourselves. For instance we are told over and over not to speak to strangers which is a great programing for children, however that thought applied to a person in marketing, a home based business, sales or management, might not be able to figure out why they are shy or have trouble with confidence and self esteem.
I am not suggesting that you go into psychoanalysis but having a very directed program of laying out new direction can overcome with time, a lot of the old thought patterns that hinder our successes whether it be a home based business or our jobs.
Now I know all of us talk about saving time, managing time and so forth, however it can't be done. We only have 24 hours no matter how you cut it. A minute once gone is gone forever, can't get it back so all we can do is prioritize and manage the events of our lives. It is critical to your success in home based businesses to have a written plan of action. If not we may spend our precious resource time on unimportant non essentials.
This is where a goal setting program and a planner comes into the picture. Most of us spend our time minoring in the majors and majoring in the minors. We need to spend our time in a productive manner to get the best results. I have a sign on my desk that says "I must do the most productive thing in every given moment".
This will require an examination of your daily task and deciding in view of your goals what takes the highest priority. Most people are still working at jobs or their businesses so that along with commuting is probably your 1st priority, but if you are chronically late for everything, you may have the calendar all of your daily schedule until you get on track. On that note there is some thought that being late is a form of rebellion against someone else's control. Have a "3 D" home based business; Dream, Determination, Discipline.
This will require an examination of your daily task and deciding in view of your goals what takes the highest priority. Most people are still working at jobs or their businesses so that along with commuting is probably your 1st priority, but if you are chronically late for everything, you may have the calendar all of your daily schedule until you get on track. On that note there is some thought that being late is a form of rebellion against someone else's control. Have a "3 D" home based business; Dream, Determination, Discipline.
Once you have prioritized your tasks into A most important, B next in line, C after A-B's are done and then D's they are the least important on that day. Check each task off as it is accomplished and then reschedule any remainders for the next day. Always gauge priority in light of importance relating to your goals, which may not necessarily be urgent. An event may be both important and urgent but I have found that when you take the long view that sometimes the most important things aren't necessarily urgent. Sometimes our success is found in those small important but not urgent steps we take every day. I have discovered that being successful sometimes is simple and just as easy to do as not to do.
What happens when you don't want to do what is necessary try to remember Earl Nightingale's "Greatest Secret", "Successful and unsuccessful people both don't want to do the same things, but successful people are more interested in pleasing results than pleasing methods".
I hope, dear reader, that these thoughts and observations are of value to you in starting your home based business and I have posted a few links that will assist you in taking control of the events of your life. Bon Voyage and may you find many opportunities on your path to your goals and dreams. Stay tuned for next in the series; why, where, when, what and possibly who is an entrepreneur that has a home based business.
