Work at Home Productivity Tips –

This month I stumbled upon a method that is really increasing my focus and allowing me to improve productivity in important aspects of my business rather than surf the internet or getting sidetracked from the big picture.

Every day I have been focused on doing at least one monetizing or "step up" activity- an activity that builds on projects and content that I already have in place.

Next month I have product development lined up and the month after, marketing.

I've set up a theme for every month, planned about 3 months in advance.

This will allow me to tweak the following months according to my success in the prior months.

In time I will likely increase the % of my time in marketing as I develop my products and finish refining what I already have.

This simple system improves my productivity by allowing me to complete tasks that are strategically planned in advance and give direct benefit to my business. And it will do the same for you. 

3 MAIN BENEFITS 

I'm finding this method to be of benefit in 3 main ways.

• It keeps me from becoming overwhelmed and feeling like I need to do everything at once.

• It keeps me focused on what I need to be doing

• It makes it easier to work as there is less jumping around from task to task.

PHASE TWO

Another aspect that is really keeping me motivation to complete at least one task in the target area per day is to have a calender on my wall that I am using especially for this. 

I write in bright marker every day the task that I have achieved and write my monthly theme on the top.

I also have typed out a rough outline of themed tasks by day, the idea being that I could see at a glance what I should be doing in chronological order.

That hasn't been working so well so far for 3 reasons

•  I crammed too much in

•  didn't allow for flexibility

•  didn't pencil in a time to check the schedule first thing daily. 

These are key points to keep in mind when you are setting up any time management system – simple or complicated.

The good news is that I have produced far more in line of results just by focusing on completing one themed task – how ever small – per day then I ever did before. 

Since this is part of a bigger plan, I'm excited to see what kind of results I will see after the next 3-6 months.

That is what I really like about internet business – each effort builds on prior efforts.

The trick is to be consistent and to target your efforts on the right tasks.

GET IT ON PAPER 

In reviewing my themed task job outline, one of the strong points that I see is having it down on paper – having a plan.

This one step alone will make it easier to pick up when I find myself with some spare time and make it easier to delegate anything that is suitable.

You can use the basic method to be more productive in doing the right things in almost any area.

I have also created a task list  based on my affiliate sales for the past 2 months.

What can I do to improve sales based on the data?

Here are the basic steps that I used for both…

STEP 1 – ANALYZE – If you are setting up a themed task schedule – analyze the major themes that you will need to target over the next coming months or year.

STEP 2 – BREAK THEM DOWN into separate tasks. 

STEP 3 – CREATE A TIME POCKET to work on the tasks. You can set up a due date if that helps you. I find this sometimes upsets my schedule as sometimes things go faster, sometimes slower. If I stick to using my time pocket and prepare in advance, I know that I am using my time to the best of my ability and leave it at that with a running list.

STEP 4 – PREPARE AHEAD. Have files and anything you need ready to go. The best time to prepare is at the end of your present work session. This will give you an astounding head start and really pump up your productivity.

STEP 5 – PUMP IT UP. In looking at my themed task plan, I can see that by being more disciplined in maintaining my time pockets – that I can get twice as much completed by adding a time pocket for themed tasks.

Will this cause stress on my other responsibilities?

No, because I can see that many of the tasks I have been doing are off target.

Using another time pocket to work more intensely on my themed tasks is the best use of my time.

You will need to have a good look at your schedule and see what works for you.

TIME POCKETS MAKE IT EASY TO SWITCH FROM UNPRODUCTIVE TASKS 

One of the great things about using time pockets to manage your time is that it makes it easy to switch from a regular activity that is non productive to one that is very productive because you can see at a glance exactly what you will achieve by using your time wisely.

If you would like more information on using time pockets to improve your productivity, get your free subscription to WAHM in Focus to be notified when 1,000 Hours, Your Guide to Using Time Pockets to Increase Productivity is ready to help you get the most of every working minute.  

LINKS MENTIONED IN LIVE PODCAST

Are You a Perpetual Student Podcast

Family and Business Balance Podcast

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WAHM in Focus Podcast on iTunes

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