Work at Home Productivity Tips –

We're all hearing it.

It's all around us.

The work at home buzz.

We're all so busy.

Producing content, tweaking for conversions, and the latest work at home craze, social networking… which can take a good chunk out of the work day, especially because it's so darn fun.

Who said work couldn't be fun?

But at the end of a fun filled day, are you finding yourself lost? 

Are you wandering aimlessly through endless interactions, endless words that are taking you no where…

There are a few things that may help give you a little focus and make your marketing efforts stick in todays flurry of activity.

METHOD TO YOUR MADNESS – A few really good activities that can be time well spent are

1 – DO GUEST BLOG ARTICLES – think big. It's important. The worst they can say is no. There are plenty of blogs to choose from out there, and you can always use it on your own blog and try another article if it doesn't work out. Providing content and making these contacts can open new worlds and over time can be a huge source of traffic and opportunity. I highly recommend that you put aside some time and join the 30 Day Challenge. It will set you up with all that you need for finding and tracking blogs to keep you busy and so much more.

2 – BLOG CARNIVALS – this is something new that I'm trying. I've heard it can work well, if the carnival is well established. Worst case scenario – you get a link back, the more the better for SEO. Check out www.blogcarnivals.com for a great carnival listing on almost any topic.

3 –  TWITTER – You've probably been hearing a lot about twitter lately. I've seen quite a few people claim to get a lot of traffic this way. I personally haven't seen this but I recommend it for different reasons. I have made some amazing contacts. You can open yourself to people and resources you never would have otherwise and it is an easy way to contact some people who would otherwise be unapproachable. It's been called the office water cooler. It certainly is a gathering place where a person can go to kick back, trade stories and talk biz (I had typo'd talk big. You can do that too!).

One caution – don't get carried away. It can be distracting if you let it. Set boundaries. Meet me on twitter.

4 – JOIN A FEW SOCIAL NETWORKS. Again, if you don't get carried away you can make some great contacts and get exposure.  If you are looking at getting back in shape or staying that way, there is nothing like Club FYM (for ladies only, sorry guys!). We have our own social network at the iShine Community targeting work at home harmony and balance – Home… Biz… and You!

5 – GO BLOG HOPPING – One of the best things about blogs are the way they can call attention to yourself.

• post quality comments on other sites. An awesome tool to be notified when a new post has been made on your favourite blog is comment sniper.
• social bookmarking – I like stumbleupon – and don't forget to stumble this article if you like it!
• link to other blogs inside of your post. Many times they will check out your blog and who knows?
• interact with people who comment on your blog. People like to feel acknowledged and interesting.

6 –  If you get an opportunity to CONTRIBUTE TO ANOTHER SITE – take it. You never know what this can open you up to. I currently contribute at

• Lynne Terry's Self Starters Forum as a moderator – Goal Achievement and Brain Storming
• Because Mom Said So Community Blog
• Show Mom the Money – Time Management Articles Column
  
• FYM Makeover
• Guest article on B5Media – Home Biz Notes – What Do We Think We're Doing It For
• UPDATE: Watch for articles coming up on Sparkplugging and Internet Marketing Sweetie.

You will be able to find a listing at the bottom of my new blog anytime.

WHAT ABOUT FORUMS?

Forums are the original social networking platform. They can still be used effectively by choosing one or two to be active on so that regular members can get to know, like and trust you.

The drawback of forums is that you just don't get the same tools that you can use to really get yourself out there – blogs, RSS feeds etc that enable you to create your very own network within a network sometimes on autopilot with no more than the initial setup effort. 

Be sure not to forum hop – watch your stats to see which ones are returning traffic and watch that browsing time!

GET THE MOST FROM YOUR EFFORTS…

TRACK – are you seeing traffic from your efforts? I've been using Site Tracker by Joel Comm. I find that I can see in an instant exactly where my traffic has come from for any given day or time period. Especially helpful if your trying to track your online footprints.

BALANCE – The keys to success are balance and doing the right things. Decide on the main tasks that you'd like to do, decide how long and how often you need or want to do them and create a schedule. Stick to it. List and Traffic June 2008 has a great package that I am personally thrilled to have, including Jimmy's Finish Early report, outlining his own productivity secrets.

DOING IT RIGHT – Social networking is about interacting with your peers, keeping up on the latest industry developments and getting your website out there to get more traffic.

Social networking is a big part of today's marketing and online business experience, but be forewarned, it has it's pitfalls – number one being it can be a massive time suck if you don't use it properly and number two – many of the social networking clicks have a low ROI (return on investment). I'm really looking forward to learning the finer points included in the Traffic Secrets 2.0 course.

SOCIAL NETWORKING PART TWO –

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT 

Part one covered the basics, in part two I'll talk more about the heart of social networking.

ACTION TIPS

• Spend a little time exploring various social networks, see which ones are a good fit for you and set them up. Be sure to put your contact links on your website.
• Be sure to participate as a community member using each one in the way that they are intended. Basic rule of thumb – give to get.
• Check out my networks listing at the bottom of this page. Join me, I'd love to hear from you.

NOTE

The podcast is coming!

I've had a few technical difficulities (like part of it flatlining – that means no recording in bits and pieces throughout – an editors nightmare… so I will be doing my best to patch it up and get it up here asap. This one was quite a bit longer than usual as I found myself being quite social and chatting up a storm so I don't want to re record… alas… a good 10 minutes is wiped out regardless. Rest assured, everything is alive and well in KAOS Land )