Women Entrepreneurs & Productivity

Do you work from home? Let me ask you a few questions:

• Have you ever felt disorganized or frustrated with your home office set up?
  
• Are you uncertain about how to structure your day?
• Would you like to be more productive?
• Would you like to find more balance between work and personal time?
  

All of the above issues applied to me when I first began working at home. My biggest issue was how to structure my day now that it was all mine. I know that sounds odd, but its true. In the past I had to be at work at a certain time, meetings at certain times, could go for lunch at a set time, etc. But now that I am home all day, I found myself feeling lost and I hope this hub helps other women facing the same problem.

Many women who work from home ask themselves this question: How can I best utilize my time for myself, my family, and my business? We all have the same number of hours in our day. It's how we use them that matters most.

In this short space, I would like to touch on the two most commonly asked questions on how to allocate time for maximum productivity:

• How many hours, in total, should I work?
• What sort of activities should those hours be devoted to?

In particular, I will focus on the number of hours that should be devoted to planning and preparation versus taking action.

Action is the single most important aspect of your business success. You can spend hours, days, weeks, months, even years planning something. But if you never take action, you will not see any results. Don't get me wrong, planning is essential. However too many people get bogged down with endless meetings, emails, and discussions - and never take any action.

Please keep this in mind when planning your day. It is a good idea to have a set Action Plan for each day to keep yourself on track.

I have found a schedule that works well for me and I'm interested to hear your thoughts. Here is what I have discovered:

• I feel better, physically and mentally, when I wake early, stretch my body, shower and get dressed for the day before doing anything else.
• Eat a healthy, protein based breakfast (I prefer eggs with a cup of coffee)
• Exercise a little each day - Yoga, or a long walk to get my blood flowing and my body moving.

In short, I try to break up my day using the following as a guide:

• 8 hours of sleep (I love to sleep!)
  
• 2.5 hours of planning, preparation, and reading
• 9 hours of action
• 3.5 hours of relaxation and recreation and family time
  

Being a business owner is a lot of work, and should be taken seriously. Often when women work from home we find ourselves pulled in many directions from others who assume we're not "really working". Friends can make the mistake of thinking we are available anytime. To prevent this problem, I have begun to screen my calls during my work time. I turn off my personal email account and close Facebook.

Work time should be focused, concentrated, and effective.

On the other hand, owning your own business and working from home offers a great deal of freedom and flexibility! It can be so much fun to have the freedom to choose how you spend your time and not need to "punch the clock" or wait anxiously for 5:00 to arrive so you can be free.Your time is your own and I encourage you to use it wisely.

What brings you joy?

Have fun with your time - be sure to schedule in your favorite activities and be kind to yourself. I love yoga and going out to lunch with my husband. We have set days where we go out to a new lunch spot together and enjoy the time without kids! Find what works for you and go with it.

I work from home full time on the internet as an Affiliate Marketer and I absolutely love my job. To hear more about what I do, or to say hello, be sure to stop by my blog: Gina's Money

I hope this helps! Have a great (and productive) day!