While many people think that time management is the only form of discipline you must enforce on yourself when you have your own home business, it isn't. There are at least 7 aspects in your life you must learn to adjust and today we're going to look at them.
Time Management - Learn to use your time effectively.
You must identify "weak spots" - the things in your business that suck a lot of your time and energy but produce very small results. For most, email and the amount of time spent reading and responding eats up their most valuable time. For others, proof reading their site and making sure they catch every typo is their downfall.
If you are spending some of your most creative and productive time on "weak spots", you need to redo your schedule and give your most creative and productive time to the areas of your business that earn you the most.Eating - Having a healthy diet will give you more energy to work your business. It's easy to fall victim to caffeine, sugar and "junk food" while spending hours at your computer but all of these things are actually draining your energy in addition to the damage they're doing to your overall health.
To maintain your health and boost your energy level, adopt some healthy eating habits. Just because the refrigerator is only a few steps away doesn't mean you should visit it frequently. Likewise, just because the computer is close to your dinner table, you shouldn't be eating your meals staring at your monitor.
Maintaining a proper diet and separating food from work is an important part of having a successful life and business.Exercise - A good exercise program can boost your energy and improve your attitude. It's a well known fact that exercise improves muscle tone and it also helps reduce stress.
Exercising your mind is a good thing but don't forget about your body. No matter what your physical limitations, you need to exercise on a regular basis and typing on your keyboard doesn't count.
Walk, jog, play tennis or whatever it is you do, do it on a regular basis to keep your mind and body at their peak performance level.Remember Your Family - When working from home it's easy to devote all your time to your business but this is a big mistake if you have a family and they're not involved in your business.
Your doing your business to make your family life better, right? Well don't neglect your family or you might not have one when your business starts doing well.
Having your family involved in your internet marketing business is a great benefit that most don't enjoy. And if you happen to be one of those with a wonderful family who's not involved in your business, remember to spend quality time with them - frequently!Take Time For Yourself - You are not your business. You are a person who enjoys doing some things that may not relate to your business and these things are important.
Although you may have built your business around the one thing you enjoy the most, you have other interests that you need to spend time on to maintain your mental health. Maybe you enjoy reading or watching certain TV shows. Maybe you enjoy playing games or participating in some sports. No matter what your other interests, you need to devote some of your quality time to them.
Don't put your other interests on hold or in a time slot where you can't enjoy them. These interests make you who you are and allow you to relieve tension. Do them when you can enjoy them and get the full benefit of their usefulness.Grow Your Business - You should be spending at least 50% of your time either developing new products or expanding your business in some way.
Think of your business like a garden. You plant the seeds and nurture the seedlings until they become grown and produce results. Then you must maintain your garden by weeding, feeding and watering it.
But no matter how well you maintain that garden, you will still lose some plants over time and the results of your labor will decrease. To keep the results high and to get an increase, you must keep planting.
This is how your business is. You work hard to get a customer base and you must maintain it. But if you don't constantly work to get new products and to grow your customer base, the results of your labor will go down.Have Fun - What's the point of anything if you can't enjoy it?
Sure, you want to make money with your business but if you don't enjoy doing it then it's the same as having a "job" and you aren't getting one of the biggest advantages of being your own boss.
Having fun with your own business means different things to different people. Maybe you want to set up a "fun" site that doesn't make money but allows you to share your creative side. Maybe you want to spend some of your earnings on something for yourself, your family or you business even though you don't really need it. Maybe you want to take some time off and be with your family or friends. It's your business, you're in charge and you can do any of these things when you want.
Don't abuse this wonderful privilege but do take advantage of it. Allot a set amount of time or money to do those things that make having your business fun.
To be a healthy, successful internet marketer you must take control of your life and be able to impose and enforce some discipline to these 7 areas.
To Your Success,
Susan
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