Six Sigma Blogs

Despite having more time freedom than the 9 to 5 grind when you start working form home full time you soon discover that unless you structure your day time can suddenly seem to disappear.

Many work from home entrepreneurs grab whatever they can from articles, courses and magazines about Time Management but the problem is bigger than just that. If you can imagine that from a very young age your day has a routine when you remove yourself from routine it can affect your whole productivity.

For most people who face a 9 to 5 or longer working day the only things they feel like doing when they finally arrive home is to grab a takeaway, a glass of wine and sit in front of the television or laptop to wind down, knowing they have to do the same thing again the very next day.

Your routine, whether it is good, bad or indifferent is likely to be one of the hardest challenges you have to make because it has become part of you. Some people find it impossible to function when left to make up their own routine and it can be a huge surprise that it is even a problem.

This is why people will often comment “You are treating your business like a hobby not a real business” and you will flit like a butterfly from Ebook to ecourse and back again, spend way too long on Social Media and find your day just goes by without having done anything constructive whatsoever. Here are six tips to help you bring more structure to your home based business:-

Tip #1 Create a real office space for your business at home or in the garden the kitchen table is never a good place to run a business from, home business or not.

Tip#2 Focus your efforts on income producing activities and make scheduled appointments with yourself to allocate blocks of time on a calendar or diary to achieve these task. For example use the mornings for lead generation, the afternoons for content marketing and leave prospecting for the evening.

Step#3 If you do not take time out to learn who it is you are trying to attract as customers and business partners you will struggle in everything you do. You will need a well designed and highly converting sales and marketing funnel that is congruent in every part.

Step# 4 No matter how small your budget is to start with; separate out a regular amount of money for your advertising and marketing efforts. The best option is to open a business bank account to keep everything separate.

#5 Create at least 3 Lever Arch files, label them up, index them and call them something like marketing training, mindset training and sales campaigns. Work with each file at the appropriate time, single minded focus on what you are doing.

#6 Practise daily. If you do not plug in to the system daily you will fail. Your mind will start to wander, you will be tempted by other distractions and all your momentum will dry up leaving you with doubt. When you train every day just as an athlete would you will grow stronger both in mindset and in your skill set and you will have no choice but to gain the knowledge and the skills to move your business forward fast.

Diane Cossie specialises in helping others add structure and strategy to their network marketing businesses. To find out more about the most effective way to leverage your business online check out Diane’s Free Attraction Marketing Bootcamp for a 7 day valued filled tour.

Every home based business owner can attest to the fact that there are never enough hours in the day. Thus, it is of the utmost importance that you efficiently manage your time throughout the day. We will attempt to show you what every home based business owner should be doing daily in order to make the most out of each hour of each day.

Here are some things which you absolutely must consider.

1) Stop associating with that which consumes your time, and gives you no benefit. I am not only talking about your friend who wants to go for the early bird happy hour at two o’clock in the afternoon, I am also talking about the things which interrupt your work throughout the day. Cutting the following wasters of time out of your day is essential to time management:

a) Social Networking Websites: If you find that you are devoting in excess of a half hour to personal messaging, then you are wasting time.

b) Telephone Interruptions: If you answer the phone live more than five times per day during your productive time (ie. work at home time) you are sacrificing time management and efficiency. When you answer the phone, you interrupt your current productive flow, which destroys your productivity.

c) Television: The boob tube must be limited for you to achieve ultimate control over your time. My recommendation is thirty minutes per day, especially if you are not getting all the things done you need or want to. If you have a DVR, you can record whatever you want to watch, and skip through the commercials in order to save time.

2) Make a list of the most important things which you absolutely need to complete each day. One of the best things that you can do to adequately manage your time, is put a list of tasks together which has been prioritized. You have to know what must be done every day, and then take action to do it. This is the day of new technology. While this new technology has enabled us to work at home, it has also given us many things which compete for our attention. If you allow such distractions to become priorities, you will not have enough time to complete your work. Consider doing the following:

a) Put together a list of the things which you need to get done each day;

b) Generate time frames for the accomplishment of each item;

c) Arrange each item in accordance with its importance;

d) Develop a plan of action which will give you the ability to accomplish your goals within your set time frame.

3) While going through the daily operations of your home based business, begin to focus on time management. Your consistent focus must be on managing your time. Once you have determined what your goals and priorities are, begin focusing on simply completing those goals in their respective order. If something is not on your list of goals for this week, do not spend precious time on it until all of your goals have been completed. If you allow every interruption to become a priority, you will not accomplish your goals. Rather, you will be in debt to interruptions, and probably feel like you never accomplish enough.

Dalliance and Home Based Business do not mix very well. Take full advantage of your Business Opportunitiesby determining which time wasters you can do away with. Make sure that you drop by and visit us at SOSComplete.com

Yes, it is true that operating a home based business can be challenging yet rewarding in the same instance. Even though it can at times be utter chaos running your own business, there are some tools which you can use to make your life easier. For instance, if you operate a home based business in which you need to constantly ship packages to your customers, it makes sense to set yourself up with a digital scale and a method to print off shipping labels from your computer. Such a step can save several hours over the course of a month.

To understand what I am talking about, let us look at two different scenarios. The first scenario is one which requires that you pile your packages into the car, drive to the post office or wherever you ship out of, stand in line, have your packages weighed, purchase labels, get back into your car, and drive back home. The second scenario is one which requires that you turn on your digital scale, weigh the packages that you plan to ship, print off the shipping labels from your computer, and have these packages picked up at your house by your shipping company. Which scenario do you think is more time efficient? Of course, the second scenario. Saving this much time per week is the equivalent to hiring a part-time employee. Except, you do not have the expense.

By now you might be starting to see the importance of optimizing your home based business. A big step in accomplishing this involves keeping what you need to operate your business right underneath your roof. Thus, you should keep track of what you use on a day to day basis, and make sure that it is stocked in your home. This will ensure that you do not have to constantly run to the store to purchase supplies. Better yet, you can purchase your supplies in bulk. This not only ensures that you have what you need on hand, it also provides you with the opportunity to purchase in quantity and receive a discount. Moreover, there are several supply companies which will actually deliver their supplies to your house, so there is no need to even visit their store.

You should also take steps to identify what adds value to your home based business, and what does not. For instance, if you find that you are taking a great deal of time and effort to send a weekly newsletter to your customers, and very few customers are subscribing to this newsletter, it might be a good time to re-evaluate. Perhaps your customers do not want such frequent contact. Maybe it is a good idea to go with a monthly newsletter, rather than weekly. No only will this afford you more time, it may lead to more subscribers.

Above all, make sure that you are offering stellar customer service and solid products to the customers of your home based business. This will lead to their ultimate satisfaction with your company. Keep in mind that your customers are the only reason why you remain in business. By taking the time to make your home based business more efficient, you can spend more time catering to the needs of your customers.

If you are the owner of a Home Based Business, then you are well aware of the value of time. Get the most out of yourBusiness Opportunities by efficiently managing your days. Take the time to visit us at SOSComplete.com

Tired of waking up at the crack of dawn, running around trying to get ready and then sitting in traffic jams everyday no matter what time you leave? So was I until I found the awesome world of owning a home business. Now I make that long trek to my comfy desk chair about 8:00, in my sweats and not having a care in the world about making it to work on time. These are just some of the perks of owning your own home business.

Ok enough of the pleasantries, because as wonderful as working at home is, you must possess some great skills to find success at it. I am talking about time management and organization. If you are not careful, the comfort and distractions of having a home business can also be the doom of the very same thing. You have to find ways to ignore the laundry, cleaning and cooking that seems to be calling you throughout the day and make sure you stay on the task at hand. To help you accomplish just that, I have come up with a few tips that might make your life easier.

1: Be honest with yourself. The first thing I had to do was ask myself a group of questions. Can I do this? Do I have what it takes to stay focused amid daily routine household distractions? Can I work to meet the deadlines while still retaining my freedom that I worked so hard to achieve? Freedom is great but it doesn’t pay the bills and if you don’t have the focus you need, this could be a disaster waiting to happen. Before you give a home based business a go, ask yourself the tough questions and try your best to answer them honestly.

2: This is a real job. - At times, working from home may seem like a fairytale - but it is indeed a fulltime real job. Even though you have the luxury of avoiding all the traditional workplace drama, you still need to get a full days work in. Lounging around the house does not pay the bills all by itself. You need to set a schedule and follow it everyday to make sure you are working to the fullest extent. You might want to set times for breaks and lunch just like you would in a traditional job.

3: Is accountability your strong suit? - If it is not and you do get distracted easily, you may want to appoint an accountability partner. A spouse fits that description well because they are looking out for what is best for you and the family as a whole. Check in with each other a couple of times a day to get a status report and use it as a way to gauge your activity.

4: Separate church and state. To manage your time working at home efficiently, you have to decide what you spend your hours on. Sometimes it is hard to explain to your family the difference between work time and family time. Once the workday is over, focus entirely on your family, and don’t let business intrude on your time with them.

5: Get organized. - Do you have everything in its designated place or are you constantly searching through stacks of paper to locate your projects? In order to find real success, you need to incorporate organization in your business life. So much time can be wasted if your office environment is nothing but chaos.

I hope these tips will help you with managing your time when it comes to your home based business. Having the right frame of mind and organization can be the real difference in your success.

Glyna Humm assists home business entrepreneurs obtain success through step-by-step mentoring, marketing tips and strategies. To learn more about one of her unique, proven opportunities visit Let Me Help You During These Tough Economic Times

Twitter will be very consuming. Maybe you will have already figured this out? You spend a few hours attempting to try and do some analysis for a replacement website, or want to try and do a report for college, or are trying to discover a product online. However you are finding yourself chatting away on Twitter more than doing anything that you should be doing.

Many high users can call this a “twittiction”. This is often where you are dependent on Twitter and cannot get anything else done as a result of it. Deadlines pass by while not getting completion, school grades fall because you cannot get to bed, or don’t finish your homework. Or you fail to see a superb business deal as you were too involved watching your Twitter stream roll by. A Twitter addiction could roll out of hand if you allow it to .Beat Twitter Addiction With These Easy Plans.

1. Set Sure Times To Tweet By

If you find yourself having to atone for the most recent Twittering occurring, and it’s interfering with your work, then set certain times during the day when you can catch up. Every three hours or approx, you’ll be able to set a point in time of 15 minutes to reply, check DM’s, and add what you are up to. This can help to end the constant craving.

2. Reduce Mobile Tweeting At Home

Several folks take Twitter with them. Portable applications, and sending tweets as text messages, help feed the fuel of your Twitter addiction. Whereas you cannot leave your transportable applications behind, leave it in your purse, laptop bag, or pocket instead of having to look at Twitter all the time. Attempt to keep to the 3 hour rule as much as you could even when you’re mobile.

3. Take A Twitter Leave of Absence

Every once in awhile, to make yourself reacquainted with the big wide world, take a few days, or perhaps a few weeks away. This manner will keep you free from Twitter addiction. Believe me, the globe would still be there once you fire up your Twitter software again. Each once in awhile take a while just to move away from the constant desire to update, reply, keep messages current and making an attempt to stay up with everything going on. Take a while to breathe.Take It One Step At A Time.

A Twitter addiction doesn’t have to be a painful thing. Take your time, drop by drop to curb your addiction and start tweeting normally instead of compulsively. Get pleasure from your Twitter networking and you may soon see it under control once again.

Learn how to grow your business with twitter and other tools with carbon copy pro advice right now.

Neil Ashworth is a successful internet marketer who teaches people How to Get Rich using a fool proof, step-by-step marketing system. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

The survival and success of your business rests largely on time management. To survive and grow, you must consistently market your business and generate more and more profits.

Marketing is everything you do to make your target audience aware of your product/service. It convinces your target market that you provide what they want. It sets up the strategy for the path of least resistance to closing the sale. In other words all the activities leading to the sale.

Overwhelmed by the day-to-day tasks of running a business, entrepreneurs frequently put marketing at the tail end of their To-Do List. A.K.A. Multiplicity of Stuff Syndrome, this will stifle your growth and success.

5 Time Management Strategies to Manage Your Time for Better Marketing and Sales Results

1. Clearly define your target market. Identify your ideal client, what he or she looks like and acts like. Write down their description in full detail. This is time well spent because it will simplify your marketing efforts.

2. The sales funnel is a great tool in effectively using your marketing time. Comparing the sales process to a funnel, a prospect starts at the top of the funnel (the widest part) and then works through a system to reach the narrow part where they become a customer. By using the sales funnel, you can gauge your marketing activities and quantify your prospects at each stage of the process. Create your sales funnel and define the activities needed to keep it full.

3. Put the law of accumulation on your side. An accumulation of tiny efforts that start slow but eventually snowballs and continues to grow while gathering momentum.

Put aside 15 minutes a day to fill the sales funnel with activities that keep it full. This time compounds equals 5 hours a month strictly focused on your marketing strategies. Consistently doing these activities will produce great results in sales and form a large body of work.

4. Devote time to follow up and keep your funnel full. Make follow up part of your sales funnel activities. Set aside a certain amount of time for follow up marketing and add that to your schedule.

5. Devote 20% of effort to the best marketing strategies that work for your business as not all marketing strategies are equal. When consistently devoting time to market your business, you will discover the best strategies for your business.

NOTE: Don’t confuse advertising with marketing. Your marketing plan should include some advertising. Marketing discovers what your client wants and you give it to them…provided it doesn’t fall into the realm of illegal; immoral; or fattening!

Your marketing reviews should consist of tracking, testing, and reviewing what works best for your business.

Suppose you spent 30 minutes a week on one activity that produced better results than another 30 minute activity that produced lackluster results, the better activity produced 20% more sales, wouldn’t you devote more time to the better activity?

It’s important to your business success not to let the “busyness” take over and squeeze out time for marketing. Each week devote time to keeping your sales funnel full and improve your sales by focusing on your top marketing activities.

The survival and success of your business rests largely on time management. To survive and grow, you must consistently market your business and generate more and more profits.

Use marketing to convince your target audience of your products and services, developing advertising strategies that leads to the path of least resistance to close a sale.

Overwhelmed by the day-to-day tasks of running a business, entrepreneurs frequently put marketing at the tail end of their To-Do List. A.K.A. Multiplicity of Stuff Syndrome, this will stifle your growth and success.

5 Time Management Strategies to Manage Your Time for Better Marketing and Sales Results

1. Clearly define your target market. Identify your ideal client, what he or she looks like and acts like. Write down their description in full detail. This is time well spent because it will simplify your marketing efforts.

2. Maximize marketing time using a sales funnel. In comparison to the sales process, at the top of the funnel is the prospect and working through the system to the narrow region to becoming a customer. The sales funnel allows a gauge of marketing strategies and calculate prospective customers at various stages. Create your own funnel and tasks needed to be implemented.

3. Take advantage of the law of accumulation. Tiny efforts start slow but they will eventually build and grow, gaining momentum.

Block 15 minutes a day to do something that keeps your sales funnel full. Just 15 minutes for five days a week equals one hour and fifteen minutes of marketing time. That’s five hours a month devoted strictly to marketing your business. Doing a little bit everyday will produce great results. Consistently do those activities to keep adding to your sales funnel.

4. Devote time to follow up and keep your funnel full. Make follow up part of your sales funnel activities. Set aside a certain amount of time for follow up marketing and add that to your schedule.

5. Focus on the 20% of your activities that brings the greatest results. Consistent action will show you patterns. Some of your activities will produce better results with less effort. Set aside 30 minutes each week to review your marketing efforts. This small step will speed prospects through your sales funnel.

NOTE: Advertising and marketing is not the same thing. Advertising is a part of marketing while marketing itself is the process of targeting your customer and providing supply and demand under legal means.

Tracking, testing and reviewing your marketing activities will show what works best for your business.

Perhaps you devote a half hour a week to one activity and half hour on another but one produces 20% more sales. Which would one you prefer to devote your marketing time doing?

It’s important to your business success not to let the “busyness” take over and squeeze out time for marketing. Each week devote time to keeping your sales funnel full and improve your sales by focusing on your top marketing activities.

Don’t worry. This article is not about a product, or a software, or an ebook, or a report that you simply must have in order to make money online. This is article about is a very simple piece of advice. It is something which I’m pretty sure that you already know but just knowing is sometimes not enough. The advice I am talking about is:

“There is no such thing as a free lunch.”

If I could get inside your head, I know what you will think. “Who is this guy trying to fool? Tell me something I don’t know.”

I agree. When that husband of yours willing takes out the trash without being told, you know he’s going to drop a bombshell. Within the next 24 hours, he is going to start a conversation that will begin with, “Honey, remember when you said that we should tell each other everything? Even the not so nice things? Well,….” At least you enjoyed not having to tell him to take out the trash.
However, when we go online, many of us forget to bring the skepticism that serves us so well in the offline world.

You are bombarded with get-rich-quick sites on the Internet. You require no professional training, you don’t need to spend a lot of time, and the financial investment needed is minimal. Just join their site as a member and, after a month or two, you will be making more than a doctor does.

Such websites do well because it seems that when we come online, we lose our healthy skepticism.

And with their promise of early retirement and having more free time, who won’t be tempted? Some might actually be skeptical but wanted to try their luck. After all, it’s just a few dollars.

And I won’t think too much about the money lost when you decide to take a chance with these type of sites. But I would be very mindful of the time wasted on such sites. Money lost can be earned again, but time lost is gone forever.

These sites are on every single corner of the web.

Do yourself a favor and click the back button the next time you come across such a site. Making very good money on the Internet is a very real possibility, but only if you spend your time and energy productively, and not on offers or sites that are too good to be true.