Goals Must Be Written

 

             You have made the decision to work from home, and you are feeling really good about it!  The time has finally come to step out of the corporate world to be your own boss, take your vacation when you want, manage your own time, have time for family and personal interests, and create the paycheck that will give you the freedom you want. Perhaps the time has come as a  stay at home mom or dad to supplement the family income, and you figure you can squeeze in at least part-time hours to do so.  Congratulations!

             The idea of working from home has all the advantages of being able to integrate the work you do into your daily activities.   Therefore, you begin your day by getting a few calls in as you make breakfast and get the kids off to school or you spouse to work. Thank goodness for hands free phone connections.  These allow you to talk as you change the clothes from the washer to the dryer, prepare meals, and do the dishes. Your flexibility in time now allows you to be available for appointments in the morning, afternoon, or evening. With cell phones and PDA’s, a conference call or appointment can be managed even during a sports game or while dining out with friends or family. 

            Then one day you stop and realize you are tired, overwhelmed, and the time freedom you envisioned seems to be an illusion. Where you thought there would be order to your life, chaos has settled in.  You are being full time spouse, mother or dad, working outside the home, and maintaining a full time home based business. 

            Not only does your business seem fragmented, but your personal life has all but disappeared.  Instead of getting more done in a day, details are slipping and “spinning your wheels” takes on a new meaning all together.   Your spouse is complaining you never have time for him or her, and the kids have an uncanny sense of timing for throwing tantrums when you are right in the middle of an important call or appointment. 

            Working from home has its challenges, but most can be avoided with planning.  Often I say the best part about a home based business is “working from home,” and the worst part about having my own home based business is the fact I “work form home.”  Without organization and a clear delineation between my business and home life, work goes from the time I get up in the morning until the time you go to bed. An early morning appointment takes the place of my exercise time, I skip meals and squeeze in a noon call, and family time takes a back seat to an evening appointment because that is the only time the prospect can spare.  It seems as if I have spent all day working when, in fact, there were only a few hours of productive activities during the day.

            One of the first activities I assign to any new business partner is to take a weekly calendar and block out times for the work they may still be doing outside the home, family obligations, and other special interests.  Use different colors for each category of activity.  This visual will give a clear image of how much time is available for training and working. Then calendar in specific business hours.  Actually, color in the exact hours that calls will be made and appointments set.  Without a clear plan, activities necessary to earn an income are easily put off over and over again. Without a plan, there is a tendency to treat interruptions or distractions as priorities, rather than maintaining focus on reaching a goal.   If you work outside the home, you know exactly when you need to show up.  A home based business requires the same discipline.

            Having clearly defined goals for the month and breaking it down to a weekly plan will give you a plan of action for each day.  It is a good idea to print out your calendar for the next day prior to closing your office each evening. This prepares you for the day ahead, and allows you to devote your full attention to the family and personal time at the end of the day.

            You are now the president of your own company. How will you run it? As a hobby? Or will you do the necessary planning to guarantee your business runs smoothly and efficiently?  As you begin to build your business, you will find it necessary to make more sacrifices.  Have a conference with your family and children to help them understand how your goals for income will benefit them as well.  They will need to understand you may not always be available, but there is a reward for them when goals are reached. Do not be surprised if those closest to you begin to remind you to stay on track!

            You may wonder who really takes the time to write down annual, monthly, weekly, and daily goals paper.  Only those people who are serious about being successful in a home business, and that would be you.

 

Katherine is the co-author of five best selling real estate related books, and has written a series of children’s educational books for Rourke Publishing.  Katherine’s successful home based business allows her the time freedom and necessary income to pursue her personal and professional interests. With today’s internet technology, Katherine is able to supervise national and international marketing teams from her home office.  Visit her website at http://www.team2succeed.com/ActNow .