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. Long are the days where the stay at home mom focuses solely on cleaning, cooking, and other chores. Being a work at home mom is now considered to be a professional choice that takes a lot of dedication and persistence. This is especially true when it comes to appropriately managing time. Here, I will offer some effective time management skills for moms who work from home.

One of the most important time management skills when it comes to working at home as a mom is to set a schedule in place. Schedules are everything! Now, most of us who elect to work at home do so in part due to the amount of flexibility that we can enjoy. This is where many women simply throw out a “schedule”. Most of these women eventually discover that there has to be some sort of dedication, some sort of timing in place that is designated for everything. It is so easy to get distracted by the laundry, telephone calls from friends, and even that grocery shop that you anticipate with dread. Create a schedule where you allow “blocks” of time to be dedicated for work, and then place times in between work time blocks to take care of the other things that need done. This will allow you to work more efficiently, and will help ease the stress of your day as well!

The next time management tip for moms who work from home is being able to say “no”, and mean it. It is important to come to terms with the fact that your friends, family members, and neighbors simply do not understand that when you work at home, professionally, and mother children that you are pretty tied up. They think that you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. It is not uncommon to receive phone calls from these individuals asking if you want to go out somewhere, or if you can take them here or there, and other last minute things. If you give in every single time, you will soon find that the kids are begging for your attention, the laundry is pilling up, and your work clients are probably not too happy. Learn to say “no”, and let everyone know that if they want to make plans, it is important to do it ahead of time.

There are three things that can really put a large strain on your time. These things include checking your email, internet surfing, and telephone calls. If you fall into the trap of checking your email every half hour, answering the phone every single time that it rings, or even surfing the internet periodically throughout the day, it is very likely that you will end up losing several hours of time a day! Turn the ringer off on the phone or turn it down, and hook up an answering machine to the telephone. Designate a time every single day where you return calls, and be sure to watch the amount of time that you end up chatting. Also, you should designate times for checking email, and do it in fifteen minute blocks. The same should be done if you want to surf the internet. These are some of the measures I take when it comes to time management skills for moms who work from home, and they have proven to be successful for me!

Sandy Naidu is a work at home mother. Sandy's website Business Ideas features interviews with women business owners. Most of the guests are mothers who have created a successful business working from home. There are also resources on the site to help you start your own business. Visit Internet Business Ideas

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Time Management Skills for Moms Who Work From Home