Focus: Don't Lose it or you home based business will be a job

The majority of us made the decision to pursue a home based business opportunity for the freedom it allows to make your own schedule.  However, sometimes too much of a good thing can be difficult to handle.  I recently found myself meandering through my day getting little things done, but I had some previous work that needed to be overhauled and it prevented me from going forward, and the overhang didn't let me enjoy my personal life.  This can happen even to the best intentioned individuals as we let the magnitude of a larger task take over the idea of a home based business.  In short, if we put too much attention on that one task and some of the other areas begin to slip.  Fortunately, I caught myself last night, before it got too bad, and reigned it in.  What did I do?  Just got back to the basics so I could focus on what I needed to do.

Focus is a funny thing because it can be so fleeting.  Even if you are focused on your profession, it is easy to let some things creep into your routine that are not necessary.  With all the distractions on the web, I doubt there needs to be an explanation of how your Internet home business can offer distractions. 

What did I do that changed this around? 

Very simple.  I created a list of all the things that I absolutely must get done the night before.  That is different for all, but for me it is creating and evaluating my advertising.  So, I simply wrote down what my daily production goals for articles, videos, ads, etc. and gave myself a certain amount of time to do them.  Bingo! My production sky-rocketed.  Having that small bit of focus and determination restored actually got me ahead of some of my targets.  Now, I am starting to build a material inventory.

This is actually quite phenomenal, because my production (and soon to be ample inventory) allowed me to have some time for brainstorming.  This means I have an agenda for the next time I sit down to write some ads.  I am ahead of the game.  This also allowed me to sit and think about what other pieces of my business I can start to improve; my vision is clearer.

The key, and point behind this piece, is that having the discipline to set and adhere to small goals on a daily basis will allow you to be more productive.  Whatever stage of the game you are at, taking 15 minutes EVERY NIGHT to write down your tasks for the next day will be more useful than you can imagine.  You will be surprised at what happens in the last 10 minutes after you get past the "must do's."  All told, I got more done and have been able to enjoy the nice spring weather (seems like a pump fake, but I'll take what I can get - winter was brutal).

Make the most of the opportunity owning your home based business gives you - get organized and focused.  This will let you enjoy life instead of having your Internet home business control your life and feel like a job.  Best of luck!  Would love to hear if anyone has the same results - mine are going to give me a little extra time in Central Park this spring!

Jim Kernan

GripofDough.com