As most network marketers know, one of the hardest parts of running your own home business is trying to get everything done every day.  I struggle to wear all my different hats every day; financial wizard, sales superstar, marketing guru, website developer, trainer of new partners, etc.

Anyone working online knows that we multitask all the time.  I used to think this was great but…

I found that multitasking is a myth!  I did some research and found that in 2009 researchers at Stanford University set out to investigate what makes multitaskers special.  Well there were surprising results!  People that are talented multitaskers thought that they were outperforming the people who were focused and did one task at a time.  Not so!  The people that did not multitask consistently outperformed their less confident counterparts.

Studies showed that you might feel more efficient as they juggled tasks, but studies suggested that multitasking actually slows you down!  That knocked my socks off.  I am a multitasker extraordinaire with years of multitasking behind me.  What do you mean I am not as productive?

Well researchers at the University of California at Irvine found that office worker took an average of 25 minutes to recover from a simple distraction like a phone call.

So what can you do?  The best thing we can all do is called selective multitasking.  This is limiting multitasking to straightforward activates that won’t compete for your mental resources.  A great example of this is organizing your paperwork while browsing the Web.  But when you are trying to learn something new or talking with a prospect or new business partner, give them your full attention!  When you really need your brain power, don’t multitask.

So you ask “How can I break my multitasking habit so I can boost my productivity?”

It takes time for your brain to switch gears as you move from one task to another so you can save time by grouping the same type of activities together.  Some examples of this are; make all your phone calls at one time, go through all your emails once or twice a day, not as they come in.  You can reduce all the mental clutter by using tools such as calendars, to-do lists, personal digital assistants and organizers.

You can maintain focus by using reminders to finish one to three tasks per day.  I like to use “notepad” on my computer.  This helps me stay very focused during the day and feel good about my accomplishments as I get to check them off or delete them from my list as they are completed.  What a great feeling!

Another method that I have been taught over the years from working at home is to keep track, in order, for one week of all the tasks that you do that are related to your business.  I was amazed at how I jumped around!  Check email, answer chat on Skype, start to write an article, answer email, make phone call, etc. No wonder I was having trouble getting things done!  After keeping track for a week I found that I was bouncing all over the place.  I took my list and started grouping tasks that were alike together and then putting them in blocks of time on my calendar.  Phone calls for 1 hour in the am (turn off computer), reply to email requests for ½ hour in the am and ½ hour in the afternoon.  I found this to be extremely productive.

I hope some this these examples will help you stay focused and be very productive in your own home business!

Starting your own home based business is an ideal way to get to work at home. Starting a home based business is easy making it successful is another kettle of fish altogether.  You need to discuss your business plans and expectations with your family first, and find out whether or not they’re prepared to actively support you with a home based business.  Working from home isn’t for everyone you may not possess the style necessary to juggle this effectively. Before you start a home based business, you need to think about your personality and your work preferences.

So many entrepreneurs launch their home based business with completely overblown expectations. What they don’t realize is that while there are over a billion people actively online today, there are also at the same time millions and millions of websites out there scratching for their attention too. Simply having a website is not nearly enough to generate traffic. You need to promote your site as much as possible.

Researching the market before beginning your home based business is one way to gain an understanding for an online business.  Next you must map out a marketing plan for your home based business.  You must advertise your home based business or people will not find your product.

So don’t wait if you are working, a student or a house wife, or the women who needs to work at home in order to spend time with their children, an Online Home Business is possible for all and you can generate a good amount of income by sitting at home and spending just 3- 4 hours per day on it.   A Home Based Business is useful for anyone who would like to make extra money each month.

With our economy on shaky ground, and with pundits offering up predictions that are all over the spectrum, most are tense concerning their financial futures.   Hearing about associates who’ve just lost their positions isn’t going to help.  Neither does the office chat.   With all that uncertainty we are observing folks hunting for back-up ways of making money.   Lots of people are getting focused on the category of what could be referred to as “working from home jobs” to accomplish this.

Prior to beginning your own investigation for job opportunities you can conduct from your home, decide what kind work opportunities suit you, what your experience is, and your money requirements. One major issue you have to answer today and answer honestly: Can you work effectively without supervision? Should your response is not a resounding “yes, then you either need to forget about pursuing working from home jobs now, or resolve to develop some self-discipline without delay.

When you have the above mentioned questions and concerns settled, prepare your resume. The standard guidelines and procedures pertaining to successful resume preparation apply here, although you do wish to focus on your capability to perform the prospective jobs competently in your home office.

Should the positions you are searching for entail freelancing your services to prospective companies, you will need to register at trustworthy sites on the internet that link up freelancers with the actual buyers of your services.  Don’t neglect the need to check out those sites; not every one is free from less than open and honest persons.   I additionally highly urge you only take work on an escrow basis.   This means the buyer of your services must deposit the full sum associated with your task at the website once you accept the work. Once you satisfactorily finish the project, the monies already on deposit are released to you. For that reason, you are protected from deadbeats.

In addition there are employment boards where recruiters publicize work opportunities for actual employees who may work out of their residences.   Quite a lot of these opportunities belong to the categories of secretaries, bookkeepers, web creators, banner creative designers, cartoonists, proofreaders, writers, and translators.   Should you want actual employment as opposed to become a freelancer, this really is one place that you can look into.

What to Avoid

Of course, not every work opening you will discover on the internet will undoubtedly be legitimate. Here are some tips to help alert you to a few of the things you want to steer clear of, or at the very least review thoroughly.

Be cautious about websites that require payment for jobs or require you to purchase kits and CD’s.   There are plenty of these websites on the web, and most appear so credible that it’s easy for someone to fall for their assurances, particularly if that person may be desperate for earnings.

Don’t fall for get rich quick schemes.   We all know that these schemes are simply just that, schemes. Regrettably enough, folks are taken in all the time.   You already know the simple fact, jobs are jobs, and you still have to work hard in all of the working from home jobs you may discover.

Be cautious about companies offering work, but never post their names along with other fundamental information.   Scammers invariably promise astonishingly high income for unskilled work.   In the event you were an employer, would you pay out such astronomically high wages just for menial labor?   Obviously not. So why might anybody believe that some web-based company might pay anyone many times what the work is worth?

Conclusion

It’s tough to visualize any more vital asset than an individual’s integrity.   Consequently you will not accept freelance work that endeavors to skirt around the rules or that violates your ethics.   You do not partner with any company that even hints that they desire for you to do so.   You’ll finish all jobs in a professional and prompt manner.   For those who become an employee in one of the many working from home jobs that exist, you won’t abuse the reality that you aren’t in a traditional workplace by being less than productive.

Best wishes in reaching your own vocational and earnings needs!

- Craig is a former college instructor in business administration and enjoys writing on sites such as Stay at Home Jobs and Money Talk Daily

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