So you’ve decided working for the “man’ just isn’t your style. You’ve committed to starting your own at home business. A dream come true right? Well it sure could be, with just a small issue to overcome. The distractions from home can hinder or even ruin your chance for success.

Everything about working from home seems awesome. No need to get up early. No time wasted with a commute. You are your own boss, set your own hours. The problem is that people want to be their own boss but don’t “act” like a boss.

The truth is working at home can be frustrating. Most people who have failed at working from home did so because their days were unplanned and unfocused. Their time is hijacked by everyone and anyone around them. They have no direction no plan and most of all no respect for the clock. As a result it will take about a year before they are back working for someone else.

If this sounds familiar I am not surprised like 97% of would be internet marketers I was ready to quit. I took a step back and realized that without a plan without focus this was never going to work. I’m going to share with you a few things that I have found useful and hopefully spare you some of the pitfalls I fell into.

1. Determine how many hours a day you will spend on your business.  How many hours will you spend on research, product development, networking etc…  I actually did this on paper first as seeing made it more real and easier to stick to. On this list put them in order of importance or value to your business bottom line. So you know what you have to do allocate the time needed each day and stick to it!Switch off all distractions email, Skype, mobile phone, television… EVERYTHING.  Be sure to remain totally focused during this time. You have punched in to your job and must stay there and stay focused until you  have ticked the items off your list.
2. I try to group my outside activities together. Don’t want to be a time waster going in and out all day. If you have an appointment for Tuesday as an example, try to get as many errands done during that trip out as possible. Grouping non business activities together is a great way to make sure your time is used most efficiently.  When you think ahead the chance of feeling overwhelmed and thus less productive is decreased.
3. Your work environment is perhaps one of the most important elements in being productive. You need to have a space dedicated to your business. Hopefully this is a place with a door to block out noise and interruptions from the rest of the house. This space should have some natural like and good ventilation. The whole point of this space is to stop procrastinating so please put some thought into it. This is your job now and the success or failure is all on you. I know you can make this business work just take the time to put in place a work model you can live with and stick to it 95% of the time. We don’t want to overlook the initial benefit that working from home allows flexibility. Just don’t put so much flexibility that you don’t get the job done.

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