Going by an article on Stepcase Lifehack , What do Jason Jennings, Jim Collins, David Allen, Roger Martin, and Peggy Duncan have in common? They are leading productivity experts with credentials, expertise, and achievements that would want to make us feel like sinners as far as our “time management” is concerned.

As a mom looking to start a business from home, managing your time and making sure that you are productive during the work day is one of the greatest battles you’d find yourself unwillingly dragged into.

Stretch that gargantuan task of managing time over months, years, and probably for the rest of your life, and you very well know how your income begins to hinge on this one single factor: How effectively do you utilize your time?

Here are some tips to help you master your time better so that you can accomplish more, do all the things you wanted to do, be able to spend time with your family, and even pay attention to kids’ tuitions and homework, if you have to.

What kills your time? Why save it?

First: Find out what kills your time everyday. Are you an incorrigible procrastinator? Does your attention drift away in a dark void of nothingness? Do you work as a mental “to-do” list goes off? Are you a habitual Internet browsing junkie? Do kids take a lot of your work time away? Do neighbors, phone calls, surprise visits threaten to derail your daily plans? Do all those chores at home keep you away from work?

Second: Determine where you lose your time everyday, is to think about why you need to save time. I say this because “saving time”, “being productive”, and “Punching in more work per hour” is not everyone’s priority. For home business owners, who mostly operate solo, productivity at work has a linear correlation to profitability.   For instance, assuming that you are a business consultant or a legal consultant and your charge, $30-$40 per hour, it’s evident that you earn more when you put in productive time at work.  Even a 6-hour full-time work per day, Monday to Friday, would fetch you $4200 a month (assuming $35 per hour). You do the math.

In a nutshell, the more work you manage to do in a specific timeframe, the more potential to earn.

The super-productivity toolbox: where is it?

To begin with, check out 50 Ways to Boost your Productivity: published at Lifehack.org, it’s a great list of resources you could use.

Grab some free web-based tools such as:

Online time trackers – Yast and focusboosterapp.com – a micro task timers – everyone should try this.

Project Management Tool – Trello

To-Do List Tool – Lazymeter.com and make it a daily practice to fire them up as you begin to work.

Further, Quora has a riveting conversation on some of the best tools online for entrepreneurs; Work at home Moms; and freelancers.

Embrace some of the most popular methods  

Some of the most popular methods for productivity, going by user likes and community feedback, are:

• David Allen’s GTD
• The Pomodoro Technique (My favorite)
• Kanban by Jim and Tonianne DeMaria Barry.
• David Kadavy’s 10-Minute Hack
• Seinfeld’s Productivity Secret (Don’t Break the Chain)

The first two techniques are world famous. So much, that we even have applications and web tools based on them. The other three are popular too, but they are usually variations or hybrids of popular techniques that some individuals have adopted for their own use, and for the benefit of others.

Make productivity a part of your character and your habits

There’s this little equation I wanted to share with you:

I still remember what my mentor told me a long time ago: it all starts with what you believe in. As a matter of fact, this post also begins with the much overlooked first step of convincing yourself that productivity is a trait that you are convinced you need. Maybe it helps you to earn more (which by itself fetches you hundreds of things you might need). Perhaps it allows you to beam with pride with a sense of achievement or maybe you get to spend time with your family.

Personally, I am highly motivated to work (since I love it and I get paid for it) and I make the best use of my time. Also, I have a family and my personal needs to attend to (just as any mom would). This motivation alone helps me to keep people off limits from my office (family included). The phone remains switched off while I work and I don’t get on Facebook or Twitter when I work.  No unscheduled parties, lunches, and meet ups for me during workdays, unless it’s to meet a client.

As for doing actual work at my desk, I use Trello and some other tools I mentioned in this post. Trello is still my choice of to-do list and project management tool (free). There’s something “sticky” about the tool. The to-do list just lingers there urging you to complete your tasks.

To become productive, it takes commitment, guts, a teeny-weeny bit of ruthlessness, and practice.

Are you up to it?

What are your favorite productivity tools and resources?  Please share…

A Mother’s Day Special – A Mom Biz Retreat

As moms and entrepreneurs, we run across all types of products and services that may help us with our business and personal life.  We also run across many events and conferences that may be worth attending that could help us take our business to the next level or connect with just the right person to work with on a specific goal.  I ran across an event that I think all mom entrepreneurs should consider, plus wine, chocolate and pampering are all a part of it (and as moms we always need more of that).

It’s called the Mom Biz Retreat.  So you might ask, what is the Mother’s Day Special?  The facilitators of this event are offering $75 off for Freelancemom.com friends.

What is this Mom Biz Retreat all about?

The Mom Biz Retreat is one part business boot camp and one part weekend getaway for mom-entrepreneurs. With the skills, teaching and empowering tools of entrepreneurial experts Lara Galloway and Shelagh Cummins, you’ll roll up your sleeves and learn how to:

• write/update a business plan
• create an effective marketing strategy
• develop a time map to put work in its place and enjoy your family more
• craft the perfect elevator pitch
• determine the best product funnel for your business
• figure out how to make more money with what you’re already doing
• build the foundations of your business in a group of supportive, amazing women
• Join the MomBizRetreat family – and receive ongoing support from all alumni

If you are on the fence or need more information, Shelagh Cummins and Lara Galloway are always happy to answer any questions you have about the specifics of the retreat and how this retreat can help your specific business and life goals. 

How do I find out more and sign up?

Click here – To learn more about the Mom Biz Retreat

Use promo code Denver75 when you register to make sure you get the discount.

{Top Photo Credit}

Whether you’re a busy working mom or a busy stay-at-home mom, there’s never enough time in the day to get all of your errands and chores done then spend some quality time with your family. Moms have earned the name “super mom” by balancing all of the family’s daily events, helping the kids with homework, getting everyone to their doctor’s appointments on time, and still managing to make a hearty meal for dinner.

Smart phone apps can be a super mom’s biggest ally by helping her look even more super while making life a bit more manageable. All you need it to download a few onto your favorite smart phone or mobile device, add a data plan, and voila, you’ll be able to organize a play date or whip up a nutritious collection of bagged lunches faster than you can say, “Get that finger out of your mouth”!

Here are some smart phone apps to help keep my own family organized:

1. Put Things Off ($1.99 – for iPhone)

Note-taking apps, like Put Things Off, will help a busy mom stay organized with daily to-do lists, shopping lists, and tasks for carting the kids around to hockey practice and dentist appointments, and themselves to PTA meetings.  Every time you have a new chore or errand, simply create a new note, and assign the note a due date, which the app will organize in the central calendar tool. Users can view notes by day or week and see all of the assigned due dates.

2. Intuition: Mom’s Personal Assistant (Free – for iPhone)

I always thought life would be a lot easier if I had a clone to help me with chores and errands, but the Intuition: Mom’s Personal Assistant app is even better! This app is ideal for a mom like me (let’s say a little disorganized) who needs to keep track of the entire family’s social schedule. The app organizes everything from soccer matches to bake sales with built in features—such as to-do lists, shopping lists, calendars, and more!

3. AllRecipes.com Dinner Spinner (Free – for Android)

Let’s be honest, dinner can get a little bland when the same person is responsible for it every single night—that’s how we ended up with spaghetti Tuesday in my household—because we just run out of ideas. But AllRecipes.com is the app to help you bring some fresh ideas to the supper table. This app features a huge database of user-generated recipe sites on the web. You can browse by type of meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, or desert), or search by main ingredient (such as chicken or fish). AllRecipies will instantly serve up a hot selection of recipes that fit your dining desires.

4. SitOrSquat: Bathroom Finder (Free – for iPhone)

If you’re a mom you probably hear this as soon as you leave the house, “Mom, I have to go to the bathroom”! The SitOrSquat app is ideal for families—especially if they still have potty-training toddlers onboard. Simply, launch the app to find the nearest public restroom location. And because cleanliness is important, there are photos and user reviews available as well.

5. Sleep Machine ($1.99 – for iPhone)

Every mom could use a few more hours of sleep a night! After a busy day carting the family around and worrying about their needs, the Sleep Machine app will help take care of yours. Moms can select from over 90 pre-recorded peaceful sound scapes to help them rest and rejuvenate after a hard day.  Create a blissful atmosphere with ocean sounds, bird tweets, or waterfalls. Plus, the app features a clock, sleep timer, and an alarm to help you get back to reality.

Bio: Jane Johnson is a writer for GoingCellular, a popular site that provides cell phone related news, commentary, reviews on popular providers like T-Mobile.

Hopefully you’ll be left with the same warm and energized feeling that I was :-)

One of the things that causes me the most stress I have discovered is telling the kids every gosh darn step they need to do to get ready. “Go get your teeth brushed. Did you put on underwear? Those socks don’t match. You still need to brush your hair. Did you pack your homework?” You know the drill.

Now that my daughter is going to preschool I have not just one extra person to get ready, but two – because I actually have to get out of the car and walk into the school. Yikes!

So this Monday morning I became determined was going to mark the last stressful morning I had. One thing that I have learned over the years is that it isn’t enough to have an idea, however good, unless you implement it! So I needed to take some action steps. Hopefully some of these ideas will help you too!

1. I decided the kids needed a list. Why wouldn’t they? I know I need lists! So I did a quick Google search and found these great little chore charts. I brought them into photoshop and edited them a bit because what I wanted was a list that broke down responsibilities in the morning, after school, and before bed.

2. I vowed to myself that I would get back into the habit of laying out the children’s clothes before going to bed.  I did in fact follow up on that last night and cannot tell you how much I loved myself for having done it this morning!

3. Where else does a Mom turn when she needs help but to other Moms? So I sent out a quick twitter to my list and waited with bated breath for their advice.  Happily it came!

4. @MyGOMOM to the rescue! MyGOMOM founder Molly Gold was kind enough to let me know about this absolutely fabulous website she’s been working for 10 years now to help Moms that were in just my particular state of mind!  The website, GOMOMinc, is filled with organizational tips, free checklists to download and the website features what looks to be a lovely little DIY (Do it yourself) planner.

5. @JenPowter advised Moms to plan their meals ahead! Jen shared that she plans her meal menu for the week on Saturday night and does her grocery shopping Sunday morning.  Not for long mind you because she’s going to be getting her groceries delievered!  Imagine the time that will save!  Jen also prepares her meals in the morning and cooks what she can then before her busy day takes off.  Really smart tips – I’m at least going to try the menu planning this weekend.

6. Pack Lunch Ahead of Time! @Thien-Kim of I’m Not The Nanny shared that her sanity saving tip which was to have the kids lunches packed and ready to go the night before.  That way the kids can just ‘Grab and Go’ in the morning.  Another terrific tip!

When the kids came home from school and discovered their ‘Responsibility Charts’ hung on our freshly decluttered fridge they were really excited.  I’ve never seen the family room get cleaned up so quickly with so little resistance!  Homework was done (and packed into their backpacks) before any games could be played and  bed time was a pleasure as we all joined forces to put 10 minutes into cleaning their bedrooms.

They loved checking the items off their list – especially the ‘Hug Mom and Dad’ item :-)

This morning was also a breeze as they referred to their list instead of me chasing them around with a multitude of orders.  We actually had 10 minutes to spare!

I’m all about systems that work in 2010 and replacing old habits that don’t serve us with new ones that bring some ease to our very busy lives.  So PLEASE – feel welcome to share your sanity saving tips in the comments below!

Follow Up: Here’s a website that has valuable tips on how to get organized :-)

To my suprise I found myself spellbound, inspired and in tears – what a talented writer to evoke these precious emotions…

And it applies to working from home – sure it does! As I learned today, it’s so worth it sometimes to allow ourselves to focus on life, not work. You come back with a renewed energy and the happiness of having remembered the ‘bigger picture’!

I hope you enjoy it too!

2. Set aside time in your day.
When the kids know that there is time that they can count on certain times when they are guaranteed your attention – it is easier for them to hold off interruptions. When it’s the kids time, make sure you really give them your attention. We tend to have so much that we are juggling in our mind that we can be on autopilot when we talk with our kids. We may answer their questions, but we didn’t really hear them. We would be personally hurt if our spouses treated us this way… and yet we so often do it to our children. Kids are so grateful for attention and conversation!

3. Offer suggestions.
At the beginning of the day, think of some activities your kids haven’t done in awhile that you know they will enjoy. Help them to get the toys down from shelves, or dug out from the toybox. I have found that a lot of times kids don’t play with their toys simply because they are hard for them to access.

4. Thank them.
When you get done with a phone call and your kids have been quiet — thank them! Let them know how much it helped you. We tend to only reprimand. It’s important to let them know when we see they’ve been good.

5. Keep your composure.
If you are on the phone with a client and you have an outburst from your kids — don’t let it spoil the call. Lightly joke to the client that he’ll have to excuse your ‘little helpers’ today… Almost everyone you run across has kids or grandkids. And if they don’t — they still will think it’s terrific that you are able to be home with them. Especially if they sense that you are confident that you can get their job done and are not apologetic for or embarrassed about your working conditions.

6. Find your rhythm.
The key to balance is rhythm. Set a schedule that works for your clients AND works for your family. Have some flexibility on both sides – but let each side know what they can generally expect from you. Communicate to them when there are changes in your priorities that day. If you need to feed the kids quickly and get back to work on a time sensitive project — let the kids know that you wish you could sit down with them and you really are going to miss that time today. Tell them you can’t wait until 3:00 when you get to take a break…

7. Don’t be afraid of change.
If you are finding it is impossible to balance your work load with your family life… something is going to have to give. It could be your daily schedule, it could be childcare help, it might even be letting go of the client. In the end, we are choosing this lifestyle to enrich our family life. Always keep that in perspective.

The article did prove to be a good read with a surprising bit of advice. With some encouragement to new bloggers promising that with effort and savvy they could potentially succeed in making a living with blogging – the article was laden with warnings about blogging addiction.

Ann Handley, chief content officer at MarketingProfs, says you know you are addicted when “You can’t watch a movie, see a play, read an article or share a sweet moment with your child without thinking of whether it’s blog-worthy.”

This is some good advice. Take it to heart ladies because it’s for real. I have actually almost allowed ‘LOL’ to pass through my lips in place of laughter. It happens. Not just with blogs but with home business, in particular, internet business at large. This cyber world is addictive. Succeeding in business is addictive. It is all too easy to devote enormous amounts of time to it.

It’s imperative to stop many times throughout the day and remember WHY we are working from home. Don’t just remember, but act on it. Get out of the office and have your tea on the deck. Ask your kids to show you their latest tricks while you have your tea break. Sieze every small opportunity where you are away from your desk to interact and show your love to your family.

It’s not wrong to love your work… and of course we NEED to work – probably much longer hours then we care to admit, just to keep the bills paid. But I think if we’re honest with ourselves we can all find chunks of wasted time at the computer that could much better be spent with the people we love.

So here’s to our success (at work AND at home!)

Thanks to our Mothers and Grandmothers, we all grew up understanding that women have unlimited choices and potential to achieve anything that we desire out of life. And yet, as mothers, we have certain choices that can absolutely drive us insane. Should we pursue a career, or should we stay at home. If we stay at home, what message does that give to our daughters about their own potential? If we go to work, what value does that place on Motherhood?

If we work at home, how do we strike a balance between sucess in our business, and balance in our home?

We aren’t superwoman, and then again – we really are!

Ultimately, what makes a good mother is a safe place for a child to turn to, where they always know they are loved. Ultimately, what makes a great wife is a woman who despite differences of opinions, trusts and believes in her husband. And to be a good business woman? You simply have to believe in YOURSELF!

Balance in life is crucial, and so is growth. But growth doesn’t always have to do with your financial goals. Growth today can be sitting for an hour with your four-year-old and really paying attention to what they have to say. Or growth can be getting a babysitter for an afternoon, and doing something completely creative by yourself!

Here’s to not losing sight of our true selves in our quest for perfection and success. And don’t forget that success is ultimately measured by the feeling in your heart!