Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Working at Home is Hard!

How to Stop Wasting Time Online

Does this sound familiar…you sit down at the computer to work and three hours later you’ve accomplished absolutely nothing. Oh, all of your social networking friends are happy you stopped by and you learned a bit by reading a half a dozen blogs. However, time is money and three hours wasted online is lost income. With a few tips and tricks, and a little self-discipline, you can stop wasting time online and get more done!

Know Your Limits

Sometimes interest in a work project fades away. It’s at this point when you may turn to time wasters like social sites. Start paying attention to how long you are able to focus and work productively. It may be only twenty or thirty minutes. When you know your limits you can plan your day a little better.

For example, if you know that you are only able to focus for about thirty minutes before you get antsy, break your work day up into thirty minute segments. In between each work segment, schedule time to do something else. You might clean your office for ten minutes or read a blog post. Give yourself time to play and you’ll be better able to get back to work.

When Are You Most Productive?

Morning people are better able to focus for long periods in the morning. The opposite is true for night people. Know when you’re more productive and better able to focus, and plan to work during that time period. You’ll be less likely to wander and waste time online.

Schedule Time to Browse

There’s nothing wrong with wasting time online as long as it doesn’t interrupt your life or stall your productivity. If you enjoy surfing the net and discovering new ideas and information, set aside time to do it. Schedule it during your non-productive hours. For example, if you sit down to watch television in the evening, surf while you watch TV. Surf during your lunch break or while you’re waiting for an appointment.

A Few Additional Tips and Tricks

1. Turn off your browser while you work. If you don’t need your browser open while you work, close it to reduce temptation.

2. Listen to music. Music can help you stay focused and productive.

3. Try a site blocking service if you really can’t resist temptation. For example, Firefox has a few site blocking add-ons that you can use. They limit your time on a site or block the sites for a designated time period.

4. Sit down with a plan. Decide what you want to accomplish and when you want to accomplish it by.

5. Reward yourself. Once you’ve completed your task, reward yourself. Enjoy some free time, do something you like to do and take a break.

There are temptations all around you. Focus on what you want to accomplish and don’t let those pesky online time wasters distract you. With a plan and a few effective tactics you can stop wasting time online and get more done during your day.

Working from your home is not as easy as it sounds. It takes a lot of concentration and work to avoid the distractions of being at home. There is always something that needs to be done around the house. As we all know, dishes and laundry are never ending in any household!

Time management is vital to any home business. Click here for an Internet Marketers Guide to Time Management.