Keeping your Focus

Sometimes it can be difficult keeping focus on your tasks, especially if like me you tend to multi task and sometimes get so side tracked into other things. So how do you keep yourself on track?

I for one look at my to do list on a daily basis, I use Microsoft Outlook so find that I can have my daily tasks added to my mobile phone application and I also print out the tasks and calender as I also like to physically tick things off.

I then look at my tasks and pick 5 must dos for the day and focus on those, then when i have done those I look at the next 5...

Anyone got any good tips here would be appreciated, so come on bloggers add to this forum positively....

You can follow me on twitter @workfmhomeDiva hope to see you there!

Thought for the day!

Sunday 26th April. Day of Rest for Many.
As it is the last Sunday of the Month, I usually take time to reflect on the past month and look at what I have actually achieved in that time.

I find that the year can pass through very quickly and sometimes we look back at the end of the 12 months and say - what did I do last year? I had a difficult year in my life and felt frustrated and upset with myself as when I looked back to see what I had achieved, it was little or nothing. I hadnt set myself any goals for that year, and therefore didnt achieve anything worthwhile. I vowed then, that I would set myself yearly, 3 yearly, 5 yearly goals and some longer term ones, but more importantly set myself weekly and monthly goals and to spend time to reflect at the end of each month to look back and note what I had or had not achieved.

I have been doing this for the past three years and it has helped me move both my personal life and my business forward to no end, and for that I am grateful. It has helped put back some discipline into my life and work ethos.

So today I will be reflecting back on the past month of April and noting down what I have achieved, and what I could have done better, and incorporate these into further plans for the month of MAY.

What is Twitter?

Not too long ago (over 2 months now), I joined Twitter. I had heard about this social networking site and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Needless to say I got hooked after only a few days.

Its a great site to socialise, make links, meet new people from just about anywhere in the world. The land of Twitterville does not sleep, it is continiously active 24/7.

So what is this Twitter? What is it abbout?

You have 140 words in which to just through out to the world of Twitterland what your thoughts or views are. You could be listening to the radio and want to share the music you are listening to via weblink, you could be asking for advice, researching for a university paper, or looking for a job, yes that's right looking for a JOB on Twitter.

You can either 'follow' other people on twitter, this is where you can search out other like minded people via search menu or through other twitter members reccommendations. You can also be the person who is 'followed' by others who think your Bio is interesting.

Your Bio is short for your Biography which is a short description of what you are about.
In fact it can be used for just about any and everything if you can get it out in less than 140 words.

There is a grest sense of community on Twitter, and you feel a surge when you see your 'followers' go up in total.

You can build up your follows by recommending others, or like certain days (Fridays) you can reccommend to other who to follow by using the tweet description after their names "#followfriday".

There is a Tweet dictionary http: //twittonary.com/ which is really useful to learn what the meaning of words beginning with a # are.

There are also many applications you can use to enter your tweets onto Twitter. I use a combination of three, Power Twitter, Tweetdeck and Twitter itself. I find them all useful in their own different ways.

Power Twitter allows me to follow people automatically and to send a response back to them straight away, which is always nice to be acknowledged on Twitter. I can also set up automated tweets which I can schedule to go out at different times in the day. Great for networking, building a business or giving advise and tips.
I can also view my replies all in one place and respond back quickly.

Tweetdeck - allows you to see different views all at once. I can see my replied, my followers, and whats being tweeted all at once in one screen, where as in the other applications I have to select them seperately.

You can upload videos, photos as well, and I do not think it is as invasive as myspace or facebook which I believe are on another level of social networking anyway.

These are only my views, so why not check it out for yourself. Youcan follow me on twitter by clicking here
More on how to use twitter to build your home business go here

Get yourself Organised

If you have never worked from home before, then getting organised can be one of the biggest headaches to setting up your home business. It took months of trial and error for me to finally come up with a suitable way of getting myself organised.

I hope the following helps you with gaining some idea of things to think about when you begin to set up your work from home business.

Checklist of Stationery Items and Essentials to help you get organised:

* Prepare your business objectives and goals

* Identify your training needs and plan out a daily training strategy to build your business knowledge up quickly and clearly.

* Note Pad -
1. To keep training notes in (these could be training provided by your company, or training you come across on the web).
2. useful to make short notes when talking to clients over the telephone or in person
3. To write down your daily 'to do' List

* Box File - to keep receipts, invoices,etc for home business

* Diary - preferably page to view to help with appointments

* Your Own set of Pens, Pencils, hole punch and stapler (keep out of sight as the kids tend to come and 'borrow them', and they tend to dissappear once borrowed!

* Set up your Answer Machine Message (I found it useful to write myself a script so that I dont fluff it up when recording on the phone...)

* A handy folder or file with your scripts and any other business material you will need to refer to while on the phone... e.g price list, product list, etc..

* If you can afford this - your own Computer - an essential must for any home business.... I found it impossible to share or compete with my kids when they had homework and needed the use of the computer to complete their assignment...

* A book of First Class and 2nd Class Stamps (always handy)

* Envelopes ( think about what size is preferable for your business, and what you would be using the envelope for).

* Spare cartridge ink for the printer - nothing more annoying that finding our when you go to print your leaflets, that your kids have used all the colour up doing their homework assignments for school!

* Organising a seperate phone line for your home business, (I use my skype number as my business contact number, saves on costly line rentals for a seperate line, also you can divert Skype messages if you are not online)

* do you need fax facilities? There are free online fax numbers which email you when a fax is received, however, you would have to pay for the service if you want to send a fax from your PC... Click here for info

*Set up business email addresses seperate from your personal address. It is useful to keep the business email the same name as your website if you have one.

* Order Business cards online a really good site which I use is www.Vistaprint.com, but if you google 'free business cards' I am sure other good sites will come up.





See how I am helping others to set up their own home business Click Here http://www.bewealthywithme.com

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Is your Phone a Huge Frightening Monster?

Its one thing working for a corporation and talking to suppliers, customers, peers or colleagues on the phone, but when you have to do this for yourself! Thats another ball game. I remember my first follow up phone call to a potential customer of my new Nutritional Business many years back. I got so excited when I came home from my regular 9-5 job and checked my voicemail, and after a few weeks of nothing, there was this one message where a caller left her name and telephone number and wanted ME.... yes ME to get in touch with her as she was 'desperate' to lose some weight...

Well, I jumped for joy, hugged my kids and said this is it, mom's in business. I went to my home office and took out my 'script' of what I was going to say to her, and a note book to take some notes. I practiced my 'speil' and then when feeling confident picked up the phone. I dialed the first three numbers, then promptly hung up the phone. No, just one more practice required.... I went over my speech again and again, then told myself that I could do this... hands sweating I started to dial her number again, and at that point my son walked into my office, so I hung up.

He asked if I had succeeded in getting my first customer. I had to tell him, that I had not made the call yet. This was a whole hour of me being in my home office with the intention of calling. At that point my 11 year old son, said 'Mum, you have got to call her some time, you might as well get it over with now, otherwise you will never get customers'. I thought about what he had just said, and it hit me... he was absolutely right. So without further thought I picked up the phone, while he was standing there looking at me, and I spoke to my very first customer... I was as nervous as hell, but because my son was in front of me, I had to show him that his mum could do this and get her first customer.

What I found, was that as I began asking my potential customer more questions and interacting with her, I began to relax and enjoyed the conversation. I came off that phone and made my very first sale with my very first phone call.....

What did I learn from this? If a prospect calls you, or leaves their information with you to contact them, you are the one in control, it is not a 'cold call', so why be scared. Your prospect is waiting for you to call and give them additional information, they have already asked for this and are expecting it. So have no fear and go ahead and call.....

Colette Morris
See how I am now helping many others to be successful with their own home business visit me and leave your email an contact details at http://www.bewealthywithme.com

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Setting up Squidoo

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