Some of you out there said “well, yes, but. . . ” and if that was your answer to that question, then you are not ready, you are not prepared, and you are not on the path to success. You are likely either stuck on the side of the road to success or more likely headed in the wrong direction altogether!

If you have a plan for success and you are checking it daily, and making progress on it – good for you!  You are either already experiencing your success or it is just around the corner.  And when I say “checking it daily” – I’m not talking about your e-mail or your facebook page  – I’m talking about your specific plan for success with daily money-making activities.

As some of you may know, the last couple of years I let myself get lazy and distracted from my work at home goals.  And when we lost my husband’s income, things got really tight, and we made the decision for me to go back to work while he stayed home and worked on the business so that eventually we could both be at home.  That was the plan – I thought I’d be home within a year.  Well, it’s been 2 years, and although I love my job, the birth of my (unexpected) youngest makes me yearn to be home full time again.  And there is an opportunity there for me, but due to my failure to plan properly, I may or may not be able to take advantage of it.  

This caused me to buckle down and look at what I’ve been doing the last two years.  And what I saw in retrospect is not what I had intended to focus my attention on.  I focused on how tired I was, how I didn’t want to be working outside the home,  how I had gained so much weight, how this and how that – what I didnt’ focus on, was my plan to be home again.  I “wished” to be home, I “wanted” to be home, but I didn’t make and follow a plan to be home again.  I guess I had hoped that it would simply “happen.”

In part of my efforts to refocus on what really matters to me, I’ve started listening to Dani Johnson again.  If you haven’t heard her before, you really need to start listening to her.  I have her First Steps to Success tapes, and her Christian Tapes (which you can download for free now), and I joined her CFI Success Network (just $1 for the first month – well worth the dollar!) If you want to succeed you need to surround yourself with the right people, and put the right kind of thinking in your brain.  Dani is where I go, and I wanted to share with you in case somehow you got sidetracked from your goal, and were wondering where your success went.  So the next time someone asks you “do you want to succeed?” you can answer with your whole heart – YES! and your success will be right around the corner!  To your success!

Once you ‘ve written them down, all you have to do is eliminate them.”

Excuse me as I pick myself up of the floor from laughing.  You see, my top 3 distractions are my 8 year old, my 4 year old, and my 20 month old!  Can’t really see myself “eliminating” them!

Now, of course what the guru meant was if it’s e-mail, close your e-mail program, turn off your IM’s, and shut down Twitter.  But it also goes to show how different men and women, (and even women and moms) work from home.  For the work at home mom, you can’t simply “eliminate” your top distractions, actually, what you have to do is distract your distractions!

Here are a few tips for distracting your distractions if you’re a work at home mom.

Play Dough

I only bring out the playdough when I am trying to work. And I only bring it out in the kitchen.  Sure I end up with an extra hour of cleanup getting those little playdough pieces off the floor, but if I get anything accomplished in the hour it distracts them, I still consider myself ahead.

Bubble Machines

In my experience, a bubble machine is good for about 20 minutes of uninteruped work time.  These are those little machines that you put in a battery or plug it in, add a little bubble solution, and tada – it blows the bubbles for you!  They are best used outside, however, if I use it inside, it tends to give my floor a bit of a between the mopping cleaning! (Now if only I could find a non-toxic floor cleaner that makes good bubbles, then I could really take advantage of this little invention.)

Computer Games

Although it only really distracts one child at a time, two at the most, I try to pick up educational computer games on a regular basis.  You can get many for less than $20, some even less than $10.  That way I feel a little better about letting my kids spend time on the computer.  Depending on the game and the child, I can get anywhere from 20 minutes to almost an hour of uninterrupted work time.  Some of my (and my kids) favorites are in the cute little carousel below.

Nap Time

It’s free, it’s easy (if practices regularly) and it’s usually worth at least an hour!  Yes, the afternoon nap.  When my kids are too old for the nap (like my 8 year old), I simply call it a “quiet time.”  Set the timer, and set them on their beds with several books and get to work.  The hour will be up before you know it.

Television

Well, I hate to admit it, but yes, I use the television to distract my kids.  I have a television in the room with my computer, so I usually have them watch in there so that I can monitor what they watch. I’ve found that even on “safe” channels, there are often commercials or things that I may not approve of, so just to be sure, I make my kids watch cable in the same room with me.  We also have a stash of DVD’s that I’ve already approved of, and those they can watch in a different room.  I’ve also discovered that the public library is a good source for DVD’s to help change things up without costing me a fortune.

Last Resort

As a last resort, when I can’t seem to distract my kids, I simply take a break and spend some extra time with them playing a game or reading a book or taking a walk.  Sometimes all kids want is your attention, and there is no substitute for that.  And that is what makes working from home so great!

But then, after reading the ever insightful Lynn Terry (one of my online favorites), I realized that I am smack dab in the middle of the whole debate?  Why? I market not one, but THREE websites that are geared to an audience with an obvious gender bias (Business4Moms, Momprovement, Healthsmartmom).   And while I have seen a few “men” related sites (such as Christian Work At Home Dads) I admit, that overwhelmingly, I shop from “mom” sites.

Now, do I go to a mom site with the intention of buying only from a mom?  I don’t really think so, I guess as i was raised a bit of a feminist (a title that I have since backed off of), I believe that if there is a service or prodct that I want, a female can provide it just as well as a  male could, and so I go shopping first with females (and now with moms – as I believe in supporting other working moms).  Now if I don’t find what I need or want, I will continue my search out in the “open” field.  But my preference is toward moms.

And I have to admit, I used to get a little “disturbed” when I would see males advertising to a female network (such as WAHM) and wondered why they were in “our” group instead of “their own” group.  But I suppose that’s just my own skepticism and former “militant feminist” self acting out.

If you were to ask me today if I was a feminist, I would say no, I believe I am a “modern mom with old fashioned values.”  As in I believe that a woman can do anything she sets her mind to just as well as a man. However for myself, and hopefully for my daughter, I believe that being a mom is the most rewarding and most important job a woman can have (if she is so inclined and blessed), however, I also believe that women should have the opportunity for any position that she is qualified (and that includes being given the opportunity to qualify).

So while I’m not going to change much in the way I act, (I’ll still continue to run and support business that are run by moms), I will change the way I REACT, and stop being so skeptical of everyone on the internet.  I regularly visit and participate in training by several men on the internet, and find their information just as invaluable as the mom sites, and I’ve never been made to feel like I didn’t belong there.  So from now on I will try to return the favor.

I hope you’re having a good day today.

I want to let you in on a cool contest my buddy Russell Brunson is doing. It’s a contest where you get training at no cost…and you can win a New Corvette!  Now, of course as someone trying to make an income from home you are constantly hit up with possible things to join, try, or get involved in.  And I wouldn’t add to that unless I thought it was worth your while.  Russell Brunson is well known in the internet world, and his training usually costs a pretty penny, but right now, Russell is doing something pretty special.

It’s called the $100 Million Dollar Challenge. Russell’s going to personally train you to make money online, and he wants everyone to make a collective $100 Million Dollars! But not only that, Russell is also donating proceeds from the contest to World Teacher Aid–which helps to bring education to children in third-world countries.  Isn’t that cool?  Free training that can help you build your business, a contest for a free car, and a chance to help kids in third world countries, and it doesn’t cost you a dime!

Check it out by going here:

http://contest.dotcomsecrets.com/business4moms

If you’ve been struggling with your online business, then you need to check out what Russell has to say in the video. Plus you can’t beat the price!

To Your Success!

Stefani

P.S. If I don’t win the car, I hope you do! Do you think my baby’s car seat will fit??

http://contest.dotcomsecrets.com/business4moms

Here’s how this one works:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog; some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
(Some games have a rule 4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on each of their blogs. But I agree with Alice: I’d leave this step out…it’s not really good blog etiquette to leave random comments – if you know who you tag, you can e-mail them, but like Alice, I found out from Wordpress that I’d been tagged!)

—————————-

Anyway, here they are…some random, some weird:

1. I was born in Warner Robins, Georgia, at the Air Force Base (both my parents were in the Air Force, Dad was a pilot, Mom was a nurse.)
2. I am a Star Trek fan, just the original and The Next Generation, after that I think the Universe started to slide backwards down the evolvement scale)
3. I am the middle of two sisters, no brothers.
4. When I was 22 weeks pregnant with my first son, I was told by my doctor (a specialist in high risk pregnancies) to terminate my pregnancy because he didn’t think I would make it the week that we needed to try life-saving measures on my baby.  I refused.  My son was born at 31 weeks and is now a perfectly healthy, very active 4 year old.
5. My cell phone is elligible for an upgrade on September 20, 2008.
6. I used to watch Grey’s Anatomy, but got tired of having to shut my kids out because of the new content, so now I just read the summary at ABC.com
7. When I was a kid, I lived in Sherwood Forest (really) on RobinWay Drive and went to Sherwood Elementary.  (There was also a Friar Tuck, Maid Marion, and all the rest – it was in Cincinnatti, OH.)

So now. . . who to tag, who to tag??

I’ll say

FitDarcie

Auntie Wahm

Lynn Terry

Heather

Here’s to all our random weirdness!

Maybe it’s because you’ve lost your passion.
Maybe you’re overwhelmed.
Maybe you just don’t have enough time.
Maybe you’re disorganized.
Maybe your staff is inefficient (or maybe you are)
Maybe you don’t know how to grow your business to the next level (or maybe you don’t want to do what it takes)

Regardless of the reason why your business isn’t growing, it’s time to stop making excuses and do something about it.  You worked REALLY hard to get to this point. You spent time, money, and a lot of energy to build your business.  Certainly you’re not going to let it fritter away.

Here’s how to stop making excuses for why your business isn’t growing:

Step 1.  Figure out why it isn’t growing.  Perhaps your product line is stagnant.  Perhaps you’re only reaching 10% of your eligible prospects.  Perhaps your sales page isn’t converting or your advertising campaign isn’t reaching the right people.  The first step to figuring out how to stop making excuses is to honestly examine why it isn’t growing.  The reason may reside completely in you – perhaps business got too big too fast and you don’t have time to catch up let alone build your business.  This leads us to the next step.

Step 2.  Decide if you want your business to grow and if so, by how much?  In short, if you do want your business to grow then set goals.  If you’re making $50,000 in sales then maybe you want to set a goal of $75,000 in sales.  If you have a customer base of 100 regular customers maybe you want to double it.  Set reasonable and attainable goals.

Step 3.  Analyze what is working to help you attain your goals and what isn’t working.  For example, if you want to attain $75,000 in sales but you’re spending 50% of your time on administrative duties then your time isn’t being well spent.  Remember the 80/20 rule – that means you need to spend 80% of your time on the things that bring you money.  Administrative duties are necessary, but they don’t bring in money.  Prospecting for new customers and making sales, that makes money.  Make sure you are spending about 80% of your time on income producing activities.

Step 4.  Make a plan to eliminate what isn’t working.  Using the example in step 3 if you’re spending 50% of your time on administrative tasks then outsourcing some or all of those tasks will free up a significant amount of time. Are you easily distracted by your kids?  Try hiring a babysitter for a few hours a week so you can concentrate more effectively.  The time you free up could be just the time you need to reach your new goals.

Step 5.  This is the best part.  Create a reward for attaining your goals.  Part of the motivation to attain a goal, beyond self fulfillment and feeling very proud, is giving yourself a little pat on the back.  Some may pat themselves on the back with a two week vacation to Hawaii, others prefer a new pair of shoes or a week off to go camping with their children.  Whatever the reward, including it in your plan may be the extra motivation you need to get beyond excuses and into action.
Entrepreneurs tend to be goal oriented, action oriented people.  However sometimes life gets a bit out of control and instead of action, excuses fill the void.  To regain your entrepreneur spirit, eliminate the roadblocks and hurdles and set new goals.  It’s the best way to stop making excuses about why your business isn’t growing and remember why you got into business in the first place.

There are several ways to help keep this from happening. Here are a few to try:

• Set up your office in a separate room. If at all possible, set up your home office in it’s own room. That way when you leave the room, you can leave your work behind. If space doesn’t allow, try to use a closet (yes, I said closet – click here to view a great closet office.)

• Set Office Hours. Yes, flexibility is great, but so is routine. Set yourself some office hours, or even some time guidelines to prevent yourself from overworking (or underworking) your business.

• Set Family Hours and stick to them. In addition to setting office hours, set some family hours where you will NOT do business. Make sure your family knows when they are, and they will be sure to hold you accountable to them.

While these ideas may seem simple, if you implement them, you will find your working from home experience to much more enjoyable for you and your family!