Uninterrupted Time

“What I wouldn’t give for a day of uninterrupted time to focus on my business!”

“Scratch that – make it an afternoon. Two or three hours. For that I’d give up my next birthday cake.”

These are the exact comments heard recently from moms who are working to build a business from home while still taking care of the kids, the house, the pets, friends, family and their marriage. Finding uninterrupted time for anything can be a big challenge. Add a work at home business into the mix and you’re asking for the impossible.

Not true! It is entirely possible to find time to focus on your business without interruption. It will require some creativity on your part and certainly some sacrifice, but don’t worry – you can still enjoy next year’s birthday cake.

Start with the basics. Getting up a couple of hours before the kids will certainly net you some quiet time. You may have to break a sleeping in habit but it will be worth it in the long run. Unless you’re single, don’t choose the staying up late option as that will cut into your time with hubby.

Negotiate with your spouse for a certain amount of ‘business time’ each week to take place when he is home. Don’t overdo it – leave space for ‘couple time’ and ‘family time’. Perhaps he’ll agree to prepare dinner twice a week to give you an extra hour in the home office on those days. If he would take on the weekly grocery shopping and take the kid with him – you’d grab an extra two hours that way as well.

Sometimes the issue isn’t so much that you can’t work uninterrupted, it’s a matter of being distracted by the hubbub of family life going on around you. If you can’t work in a separate area you can still create a sense of isolation. First, put up a sign on your desk that says ‘Mommy is Working Now – Do Not Disturb’. Second, put on headphones and turn on music that suits your mood and project. Crank up the volume until it drowns out the house around you.

Set a timer for a specific period of time and let the family know that you’re going into your ‘zone’ for 30 minutes, an hour, two hours – whatever will work – and that you’ll poke your head up when the timer goes off to see if anybody needs anything. Then you can set it again as needed.

If none of this works – you may need to grab your laptop (if you have one) and head to the library, park or coffee shop.

When you truly focus during the hours that you do work, you’ll notice that you don’t need nearly so many hours as you might have thought. So rather than trying to steal a minute here and there – find those laser targeted hours and give it your all, then get back to enjoying your family.

I highly recommend “The Power of a Focused Business” as a how to resource for learning the power of focused.  For additional details, visit: www.aFocusedBusiness.com

© 2007-2008 Regina Baker & Company

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