This is probably one of the most asked questions that I get from my clients, "what can I do when I don't feel like working?"

I choose today to talk about this topic because here in Connecticut it is the start of the spring like weather and today is a rainy day.  

One of the benefits that working from home provides is that you can create your own work schedule but taking a day off is not the solution for many of us.  The following are a few quick suggestions to help you conquer the moody blues.

1.  Get out of your PJ's or lounge clothes.  On days when you are especially down or really don't feel like doing much of anything I find that getting out of your lounge clothes is a huge help.

2.  Go for a walk or go to the gym.  I know if it is raining out most of us who work from home really don't want to venture out in yucky weather but starting your day off by going for a quick walk will get you moving and motivated.  I joined a local gym where I spend 30 minutes 3 times a week getting out and getting some exercise.  It is amazing how much better you feel after working out.

3.  Make a plan and stick to it.  Make a plan and put at least 4 things you want to get accomplished and then take the rest of the day relaxing or just lounging.  Most likely two things are going to happen.  1.  You will get on a roll and forget that you wanted to take the day off or 2. You will get some stuff done and when you take the rest of the day off to lounge you will feel much better about it.

4.  Switch Gears.  I generally don't advocate this but if your home and really don't feel like working then perhaps you can tackle a personal or home project.  Reorganize your hall closet, rearrange your living room or wash your kitchen floor.  By switching gears and at least getting something done you  

5.  Take the day off.  Sometimes as busy home business entrepreneurs we forget to take the necessary time off to recharge our batteries.  If you don't have any business that needs your immediate attention why not just take the day off and relax.


How do you battle the "I don't feel like working days?"  Post your comment below or shoot me an email at doreen@doreendilger.com.

It's amazing how much some people manage to get done, while others seem to be stuck in a rut without enough time in the day to accomplish much of anything. But, here's the secret. Everyone has the same amount of time in every single day. It's one way in which we are all created equal. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. 

According to entrepreneur.com, As an entrepreneur, time can be one of your most precious assets.
If time is one of our most precious assets then we need the tools to get as much done as we can!  Here are a few tips to help you.

Track Your Activities for a Week

To get a real picture of how you spend your time, try tracking everything you do for at least one week. Use a small recorder to record when you start and stop any task, and include the time. Alternatively, just use an old-fashioned pad and paper. Don't change anything for now; just live your life as you do.

Evaluate

Now look at how you spent your time. Organize each thing that you did into urgent, important, family, fun, and time suckers. Some things that are fun might fall into the category of time sucking and that's okay, because you can place limits on some things to still allow yourself to have fun without going overboard into time wasting.

Assign All Important Tasks to a "To-Do" List

Everything that is urgent and important should be scheduled. Some urgent and important things will also be family things. Put it all into the schedule. Give it the amount of time you think it will take, adding a few minutes for padding to avoid run over and missed deadlines.

Schedule Fun Time

Don't forget to put time for fun into your schedule. Working from home we should be able to this often. The trick is to schedule the right amount of time and the right amount of fun, without intruding on the important and urgent tasks and activities that you also must do. 

Spend Time Each Night and Morning in Planning Mode

Take the time each evening to evaluate how your day went, decide what could have been done better, or what needs longer or shorter times to accomplish. If you do this you will get better at creating a plan. Each morning take the time to look over your schedule to remind yourself what is coming up so you don't forget anything. Never rely on just memory or you will get off track.  

Create a Plan of Action for Each Activity

It doesn't matter if the plan is for family time, for business, or something else - if you create a plan of attack for each item on your to-do list, you'll accomplish it faster with fewer problems. One of the biggest time wasters is jumping from item to item. Stick to one thing at a time until it's done and you'll feel as if you have a lot more time in your day.

Train Others to Respect Your Time

If you have a business, especially if you work from home, you will often find that other people seem to lack respect for your time. The real issue is that you've not taught people to respect your time. As Oprah (or maybe it was Dr. Phil) once said, "You teach people how to treat you." Are you teaching people to respect your time? If not, it's time to start doing so.

Delegate

Never underestimate the power of delegation for getting more time in your day. A good assistant can almost double your time. So while you can't actually get more time, remember that everyone has the same 24 hours. You can create a situation where you duplicate yourself by hiring an assistant or outsourcing some mundane tasks such as housework or lawn care. There is no such thing as a successful CEO who doesn't delegate.

Finally, it's important to always be realistic about what can really be accomplished in any given amount of time. No matter how much you want to be, you're not superwoman (or man) - you're just a human who is doing their best to manage the resources they have. If something doesn't get done today, move it to tomorrow. As you get better at scheduling, you'll get it down to a science on how long it really takes you to do any particular task and you'll have fewer days where you don't succeed. 

Do you have a tip on managing your time>  If so or if  you have a question I would like to hear about. you can email me directly at doreen@doreendilger.com.  You might see your question answered on one of my upcoming blog posts.

There are several ways in which you can attract new clients to your service-based business, but one of the most effective is via community involvement. Don't get worried. Community involvement can happen both on and offline. There are communities that exist only online and there are communities that exist only offline. You can do both for best impact, but if there is a reason you can only participate online that is fine too.

There are two types of communities you can get involved in. You can involve yourself in a community of your peers, or a community of your audience. 

Peer Groups 

In terms of peer groups, there are peers with whom you are in direct competition and those who offer complementary services to yours. Both can help you get clients but the complementary group will be more beneficial to you because they are not direct competition. Consider that when you get involved in any particular group. 

Business focused groups, mastermind groups, industry focused groups and so forth all exist to help you educate yourself further and provide connections. You can get clients through word of mouth when a peer group member feels you would be right for a position because they have come to know you. Peer groups also offer opportunities for joint venture (JV) partnerships which can widen and expand your audience. 

Niche Groups

Audience or niche groups are the best place for you to spend your time because you can find groups full of your ideal clients. You can locate these groups by looking at local meet-ups in the area, searching for groups on LinkedIn.com, and searching for and joining message boards devoted to a particular niche.

The key making niche groups work is to join the group, freely answer questions for them and let them come to see you as part of the group. Let your signature line speak for itself, and do not try to sell your services at all. They will come to you when they see that you offer what they want via your normal sharing mechanisms. 

Understand the Pros and Cons

Be a free and open source of information regarding your niche. This is how people will get to know you and trust you and start seeing you as someone to refer to others or hire. There can be problems with choosing to spend more time in communities of your peers than in communities consisting of your niche audience. Doing so can result in a problem finding your ideal clients and being stuck in a bubble of competitors. 

You want to focus on spending more time in communities that are made up of your ideal audience than with your peers but you want to also participate in peer communities so that you can become known as a community expert.

Finally, when you join either type of group you want to realize that when you first join, you are the new person and you are unknown. No one is going to trust you immediately - whether they are meeting you in person or online. Take the time to get to know others before offering your services in any manner, and get to know the culture of the group. Let your business card or your signature line do the selling for you. Make participation your goal and more clients will be the result.

Resources

If you are looking for a great networking group be sure to check out American Business Women's Association their link is as follows www.abwa.org.

For more information on attracting and marketing to new clients visit  Wikihow.com at the link provided: http://www.wikihow.com/Attract-and-Keep-Customers-for-a-Small-Business-(Marketing)

If you have a question about working from home please email directly at doreen@doreendilger.com.  You might see your question answered on one of my upcoming blog posts.