Interesting Time Management article for Work at Home Moms

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Interesting Article that might help someone out.

Work at Home Moms: Best Time Management Tips
Work at home moms need special time management strategies to succeed.
Stay productive and focused by following these tips.
Working from home provides tremendous advantages for a mom. You're
able to set your own schedule, bag the stockings and read at the
preschool. You can nap when you're tired or call a friend. What a
life!

But challenges also abound. It's almost impossible to work without
childcare. The more you're in the house, the messier it seems;
domestic projects call from every corner. The mail carrier may be
nice, but he's not a colleague. And nobody is looking over your
shoulder to make sure the job gets done.

To thrive as a work-at-home mom, you need to set guidelines. What
follows are time management tips gleaned from my experience writing
from home as the mother of two girls, now 5 and 8.

*Establish boundaries. Don't allow the kids in your office without
permission. I set this rule early, and as a result I can always find
my stapler. I cannot say the same thing for my hairbrush or lipstick.

*Set a schedule. Notice how your preschooler needs structure? So do
you. A regular work routine will help keep you from getting
sidetracked by daytime TV.

*Buy a stopwatch. I click my stopwatch on to write and click it off
when I leave my desk. At day's end, I log my work hours. Tracking time
keeps me focused and helps separate "work" from "home."

*Keep a "small stuff" to do list. Working at home allows you to use
spare moments for office work. But to be efficient, you need to keep a
list of tasks that can be done in 15 minutes or less.

*Stash toys. I keep a basket of toys in my office for special
occasions. Since the kids don't use them regularly, the toys have
novelty value. The basket buys me an hour of work time on my
children's sick days.

*Distinguish breaks. Two hours spent cleaning the playroom is not a
break, it's a morning. Start the day with work, not chores. Keep
breaks short, work hours long. Ignore the dust bunnies.

*Set the handyman straight. Chat and then make it clear that you have
to go back to work. Tell him that you're on a deadline -- even if
you're not. He'll get more work done, and so will you.

*Get out. Working at home can be isolating. Schedule events that
require you to wear clean clothes and interact with adults who are not
relatives, contractors or delivery people.

*Know thyself. It's confusing. You're a working mother but you're
mostly around stay-at-home moms. Deadlines call, but you're constantly
asked to volunteer. Consider your work commitments before accepting
outside obligations. Remember, you're a working mom, even if you don't
commute.

*Take advantage. What's the point of working at home if you don't
enjoy the perks? Sneak in a siesta. Check in on Oprah. Shop for shoes.
Celebrate the "free" in freelance, and the "independent" in
independent contractor!

(c) 2006 Jennifer Bingham Hull.

About the Author
Jennifer Bingham Hull is an award-winning author and mother of two.
Her book, Beyond One: Growing a Family and Getting a Life, looks at
life after the second child. Jennifer's articles have appeared in The
Wall Street Journal, Parenting, Working Mother and many other
publications. Visit www.growingafamily.com, where you can contact her
to receive this "Life Beyond One" column regularly and sign up for her
free newsletter.
By Jennifer Hull
Published: 10/11/2006