How to Keep Up With More Blogs in Less Time

It’s summertime… sunshine, beaches, camping, holidays, and kids out of school… are you missing out on posts from your favorite blogs with all that busyness?

I posted a few weeks ago about how to setup your own blog to allow readers to follow you with RSS but didn’t share how to setup your own RSS reader for you to follow blogs you like.  (Scroll to the bottom of this post for a video explaining RSS.)

Why would you want an RSS reader?  All your favorite blogs in one place, easier to stay caught up with.  It’s a great time-saver and makes it much easier to stay engaged with those you’ve chosen to follow and learn from.

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A Weekend Gift for LOA Fans

If you’re a law of attraction / positive thinking fan, you’ll like these cards I created a while back. Each card has an inspirational quote at the bottom and space on the top for you to write down your tasks to complete and then things that you need to allow/trust the universe to bring you.

Just click here to download free. No opt-in required.  The link is to a ZIP file which contains three PDF files.

If you’re not into Law of Attraction don’t panic – you don’t have to download these, and I rarely post about these sorts of topics.  I’m still analyzing a lot of stuff in my head, to be completely honest.  :)

If you’d like, you’re also invited to sign up for the mailing list (top right corner of the page) and get even more great free stuff from me including worksheets, checklists, and special reports, and then weekly business articles from me. Or connect with me on Facebook using the box on the right side of this page.

Get More Done

I shared a few weeks ago how much I accomplished while I was away for the weekend at Attract Clients Like Crazy and how I got it done quickly. I thought I’d also share what works for me at home. If you’re familiar with me, you know that in addition to juggling a couple of businesses, I homeschool my three kids (K, 2nd, 4th) and take care of our home. I’ll admit though, a maid is on my list of things to check into soon. But really, I think being as busy as I am helps me to stay on track and not waste time (most days). Here are some tips for getting things done in “regular life” as opposed to a weekend away.

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How to Save Time with Email Templates

1206626_note_padTwo weeks ago I posted about email overwhelm and how to overcome it.

Got a couple of emails wondering how I setup and use templates so I thought I’d share that info.

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Even Super Heroes Need Help: Ways to Get Support and Stay Sane

Do you have support? You’ll notice many super heroes have sidekicks. No one thinks of Batman as less than a hero when when Robin helps out or Alfred takes care of his mansion. It’s okay to get help from a spouse, friend, coach, virtual assistant, maid, children, mother’s helper or all of the above plus more.

Here are some ways you can get support and help to save you time. Be creative and you’ll find that support can make your life easier without being expensive.

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Laughing at Time Management

Inner Diva Dilemma: You never have enough time. And it’s not for a lack of attempt at time management. You’ve tried Schedule A, System Z and every theory in between. The next person to recommend another time management book to you may very well find the book being thrown at them.

What There Is For You To Know:You can’t manage time. Time is a river. The old adage is true. And a river that’s been dammed or boxed in by human hands will inevitably someday break the artificial boundaries and run exactly where it most naturally runs. Your schedule is the same. Appointments run over time. You lose internet connection and can’t do email when you planned. Before you know it, your nice neat schedule is running wildly over the time boxes of 9:45, 10:15 and 1:30 that you were so hoping it would follow.

Go A Little Wild With Time: Back in 1993, I worked in Yosemite National Park and lived right next to the wild Merced River. Wow, was that thing alive! Just standing next to it, there was a life energy you couldn’t deny. The same is true of your schedule when you let the river of time flow naturally through it….

Try It On The Fly: You can keep the little time boxes of your schedule- just like you need a boat on a wild river, they provide a container and some guidance so that you’re not being tossed about willy nilly on the rocks. And…have a little giggle. Chuckle to yourself at the silliness of having thought these boxes would actually run the river. Instead, watch to see how the river runs them.

Now go for a ride. Holding the boxes loosely, follow your schedule as planned while watching where the river of time naturally wants to take you. When it runs wild over your scheduled plan, instead of seeing failure, take a moment to ask, “What’s the natural flow here?” Notice what happens easily in the natural flow and what falls away.

Tips For Troubleshooting: Some boxes are non-negotiable, like picking your kids up from school at 3pm. You can’t “just flow” with that box! Treat these non-negotiables as river markers. Then notice how the river of time wants to flow naturally from one marker to the next. And there’s no pressure to do this perfectly- each time you experiment with Wild River time, you’ll learn a bit more about the natural time river flow.

Let me know how it goes. This is just a taste of a big topic, so you’ll probably have some questions that I’m happy to answer!

This article written by Lisa Hunter of Inner Business Diva.  Find more great articles and get the free guide to Tame Your Never-Enough Cycle… End the seemingly endless cycle of constantly feeling behind!  Easy & practical tips that fit your high-energy, go-getting style. http://www.innerbusinessdiva.com/sexy-time-management/free-articles

Join Lisa (and me!) at the next Diva Business Day to relax, connect, brainstorm, and enjoy a day with other go-getting entrepreneurial woman.  Details at http://www.innerbusinessdiva.com/diva-business-day

Six Time Management Tips for Online WAHMs

Your online business can become a time-sucking black hole, unless you learn to manage your time wisely.

It can begin with something as innocent as a routine check of your email, or a visit to your favorite networking site. Then before you know it, “just one more thing” has turned into 10 more things, it’s 3am, the kids are still awake, and you’re left wondering where all your time went!

Here are some tips that will help you manage your time as an online WAHM.

1. Plan your work day ahead of time. Write down exactly what you will do, and how long you will spend doing it. Know what the 2 or 3 most important things you need to complete are and focus on those first. Then follow your plan. If you’ve allowed yourself 45 minutes to write an article, or work on a blog post, that’s all you give yourself. When your time is up, your work is done. You will find you are much more focused when you know you only have a short time to spend on a specific task.

2. Get a grip on social networking. Online networking is important part of your online business. It can also be one of the biggest time eaters. To help tame this time eating monster, network only at sites that are valuable to you. Valuable sites are the sites that bring you quality traffic, and help you build important relationships. Schedule your social networking as well. Select a certain day or a certain time, and put a time limit on your social networking.

3. Check email only once or twice a day. Your email account can be another big time waster. To help keep it under control, unsubscribe from mailing lists that you don’t read. Allow only a certain amount of time for reading and responding to email, then shut down your email program. Set up an autoresponder that lets people know when they can expect a reply from you.

4. Deal with each email as you read it. Don’t leave it in the queue to be handled another day. If an email requires a response, reply immediately. If you need to take action on an email, add it to your to-do list, then file the email in an appropriate folder. This will help you keep control over your incoming email.

Note: I personally check my email more often, but I respond only to urgent emails immediately.  I use GMail to manage my mail and have found it really helps me save time.  I use some of the tips at http://putthingsoff.com/inbox-heaven/ and have found it tremendously helpful at managing the 600+ emails a day that come into my inbox.

5. Store your passwords in a safe place. Use a free program like Password Corral or RoboForm to keep track of all your passwords for your hosting, your blogs, and anything else you need a password for. This will keep you from wasting time guessing at passwords or using password recovery tools.

6. Use time management tools created by others.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to discover the best time management practices for you. Look for books that deal with time management, and use the suggestions that make sense for you. Mind Tools (mindtools.com), a website dedicated to time management, has several free tools you can use to manage your time, such as activity log to track your time, steps for creating an action plan, and ideas for scheduling time.  You may prefer a printed planner (tips on choosing the perfect planner for you are here), or an online calendar you can sync to your computer or ipod (I use BackPack along with my BaseCamp account).

5 Steps to Deal With Overwhelm

By Marcia Francois

So many readers write in with this question: “how do I deal with overwhelm?”

A few weeks ago, I was dealing with my own overwhelm. I had many meetings day after day after day (which means you get behind on the office stuff), my normal business activities plus I had to re-write a LOT of the copy for the website. All on deadline!

Add to that the stuff of life like cooking, cleaning and gym and you can see why I felt overwhelmed.

Doesn’t it feel good to know you’re not alone?!

We all have our own stories but the FEELINGS are exactly the same – a sense of being out of control and a to-do list a mile long!

So what did I do to cope?

1. MAKE A LIST

I printed out 10 of my master to-do lists because it felt like I had hundreds of things to do.

I used one page for each project – website, clients, etc…

The amazing thing was my imagination was much worse than reality because I only needed 4 of those 10 pages ;) Honestly, it does help to see how bad it really is, or isn’t.

2. ASK YOURSELF A KEY QUESTION

When you feel overwhelmed, it’s important to realize that “this too shall pass” and to CONTINUALLY ask yourself this question:

What is the MOST important use of my time right now?

Remember, it’s not about being busy, but about being effective!

3. CUT OUT ALL NON-ESSENTIALS

Once you have the answer to that question, it’s easier to cut out the non-essentials.

Let go of the minor website changes and the email responses to your blog comments. Rather answer only client emails.

When the busy period is over, re-look at those non-essentials and REALLY question whether you even need to add them back into your life.

4. FOCUS AND EAT YOUR FROG

Now that you know what is MOST important, switch off cell phones, email, etc. and get it done.

If you have to do a proposal for a company, do nothing else til it’s done. That’s so that even when your day is done and the to-do list is still half a mile long, at least you have a sense of ACCOMPLISHMENT in having completed that task.

5. CATEGORIZE AND BATCH

Once you’ve eaten your frog, and you still have energy, then categorize whatever’s left and tackle those items in batches.

Take your to-do list and use letters in the margin, like P for phone, E for email, etc. Then pick up the phone and make all your phone calls in one go. You save energy because you prepare once instead of 5 different times in the day.

And THAT is how I dealt with my overwhelm.

Next time you feel overwhelmed, try these 5 steps and get rid of that overwhelm at once.

Marcia Francois is a time management and business organizing coach who helps small business owners break out of overwhelm, make the most of their time and get important projects done. Visit http://organiseyourbusiness.com for your free 7-part audio series, 7 tips for time-strapped business owners.

Five Steps to Transform Your Home Office into a Sanctuary on a Budget

With just a bit of work and creativity, you can transform your home office into a space that you feel energized by and enjoy spending time in.

Remove and Declutter

Give yourself permission to declutter your space and remove anything that makes you feel anxious or that you’ve been tolerating but don’t love.

Organize Everything

Take time to plan out what you need in your space, then organize it in a way that supports your needs. Arrange your various office furniture (desk, shelves, storage cubbies, etc) so it’s easy to access what you use most frequently.

Keep your office supplies and desk organized as well. You’ll save time, feel more relaxed, and enjoy your office space more when you know exactly where things are.

Artwork to Inspire

Beautiful things on the walls can lift your spirits or serve to keep you centered and focused.

You can often find inexpensive frames at secondhand shops or discount retailers. Just replace what’s in them.

Some ideas for budget-friendly wall decor include:
- your own photography
- artwork by your children
- recycled postcards or calendar pages
- inspirational quotes

Another great way to inspire yourself with wall decor is to create an inexpensive vision board or story board with items and photographs significant to your own personal journey and goals.

Create an Ambiance

Surround yourself with the scents and sounds that help you feel motivated and strong.

Consider these items for your office:
- candles
- incense
- reed or oil diffusers
- soft music

Add Life

Bring life into your home office space and you may find it improves your health and productivity. Live plants bring beauty into your space and clean your air. A goldfish (or other fish) can help you relax.

What are you waiting for? Create your home office sanctuary and make your space a place you love.

Easy, Auto-Pilot Ways to Promote Your Blog

Put your blog promotion on auto-pilot with these “set it once then forget it” promotional strategies.

Submit Your Blog to Blog Directories

Once you’ve requested a listing, you’re done!

http://www.blogcatalog.com

http://www.bloghub.com

http://www.blogarama.com

http://www.blogexplosion.com

http://www.blogflux.com

http://www.blog-search.com

http://www.blogbunch.com

http://www.iblogbusiness.com

http://www.quickblogdirectory.com

http://www.bloglisting.net

http://www.blogrankings.com

http://www.weblogalot.com

Ping When You Post

If you’re using WordPress, it’s probably already set to ping rpc.pingomatic.com Add that to your ping list if it’s not there already. Ping-O-Matic will receive your ping then let lots of other sites know you’ve updated your blog.

If you can’t ping directly from your blog, try Feedburner’s Pingshot service at

http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/publishers/pingshot

Offer Your Readers an RSS Subscribe

Techno-savvy readers love RSS feeds they can subscribe to.

Your blog may have this built it just waiting for you to link to. You can also sign up with Feedburner or Feedblitz.

http://www.feedburner.com

http://www.feedblitz.com

Be sure to add the code to your blog once you’re setup so readers can subscribe.

Add Social Bookmarking and “Tell a Friend” to Your Posts

Sociable and Share This are two great plugins you can use to easily add social bookmarking and “tell a friend” capability to your blog.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/sociable/

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/share-this/

Just download, install, setup, and then the plugin of your choice will add the social networking icons to every post on your blog.

Connect to Social Networking

Using social media you can syndicate your blog content to reach your social networks.

If you Twitter, you can tweet your blog posts with TwitterFeed.

http://www.twitterfeed.com

If you’re on Facebook, try the WordPress Facebook App.

http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2007/07/18/facebook/

These five strategies take a few minutes to setup but once you’ve got them up and running they’ll promote your blog for you. Strategies 2 – 5 will promote your blog every time you post!

Would you like to reprint this article in your newsletter, or on your website or blog? You may! Just include this blurb at the end:

Work at home mom extraordinaire Michelle Shaeffer publishes The Muses Brainstorm, a weekly ezine with tips to help you balance, manage, and market your home based business. If you’re ready for inspirational guidance and bright ideas sign up free at www.thesmallbusinessmuse.com

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