Here are seven time management tips for the self-employed:

#1 Multi-tasking isn’t an option. Multi-tasking is one of the most ineffective ways to accomplish anything. Rather than focusing on completing one task, your attention is divided and it actually takes you longer to complete anything. And quite often the results aren’t as stellar as they would have been if you’d simply focused on the single task.

#2 Schedule everything. Schedule time to work, time to play, time to network, time to plan and time to check email or make phone calls. Sounds retentive, right? Scheduling your time forces you to focus on the task at hand. It also helps to prevent distraction.

#3 Make a to do list at the end of each day for the next day and prioritize it. Put the most important task at the top of the list. The reason to create the following day’s to do list at the end of each day is so that you are able to let the day go. It actually reduces your stress and you can go to bed knowing tomorrow is in order and you’ll be productive.

#4 Schedule your tasks around your body clock. This may sound strange because we’re taught to tackle our task list from the top down. However, that doesn’t always work for our personalities and habits.

For example, if you’re a night owl and getting up in the morning is rough, the last thing you want to do is schedule an important business call for first thing in the morning. Save that slow wake-up time to check email, do a little social networking and so on. Schedule that important business call for after you’ve had lunch and your brain and body are in prime working order.

#5 Make sure you’re firm with your friends and family. When people work from home, it’s easy for friends and family to get too comfortable. You can be buried in your office, your brow furrowed in concentration and your spouse will walk in and want to have a discussion about what to have for dinner next week when the Smiths come over. You have to set boundaries and stick to them. This focused working time, this uninterrupted working time, will help you be productive, leaving you time to spend with your family later.

#6 Use your resources. There are more time management tools available than you’ll ever have time to explore. You don’t have to use all of them, but certainly some of them will make you more productive. Whether it’s Outlook, Google calendar, your PDA, or a paper calendar and your favorite pencil, develop a system of staying organized and use it.

#7 Take time away. This may sound contradictory; however, in order to remain productive during your work time you have to play some too. If you don’t, burnout will certainly ensue and you’ll move at a slower pace than a two year old that’s been ordered to eat their vegetables. Take time to play and you’ll feel refreshed and energized, ready to go back to work!

Time management isn’t tricky but it does take a plan, some patience and certainly fortitude. You’re an entrepreneur so you definitely have what it takes to get it done. Create a plan, use your resources and make it happen.

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Set Reasonable Goals

The time for time management techniques and strategies isn’t when things are falling apart; the time for time management is every day. But first, before you decide how you will manage, or schedule your time, it is important to know what it is you plan to accomplish and when. If you concern yourself with proper time management techniques before you even start your business, you will be well ahead of the game.

Since there are so many aspects of Internet marketing, you will likely have several important things on your agenda that you need to accomplish. Instead of setting aside the afternoon to update your blog, set aside a specific amount of time to do each task and notice the difference between the time you allotted for the task and the time it actually took to complete it.

What is Stopping You?

Everyone gets interrupted from time to time but it is extremely important to return to your task as soon as possible after the interruption. Also, it is important to make note of what kinds of things are interrupting you. If it is the telephone that is constantly interrupting your work and the calls are not business related, you might want to think about not answering your phone during working hours and making time after hours to return personal calls.

When Work Interrupts Work

Maybe one aspect of your work is taking more time than you thought and is preventing you from completing another aspect of your work. This happens more than you might realize and is perfectly normal. This is when you need to sit back and assess how much time various tasks are taking to complete and adjust your schedule accordingly. Part of effective time management is being able to tell when something isn’t working and being flexible enough to adjust your schedule or even the way you do things.

Perhaps you need to hire some extra help or let something else go altogether. One of the mistakes beginning Internet marketers make is trying to do too many things. Then they wonder why customers stop coming to their website or websites when the answer lies with how they are managing their time and their business.

Be Flexible

Internet marketers that spend all their time creating websites and almost none of their time updating them may be disappointed to find that traffic comes to a grinding halt after a while. Web surfers and customers are looking for relevant, fresh content and marketers who don’t devote the necessary time to update existing websites may be sorely disappointed in their revenue.

Effective time management is a skill that is learned over time. No one gets it right the first time and in order to make the most of your time you will need to be flexible while keeping your original goals in mind.

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Internet marketers can easily become workaholics, especially those who enjoy what they are doing. Because virtually anyone can become an Internet marketer with little or no startup capital, it often takes many hours of hard work before any profits are realized. This can take a toll on the Internet marketer’s personal life and cause professional burnout as well. Effective time management skills can not only be good for your business, but they are essential for your personal life as well.

That’s why it’s so important to manage your time wisely so that work isn’t spilling over into your home life and vice versa, especially if you have a spouse or partner who is not a part of your business. While you may think you have to work sixteen hours a day to get your business off the ground, it is important to balance both your home and work life, especially if you work from home.

With laptops that can go virtually anywhere, it may be tempting to take your work to the kitchen table, to bed, and to the family room while the family is watching television. Making a practice of this, though, could cause resentment in the family so it might be wise to establish regular working hours and have a part of the home that you can claim as your workspace. If you’re able to have an office in the home, that is best, but many Internet marketers start out in the corner of the kitchen, living room, or bedroom. Wherever your workspace is, try to keep your work in that area so that when you are interacting with other family members, it is clear that you are not working. While you will need a certain amount of flexibility, by practicing strategic time management skills, you will have the time you need for your business and for your family.

It is important for the Internet marketer to have the support of his or her family when possible and you will probably garner much more support if you don’t let your work overtake you. Try to keep regular working hours and let work go during your off hours. If you do find that you have to work extra hours in the beginning, sit down with your family and explain what it is you need to do and ask for their support. Most importantly, make time to be with your family even if you just walk out of one room and into another. Share your goals with your family but be available to them after working hours just as if you had a conventional job. By separating your personal and professional lives, you’ll have more peace in both.

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When you treat your business like a business and work a regular schedule, most people will respect that schedule. Instead of friends and acquaintances expecting you to stop what you’re doing, they’ll most likely ask you to lunch or to get together after work, as if you worked a conventional job. Self-discipline can be difficult at times but it is one of the most important components of effective time management.

One of the greatest benefits of being your own boss is that you can be flexible with your schedule. You can schedule medical or other appointments whenever you need to or attend your child’s school activities. You can name your own days off and take a vacation whenever you like. Still, in order to be as productive as possible, it is smart to keep the same schedule every day.

Sometimes, there may be friends, neighbors, or acquaintances who don’t really believe you’re really working, especially if you work out of your home. Neighbors may ask you to sign for packages or look in on school age children after school. Friends who have the day off may assume they can drop in unannounced and you’ll stop what you’re doing to visit. Although it may be tempting to do so, it will be better for you and your business if you remain firm. It can be difficult at first but you can say something like, “I’d love to visit but I’m working right now. What are you doing at 5:00?” (Or whatever time you stop working for the day). There’s nothing wrong, either, for you to sign for an occasional package but be careful not to become the neighborhood go to person or it could interfere with your work.

As more and more individuals turn to the Internet to make money, either part-time or full-time, those individuals who do work at home will be taken more seriously and won’t have to defend their time as strenuously. In the meantime, if you want others to take you seriously, make sure you are treating your business like serious business. That means being serious about time management each and every day.

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No Games During Working Hours

Perhaps the greatest aspect of time management is discipline. While many of us yearn to be our own bosses, sometimes we’re not prepared for the freedom we suddenly have once we take on our own business. That’s why, even though there may not be anyone looking over your shoulder, you’ll have to make sensible rules – and then follow them! To many of us, there is nothing more relaxing than an online game or surfing our favorite websites, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If that’s what you like to do, by all means, keep doing it. Just discipline yourself to do so in your off hours. It may be difficult at first, but you’ll be much more productive if your work hours are for working only. That way, you can thoroughly enjoy yourself during your off hours and you won’t feel guilty for playing. Effective time management isn’t for work only, it’s for every aspect of your life.

Networking is Important, But…

Networking is an important tool both in the offline and online business communities. However, if you’re not careful, you can spend so much time networking that you don’t have time to actually work. The solution? Just like you should schedule time for the rest of your business activities, schedule time to visit forums, network, and check on your competition. Depending on your business needs, you may need to schedule this type of online activity on a daily or a weekly basis. The important thing is to take care of this task at a time that is not taking away from the task at hand.

Managing Chat Programs

Depending on your business, you may have a variety of chat programs open so that you can communicate with clients or customers. While this can definitely be a boost to your business, it can also be a huge time waster if you’re not careful. While you certainly should let clients know when you are available to them, no one should be allowed to monopolize your time. If you need to leave chat programs open for clients to communicate with you, do so, but don’t stop to chat with every friend or acquaintance that stops to chat with you.

Take advantage of the invisible option available on most chat programs when you can. In addition to going “invisible,” you can also create a custom message or be invisible to only certain people. Then after working hours, you can be visible again if you choose. The important thing is to not let the convenience of chat and instant messaging turn into a huge time waster. Depending on the needs of your business, you may want to set aside certain hours that clients can reach you and then work certain hours where you are left on your own to attend to other tasks.

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