Distractions - How To Overcome Them - Part 4

Distracted by Family, Friends & other things?  Not sure which to pay heed to?

9. Family & Friends

As an entrepreneur whose working from the home, you are around your family and friends more. If that becomes a distraction, then things need to change and boundaries need to be set and respected by your family and friends.

To learn how to set boundaries, please click here.

Just because you are home doesn’t mean you are not at work. When working, domestic life must not interfere.  Now, I know that sounds cold and it is very difficult to do.  Unless your spouse works outside of the home and it is your responsibility to care for the kids’ needs, communicate with your spouse and help him/her to understand the importance of being able to solely put a specific time frame for work where you will not be interrupted. Negotiate responsibilities in the home and activities for after work time.

If friends are calling on you during work times, inform them of your work hours and let them know that you will not be available until after that time.

Now, it may take a few times of reminding family and friends to respect your work time.  However, if you stand by your decision consistently, it will get your point across eventually.

10. Procrastination

Entrepreneurs, especially those working in the home, can easily begin having issues with laziness and procrastination if they are not careful.  Delaying tasks begin to happen and then scurrying to complete the task by a given deadline occurs.  We talked in previous blogs about procrastination and what it does. 

To learn how to deal with Procrastination, click here

Procrastination sets up that stress and guilt that we don’t want or need.  Again, set boundaries.  If you have a project to do for work, set a goal or to do list with the steps necessary to complete it and give yourself time for each task.  Then, one by one, do the least desirable task first.  Complete each step until the task is fully finished and plan to complete it before the deadline.

For more information on procrastination and how to deal with it, please search the Blog Archive for Oct. 25.  Join me Monday as we cover additional things that you can do to help with miscellaneous distractions.

Distractions - How To Overcome Them - Part 3

 

Puzzled by how food, e-mails, and working all the time can be a distractor?  Take a look at the next 3 distractions.

6. Food/Snacking

 

     Because the kitchen is right outside of your door, food becomes another well-known distraction. The temptation to snack or cravings nag at you. However, as the health professionals recommend, if you eat small frequent meals during the day, it will help to curb the temptation to snack and helps the cravings. Don’t over-indulge. Set boundaries for yourself of when you will eat and how much and you will be doing great things for your weight, your health, and your business too.

7. Emails

     E-mail marketing is great for businesses. However, if you do not have a separate business e-mail account from your personal e-mail account, or if you have not filtered your work from your personal, then you are getting distracted and ignoring the business e-mails which, right now, during work hours, have higher priority. Although merging e-mail accounts are available through Google, it is recommended that you keep them segregated for the sake of your business.

8. Working All The Time/Time Management

     A problem that entrepreneurs face is that they do not have a set time for work hours, therefore, they work all the time, 24/7. Although tempted during family time to check site traffic or business e-mails, set boundaries for yourself between business and domestic life. When working, give yourself completely to work. When spending time with the family, give yourself completely over to spending that quality time with your family. Everyone will be happier for it. Everyone needs a life outside of work; work all the time and you will burnout quickly and your family life will suffer. Work smarter then you will be efficient and successful and on-going in business and family life.

 

We can overcome these things in life only if we see them for what they are and change our state of mind.  It is important to Decide-Act-Change.  If you continue to do the same things that you always do, you will continue to get the same results.  Join me Friday as we cover Family, Friends, and Procrastination as a part of "Distractions"  Adios!