Years ago, when I worked for a technology consulting company in the mid-’80s, I learned what would become of many hard-earned lessons in time management. This was an exciting period for both me and the industry due to lightning fast technological advances. Our midsize company was growing rapidly and I recently took over as Director of Human Resources. This was a newly created role for the company and I was excited. However, my natural tendency to go with the flow would be challenged by the rigors and demands of my schedule.

I traveled extensively to top-tier universities looking for super-smart talent, while training all the new hires, developing an HR system, raising two young children, and attending school at night. Yes, it was over my head. Well one day the owner sat in my office (as he could see my projects piling up) and he asked me to write down in 30 minute increments what he was doing. You can lose it! I felt totally humiliated! That is a moment I will never forget as I realized that I had never been taught to manage my time effectively.

Fast forward to 2011, I am now a work-at-home entrepreneur running an Internet Marketing company and a Style Coaching business. And things couldn’t be more difficult to stay on task and produce projects (like this newsletter) on time.

When I see photos of mothers with children in their arms in front of a computer, I shake my head sadly. That image has resulted in more stressed and unproductive people than you can imagine! There was a time when I used to be one of them, but not anymore. Let me share with you the best time management tips from some of the most successful people I know.

1) Completely clear the clutter from your work space. Nothing creates more mental stress than seeing lots and lots of half-finished projects. Immediately wipe them away and watch the immediate peace come over your spirit.

2) Work in solitude free of distractions. No TV, no music, no surfing the net, if you really want to work from home, achieve the success you want, you have to commit to this with no excuses. Now this was hard for me, because I love good music! Don’t get me wrong, I still turn up the music, but not while I’m focused on completing a project.

3) Don’t answer your phone. If you like me and you have kids, put your phone on silent and check it every 15-30 minutes to see if you missed YOUR call, no one else. Kids love texting, so use that tool to keep in touch. I’m baffled by parents who don’t like to text, especially with their kids. How the heck can they and you stay on task engaging in distracting phone conversations all day long?

4) Pick a time of day to reply to the email. We live in a society where emails are overloaded with things you signed up for and many other mysterious emails showing up in your inbox. Regardless of which email account you use, most offer sophisticated tools to help sort and prioritize your emails. Don’t respond haphazardly throughout the day or you’ll lose precious moments staying focused and on task to complete what you really should be focused on.

5) Block time in 30-minute increments for projects, then give yourself time. It’s important to know where your time is going and what you’re doing so you can adjust and stay on track. If you’re like me, you run multiple blogs, write newsletters, train clients, have board responsibilities, all while creating new and exciting projects. The importance of time and energy control cannot be overstated when you are trying to run your own business or simply be productive. You should learn the value of time blocking, batching activities, and scheduling your day. Stretching sends vital oxygen to your brain and energizes your cells. Give it a try, it really works!

6) Let your family and friends know about time changes. This is a difficult question for them to accept. Most people don’t believe that you can make money from home, but oh, they are dead wrong! By responding to all of their requests, you are giving them permission to devalue what you do. What’s even worse is that you’re not getting the results you hoped for, and we all know what leads to frustration, struggle, and lack of productivity.

7) I highly recommend going to bed early. Even Neil Strauss, best-selling author and New York Times “cool and hip” celebrity, admitted that an early morning schedule allowed him to get more done. He will discover that he will get “2 hours of work in the afternoon” in 30 minutes of morning productivity. Once again, he was sure that success depended on the idea of ​​being worked to a pulp. Yes, that is what you will become. Pulp!

It is good to get up before dawn, because such habits contribute to health, wealth and wisdom. ~ Aristotle

If working from home for you means kicking back with a laptop and coffee in hand at your local Starbucks or mentally worrying about things that need to be done at home, you’re not going to create the life you expect. I’m sorry to say that’s not going to happen.

Here’s how to do MORE. PERIOD.

Simple planning and a time management checklist should be taken seriously.

The last thing you should do each work day is prepare a schedule/checklist for the next day’s work. Build a template based on your current projects and literally block time for each task.

To “create” this schedule, you’ll need to use a journal to record how you’re spending your time right now. Do you remember my initial story of having to “control my time”? Keep a notebook with you for a couple of days and write down exactly what you are doing every 15 minutes. Do this all day for three business days in a row. Then you’ll identify the things that are wasting your time and can work to eliminate them.

You may notice patterns of falling into the trap of checking emails that then took you to faraway places, like sports sites, fashion newsletters, Twitter, etc. You see where this is going and so is your timing. Look, that’s why it’s so important to have your schedule. It will take you back to where you need to be.

Lastly, identify the time of day when you are most productive. What I have found is that this can interfere with another familiar task. This is where the support of family and friends is so important to fill those time slots so you can stay focused on homework. Otherwise, success may elude you for a long time, until you apply these time-tested principles.