7 Top Home Business Time Wasters

What you need to make the perfect home office and tips and tricks to make it work for you

BB Lee () -

What I call "Time Wasters" is any action interfering with running your home based business.

What Are The 7 Most Common Time Wasters?

Check Out The Following!

1. Email.

Email is without a doubt a very important factor in operating your Online business. After you've mastered sending and receiving email, there's no limit to the people or organizations you can reach at the press of the send button.

There is a downside to the marvelous convenience of email. Think of all the time the average business person spends checking email accounts. You could easily waste half your work day on email.

To the rescue e-prompter. This free software is easy to use and it will check several email accounts while you surf or work on other business matters.

Download e-prompter here...

www.downloads.com

webattack.com

2. Pop Ups.

Are you bombarded with pop ups at every turn on the Internet? Pop ups will slow down your surfing and it's down right frustrating trying to get rid of these annoying unwanted ads. As you know, Internet Explorer is not packaged with a good pop up blocker. So you will definitely need to download one if you plan to surf the Internet regularly.

To the rescue Google Toolbar!

The google tool bar has a great and free anti pop up weapon.

Download the Google bar.

www.google.com

3. Surfing.

How often do you plan to check a website resource, and click unrelated links.

Fight mindless surfing!

Remember your goal. Ignore links that detract from your objective. If you are looking for information on the latest "Computer Virus Hoax" why are you visiting music sites or downloading screen savers?

4. Forgetting To Write Down Your Objectives. Open Notepad or write what you plan to do on a sticky note. And check off the goals as you accomplish them. This listing method works great if you overloaded with too many task.

5. Time Limits.

Learn To Set a time limit! This will force you to focus on accomplishing your objective within the designated time frame. For example, limit yourself to 30 minutes checking email, or 1 hour researching a topic.

Here's an easy little count down timer that you can download.

Download Egg Timer Here:

/free.html

6. Telephone/Television Distractions.

Unplug your telephone. Turn off that television. The telephone is a big time waster. Ignore urges to check your voice mail or answering machine for messages every few minutes. Only return important calls.

No more soaps! That's right! While you are working tape your favorite programs. Watch them after business hours.

7. Family Distractions:

Make your home office "Off Limit" during work hours. Tell family members to handle any minor problems while you are at your computer. Close the door to your office. Place a sign on it "Do Not Disturb During Work Hours."

BB Lee is Editor/Publisher of SmallBizBits FREE Home Based

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BB Lee is the editor and the publisher of SmallBizBits newsletter.

smallbizbits @geocities.com

Comment #1 Fred (63.176.159.206) -

"As you know, Internet Explorer is not packaged with a good pop up blocker."

Internet Explorer's popup blocker is just fine. You don't need an extra program that sends marketing information back to the "home office" (not your home office, the toolbar producers home office).

If a popup gets past IE's block most popups setting, you really oughta not be surfing on that website.

Comment #2 Jim (152.163.36.28) -

email - chat - telephone.

Another big problem is television. Notice in retail establishments that have TV's how often the employees are so engrossed in the TV program that they ignore the customers. The same surely happens in the office environment too.

Comment #3 Kim (142.166.251.36) -

I try to work from home with little success. I have found that most of these steps are actually time wasters and another I found is having young children under foot. They are constantly demanding my time, which takes away from work.

Comment #4 Ralph from New York City -

That is exactly the problem with a home office. There is no "separtion" between work on home. Too often "home" activities demand your attention when you are at work.

All members of the household, including kids, spouses, animals, telephones, dirty dishes, etc need to be keenly aware of the line between work and home.

Comment #5 Pete101 from NJ -

I agree, working from home just has too many distractions! The biggest problem I have is because I'm home my family feels that I'm available to do things for them or handle household duties. If I try and say that I'm working they get offended like I'm trying to blow them off.

Comment #6 itsmrsjonesy from * -

I agree, one of the biggest problems with working at home is getting the family members to realize that you are working and at that point in time, just like a job away from home your time is not currently your own time, it is work time.

Comment #7 MrD (72.66.30.207) -

To the firts commentor, the user cna use Mozilla Firefox

Comment #8 craftewriter25 from new market tn -

ok i am the baaaad one out here.........

First I cant work in complete quiet. It drives me to distraction. I Ahve to have Cadence. So that measn eithera tV or movie in teh abckground playing. Thankfullymy desk is an an unwatchable angle. But when I work at the kitchen table I watch Dr. Phil or news or Oprah or the today show so that I can focus on what I am doing.

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE google popup blocker/ Its the best that is sout theer plus it keeps google right where I can get to it.

I also keep outlook on the start bar. and open but minimized. I ahve my husband and daughter out at work while i work from home and its an easy way fro me to get theor messages from their employers to them. Sure theres some news groups but those are my important mail.

Comment #9 MissCrissy from Chocolate Factory -

So you think having a TV in my office directly facing my desk is a bad idea? LOL! Oh well. I can't live without my TV. And yet somehow all the work I'm paid to do gets done.

Comment #10 Isabella from The Southwest -

Email is probably one of the biggest things that gets me behind. I'll check my emails, get sidetracked, and before you know it I've wasted about 30 minutes. I will check out that eprompter thing..that sounds pretty cool.

Comment #11 Solitude from Georgia/Florida -

Those are some good tips and I am guilty of everyone. It's hard to separate business from home life. I think our family members don't really help with this problem.

Comment #12 PokerPrincess from Canada, Earth -

One of the things you need to do before you "go to the office" is to sit down with the family and ask them one question. Is your "work", "school work", etc. important to you getting ahead in the world?

Of course they will answer "yes". Then say to them that so is your business and when you are working they have to think of you as being away unless they are dying. Tell them that if they can't do that then you will have to rent an office somewhere else and not be home at all except after work.

That will usually settle the kids down. Unless, of course, you have very young children and then maybe you need to look at hiring a retired lady to some in and act as a granny to the kids.

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