Running a home based business is one of the simplest things
you can do. It can also be one of the hardest.

Did I just contradict myself? No, not exactly.

It can be awesome running a business from the comfort of
home. Get up when you want. Set your own hours. No pressure
from a boss. Even business casual takes on a whole new
meaning. 😉 Yes, working from home is great, until you lose
your focus for the task at hand. Then a home based business
can quickly turn to drudgery.

As with any venture, a home based business requires work.
There are certain tasks that must be taken care of
regularly. You must be disciplined and focused to ensure
your business continues to grow and move forward.

Think about this.

If you have a web site or newsletter, you need to be adding
new content on a regular basis. Are you advertising? You
need to spend time developing and tracking your ads. Are you
developing new products? There's research, planning, and
development involved. What about joint ventures? Are you
researching your potential partners, contacting them, and
setting up your ventures? Do you promote affiliate programs?
You need to be tracking your efforts and planning your ads.

Everyday there is something you can do to build your
business. The trick is staying focused, in order to
accomplish the steps required to achieve your goals.

I love working from home, for all the reasons given before.
Sleeping till I'm done. Eating when I'm hungry, not when I'm
told to eat. Working my hours, not someone else's. Yep, I
love it...unfortunately, it's so easy to lose your focus at
home.

Every morning, "LIVE with Kelly and Mark" beckons from the tv. There's
always chores to do...yard work, housework, etc. The kids
and the dog wanting attention...and of course, can't forget
the better half, gotta keep her happy.

All these are important and deserve attention, except maybe
Kelly;) However, they all distract from the work that is a
part of running a business.

If you are unable to maintain your focus, your business will
soon cease to exist. Or, you will be working hard, putting
in a ton of hours trying to get caught back up. Doesn't
sound too fun, eh?

How to maintain your focus.

Staying focused is simple if you have an action plan. Here
are some quick and easy tips for keeping your focus through
a simple action plan.

Set goals for your business. For example, if you have an
newsletter; You need new, original content every issue. Thus a
good goal for a newsletter would be to create new content every
week.

Next, you need to develop a plan for achieving your goal.
Let's take the newsletter content idea and break it down.

How do you create new content?

First, you would need to brainstorm topic ideas. Then,
choose an idea that has appeal for your newsletter audience. Next
research the topic and develop an outline with 3-5 headings.
Start refining your research using your outline. Start
writing, filling in the outline based on your research,
experience, and knowledge. Then, review what you have
written, revise for clarity, and finalize. Finally, publish
it in your newsletter.

Once you have developed an action plan, break it down into
small, easy to do chunks. Put the chunks into a daily todo
list.

Something like this could work for the newsletter example.

Monday am- brainstorm topics. Monday pm- choose a topic,
begin research. Tuesday am- continue researching topic
Tuesday pm- develop your outline Wednesday am- pinpoint the
research based on the outline Wednesday pm- begin writing,
fleshing out the outline Thursday am- revise and refine,
make it shine Thursday pm- watch Survivor and CSI Friday am-
After a great nights sleep, reread, correct any errors, and
give it that final spit polish. Friday pm- gone fishin'
Saturday am- Publish that baby and take the rest of the
weekend off!

This is just an example of how it could work. Break it down
according to your work habits. If you can do it all in two
days, go for it. I do recommend you wait at least 12 hours
between the final draft and the final proofread.

We've covered keeping your focus using an ezine for an
example. These basic principles will work with any business.


Just remember,

1. Brainstorm to find the right idea
2. Research your idea
3. Develop your idea
4. Refine and revise, make it shine.
5. Put it up for peer review, and use the advice you receive
6. Take it to market

Break it down into daily tasks and write out the list. Now
stick to the list and mark off the items as they are
completed.

Continue to keep your focus. Achieving your goals and before
you know it, you'll have the time available to watch "LIVE with Kelly and Mark" 😉

Have a great day!