Daily Success Habits

Internet Marketing Sweetie Alice Seba tagged me for this post:

“list the top 5 to 10 things you do almost every day that help you to be successful. They can be anything at all, but they have to be things you do at least 4 or 5 times every week.”

Well… let’s see…

1. The number one thing that comes to mind is ‘Net Time’. Working from home isn’t an easy thing to ‘plan’. I may well have intentions to work in a specific block of time - but my kids don’t always cooperate with that! So Net Time is something I rely on often.

I can organize my inbox while holding the baby. I can clean up the kitchen while listening to my 4 year old extol his latest adventures with Captain Egg Man. I can take a phone call while I’m folding laundry.

Nothing is more satisfying to me then doing two things at once when possible. Some of my husband and my best business meetings are while he’s on the treadmill and I’m cleaning up the livingroom.

2. Benchmarking. I like to make goals that are bite sized. Then celebrate small victories. My goals generally involve things like increasing website traffic, shooting for a specific keyword phrase I want to rank for, or increasing my website’s advertising revenue. If the goals are within range - it builds momentum. When progress is tangible, it’s inspiring.

3. Chunk. I like the concept of To-Do Lists because it does bring me pleasure to knock stuff out. But what works better is to wrap my hands around the areas in my life that are important to me. Then break down the things I want to accomplish into these catagories. Suddenly it seems much easier to have a well rounded day or week when I see the purpose behind the to-do’s… some things that didn’t seem urgent to get done truly are more important then anything else on my list… whereas things that I didn’t think could wait another moment just aren’t a major priority. So… chunking.

4. Harmony. Gotta have it. When relationships get out of balance, nothing goes right. So I make sure to tear myself away from what I’m involved in if my husband comes in the room - or the kids have something to say. I think in the beginning I was overly obsessesed with making my business succeed. And there is a time and place for that. But now that we’re meeting the bottom line, it’s critical to always remember why we’re even doing it. Harmony in the family is an indicator to me of if things are going right… or wrong.

5. Fly Lady. Alice mentioned getting help - and I’m THIS close to being at the point where I am willing to hire someone to help with housework. The goal is to get the office and family room downstairs finished so that we have a place to ‘disappear’ to when help arrives. There are a lot of us ;-) In the meantime… Fly Lady’s program is truly helpful to me in keeping the housework moving. I’m not much for housework - really it’s the last thing on my mind. Somehow getting her daily reminders and knowing that I’m not alone — but thousands of other women are tackling a specific zone in their house… well, it motivates me. Sometimes!

6. Celebrations. Did I mention celebrating already? Well - I think it’s an important piece here. It’s easy to just keep chugging along and not recognize what we’ve accomplished. Hey! I really hit a homerun with that project, the client was super satisfied! Wow! Did you know our ad revenue has literally doubled in four months time? Whatever the accomplishment… acknowledge it. Celebrate it. Enjoy the fact that we actually get to do what we love every day of our life — surrounding ourselves with WHO we love. It’s a good thing.

I’d love to hear from some of you others on what your Tips to Daily Success are… So Tag - you’re it!

1. Michelle
2. Rosanna
3. Debbi
4. Kristie T.

Thanks to Aaron over at Today is That Day for starting the tag.

home business, home office, Work at Home Jobs, Work at Home Moms, work from home

11 comments March 29th, 2007

Stop Procrastinating! Advice to Small Business Owners.

We’ve all been there. The list of things to do has grown so enormous that it’s second only to the mounting dirty dishes in the kitchen sink! When things get this bad it becomes paralyzing. There is so much to do that nothing gets done.

It’s times like this when you need to chunk. Take 10 minutes. Make a list - highlight the items on the list that are most time sensitive. Get yourself a cup of tea and do the first most important thing on the list.

That’s the only thing you have to do right now. Don’t even let yourself THINK about all the other things. Bang that first most important thing out in spite of everyone else who is waiting for their project. In spite of knowing a neighbor might pop in and see the state of your house. Just do it!

I bet it takes you less then an hour.

Next… Look at the list of priorities. Not the whole list. Just the highlighted items. Which one is the quickest to do? Do that one.

Now in probably an hour you have completed two critical items.

Pat yourself on the back. The momentum you just created will help you to conquer your list. Make sure to take time after each item to breathe deeply and celebrate!

home business, Home Businesses, Virtual Assistants, Work at Home Jobs, Work at Home Moms, work from home

2 comments March 16th, 2007

How to convert leads to customers… through your website

Your website is often your first introduction to a potential client. It can make or break the deal in the first 10 seconds.
Some advice on how to win over a client with your website.

1. Have a clean design.
It shouldn’t look crowded, amatuer, or cookie cutter. It’s tempting to use a template — but if you do, make it a nice one and pay someone to help you brand it with your logo, artwork and general feel.

2. Have a logo.
It should be memorable, professional and clean.

3. Help them contact you.
Make it simple for the customer to contact you. Have your email and phone number in several spots on your website. Make sure that your company comes up first in search results also.

4. Include testimonials.
Show that you are in business and that people love you or your product. If possible have pictures or audio files to go with the testimonials.

5. Follow up.
Waste no time following up with a lead. Call them. Making phone contact is preferrable to email. Immediate is preferrable to tomorrow.

converting leads, Home Businesses, marketing, Virtual Assistants, website tips

1 comment March 15th, 2007