Well the truth is you are not alone. For many of us our number one challenge is staying tuned into business while working from home. Let’s face it, the luxury of being able to work from home has created yet another obstacle in our already cluttered lives.

So the question is how do we beat procrastination and distractions? Amanda Sykora has shared 15 Tips to Increase Productivity When Working From Home with Suite101 readers. The tips vary from knowing when to stop to creating plans of action for your work.

Go ahead, check out the list, and reclaim your time!

About Real Life E®

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach & professional speaker who helps men and women who are overwhelmed and frustrated because they want to achieve a life of peace and productivity but are struggling to make it happen.

For more insight on how to move forward, feel peaceful and create a life of love, meaning and purpose, check out ScheduleMakeover.com

Elizabeth has been featured in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC, and is happy to be interviewed for your broadcast or publication.

Here’s a sampling for your reading pleasure:

My June 2010 Elance Newsletter Article: Eliminate Deadline Stress: Here’s How

Lifehacker Post that Includes Real Life E® Schedule Strategies: Lock in a Fixed Schedule to Keep Work-Life Balance

I Will Teach You To Be Rich Post written by the Awesome Cal Newport With an Elizabeth Mention & Super Long Title ;o) Time Management: How an MIT postdoc writes 3 books, a PhD defense, and 6+ peer-reviewed papers — and finished by 5:30 p.m

And of course, you receive the Very Best and Newest Time Coaching Information by signing up at ScheduleMakeover.com to learn how to think differently about your time and achieve peace-full productivity.

To your brilliance!

Elizabeth

About Real Life E®

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach & professional speaker who helps men and women who are overwhelmed and frustrated because they want to achieve a life of peace and productivity but are struggling to make it happen.

She empowers  them to set priorities, set expectations and set routines so that they move forward, feel peaceful and create lives of love, meaning and purpose.

Elizabeth has been featured in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC, and is happy to be interviewed for your broadcast or publication.

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

Prepare to get your introspect on. (Self discovery)

Step 0: Set aside some YOU time during the day where you can be alone, and pensive. Schedule it in, so you don’t feel guilty that you aren’t working on something else, or forget to do it, or so you can just make sure your immediate to-dos are done and you won’t be interrupted.

Step 1 (Time Estimate: 10-90 minutes)

Think about the kind of person you would like to be: What would you like to change? What do you want to keep the same? (Because you can’t really change other people.) (Also, capture these things positively; don’t say, “I don’t want to dread swimsuit season,” or “I wish I wasn’t a super stressed parent,” or “I wish I didn’t have a total lack of will power.” Instead, how about, “I wish I was more fit” or “I want to spend more time with my son,” or, “I’d like to be a better Christian.”) If your heart sings at the idea of being an astronaut, but a voice tells you that you can’t do it – ignore the voice. Get it out there for show. Even if you can’t be an astronaut, it may be a clue to a direction that will LEAD to job/life satisfaction/passion, etc.

You can write out lists, mind maps, draw pictures, write a short story, make a photo collage, do a mock interview with a voice-recorder. Or pick out historical, fictional role models, or old photos you admire. Or you can make your own combination of things. If it helps, you could even write out a solo-play, pull out some props and video tape your mad-acting skills. Just be honest, and try to be positive.

Here are some questions to get the juices flowing:

* Would you like to change how you react to certain events?

* What adjectives describe you now, and which would you LIKE to describe you?

* Who are the important people in your life, and what do you wish to be to them?

* What sorts of things do you REALLY wish you had more time for?

* What fields or social causes or sciences or tools or skills do you wish you had?

* What do you wish you could spend LESS time on?

* Is there anyone (or thing) that you’d cut out of your life?

* What do you LIKE about your life right now?

* Do you like how you keep your living/work/travel environments?

When you’re done, you’ll likely have a huge chunk of unordered, subconscious detritus floating across several pages… so, now what?

After you’ve let yourself DREAM, the process continues with sorting, prioritizing and pursuing the ideas that you most want to make a reality.

To dreaming BIG and making it happen!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach & professional speaker who empowers individuals  who are overwhelmed and frustrated because they want to achieve a life of peace and balance but are struggling to make it happen.

She helps  them to clarify their goals, make an action plan, focus and prioritize so that they move forward, feel peaceful and have time for themselves and the people they love.

Elizabeth has been featured in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC, and is happy to be interviewed for your broadcast or publication.

If you want to receive helpful information on achieving a life of peace and balance & be “in the know” on my latest adventures, check out http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com

Here’s a great slide show on how to combat it. Enjoy!

Elizabeth

P.S.–Click on the “Full” button at the bottom of the slide show to see it in full screen version.

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach & professional speaker who empowers individuals to build businesses and achieve work/life brilliance™ through Schedule Makeovers™. Her empowerment coaching frees individuals from guilt, overwhelm, and frustration!

Discover how you can start enjoying your life TODAY! Look forward to talking with you!

Elizabeth has been featured in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC, and is happy to be interviewed for your broadcast or publication.

Tamara Mickelson-Founder & CEO of Nannies Galore

Being a parent is a wonderful privilege and an incredible responsibility. Nannies Galore founder and CEO Tamara Mickelson shared these time management tips for succeeding as a working parent:

1.  Keep Lists! If you are like me, you keep a list for everything.  Grocery list, chores, bills that need to be paid, etc.  Lists seem trivial to some, but are a lifesaver to me. It is a habit that I formed years ago, and has proven to work over and over again. Crossing things off of my list gives me a sense of accomplishment, leading me right into my next task.  Keep a list!

2.  Say No! When I started my own nanny website, it was pretty easy at first.  But as the weeks went on, businesses began calling and asking for favors, articles, money for advertising, events to host; basically asking for my time.  Working full time outside of the home, raising my daughter alone, and operating a website business are things that I need and like to do, but I have to structure my time to make it effective and harmonious. So, when it comes to scheduling parties, events, charities, etc, I just learned to say no (thank you) to those that I truly cannot commit to.  Say No!

3.  Breathe! If you are not in an exercise program yet – you need to be.  I understand that gyms and classes cost money and our economy has left most of us without any; however, you can do a lot of things at home.  You can run or jog around your neighborhood and even do yoga.  Just simple stretching to music that calms you will help tremendously – you can meditate at the same time.  Look for free downloads on the internet on exercise, yoga and meditation. Schedule time to breathe!

Tamara’s Web site is filled with nanny profiles from all over the United States so families can find quality childcare: Nannies Galore Check it out & read more about her story below.

To your work/life brilliance!

Elizabeth

A bit more on Tamara:
I am a single mother working full time and raising my child alone.  Due to unfortunate circumstances a few years ago, I found myself in desperate need of a live-in nanny for my one year old daughter. I logged onto a nanny website and was lucky to find one right away. She worked for me for 6 months. It was a wonderful experience and we still keep in touch.

Since then, I have been hiring my nannies and babysitters from websites just like this one.  Being a member of several nanny sites gave me plenty of choices when it came to the right care. As a parent, I like having choices when it comes to hiring someone I trust to take care of my child.  My daughter is now 4 years old, and we still have a live-in nanny.

In 2008, I developed a strong desire to create my own nanny website, so here I am! I will be hiring my next nanny and babysitter from nanniesgalore.com.  Will it be you?

Good luck with your search!

Nannies Galore is featured in the January 2010 issue of Sacramento Magazine ~get your copy at Starbucks or your local grocery store.

Are you stuck and don’t know how to launch your enterprise?

Do you feel like your business has overtaken your life?

If you answered, “Yes!” to any one of these questions, I might have the solution for you.

This November, I’m offering a home study course so that you can FINALLY move forward on your business. You see as a time coach for individuals across the country and as someone who constantly looks to overcome my own time challenges, I’ve seen that Real Change happens when there’s not only information but also regular encouragement and accountability.

This course is aimed at people who are looking to start or build a new business that allows them to work their ideal schedule. (If that doesn’t apply to you–feel free to contact me at esaunders@RealLifeE.com about individual coaching or look for upcoming courses on different topics.)

To Help You Focus and Move Forward, You Receive:

• Four 60-minute Conference Calls on setting up a schedule, managing your work load, handling information overload, and doing business development
• Recordings of the Calls so you can listen to them at any time
• Four Action Guides that give you specific instructions on how to apply the information from the call to your life
• 30 days of E-mail Coaching where you can ask questions about the material or any challenge that comes up

This level of coaching typically costs around $1,000 but when you sign up for this course, you get all of this information, encouragement, and accountability for much less. See below for details…

“I cut 15 hours from my monthly activities that now go into relaxation pot. My other tasks/social activities and events were condensed into something more productive which now allows me to pursue my freelance PR consultancy. Thanks, Elizabeth. When life seems to be too hectic, she shows you have to take a step back and evaluate all that you do. I would highly recommend Real Life E® to anyone who is in self-employed or thinking about it.”

If you’re tired of saying you’re going to start a business and want to Just Do It…

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by where to begin so you don’t move forward…

If you want to create a business where you don’t have to sacrifice your life…

This course could be for you.

Registration closes on 11-1 but you’ll want to sign up ASAP to take advantage of the best deals:

Before November 1: Single installment of $358

After November 1: Look for new course offers in the future or contact me at esaunders@RealLifeE.com about individual coaching.

Click here to register: Yes! I want to move forward on my business and my life.

Do you really want to put this off any longer? Make a commitment to yourself to move forward on your business and get control of your life today.

I look forward to you joining me in November!

Elizabeth

P.S.-Tell your friends! Not only will they be much less stressed after this course but also you receive a $20 Starbucks gift card as my thank you if they sign up.

P.P.S.-If you have any questions about the course, please let me know. You can e-mail them to me at esaunders@RealLifeE.com or let me know what day and time you would like to set up a 10- to 15-minute call. I only want you to sign up if this is the right solution for you.

“Coaching with Elizabeth has had a great impact on my life. I’ve worked on trying to improve my time management and organization for years, but going through a coaching series with her helped me actually get more of what I “know” into practice. It’s not so much about what you should do (if it were, no one would struggle with weight loss, because all you need to do is “eat right and exercise”); it’s about actually getting it into practice.

It’s not like I was incapable of getting through a day; I was already quite successful by many measures. But adopting better time management practices and seeing tangible progress in a matter of weeks has enabled me to have greater confidence about managing my time, to be more peaceful, to feel like I am in more control. This has given me a clearer mind for decision-making, a greater ability to rest, a greater ability to focus and produce results.”

Internal business consultant, Fortune 100 company

Here are my time saving moving tips in video format. If you’d like to read the related blog post, check out Move Stress Free & $500 From Penske.

This post was inspired by the fact that I won $500 in a Penske Share Your Move sweepstakes with a story and photo of my journey from Des Moines, Iowa, to Ann Arbor, Michigan. To check out my story, and find out how Penske can help you save time and money, go to: Share Your Move

Have a brilliant day! Thank you Penske!

Elizabeth

P.S.–Also, you can find other fun photos of my moving adventure in this Facebook album: Click Here

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a key note speaker, trainer, and does phone and e-mail coaching on time management for work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance. You can find out more at http://www.RealLifeE.com/coaching or http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com

Find out how I won $500 by clicking on this photo

Over the last nine years, I’ve averaged 1.4 moves/year (i.e. almost as much time packing, moving, and unpacking as simply settling into a place). No matter how many times you move, it’s not easy.

Fortunately, I’ve discovered a few time coaching strategies to reduce moving stress:

Start a List

As soon as you decide you’re moving, a million little to-dos from talk to your banker to pack grandma’s vase in bubble wrap will start to float around in your head. This can lead to two not-so-helpful responses:

• Manic running around in an attempt to do way more than you can do in a night or weekend.
• Paralyzing despair that you can never get everything done so you might as well flip through channels or flit through Facebook for hours.

May I suggest this much more helpful alternative: Create a list in a word processing document, your phone, or PDA where you write down everything that comes to mind.

As you add to this list, categorize to-dos by date and/or by milestone. For instance, if you know you need to have your apartment cleaned out by September 20, you can put that task under that specific date on the list. But if you know you need to talk to your insurance agent after you’ve decided where you will live, you can categorize that action under the heading “Once I know where I am living.” To keep yourself on track, set aside specific times each week when you will review the list and move forward on what you can accomplish right now. Everything that you can’t do until a future designated time or milestone stays out of your mind and on the list.

Block Off Your Schedule

No matter how well organized you are, unexpected delays and activities will happen. To stay on the safe side, block off one to two weeks before and after your move to focus solely on packing and moving activities in your time outside of work. I know it sounds extreme, but it’s critical that you limit lunch dates, sporting games, TV time, networking events, and almost everything else that’s even somewhat optional from your schedule. Try to avoid planning personal and professional meetings during that time frame, and if necessary, put up out of office messages that tell people your response will be delayed.

It’s so much better to give yourself extra time and space before and after your move than to freak out on your friends when you’re no where near done and the moving van is pulling up or to spend months getting settled because you didn’t unpack using the initial post-moving momentum. (Trust me-this works!)

Recruit Help

You can move alone, but I don’t advise it. If you’re not having professional movers pack you up, ask friends & family to come over and help you pack or at the very least assist with lugging boxes. If you choose the former, make it into a movie and pizza night that happens to include boxes and packing tape in place of a tub of popcorn in their hands.

If you need help the day of the move, I recommend contacting a large number of people about a month in advance and then sending out reminders, two weeks, one week, and a day before. Offer free food and drink and express your undying devotion and appreciation for their service to you. (Believe me–you’ll be so happy you did!)

Also, if you’re planning on renting a truck, check out Penske! When I did my research, I found that they had much less expensive truck rentals than other companies (especially if you sign up to be a AAA member). Plus the staff helped me with all of the timing of picking up and dropping off my truck and car trailer in the most efficient manner.

I had such an amazing experience with Penske that I entered their sweepstakes with a story and photo of my journey from Des Moines, Iowa, to Ann Arbor, Michigan. And I won $500! To check out my story, and find out how Penske can help you have a stress-free move, go to: Share Your Move

Have a brilliant day! Thank you Penske!

Elizabeth

P.S.–Also, you can find other fun photos of my moving adventure in this Facebook album: Click Here

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a key note speaker, trainer, and does phone and e-mail coaching on time management for work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance. You can find out more at http://www.RealLifeE.com/coaching or http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com

• FREE Real Life E® Teleseminar: “Freeing Yourself From Guilt: Respecting Your Capacity” Understanding the psychology behind your habits of overcommitment and your feelings of overwhelm can help you regain control of your life and achieve balance–without guilt. Join me for this 30-minute teleseminar, which will end with me answering questions e-mailed to me by Sunday, September 6:
  • Tuesday, September 8, 1 p.m. CT
  • Coaching clients will receive a recording (Sign up for coaching today!)
  • Anyone can participate: Phone: 712-432-0600, Code: 775908#

• FREE Real Life E® Webinar: “Help! My Business Has Overtaken My Home!” My time management secrets for running a home-based business without having it overtake your life:
  • Thursday, September 17, at 12 p.m. CT
  • Log in to http://www.MyEntre.Net Web site and click on the “View Live Webinar” button on the upper right side
  • I recommend becoming a member of http://www.MyEntre.Net in advance so it doesn’t take extra time on the 17th. (It’s free and easy!) For questions, contact esaunders@RealLifeE.com or info@MyEntre.Net

Also, I want to give a quick shout out to two other Web sites that you should check out and who kindly are promoting these events: www.theworkathomewoman.com and www.mybusinessadventures.com. Thanks Holly and LeNesha!

Have a brilliant day and look forward to talking with you soon!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a key note speaker, trainer, and does phone and e-mail coaching on time management for work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance and sales success. You can find out more at http://www.RealLifeE.com/coaching or http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com

Time Management for Business Development

One of the questions that women frequently ask me about starting their own businesses is:

How do I set up the legal side of my business?

This is an important question because the business structure you choose can have a big impact on:

• Whether  your personal assets are at risk if your business is sued
• Your tax rate for your personal and business income

When I went through this process over three years ago, I did some online research, called the IRS and Secretary of State, and ended up working with a lawyer. I got everything figured out for my S-Corporation, but it took a great deal of time. There were so many questions to ask to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

Fortunately for all of you starting a business right now, there’s a much simpler and comprehensive resource: BizFilings.com

I really like this Web site because it contains:

• A Learning Center about the different types of legal structures
• Step-by-Step Information on the process for forming these entities
• Multiple Programs that include compliance reminders

I recommend that you check out BizFilings.com to get a sense of what legal structure might work best for you and if you want further reading, I’ve listed some other helpful Web sites below.

Have a brilliant day!

Elizabeth

If you’re struggling to get your business off the ground, check out www.ScheduleMakeover.com or contact me at esaunders@RealLifeE.com. I can help you develop a schedule for moving forward on your dreams of business ownership.

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach and trainer who empowers women in business to build businesses and achieve work/life brilliance™ through her exclusive Schedule Makeover™ process. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where Elizabeth has appeared, and she’s happy to offer you tips on savvy scheduling and time management for work/life balance and business development.

More Resources on Business Legal Structures:

Small Business Administration: Loads of information on starting a business

LegalZoom.com: A comparison of business structures

List of articles on business structures