Focus Or Fail - It’s Your Choice
Modern technology is wonderful. Without the creation of electricity, home computers, the Internet and blogs you wouldn’t be reading what you’re reading right now…. which would be tragic 
The downside to this is, however, just how many distractions you have around you on a daily basis and how much focus you lose because of these things. Working at home or from a home office is wonderful but because you’re surrounded by the comforts of home then it’s all too easy to let work and home get mixed up - and waste a huge amount of time because of that.
For example do you have a messenger program (AIM, Yahoo, GMail etc) installed on your computer? Do you sign into it when you turn the computer on? You do? Stop doing that! Unless there’s a very specific business reason for doing it then leave your messenger program alone - people love to chat but that chatting isn’t going to drive your business forward or make you money. If you really need to chat to friends online then do that during your lunch break - like a treat. You’ll get 10x as much work done in the absence of a messenger program.
Now we go on to email. Do you need to check your email every 15 minutes? Every 5 minutes? Nope you don’t. Realistically two or three times per day should do it. Checking your email every 5,15 or 15 minutes is just a subconscious way of avoiding work. It’s ok that you’re doing it…as long as you don’t mind wasting your own time or burning money. You don’t want to waste time or burn money? Ok well stop checking your email so often. Check it say maybe once in the morning, at lunch and just before close of business. At least then you’re adding structure to your email correspondence and fitting it into your working day instead of spending all your working day staring at the latest funny email that you’ve probably seen 100 times before.
Now look for other distractions in or near your home office. Is there a TV near you? Move it away or out of the office altogether - especially if you’re a compulsive news watcher like I am. You can’t focus on being productive and what Oprah or Dr Phil is waffling on about too. Don’t kid yourself - move the TV away from your working area.
The basic message is this - Look at your working day and what distracts you from getting work done. Then remove those distractions. You might find it difficult at first to live without these distractions but your business and bank balance will thank you in the long run. Focus makes money. Distractions don’t.
Learn a little more about time management now - it could save your business.