The most precious gift or the most valuable thing we all possess is time. More valuable than all of the money in the world, time is what we all have been given equal measures of. Time is truly a gift from God. The one thing that we all have in common no matter what our station in life is the amount of time we have been given each day. The best time management strategy really starts with how we view the use of our time.

My question to you is how will you use your time. Will you spend your time or will you invest your time? When you spend your time, you merely waste your time on low value activities that don’t do anything to add value to your life our the lives of others. When you invest your time you can expect a return that will not only benefit you, but also touch the lives of others. But when you spend, it is a one time transaction that leaves a lot to be desired. What are some of those things that our time, with no return? I know some think that watching TV would be the first thing on my list. But I don’t think all TV is bad if you are watching something that will add value to your life, like a show on how to invest money or how to improve your home. However, watching a show that you have seen at least three times is definitely a waste of precious time and brain cells.

Excessive Sleep is a pet peeve of mine. I seldom get 8 hours a sleep per night. Some may think that is unhealthy. However, some folk sleep simply because they love sleeping and will sleep til the cows come home. Those are also the same people sending you the email asking can they borrow some money…Think about it. Investing your time in high value activities always pay off in big ways. Reading to learn a something new is one of my favorite ways to invest time. I believe just as important as time is the relationships that we can invest our time in. When we invest quality time in our husband, wife, children and close friends, we reap rewards that last a life time. I hope this gives you some to think about today.
About the Author:

I thought this was interesting I am sorry for the detail, but I received this in an e-mail, and I find it hard to believe that we can accept this.
I am pasting a post that I just wrote on my blog about the
>
> URGENT! Please Read and Act!!!
>
> Okay People…I do not write this lightly. I am begging you
> to read this post, research the links, and act now!
>
> About a week ago I received an email posted on a homeschool
> loop I am on about the new Consumer Product Safety
> Improvement Act. This act was signed into law last August
> and will be in effect on Feb. 10th of this year. Rebecca
> Wilson from Hope Chest Legacy, a homeschool vendor who will
> closing down her business as a result of this Act says
> explains it better than I can:
>
> “This law may have been intentioned to protect
> American children from lead and high PCB levels, but what it
> will actually do is cause havoc in American homes and in our
> economy. It is a VERY badly written law, vague and open
> ended in many ways. Although written with China made
> products in mind, it is open for ANY item sold in the USA
> regardless of where the item was manufactured.
>
> This law requires that ANY item that comes in contact with
> a child who is 12 years old and under, to be tested at a
> government approved testing facility and have a
> ‘certification’ placed on the item. Sounds simple
> enough, but the fallout is much more intense.
>
> The cost of having a single wood block tested is $150. To
> have a wooden baby’s teething rattle tested would be
> $4000. Even books, DVDs, clothing, handmade toys or
> blankets, children’s clothing, the bags items are packed
> in and sold in, etc come under this new law. ANYTHING that
> comes into contact with a child under 12 years of age is
> required to be tested and certified.”
>
> I honestly figured this was hype when I received the first
> email and blew it off. Until I received the email from
> Rebecca Wilson. I adore her products and the fact that this
> was hitting so close to home had me concerned. So I started
> researching…
>
> Check out this post on a forum from a woman named Kathleen
> Fasenella who has been to Washington D.C. in attempt to
> fight this. She says:
>
> “Dear Friends
> There is a grave crisis in the industry. I don’t post
> here much so if you don’t know me, I don’t blame you
> for thinking I’m a kook, alarmist, extremist or
> conspiracy theorist. What I’m going to tell you is all
> too true. In a nutshell, as of 2/10/2009, it will be illegal
> to sell most products intended for children 12 and younger
> unless you undergo expensive product testing to certify your
> products as safe. There are no exemptions or exceptions.
> This includes wahm or grandmas making items for bazaars,
> craft shows, etsy, ebay, or just person to person sales. As
> of February 10, 2009 (National Bankruptcy Day) anything
> without a General Conformity Certificate is legally
> considered Banned Hazardous Material.”
>
> Let me break this down…ANYONE WHO SELLS PRODUCTS, NEW OR
> USED, THAT ARE INTENDED FOR CHILDREN AGES 12 AND UNDER WILL
> BE REQUIRED TO HAVE ALL OF THESE PRODUCTS UNDERGO EXPENSIVE
> TESTING…I’m talking toys, clothes, BOOKS,
> CURRICULUM…Even selling used toys/books to your friends
> WILL BECOME ILLEGAL without having them tested.
>
> This means no more selling children’s products on Ebay
> or Etsy.
>
> I received an email that said Amazon has ALREADY contacted
> their vendors to let them know they will not sell
> children’s items without the testing. I contacted an
> amazon.com rep this morning who verified that vendors had
> been notified that they would need to comply with this act!
> But she obviously didn’t understand that in order to
> comply with the act, anyone who wanted to sell their used
> copy of Goodnight Moon for $2 on amazon.com that was
> published pre-2009 would first need to have it tested for
> $500+. She gave me the fax and address for their legal dept.
> for further questions.
>
> Children’s Consignment Stores will have to close.
> GOODWILL HAS ALREADY DECIDED THEY WILL NO LONGER CARRY
> CHILDREN’S PRODUCTS AND SOME OF THEM ARE CLOSING.
>
> Do you realize how this will effect the homeschool
> community? Almost every company that I buy homeschool books,
> curriculum, and products from are a mom and pop organization
> that will not be able to afford this kind of testing. We
> will no longer be allowed to sell used products for our
> children online and will be breaking the law if we do it in
> person. How many homeschool moms do you know earn extra
> income by making hairbows, blankets, and toys? They would no
> longer be able to do that.
>
> My husband and I have been in contact with HSLDA
> (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) and they just found
> out about this YESTERDAY! They are looking into it as I
> type.
>
> HOMESCHOOLERS, MOMS AND DADS
About the Author:

All of us procrastinate on occasion. For some people, it’s a chronic problem; for others, it’s only a problem in certain life areas. Procrastination is always frustrating because it results in wasted time, lost opportunities, disappointing work performance, and generally feeling bad about yourself.

When you procrastinate, you allow less important tasks to take up the time and space that should be devoted to more important things. You do things like hanging out with friends when you know that an important work project is due soon, or going shopping instead of doing your homework. It can also be evident in behavior such as talking about trivial things with your partner to avoid discussing important issues in your relationship.

Most people don’t have a problem finding time for things they want to do. But once they see a task as too difficult, painful, boring, or overwhelming, the procrastination behaviors begin. You are not alone if you have ever made any of the following excuses to yourself:

1. It’s too cold to exercise outside today. I’ll wait until tomorrow when it’s warmer.
2. I’ve got too many other things to do first.
3. I’ll do a better job when I can concentrate on this project.
4. I still have lots of time to get this done.
5. They don’t pay me enough to do a more complete job. This is good enough.
6. This problem is too hard to talk about. I wouldn’t know where to start.
7. I work better under pressure.
8. It’s too noisy to work while my teenager is at home.
9. I should get the shopping down now because the stores will be more crowded later.
10. I can eat this pie tonight, because I’m starting my diet tomorrow.
11. My tooth doesn’t really hurt that much. The pain will probably go away tomorrow.

Most of the time, these excuses seem fairly innocuous. However, they’re not as innocent as they seem, because they cause us to postpone important duties and projects. Ultimately, these excuses can keep us from accomplishing important goals and make us feel bad about ourselves.

Why People Procrastinate

If you were hoping for a simple answer to this puzzle, you will be disappointed to learn that there are many reasons why people put things off. Here are a few of the most common (check those that apply to you):

Avoiding discomfort. Wanting to avoid pain makes lots of people shift into procrastination mode. However, the longer we delay, the worse the uncomfortable problem usually becomes. The rash gets bigger, the tooth hurts more, or the brakes squeak even more loudly.

Perfectionism. Those who believe they must produce the perfect report may obsess about uncovering every last information source and then write draft after draft. Their search for the perfect product takes up so much time that they miss their deadline.

Laziness. Sometimes people delay tasks that involve fairly slight inconvenience or minor discomfort.

Thinking you’re not good enough. Some people are certain that they are incompetent. They think that they will fail, and procrastinate to avoid ever putting their skills to the test.

Self-doubt. If you second-guess yourself, you probably suffer from procrastination. You may avoid new challenges and opportunities unless you are certain that you will succeed. Perhaps you make feeble attempts to begin a project, and you tell yourself that you could do a better job if you put in more effort.

Workaholism. At the other end of the spectrum, many people who work excessively also fall into this category. They drive themselves ruthlessly, fearing that if they stop working, they will not be able to start again. Most self-doubters are driven by the belief that they must meet strict standards in order to see themselves as successful.

Physics Review

Remember the concept of inertia: a mass at rest tends to stay at rest.

For some reason, it is more difficult for most humans to start change than to keep it going.

Why Don’t We Just Say No?

Since procrastination produces mostly negative outcomes, why don’t we just change our behavior and eliminate these undesirable consequences? The reason for this is that procrastination reinforces itself. For some reason, it is more difficult for most humans to start change than to keep it going. We avoid getting started by cleverly diverting our attention from the things we really should be doing. We do something else instead or make up a story about how we will accomplish the task in the future-when we are inspired, or when we have completed a preliminary step, or some other trick.

Although recognizing how these diversions work won’t automatically cure your procrastination, being aware of it is a good place to start working on the problem. Once you are aware of the ways that you procrastinate, you can start to change your behavior.
never say never

Getting organized is the key to making your life as a work at home mom efficient and, relatively, stress free. If you can get and stay organized, your business and your home life will flourish. Without taking some simple organizational steps you’ll be swamped with work and overwhelmed with laundry in no time.

One of the most important parts of getting organized as a Wahm is to establish business hours. Setting up specific working times during each day has many benefits. First, you’ll be more consistent with your work. Once you’ve gotten used to starting and stopping at a specific time each day you’ll work more efficiently. You’ll manage your work time better and reduce distractions like checking your e-mail or watching television. You’ll also be less likely to pick up things to do here and there, like laundry or taking time to errands. If you have set working hours, you’ll schedule those tasks around your work time so you’ll be more focused during your work time. It will help your family and friends understand that you are working while you are at home, and you won’t be available during those hours.

Next, you need to start delegating tasks to other family members. It may seem easier to do everything yourself, but once you have work duties on top of household duties you’ll realize how few hours in the day there actually are. There is nothing wrong with asking your children to fold the laundry, or having your husband cook dinner a few nights a week. By sharing the household duties as a family, you’ll have more time to get your work done and feel more rested. The important thing to remember when you delegate is that things won’t be done the way that you would do them. However, they are getting done.

Planning your work and family activities will make the whole house run smoother. If you don’t have a daily planner, then you need to get one. It doesn’t matter if it is a paper planner or a computer application. When you use a planner to write down everything that needs to be done, and then plan each activity for a specific time then you’ll have the opportunity to manage your time more wisely in and out of your home office.

Organizing your home at large will help make your business more organized. While it may take a while to establish some organizational habits in your house, your efforts will be well worth it. Don’t try to get organized in a weekend or even several days. Work up to a level of organization. Start small with your desk space. Organize the things in your desk and top of your desk. Make sure that everything that you need has a place, and toss or donate things that you don’t need. Then move on to another portion of the house. When something is out of place, it’s easy to put it back in its home once you’ve taken the time to organize your storage spaces around the house. If need be, take a trip to an office supply store or home improvement store and buy items like bins, cabinets and shelves that will help you stay more organized.

Getting organized as a Wahm does take some time and effort. Realize that with time your organizational system will get better. Work with your family to make your home run efficiently, and then you’ll be able to concentrate on your work when you need to.


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