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Consistency is the key to success in anything. We hear this over and over.

• Be consistent in blog posts
• Be consistent in social media
• Be consistent with network meetings
• Be consistent with personal education
• Be consistent with ads
• Be consistent with follow up

I  think any of us entrepreneurs, business owners, or network marketers understand the value of consistency. The challenge everyone runs into is time. It seems that “everything” feels urgent and it is easy to have too much on our plates. It is easy to get overwhelmed with tasks and get paralyzed by perfection.

Type A personalities often get hung up on making everything perfect and spending too much time on a particular task. It is good to strive for perfection, but don’t get so hung up on it that you find you’ve not accomplished any of your tasks for the day.

Try to have a daily road map. Actually write it down. If you are working from home, get up early and treat your work from home business just like you would an 8-5 job. Working from home is not about sleeping in every day until 10am.

Outline your staple tasks for the day and the best time to accomplish them, leaving open time for scheduling other tasks that can vary on a regular basis.

There may be some tasks that you can’t do daily and you need to alternate them with other tasks. It would be better to post on your blog 3 times a week in order to accomplish network meetings on alternating days, rather than try to cram them all in every day and end up overloaded and under-productive.

I also think this comes from the desire to reach your goals faster. Sometimes fast is ok, but most of the time, in the end, it is “slow and steady” that wins the race. Don’t be so hard on yourself, cut yourself some slack and be realistic about what you can accomplish in a 24 hour period and still have adequate time for yourself, your family, and proper rest to keep yourself healthy and refueled for the next day. You are only one person after all.

People love working from home, but how much work are they getting done?

It is very easy to get distracted with home related tasks that have a negative effect work related productivity.  Working from home is not about getting the closet reorganized, weeds pulled, pantry cleaned out, or laundry done. Ladies… I am especially speaking to you on this one! We women tend to be juggling so many different hats and multi-tasking in so many areas, that we can easily get less accomplished in our home-based business ventures. While this may not deny your success, it can certainly delay it.

I have many friends in network marketing and internet marketing. When I ask them how their business is going, they don’t have great things to say. It’s not rocket science, but it does require laser-like focus.  Remember one of my favorite quotes… “Discipline Determines Destiny”! Start forming good habits early on. If you start right.. you will finish right.

How can you have a profitable home business if you focus on the wrong tasks? You have to focus on tasks that are going to grow your business.

Most people who are successful with their home based business will say they wanted to work from home for a few main reasons.

• Time Freedom and Flexibility to spend more time with loved ones and more time doing what they love
• Financial Freedom - working an 8-5 job rarely brings the level of financial independence that dreamers seek
• They had a passion, a cause, a “why” for getting into that particular work

Certainly there are many reasons people decide to start a home based business, but getting more house chores done is usually not in that list. Increasing your focus will increase your productivity, which will increase your profits, which will increase your passion to pursue this dream of working from home.

Too many times entrepreneurs give up because they are not seeing results, not realizing that it is their failure to plan and position their days that leads to their problem.

Challenge yourself to break out of that “stuck in a rut” syndrome. Change your plan of action and you will change your results.

The 8 Point Productivity Plan

Pre-planning

You should have a game plan for every single day of work. Get your home chores done the night before and write out a list of scheduled tasks for the day. Then set the order for those tasks. Now, when you wake up in the morning , you are focused on your mission for the day. Cross off items as you accomplish them so that at the end of the day you can easily look to see what you accomplished for the day.

Early Bird Gets the Worm

Get up early in the morning and start your day just like other hard working folks. Success in a work from home business is not obtained by sleeping in and not having a schedule to follow. It  is counter-productive. Think of how much more you could have gotten done in those extra 2 or 3 hours of time. Take control of your business. Take control of your days.

Dress for the Occasion

When we look better we perform better. That is not my rule – it is scientifically proven. Don’t stroll around in your pajamas expecting to accomplish great things. Dress for great things and you will accomplish great things. You will realize that when you are dressed for a day of business you will be more productive, feel more confident, and be more assertive in your actions.

Daily Roadmap

It is scientifically proven that our minds and bodies are more alert and productive in the morning hours. This is why most surgeons perform the difficult surgeries in the morning hours (when they have that option, of course).  Get the most important tasks done in the morning hours and schedule meetings or conference calls in the afternoon hours.

I’ll Call You Later

Many times friends or family members who do not work think that because you work from home that it is o.k. to call for an hour of chit chat in the middle of your day. This is sabotage. They are not doing this to you intentionally, but one or two calls in a day and you miss out on opportunities and get less done. Remember, you are in control of your day. Do not answer personal calls or politely tell folks you will call them back at the end of the day. Interruptions are the major cause for uncompleted tasks.

Break Time

There are studies proving that an exercise break in the middle of the day improves job performance. Jim McKenna is known for his studies showing that with midday exercise consistently increases performance through sharper mental states and better time management. Take 30 minutes for  a bike ride, a walk in the park, or a trip to the gym. You can still do your hard workout sessions in the morning if you are already in the habit, but don’t exclude this short little afternoon session.

Mastermind with Mentors

We all have so much to offer and share with the world. Having lunch with a business colleague, industry leader, or mentor a couple times each week will keep ideas fresh and allow you to see different viewpoints. You get energized in sharing success with others and you will find that these little lunch dates keep you focused, accountable, and action oriented.  Life is about relationship building and meetings like this will enrich your professional and personal life.

Review, Revise, Repeat, Reward

At the end of every day it is important to review the list you made for the day to note what actually was accomplished, the results of that, what new requirements have arose from this, what didn’t work, what needs to be rescheduled, what tasks are repetitive, and so on.   You should strive to accomplish at least 75% of your list each day. Naturally, there are going to be those days where “life” gets in the way, but strive for your 75% on a consistent basis and you will gradually see rewards emerge from your efforts.

The first step is taking the first step. Start implementing new habits today.

• Take Action
• Take Control
• Stay Committed
  
• Create Results
• Live the Dream!
  

Did you sign up for an opportunity

only to have your sponsor leave you out in the weeds?

Don’t feel bad and don’t let that discourage you! Trust me, it has happened to the best of us. Many times we meet someone, either in person or online, and are told that they will be there to “mentor” us through a program because our success increases their success, blah, blah, blah. We sign up for what we believe to be a good business opportunity with a reputable company only to never hear from our sponsor again.  There are also those situations where we hear from our sponsor and they have a tone of disinterest or annoyance.

The dictionary defines mentor as:

All this buzz about failing network marketers at 97% can make some people hesitate to join an opportunity that is in the format of MLM, multi-level marketing, or network marketing without ever investigating why so many network marketers fail.

The media can blow everything out of proportion so it is important for you to do your homework before jumping to the conclusion you will fail before you ever begin. Remember the acronym for FEAR.
F - False
E – Evidence
A – Appearing
R – Real

What the media fails to tell you is that 80% of traditional businesses fail too! There is tremendous potential in the MLM business model, in fact, there is far more potential for you to have the wealth you desire in the MLM model than there will ever be in a traditional business model.

It is not the business model that is flawed. It is the business owner. Some of you may not like hearing that, but the fact of the matter is that the business failed due to lack of systems, lack of proper education, lack of effective marketing, poor management, and so on. If you want to be successful, you need to take the time to invest in your greatest asset – YOU!

All business success is about utilizing leverage. Your employer uses you and the other employees as leverage to obtain the success that he or she is seeking. As an employee you are simply there to trade your time for a paycheck. In the MLM model you are allowing other individuals to join your team and they become your leverage, but they also have the potential to have a team and create leverage. Every individual has the potential to get out what they put in and have the chance for wealth and success. We all know that we rarely get back what we put in on an 8-5 job. Most workers are unhapppy, overworked, and underpaid. I once heard a sponsor tell me that the acronym for JOB ..
J – Just
O – Over
B – Broke

In times of recessions, depressions, and economic difficulty the statistics show that there is a tremendous increase in home based business opportunities. Did you know more millionaires came out of the depression than in any other time in history? This is the perfect time for you to start the home based business you have been interested in. Just do your homework and make sure you are joining a reputable company that has a good reputation and provides a product or service of value.

The internet will be your pathway to ultimate success. It is important that you network with those who have already put a working system in place. Internet success is all about systems that continue to work for you while you are away from your computer.

You will make mistakes. You will stumble and fall along the way. These things are all part of personal growth and being an entrepreneur. Learn from your mistakes. Monitor and adjust strategies.

F = Following Blindly. Think for yourself, don’t be a sheep. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.
A = Attitude. You must keep a positive attitude and surround yourself with positive people. What happens to us isn’t near as impacting as how we react to what happens.
I = Initiative. No one said this was going to be easy. You need to treat your business like a business, roll up your sleeves, and dig in. The difference is the reward and satisfaction you have from investing in yourself and your own business rather than contributing to the success of an employer.
L = Love Your Neighbor! You have to give to receive. You need to provide value and you need to do whatever you do for all the right reasons. It is ok to analyze your competition and build strategies to be competitive, but don’t obsess over their success – there is plenty to go around.

There are plenty of people who have found grand success in network marketing. Internet marketing will give you the boost you need in our shifting economy. Procrastination is a dead end street! Proactive is a super highway to progress!
TAKE ACTION – MAKE IT HAPPEN – FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!

To Your Prosperity,