5 Articles Worth Sharing: Curated by Mompreneur's World

1. 8 Reasons to Become an Entrepreneur (Infographic) The infographic is so pretty and cool that I almost want to print it and frame it as a reminder of why I do what I do.
2. 10 Fascinating Things you Probably Did Not Know About Warren Buffet's Berkshire-Hathaway, Inc. Did you know that Berkshire-Hathaway owned Dairy Queen and Geico? Find out more.
3. 3 Things to Watch in the Stock Market this Week Yes you have an awesome business! But you also need passive income. Why not invest in stocks?
4. 16 Tips for Upcoming Self-Made Entrepreneurs As an entrepreneur for well over 25 years, I have learned the hard way, the importance of tip number 1.
5. How to Stop Burnout With 1 Simple Rule Damon Brown tells us that we all need a healthy dose of selfishness.

Productivity Tools for Mompreneurs

Ways to Improve Productivity for Busy Mompreneurs

I am always looking for ways to increase productivity.  As a mompreneur, I wear many hats.

I know YOU do too.  So What do we do in order to create content/products/services for our business and still have time to help kids study, cook, and have a little fun.

Well, the easy answer is to PLAN, make lists, etc etc. I know you do that already and so do I.  As I searched, I learned that technology is changing so quickly and many of the new knickknacks are geared toward increasing our productivity.

5 Simple Steps to Help you Overcome Procrastination

I used to be a procrastinator.  But not anymore.  I am reformed..been reformed for well over 5 years.  How did I do it?  The immediate answer is Allen and Covey.  David Allen in Getting Things Done and Stephen Covey in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and a bit of discipline helped me to change my ways.

With Allen I learned that I need to write down any and everything that pops into my head no matter how important or seemingly inconsequential.  He says that the small things will metamorphose into big things, with time.  I remember my daughter needed something for school, a seemingly small consideration.  I procrastinated and didn't write it down.  The morning of the event, I had not bought her item and she went to school without it.  She was very upset and I had to reschedule business activities of the day in order to go and buy my daughter's item.  If I had written down her needs on my list, I would not have had to miss a day of business activities.  Also, it ended up costing me more money because I had to buy the first item I saw rather than shopping around. Now I write everything down.  I have a journal that I use and if it pops into my head, it goes in my journal.

Stephen Covey via his time quadrant has taught me that the things that must be done can be categorized according to importance.  I now categorize also according to role.  Generally, I use Sundays to complete my big planning and my list of things to do, for whom, when, etc is sorted and categorized for the upcoming week.

How can you do it too?

1. Write everything down that you have to do, no matter how seemingly inconsequential.


2. Keep your journal with you and consistently update your lists as new tasks come to mind.


3. Categorize your list according to role, resources, etc.


4. Take time at least once a week for major planning where you will decide which items you will complete and when.


5. Reward yourself for staying on task.

Procrastination is literally a time thief.  No one wants anyone stealing from them, but we don't realize that at times we are our biggest enemy by constantly stealing time from ourselves.  But hope is not lost.  If I can change in this area, so can you.  Just take it one step at a time.

What are you doing to improve with regards to time management and organization?  Share your tips with us below.

5 Simple Steps to Help you Overcome Procrastination

I used to be a procrastinator.  But not anymore.  I am reformed..been reformed for well over 5 years.  How did I do it?  The immediate answer is Allen and Covey.  David Allen in Getting Things Done and Stephen Covey in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and a bit of discipline helped me to change my ways.

Cloud Accounting: Saves Time and Energy for Busy Mompreneurs

Who likes accounting and or bookkeeping?  Very few of us. We would rather spend our days creating, talking to customers, even negotiating with vendors, instead of keeping our books straight. But as entrepreneurs the love and passion of business creativity comes with the day to day grind of keeping books.

 

There are many software programs available that can help make this job easier.  Of particular interest to me are the programs that are in the cloud.  Why the cloud?

Accounting in the cloud saves time and energy:

1. Your bookkeeper or CPA could have instant access to your transactions, without your having to provide this information,


2. Your assistant can enter your information from anywhere, no need to set up extra office space,


3. You can enter your information from anywhere,


4. Tax time is less hectic because most of the work is already done, 


5. Invoicing is seamless and can be done while you are still out in the field,


6. Payments to vendors can be seamless as well.

All in all, bookkeeping in the cloud can help you and your business by saving you time and boundless energy. The following are some companies that offer cloud computing. This list is not exhaustive.

• Fresh Books


• Kashoo


• Less Accounting


• QuickBooks 


• Xero


• Zoho Books

I have had experience with QuickBooks and Xero.  I am in the process of transferring to Xero because seamelessly integrates with my bank; it uploads transactions from Checkfront; it updates retail sales and transactions.  Also, it is currently hosted in the cloud for $19.95 per month compared with Quickbooks Enterprise full desktop version cloud hosting which begins at 54.99 per user per month.

 

Are you in the cloud for accounting?  If not why not?  If you are in the cloud, what are you using?  As busy Mompreneurs, we can all save time and energy by spending less time on our books.  Cloud accounting can help us. What do you think?  Leave your comments below.

Cloud Accounting: Saves Time and Energy for Busy Mompreneurs

Who likes accounting and or bookkeeping?  Very few of us. We would rather spend our days creating, talking to customers, even negotiating with vendors, instead of keeping our books straight. But as entrepreneurs the love and passion of business creativity comes with the day to day grind of keeping books.

There are many software programs available that can help make this job easier.  Of particular interest to me are the programs that are in the cloud.  Why the cloud?

5 Ways to Increase Productivity in Business or Home

We are all distracted.  Just recently my husband and I had a serious conversation about the fact that he was jumping from project to project and nothing was getting done. I too find myself distracted. Yesterday, I picked the kids up from school and rather than engage them in conversation, instead, I am still thinking of something I need to do for the business. My third daughter got frustrated and said "mommy please look me in the eyes, I haven't seen you all day."  And while cooking dinner, I am on a business conference call and at the same time trying to quiet the kids.  Such distractions may lead to a decrease in productivity, an increase in stress hormones, and a general feeling of malaise and unfulfillment.  Who wants that?  Not you, nor I.  So what do we do? 

1. Stay in the present moment; when I pick the kids up, engage them in conversation and really listen to what they have to say.  They are happier and so am I.
2. Stay focused by eliminating distractions; focus and concentration are what great things are made of.  When my husband focuses on one project at a time he accomplishes more.
3. When you are not in the present moment, acknowledge the concern by writing it down, get it off your mind so you can pay attention to what you are doing now.
4. Get enough rest and relaxation, not to mention the need for excellent nutrition.  
5. Plan your day, week, month; generally know what your goals are and work toward them on a consistent basis.

I know; the above suggestions are not productivity tools.  There are many of those out there that will help.  But there is no better productivity tool than your own brain.  So first get control of who you are and what you desire and what it takes to get you there.  You are awesome and anything in this life that you want you can have.  Just go get it!

PS.  Two of my favorite productivity gurus are David Allen and Stephen Covey.  They both focus not necessarily on tools but on how you do what you do and why.  Let me know who you read to improve your productivity by placing a comment in the box below.

5 Ways to Increase Productivity in Business or Home

We are all distracted.  Just recently my husband and I had a serious conversation about the fact that he was jumping from project to project and nothing was getting done. I too find myself distracted. Yesterday, I picked the kids up from school and rather than engage them in conversation, instead, I am still thinking of something I need to do for the business. My third daughter got frustrated and said "mommy please look me in the eyes, I haven't seen you all day."  And while cooking dinner, I am on a business conference call and at the same time trying to quiet the kids.  Such distractions may lead to a decrease in productivity, an increase in stress hormones, and a general feeling of malaise and unfulfillment.  Who wants that?  Not you, nor I.  So what do we do?