We live in a very fast-paced world and often find ourselves so busy each day just doing what needs to be done that we feel overwhelmed. There never seems to be any time to work on our businesses, to market to new clients, to come up with and implement new ideas.

I recommend you schedule 15 minutes twice a day to focus on you, your business and goals. You will find the benefits to be tremendous. The ideal times would be first thing in the morning and last thing at night. When you first get up, take 15 minutes to write down your thoughts and outline your goals for the day. I often find that I wake up in the middle of the night with ideas. So I keep a pad and pen next to my bed and jot these things down. Then in the morning I can use that as a basis for writing for the day. Keeping an ongoing journal of your thoughts and ideas is a great way to make sure you don't forget any of them. You can always go back to them at a later date.

Take a second 15 minutes the last thing at night to write down your accomplishments. This will help you relax and focus on the positive things that happened throughout your day. You will find you sleep much better, wake more refreshed and think more clearly.

Use these two 15 minute periods to relax, take a deep breath, and then let it all out. Then focus on something specific you want to accomplish or that you did accomplish that day. You will find that you become more productive by taking 15 minutes twice a day to focus on your business goals.

What do you do to stay focused each day?

When I first started working as a virtual assistant and had just the one client, time management wasn't much of an issue. When the client clled or emailed requesting a task to be done, I could immediately jump right on it and within minutes or an hour, depending on the task, I could let the client know the task was complete.

As my client base grew to two, three and more, it was still fairly easy to immediately handle an incoming task. Not only were clients impressed by the quick turn around time, they now had the expectation that anytime they called or emailed, their task would get done - immediately.

Now, I do want each of my clients to feel special and important. They need to know that when they send me a task it will get done in a timely manner. But is it realistic that each task will always be done immediately? Of course not! The expectations I set at the beginning of my business were not realistic and did not allow for the growth to 20 plus clients. Time management now became an issue. Imagine if even six clients called or emailed within a fifteen-minute period and requested a task and they each needed it within the hour! What if I was already in the middle of handling an urgent task needed within the hour? It just is not feasible to think that each client could get their task handled immediately.

As my business has grown, I've adjusted my work flow procedures and my client's expectations. They still expect a timely response and quick turn around. It's just a more realistic expectation. Instead of having to learn this the hard way for yourselves, here are suggestions, based on my experience, for effective time management and setting realistic expectations.

1. Decide early on what your working hours will be and include the information in your contract. Recently my clients were informed that my working hours are 10-12 am and 1-4 pm (PST) Monday through Thursday and that Fridays are for administrative tasks. This allows me one day to handling billing and bookkeeping and prepare the plan for the following week. This helps me be more productive.

2. Create an email policy and inform your clients. I just instituted a new email policy as follows: Another step in effectively managing my time is to respond to emails at 10 am, 1 pm and 3:30 pm. Should your matter require more immediate attention, please call my cell (XXX) xxx-xxxx. Thank you for your understanding.

3. Make sure you clearly inform your clients of your turn around time. My clients know I will respond within 24 hours to their request, excluding weekends. My response will indicate when I expect their project or task to be completed. If for any reason it becomes necessary to extend the timeframe, let the client know as soon as possible.

I recently informed my clients of my new work flow procedures and timely responses to emails and other requests. Each has responded in a positive manner, understanding the need for managing time effectively and still promptly handling their projects.  Some of their responses are:  "Love the new schedule!  Thanks for letting me know." "I certainly will honor your new schedule and hours."

What have you done to manage your time effectively and how do you set realistic expectations?

Have you often thought that you could be more productive if only your office were better organized? In just 6 hours, on Martin Luther King's birthday holiday, you can finally get your office organized! Get those piles of paper and stacks of mail under control. You'll learn the steps to get your office back in working order. Get more done every day, have time to make those extra sales calls, pay your bills on time, know where everything is and how to access it. Whether you are an employee, a small business owner, or just wanting to manage your home office - use this day to become more efficient and productive!

How does this event work?
Natalie will be walking you through organizing principles and techniques via a series of conference calls. During the day she will teach and then release you to put the knowledge into action immediately. We will then reconvene at strategic times to move on to the next step and then the next step....

You will be amazed at how much you will get done with this event. There will be a common thread between all participants; those who are eager to learn, ready to change, and empowered by this event to do so! This one day can change your life if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work!

Register at: http://organizedhabits.eventbrite.com/