Working online and running a business or businesses online can become a time management issue if we are not careful.

Setting up, managing, running, promoting, marketing a business online is a time hog within itself, plus, when we are at a point where we are more or less comfortable with our business and how it’s looking and performing we begin the never ending business of continual tweaking. This can in spurts become all consuming of our time which essentially is an investment in our business yet can become a problem if we have other involvements which we usually do.

We have families, spouses, children, pets, friends, maybe a day job full or part time. Maybe we are a caregiver to an ill or elderly parent or maybe we are helping someone else from time to time.

Time spent online in other venues consume our time as well ~ forums, social networking, and whatnot.

Do we fragment ourselves and try to fit everything in? Do we set limits? Do we cull a few things?

Since I work at home I have tried many ways to balance and counter balance.

When my Mom was alive my time was fragmented between taking care of her needs and running my business as best as I could. After my Mom passed away I threw myself into my work 120% and then was hauled back to reality when my pets began screaming for attention as they had not yet come to terms with the empty room and the empty chair at the table.

Reality check.

Then I tried several offline venues to see if they would work out. A retail store. Arts and crafts shows. Then I moved to a smaller apartment. Somewhere in there someone dumped a 3 foot iguana on my doorstep just before wintertime. Then I had the neighbor from hell above me for 6 months with un-ending noise day and night. Restraining order bait. Police here all the time. Precious little work got done and even less sleep was had by me.

Reality check yet again.

Peace was restored to the galaxy shortly after that hellish nine months.

I proceeded to devote myself to business, pets, me and life in that order. Not bad.

Opened up a new business and became a company. Slightly disruptive but again not bad. Then came involvement in forums and social networking.

Persistent and constant conversations with myself on setting boundaries and limits and what comes first.

New exercises in defined discipline to stick to an established schedule. Done, much to my satisfaction.

Success.

We all of us in business have to face these things, these interruptions. It’s how to deal with it all in a constructive and productive manner that is the real challenge.

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New Jersey Web Design by Jewelry Collectibles Design, conveniently located in Hackensack, Bergen County New Jersey, is owned and operated by Maureen McCullough. In business since 2000 as a freelance professional and now also an eBay Stores Certified Designer. Our clients receive professional, creative designs put together outside of the typical corporate genre, fully carrying your small business identity through your entire venue ~ website, blog, forum, links management, eBay store and other online venues. Happy to be a woman owned small business.