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15 Essential Time Management Tips
By Edel Jarboe

How can you take control of your time and your life?
Be more efficient and maximize the time in your day by making the commitment to make time for what matters? 
Don't know where to start?
Make a "Master To Do" list. 
Make a list of all the things you do every day, of current projects, and of future projects. 
Categorize these items into work, family, and personal time. 
Keep several copies of your Master To Do list - in your planner, in your desk drawer, and in your purse or briefcase- so that you can refer to it as necessary and to serve as a reminder of how important your time is to you. 
Plan your day using your Master To Do list. Prioritize. What must be done? What can be rescheduled, delegated, or deleted? Eliminate or delegate trivial tasks. 
Review your plan. Is it realistic? Are you trying to do too much? 
At the end of each day, plan the next day. This helps you feel more organized and in control. 
Follow your own organizational style. Does the thought of a To Do list make you sweat? Use color and pictures, piles, or boxes to organize your life in a way that makes sense to you. Day Planners, To Do lists, and other time management tools won't do you any good if you aren't using them. 
For those of you who like calendars, planning books, and the like make sure you are using them to their maximum advantage. For example, use abbreviations, write down anniversaries and birthdays, keep track of your goals, record notes and ideas, upcoming appointments, meetings, school events, vacations, business trips, etc. 
Set goals that are specific, measurable, realistic, and achievable- they give you purpose and direction. What do you want to accomplish? When? 
Be flexible. Allow time for interruptions and distractions. When you expect to be interrupted, plan routine tasks. Save larger blocks of time for your priorities. 
Use your body's prime time to your advantage. Which time of day are you at your best? Are you a "morning person," a "late afternoon whiz," or a "night owl?" Plan to use this time of day (if possible) for your priorities and be more effective. 
Identify what the right thing to do is, and then focus on doing it right. This goes a long way towards improving your personal efficiency. 
Assign deadlines to important priorities to keep them from becoming last-minute emergencies. 
Avoid perfectionism- as this can be a form of procrastination- sometimes good enough is good enough. 
To avoid procrastination, break a task into smaller tasks and work on one task for 15 minutes. The logic behind this method is that if you do a little at a time, eventually you'll reach the point where you'll want to finish. 
Learn to say "No" by focusing on the importance of your goals. If necessary, schedule personal time for priorities such as friends, family, and you. 
Reward yourself for achieving your goals. Balance your life with fun. 
Edel Jarboe is the founder of Self Help for Her.com, an online self-help magazine helping you create a better life. 
She also publishes a free weekly newsletter, which features advice on goal setting, stress management, coping with difficult people, and overcoming obstacles: Subsrcibe Here and receive a FREE stress report.

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A Unique Party Theme & Party Planning Ideas

Looking for a great theme for a holiday or special occasion party? Why not throw an Angel theme party! Angels are a great theme for a Christmas party, birthday party, "Little Angels" tea party, baby shower or wedding shower. You can weave Angels into almost every aspect of your party. Here's how:

Make Angel party invitations on your computer. There are many great card creating software programs available, types and colors of stationery and invitation size envelopes available at stationery stores and free clip art web sites on the Internet for creating your one of a kind Angel party invitation.

Make an Angel banner. There are many great card creating software programs available, banner stationery available at stationery stores and free clip art web sites on the Internet for creating your Angel banner. Here are some Angel banner greeting ideas for creating your one of a kind banner:

• Have An Angelic Christmas

• Happy Birthday Angel Child's Name

• Welcome To My Angel Tea Party

• Angels Shower A New Life Today

• Guardian Angels Shower You Today

• Make an Angel centerpiece. An Angel candle, Angel figurine or Angel collectible and a little imagination can decorate your party table(s). Here are some ideas for creating a one of a kind Angel centerpiece.

• For a Christmas party entrance way or buffet table have 3 different height Angel candles place on a candle plate or platter you already have. Decorate the candle plate with Christmas silk greenery and a Christmas print bow around the candles. For a large party with guest tables, have one small candle on a small plate with a little silk Christmas greenery and a smaller bow.

• For a Birthday party buffet or cake table have a birthstone Angel figurine sitting on a cloud of cotton.

• For a tea party table have a miniature Angel printed tea set on top of a small sturdy box covered with Angel printed cloth to look like a table cloth.

• For a baby shower buffet or cake table have an Angel figurine holding a baby in her arms on a cloud of cotton.

• For a wedding shower buffet or cake table have an all white fiber optic Angel collectible surrounded by party favors.

• Make an Angel shape cake. Bake a small cake round and a large cake round. The small cake round is the head. From the large cake round cut a triangle piece in center. The triangle piece is the Angel's gown and the 2 side pieces turned sideways become the Angel's wings. Ice and decorate. 

• Instead of ice cream or packaged candy with brand names, you can very easily make Angel shape candy. You can buy inexpensive candy molds and candy melts at a craft store. All that is required for the candy melts is a microwave oven. Wrap the Angel candy in clear plastic wrap or foil or you can buy inexpensive candy wrappers at a craft store. Candy melts come in many colors such as red and green for Christmas, traditional chocolate for a birthday party, pink and blue for a baby shower and white for a wedding shower.

• Give Angel party favors. Here are some ideas for Angel theme party favors.

• For a Christmas party Angel ornaments

• For a Birthday party or tea party an Angel pin, bracelet or necklace.

• For a baby shower birthstone Angel ornaments for month baby is due.

• For a wedding shower kitchen towel Angels.

• For entertainment, play a Angelic game.

• For a Christmas party have all the guest dress up as Angels. With Angel pens, all the guests vote for the best Angel costume and the guest with the most votes wins an Angel gift. 

• For a Birthday party or a tea party have a draw the best Angel with Angel pens contest. The birthday girl or party hostess picks the winner, excluding herself of course, and the winner receives an Angel gift. 

• For a baby shower or wedding shower have 1 Angel party favor that is different from all the rest. Wrap all the Angel party favors in tissue paper (baby colors for a baby shower or white for a wedding shower) and have the guests sit in a circle. While a short piece of Angelic music plays, the guests pass the party favors around the circle. When the music stops everyone opens their party favor and the one who holds the unique party favor in her hand wins an Angel gift.

Here are some more Angel theme party ideas:

• For a Christmas party play Christmas songs that mention Angels in them and have the guest name that Christmas tune.

• For a birthday party, instead of cake candles, have a large Angel candle next to the cake to blow out and make a wish. The candle is also one of the birthday presents. 

• For a tea party, complete an Angel craft for lots of Angelic fun. 

• For a baby shower purchase inexpensive iron-on Angel decorations (cloth or embroidered) and packaged baby wash clothes. Iron the Angel decoration onto the baby wash clothes and use for napkins instead of paper napkins. These can later be washed and used by the new Mom.

• For a wedding shower purchase inexpensive iron-on Angel decorations (cloth or embroidered) and inexpensive white cloth table napkins. Iron the Angel decoration onto the table napkins. These can later be washed out used for another Angel theme party.

Select one or two colors for the Angel party theme and have matching plates, napkins, table cloths, balloons, etc. Here are some color combination ideas:

• For a Christmas party red and gold, green and silver, white and midnight blue.

• For a birthday party the birthstone color for that month.

• For a garden tea party pastel yellow and green.

• For a baby shower pink and blue or pastel yellow and green.

• For a wedding shower white with the brides flower color choice.

• For party decorations hang inexpensive, light weight Angel ornaments from twirled streamers. These Angel party decorations should match your color theme for the party.

• An Angel theme party using these tips and tricks is sure to have your guest talking favorably about your party for years to come. Why some of your guests might give you the highest compliment a party hostess can get by copying you and having an Angel theme party of their own!

Elaine K Stephen
Angel Cloud Gifts
http://storesonline.com/site/angelcloud 

Ingredients For Work At Home Mom Success

Have you ever wondered why you aren't doing as well at your work at home business as you originally envisioned you would? Have you ever wondered just what does it take? After 4 years in business as a work at home Mom I would love to share the ingredients I sifted together to answer your questions.

All too often Moms want all the answers handed to them all at once and fall prey to one experts advice. What is an expert anyway? My dictionary says skills and knowledge derived from training or experience. It does not say someone who knows everything, who will lead you into success for free and will never unintentionally lead you astray. The truth of the matter is, there is just to much information for anyone person to have it all and while experience aids us in making decisions concerning our business, just when you think you've learned all there is to know about a subject, things change. The same products weren't sold in 1950 as they were in 1960 or will they be today. Times change, fashions change, technology changes, therefore business changes. I didn't get my web sites to the top of the Google search engines from any one Internet "expert's" advice. I got to the top of the search engines by using one piece of advice from many different Internet "experts". The #1 ingredient to work at home Mom success is research, research, and research some more!

All too often Moms think once they have their business all set up, the orders will start flowing in, their pockets will start filling up and it's all smooth sailing from then on. Not true. When I had my 1st beautiful web site full of beautiful products, I soon realized my web site was no where to be found in the Google search engines and I wasn't getting orders because of it. I knew I had to be listed on the 1st page of the Google search engine to get customers. I did research, I made changes, I monitored the results and the I did the same time and time again. Did every change I made work? No. Did some? Yes. Now both of my web site are on the 1st page of the Google search engine. I will continue to monitor my status and make changes if necessary. The #2 ingredient to work at home Mom success is trial and error, trial and error, continuous trial and error!

All too often Moms believe they will work less hours with their own business than when going out of the home to work. Not true. Your own business requires more hours. Hours to learn, hours to apply what you learned, hours to actually provide your product or service, hours for accounting, the list goes on and on. However, there certainly are advantages of working from home. Being at home with small children or home when your children return from school, working the hours and days you prefer not your employers, no travel time, traffic, save money on gas, uniforms or expensive office clothes and more. Personally, I find having lunch at home with my 3 year old much more enjoyable then sitting in a business lunch room with an hours old sandwich!
The #3 ingredient to work at home Mom success is work, work harder and then work some more!

All too often Moms give up because they are not an overnight success. National statistics say it takes a new businesses 3-5 years to become profitable and most businesses close up shop before they have even worked at it for a full year. The #4 ingredient to work at home Mom success is don't give up!

Put it all together and what do we have, research, hard work, trial and error and don't give up! I truly believe that God wants us to succeed. He simply asks us to plant the seeds of our business, harvest the grain that is available to our business, prepare the flour for our business, mix the dough in our business and bake the foundation of our business before we get to savor the bread of our business which is our success!

Elaine K. Stephen 
Lainee Enterprises 
Angel Cloud Gifts
http://storesonline.com/site/angelcloud 
Inspirational Gift Gallery
http://storesonline.com/site/inspirationalgift 

Do you know that some people actually relish the hustle and bustle, the crowded parking lots, and the singing Santas that comes with the holiday season?

But even if you're not one of them, you can have a hassle-free holiday. Try these simple steps to put you in the mood for a happy, healthy, easier holiday season.

Make A Detailed Plan:

1. Buy a spiral notebook that will be used for your Holiday Planning Guide. (I keep mine from year to year, stored with my wrapping, so that I can remember what I gave who the year before, correct addresses, etc.)

2. Prepare a separate page for individual lists of things you need to do (travel plans, gift list, card list, special dinner list, special 
   clothing list, decorations list - whatever applies to your holiday 
   style). Under each heading, write the specifics -- people and gift ideas, dinner menu and ingredients, travel itinerary. If several of these things go together, I tend to put them all on one page. For example, "Party at Judy's-Dec 2", would include the outfit I want to buy, the food I'm preparing, and the gift I'm taking.

3. On each page, put the approximate amount of time you think it will take you to accomplish each of your lists - shopping for gifts, writing cards, wrapping, setting up the tree, cleaning the house for guests, etc. - then DOUBLE IT! And schedule it.

Avoid Distractions (or at least prepare for them):

1. Watch out for clutter at this time of year. With the extra decorations in place, ordinary clutter can be a real distraction. Get those extra magazines, books, and "stuff" into some boxes and shove it under the bed or into the garage for the holidays. After the holidays you just might decide you like the cleaner feeling and decide to garage sale some of it.

2. Forgo window shopping for more targeted shopping. Do some initial looking and planning from catalogues and the internet, so that when you have the time to be in the stores, it will be productive time.

3. Be aware of your personal habits that tend to distract you. Have a plan to head them off. What usually slows you down - lack of money? lack of time? lack of energy? Actively look for ways to head this off. If there's no extra money at the beginning of November, it's not likely to materialize the day before Christmas.

Don't Procrastinate! First Things First:

1. Put your energy where it counts. Need to ship gifts? Buy those first. If you have a party on Nov. 22, and another one on Dec. 5, be sure to put your energy into Nov. 22 first.

2. Schedule specific times to shop, clean, pack, etc. Stick to the plan. If you're a natural procrastinator, this is the hard part. Write it down in big letters, post it on the door, on the refrigerator, in the car. Set yourself up to shop, clean, pack, at certain times, and keep the reminders in front of you at all time.

3. Pick up a few items for your holiday meal each week, instead of doing it all at once. Canned goods, spices, etc. are easy to buy even a month before the dinner. Put them all together on a specific shelf so you can easily see what's still missing.

4. Do a little each day. Write out three things (example: buy Christmas Cards, get out decorations, order Bob's gift from JC Penney's) you would like to take care of each day between now and Christmas, and do them BEFORE LUNCH each day..

Have FUN!

1. Take time for yourself - just 20 minutes a day will do - to recharge, refresh, and rejoin the holiday spirit.

2. Listen to happy, silly holiday songs, not the sadder ones.

3. Count your blessings, however small.

4. Make it a priority to schedule in what you consider the *fun* part of the holiday whether that's throwing a party, or a quiet night with your special someone, or going out to look at holiday lights. It's only once a year - enjoy it!

Professional Life Coach Kathy Gates helps people who are burned out, stressed out, and fed up to get back in touch with the foundations of their life. www.reallifecoach.com

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BARTERING

So just what is bartering all about? Bartering or trading is the act of exchanging your product or service for another person's product or service without the exchange of money or payment of any kind.

Bartering has existed for hundreds of years. Farmer Brown has extra eggs and milk from his farm but really wants someone to help with his laundry. Widow Jones can use the extra eggs and milk and offers to help with his laundry in exchange.

There are local barter groups where this type of exchange still happens however most bartering today takes on a different form with the existence of the internet and the world wide web.

There are many barter or trading groups online where you can set up exchanges with other members. Go to Yahoo Groups and do a search on barter and you'll be amazed at the number of groups that exist. Or if you find a company you're interested in bartering with, simply send them an email and ask if they're interested in an exchange. Not everyone barters but it can't hurt to ask.

So you've found someone you want to barter with & they're interested. What's the next step? Here are some tips to get you started.

• Make note of their correct contact information. Write down their name, street address, email address, website and phone number if applicable so you can contact them when you need to.

• Discuss all of the details of your exchange before agreeing to the trade. What are you sending? What are you receiving? Be specific. I will send you one 6 fl oz bottle of jasmine vanilla hand lotion in exchange for one size 7.5 inch patriotic bracelet. I will mail your hand lotion on Saturday, February 19 and you will mail my bracelet on Monday, February 21.

• Keep in contact with your barter partner. Let them know the status of your agreement at each stage. If I have special ordered a bead or charm, I let them know when the raw materials have arrived. I let them know when their order is mailed & I let them know when I receive their package. After my delivery confirmation shows the product has been delivered, I follow up with an email confirming they have received the item and making sure they liked what I sent. Communicate at a minimum during these stages: when you ship your part of the barter, when you receive their part of the barter, and a follow up when the trade is complete to make sure everyone is satisfied.

• Make sure you discuss how you're handling shipping charges. A bottle of hand lotion will cost more to mail than a bracelet. Will you make up the difference in extra product? If your hand lotion retails for $5.00 and will cost $3.00 to ship and my bracelet retails for $4.00 and will cost $1.00 to ship, I could offer to throw in a book thong retailing for $3.00 to make up the difference in postage costs.

• Speaking of shipping, ALWAYS use a traceable method of shipment. I ship every single order whether paid or bartered for with a delivery confirmation number. This costs between .45 and .55 cents depending on how it's being mailed. Federal Express, DHL, UPS and Airborne all offer tracking numbers so your customer can follow the delivery of their item.

• Treat your barter partners the same as your paid customers. Don't put off fulfilling your barters if a paid order comes your way. Make sure you enclose a business card or printed invoice so the receiver knows how to contact you when the package arrives. Make sure your package is addressed neatly and has a return address label on it. Make sure you've paid the correct postage. Nothing says unprofessional like having your package show up postage due.

Bartering can be a wonderful way to find new customers and try new products and services. I have had many of my barter customers turn into paying customers and have purchased products from people I have bartered with as well.

Article written by: Ellen LaFleche-Christian
Moonlight Creations Jewelry
http://moonlight-creations-jewelry.com  moonlight_creations_jewelry@yahoo.com 

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5 Creative Ways To Market Your Business

1. Writing Articles - Writing articles as a way to market and promote your business is easy, cheap and very effective! You can write about any topic that you have knowledge of, starting with your area of business or situations you have been in. How to and Countdown articles are very simple to write and are some of the most read types of articles. Be sure to include a small bio including your contact information and/or website so that readers may find out more about you. Submit your articles to local newsletters, magazines, newspapers, online article directories, etc.

2. Network with other business owners - use this opportunity to swap referrals and advertising materials (business cards, flyers, samples, etc.) This is a great way to get your information exposed to a whole new market. Try to find business owners from companies that compliment yours, this way its only natural for their customers to look to you for your products/services.

3. Prize Donations - Donate your products to local Radio Stations for Contests and give always. This is a great way to get samples of your products into the hands of people who may not have previously found you. Be sure to include coupons or discounts as an incentive to get them to do business with you.

4. Promotional Tools - There are all sorts of places you can get different types of promotional business tools. You want to try and do something that will stand out, something that is not done a lot, like the traditional pens, pencils, etc. A great creative type promotional tool is Scratch Off Business Cards, with these you can offer great prizes to your potential customers, discounts, free gifts, and so much more. You can find some great ones at www.EasyScratchoffs.com, you can also use these scratch offs on Bookmarks, Candy wrappers, Customer appreciation coupons, gift certificates, the possibilities are endless!

5. Customer Testimonials - Testimonials are a great way to let people know what others think of your products/services. Your best bet is when someone compliments your products and/or services request permission immediately to put a quote in your newsletter, on your website, business materials, etc. Another great way to get testimonials is to offer free samples to a few people in exchange for their testimonial. Friends and family are a great place to start. You can offer this to strangers as well!

Terra Williams resides in Southwest Missouri with her husband and 4 children. She enjoys learning new advertising and marketing ideas. www.EasyScratchoffs.com

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Surviving September:
Tips to Help Your Child and Family get “Back To School”

It is that special time of year again. A time of new beginnings as we close another summer chapter and start a brand new school year. Summer can be a magical time for children. It is a time for many to relax schedules, play, soak in some sunshine, grow, and most importantly… rest. The fall is an exciting time filled with anticipation for a healthy and productive school year. It can also present many challenges for families as they attempt to adjust to a more demanding schedule and meet the needs of everyone in the household.

Here are some ideas:

• Talk to your child. This helps them to process their feelings about what they have experienced and what they are looking forward to in their world.

• Remember all of the fun activities from summer. Often times, talking about recent experiences helps them to look forward to and transition into new ones (encourages an understanding of time and change).

• What is your favorite thing about school? Why?

• Who are your friends? What do you like to do at recess?

• What do you think of your class this year? Classroom? Teacher?

• Do a timeline of his/her day. What did you do before lunch? After lunch? After school?

• Prepare physically for the demands of school.

• Set a good daily routine. Help your child develop an awareness of schedules and why they are important. This helps children transition to new tasks and provides structure and security in their world.

• Set a bedtime routine and stick to it. Kids thrive when they are well rested. They are better able to attend and focus in class, stay healthier, and are generally happier during the day. (9-12 hours of sleep a night is optimal for growing children).

• Provide healthy snacks and meals and try to have a set mealtime for the family.

• Include appropriate grooming (bathing, oral hygiene, washing hands) habits in your routine as well.

• Back to SCHOOL. An applied learning activity helps children to recall what they already know and build upon it. It also fosters a sense of achievement and confidence when learning new things. Help your child see him/her self as a learner.

• Try to read every day with your child. Take turns reading a favorite book. Ask him/her questions about what is being read. Look at pictures and talk about what is happening in the picture (try to guess what will happen next).

• Talk about the weather (science and nature). What will the weather be like today? In a month? In two months? What will be happening outside? Fall is a very exciting time to explore and learn about the changing seasons.

• When you are in your neighborhood, talk about signs you see, identify familiar things such as objects, street signs, and neighbors. When walking or driving home, let your child direct you.. “Which way do we turn next?”

• While at the grocery store, read the signs on the rows, read labels, read everything! Talk about grouping and why products are where they are and not somewhere else in the store. This helps children to build an awareness of order and ultimately supports problem solving in different situations.

• Go on everyday math and science adventures! Talk about numbers and use different objects around the house to count, add, multiply and divide. Ask questions like: How many more will make 10? If I eat 5 how many will be left? When cutting a pie, talk about fractions and percentages. When cooking, read and follow recipe directions, talk about measurement, and the science of cooking and baking. What makes things freeze? What is a solid? What is a liquid?

• Build a calendar with your child! Kids LOVE visual stimuli and it will also help you to keep track of special events and activities. Pull out the school year calendar and write in all of the half days, holidays, and special events. You can even include what lunch is served at school each day. Use your imagination and have fun with the activity! It helps with counting, days of the week, and months of the year. They will take pride in marking off days of the week and have a way to look forward to special occasions. It also helps them to process what has happened in their world and prepare for what is next.

• Meet the needs of your entire family. Your children are not the only ones who are experiencing a life change. A new school year can bring about added stress with changes in schedules and demands that your whole family must adjust to.

• Plan an activity for the entire family to look forward to on an evening or weekend. The fun does not have to be over just because summer has come to an end.

• Make sure you know the schedules of other family members. Everyone seems to have lots things to do. Add these activities to your calendar.

• Set a time (and place) for your family to be together each day (ex. mealtime) so you can connect with each other about things that are important.

• Everyone get your rest and do your best to make healthy choices.

• Many warm wishes for a healthy and productive September and school year!

Tracy works part time as a school psychologist and is also a distributor for Gourmet To Go where you can find some fantastic quick and easy food mixes. For more information about purchasing these gourmet food mixes or becoming a distributor, please visit her website at www.daisydelights.com or e-mail Tracy at treasure_chest@comcast.net.

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