Want to stay focused in your marketing business? Be in the now!

Building your online marketing business requires discipline and focus whether you are working a few hours a day, a week or full time. The key is to plan your time daily and use it productively. This can include other important things in your life and normal day to day activities.

Having a system coupled with planning is a great place to start. You may be surprised how much time can be created and how much you can accomplish when it is on a schedule.

To get started use a day planner, calendar, Blackberry, software like Microsoft Outlook or any scheduling program that you may already be familiar with. This will provide a single source for you to update and track your time.

Then make a list of activities by group that you will want on your calendar and assign a priority for each activity.

Here are some examples of group names and activities you may want to consider:

Administrative time
* Emails
* Paperwork
* Paying bills
* Miscellaneous items
* Planning
* Creating and tracking goals

Business building

Note: Always spend 80% of this time talking and meeting new people (prospecting) and 20% of this time with the other items and follow-up.
* Calling people
* Going out and meeting people
* Attending meetings to meet people
* Follow-up
* Presentations
* 3-way phone calls

Training and Development
* Focus on developing yourself and increasing your knowledge
* Listen to an educational or training CD
* Watch an educational or training DVD
* Read a business related or skills development book for 30 minutes
* Attend your company conference or industry training calls

Personal time
* Anything you need to take care of
* Shopping
* Yard work
* Housework

Relaxation time
* Whatever you do to relax
* Listen to music or watch a movie
* Exercise
* Meditate
* Sports
* Shopping

Family time
* Recreation
* Quality time together
* Cooking
* Church
* Games

Recognition time
* Celebrate your successes
* Achieving the next level
* Achieving a specific goal
* Business partner achieving one of their goals

This strategy focuses your mind and energy only on the task at hand during the time you have allocated. At first this may be challenging, be patient. Managing your time through the help of a schedule keeps you on track to complete what you had planned.

It eliminates getting off track or distracted in building your business while allowing a time frame for all the other things you are responsible for. Of course, the schedule needs to be flexible for unexpected things so make adjustments as required. Much like using an effective marketing system this provides the structure and basis for consistency.

Running a legitimate home business requires planning and long term thinking. Include time to create your short, medium and long term goals. Track and monitor them regularly. Create rewards for yourself as you achieve your goals. You deserve to celebrate your success.

Even if you work full time and only have a few hours daily to work on your business, having the time scheduled on your calendar will keep you focused.

Like anything in our life we need to develop this system as a daily habit. Make a commitment to yourself that you will follow this system for at least 30 days. This will allow you to adjust to the system, see results and modify it as required to fit your life style.

You will need to make sacrifices to achieve your goals. By keeping your goals in front of you daily, it will be a constant reminder why this is important to you and your family. Your goals may be creating more time in your life, financial freedom, traveling, buying a new home or whatever you desire. Think about how your life will be different when you achieve your goals.

In anything you do, including building a successful home business, you need to have fun and pursue it with passion. The journey will be rewarding, enjoy!

One of my favorite quotes: "Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved." -- Jeremy Kitson

Ken Gantos, Life Style Mentor and Successful Entrepreneur, is helping many become the next success story.