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I recently read an article written by an aspiring freelance journalist who was desperately trying to get published without success. In the article, the journalist talked about how his day started with a few clicks of the snooze alarm, a leisurely meditation over a cup of coffee in the backyard, the sending of several emails to friends and family, and the surfing of websites, which were definitely not websites fit for writing inspiration and research.



Sometime in the late afternoon, this particular writer found it in himself to jot down a few lines on the next article he was going to try to get published and send out a few query letters. But in the evening, when his roommates arrived home after their 9 to 5 jobs, the journalist was isolated, and he was disgusted by the fact that he had to remain working in his room until late into the night just to be able to make a paycheck.



The truth is; this story struck a chord with me, and I'm sure that many of you can relate to it as well. Staying focused while running your home-based business is one of the hardest things to accomplish. Many bright, motivated people have great ideas for their business and can take those ideas and turn them into great quantities of cash with very little effort. Yet, many do not realize the potential that they are capable of because they simply get distracted with daily living.



When you're a work at home mom, running a business out of your home without getting distracted is even harder. In addition to the multitude of daily distractions that can burn up precious money-making time, the work at home mom has legitimate concerns and living, breathing beings that demand her time and attention. While you can't put your kids on the "To Do" list for later, you can do a few things to keep from getting distracted during the work day.



• Treat your home business like a job, not a vacation. Treat your business just like you would a regular clock-punching job. Have a shift starting time and ending time. Stick to it unless an emergency arises.



• If you have young children, get up early so that you can get some work done when the house is quiet and there are fewer demands on your time.



• If you have older children, explain to them that you are at work just like other moms and to only bother you if it's necessary.



• Break your workday up into blocks of time, some blocks for working others for caring for your home and children. Set the time of the block beforehand and don't dally over tasks.



• Turn off the phone, email and web to personal use during the workday.



The bottom line is that being self-disciplined at running your own home-based business can mean the difference between your business' success and failure. Sure, distractions will come along, and you will be tempted to put off your business until later. But don't; and you will be sure to build a successful business and achieve financial independence.

About the author:

Keith Jones is a Home Business Insider® featured columnist, provider of individual home business success coaching, and the developer of dozens of highly successful web properties. Read more of Keith's advice at http://www.work-at-home-index.net