First of all, I have to thank Jason Fonceca for the idea of this video.

You see, sometime ago I published a post describing different ways bloggers can have more balance in their lives.

Jason left a comment to that post giving his opinion on why we should blend/unite activities instead.

So, that’s what this video is all about! I also share an example how to do this in practice.

If you liked this post, please share it or opt-in to my e-mail list for updates and future articles.

Shownotes and resources:

• Video length: 03:27
• Blog post: Ninja Productivity and a Balanced Lifestyle With Craig Jarrow (Productivity Elements)
• Transcript: Not yet available

• Blog: Firepole Marketing
• Danny’s book: Engagement from Scratch
• Writing and guest posting training: Write Like Freddy
• Twitter:@DannyIny

I was happy to talk with Danny Iny of Firepole Marketing.com.

Danny is my coach and he is everywhere with his guest posts. He launched a successful book last year and also a very popular guest post training program (which literally changed my blog post writing).

We discuss why one should (or shouldn’t) hire a coach.

• Video length: 37:07

Interview Questions:

• Tell me a little bit about yourself (01:36)
• Why should a person hire a coach? What is the benefit of having one? (02:57)
• What should you look up in a coach before choosing one? (06:04)
• What do you think is the biggest misconception that people have when it comes to coaching? (16:50)
• Who shouldn’t hire a coach? Also, are there circumstances when one could manage without a coach? (20:29)
• Some people think that they cannot afford coaching. How would you justify the price for a person like that? (25:23)
• Can anyone be a coach/start a coaching business or do you think that certain qualifications should be met before starting out? (33:00)

Welcome to WAHD Productivity Elements. This is a seven part series related to different productivity elements that are important to internalize and apply in every work at home dad’s (WAHD) daily life.

Each part of this series focuses on one important element (timing, nutrition, systems …) that is needed in order to keep a WAHD as productive as possible.

Every post focuses on one certain WAHD group and contains an interview regarding that particular group member.

Not only is it important to understand these elements, but it is also important to realize how these elements are used in real life scenarios.

Previous posts on this series:

• Part 1: Why Flexibility is the Key to Being Super Productive: A Conversation with Bill Nickerson, WAHD Internet Marketer
• Part 2: Ninja Productivity and a Balanced Lifestyle With Craig Jarrow
• Part 3: Stop Wasting Time Already – Master the Tools of Productivity With Michael ”Nozbe” Sliwinski

Do you wonder why some people are able to reach their goals much faster than others?

You think that they know a secret for being super-productive – something that is not told to the rest of the world.

Or perhaps you are thinking that there is something wrong with the way you work; even if you are working long hours, you never seem to get the results you want.

Whatever the reason is, you know that you are not happy with the current situation. You want to change the direction where you are heading – but you don’t know how.

You are stuck and you are ready to throw in the towel …

Do you know what you are doing?

If you put your hand on your heart, can you honestly say that the following statements are true:

a) I have clearly defined my goals
b) I know that I’m focusing on the correct projects right now
c) I know that the action-steps I’m taking right now supports my defined goal

If you didn’t answer “yes” to all of the above questions, or you could hear some hesitation in your voice – even when saying yes – then there is a possibility you don’t know what you are doing.

The reason for your frustration, waste of time and pondering is the result of not knowing your direction.

Without knowing your direction, you are just spinning your wheels and you will never get the results you want.

You are not alone

Being frustrated and lost is not a nice place to be. In fact, I have been in that exact situation myself.

I also know that there is a solution.

The biggest questions are: Do you want to do everything by yourself, or are you ready to admit that you cannot reach the destination without some external help?

In fact, if you think can reach the goals by yourself (even in a situation when you are stuck and lost), you may be makng a mistake that could cost you your success. Or at least, your way to success could be rockier and longer than what it needs to be.

Benefits of coaching

Even if things may seem very difficult for you at the moment, the solution is very simple: Have you ever considered hiring an extra pair of eyes to look after you?

Yes, the extra pair of eyes I’m referring to is a coach.

Coaching helps to put you back on track if you are lost, focus on the things that matter and take massive jumps towards your goals. Of course, you can do this all by yourself, but I’m just stating the fact that using a coach makes this process much easier.

Not only can you improve your focus, (whether it is on an everyday task level, project level or related to your bigger goals) there are other aspects for you to consider that can improve your results.

First, there is the internal accountability part. When you make an agreement to work with someone, you also want to make sure that you do everything you can to get the agreed tasks done – in a timely manner.

There is no point of procrastinating on things that are vital for reaching your goals. And, paying someone for his/her expertise and then procrastinating on the agreed tasks is just plain stupid.

Second, even if you think you know how to do something, your coach can help you to make your work even more effective. For example, my guest posting efforts (and blog writing for that matter) have radically changed – thanks to my coach.

No matter if I had already written 17 guest posts (and have a couple of other in the works), I adopted a new way of working, which radically improved my writing in terms of depth and content creation speed.

Third, the idea validation. Many times you think you have a great idea, but you are not sure if it’s worth exploring further. In that situation you can ask your coach: “Hey, what do you think of this?” and get feedback on that particular topic.

I know from my personal experience that this has saved me time and energy because it prevented me from focusing on the unessential stuff.

Finally, a coach can accelerate your creativity.

I have noticed that I’m able to generate new ideas that could expand my blog even further. Of course, I could have had these ideas without a coach, but I still believe that he had this idea-boosting effect on me – without him even realizing it

Master the mindsets before starting

Once you have decided to hire a coach, there are couple of mindsets you have to understand before you start working together.

Mindset #1: Coaching relationship works only if you are fully committed to it.

Try to make sure that you get the stuff done (or as much of it as possible) that you agreed on the last time you met. This way you are getting the best value out of your coaching relationship and you are making steady progress towards your goals.

Mindset #2: Your coach is not your virtual assistant.

If you expect that your coach is doing your work for you, you are wrong. Don’t waste your coach’s time if you are not willing to put the hours in. You have to be willing to do your part too!

Mindset #3: This is an investment.

If you know that there is an awesome coach that is billing you $1000 / month but you also know that you will get phenomenal results in return, then $1000 is not a big sum of money.

In general, hiring a coach is an investment and most likely your investment will pay for itself at some point and start returning dividends.

Mindset #4: Be ready to challenge your beliefs and stretch your comfort zone.

For example, sometime ago my coach advised me to slow down my blogging pace.

At first I was a bit skeptical towards this suggestion, but then I understood the benefits and I happily changed my way of working.

Choose your hero

I’m about to describe how I chose my coach. I know that your scenario might be different, but I would assume that this same process could be used in other situations as well.

1) Select the person you look up to
I bet you have your favorite blogger, marketer or business person that you look up to. Visit his blog and take a look if he/she offers coaching packages through his/her website.

Generally it is easier to choose a person you are somewhat familiar with than someone brand new.

2) Look for proven track record
I think that this is a very important point: Has the person really got great results him/herself or is he/she just a talker? For example, I knew that my coach had achieved quite a bit of results so far, so it was an easy decision for me to choose him.

3) Do some research
Before making any decisions, do some Googling around and try to look for testimonials or other experiences people had with that particular coach. Are they positive? Are they negative? If the latter, why so?

Spending some time on the research is worth it and this makes sure that you get what you pay for.

4) How accessible is the person?
Your coach should be accessible in two ways.

First, he/she should be available through phone and e-mail. And for the latter, your e-mails shouldn’t sink into his/her inbox without any replies. Instead, you should expect your coach to get back to you on your questions within a reasonable timeframe.

Second, if the person is difficult to deal with, then the whole coaching relationship may not work as planned. I know that I wouldn’t want to be in a situation, where our chemistries and values would be completely different (and luckily things ain’t so .

Unfortunately, knowing about the personality of your coach candidate may not be possible until you have starting your coaching relationship. The only way to figure this out in advance is to do once again some Googling or try to ask people who are former or current clients of your coach.

5) The costs
Lastly, it is also the costs that play a big role when it comes to choosing your coach.

Remember, coaching is an investment and it can dramatically speed up your process of reaching goals and success. In that sense, spending money on coaching is not a bad decision at all.

I also suggest that you take a critical look at how you spend your money. For example, I have pretty much stopped buying training courses or e-books (with a couple of exceptions), because I know that the personal advice I’m getting gives me much faster results.

Over to you: Are you working with a coach? Do you have any questions related to choosing a coach? What are your coaching experiences? Share your comments in the comments area.

Finally, if you liked this post, please share it or opt-in to my e-mail list for updates and future articles.

Interview with Danny Iny

• Check out the interview here.

Conclusion

Coaching is a very powerful way to move you forward to your goals and your productivity will improve for sure.

But even a more important benefit is that you have personal access to an experienced person’s expertise. That is definitely worth paying for.

• Blog: Time Management Ninja
• Membership site: Time Management Ninja.net
• Twitter:@TMNinja

To complement this article, I had a pleasure of talking with Craig Jarrow of TimeManagementNinja.com

Craig is a dad, blogger and he has a day job. Still, he has been able to build a successful blog while blogging part-time.

Craig is also the author of e-book “31 Days, 31 Days – Daily Tips for Time Management Mastery” and the creator of Time Management Ninja membership site.

• Video length: 32:24

Interview Questions:

• Tell me a bit about yourself (01:00)
• How are you able to publish content on your blog on a consistent basis – while having a day job and a family? (02:33)
• What is your blogging schedule like and also – do you have any preferred times for working? (04:04)
• How many posts you have scheduled on your WordPress? (08:25)
• Why do you think balance is important for a work at home dad (especially for a blogger)? (11:35)
• What are the practical ways to keep your life in balance in your family (between your 9-5, your blog, your family time …)? (15:28)
• How do you make sure that you are productive – when having a day job, family and building your business on the side? (19:26)
• You are always testing new tools – do you have any favorite productivity tools you use? What are they? (23:49)
• What’s your take on iPad? (27:58)
• What is your #1 tip for a new work at home dad who wants to keep the balance between the family and building his online business? (30:22)

• Blog: Internet Business Productivity
• Project Management GTD Application: Nozbe
• Productivity Magazine: Productive Magazine
• Twitter:@MichaelNozbe

I was pleased to talk with Michael “Nozbe” Sliwinski of Nozbe.com.

Michael is a dad, blogger, an entrepreneur, a productivity tool developer and an editor.

He shares his views of tools and systems in this cool interview I did with him.

• Video length: 32:06

Interview Questions:

• Tell me a little bit about yourself and where are you coming from? (00:48)
• Is it necessary for an entrepreneur to use productivity tools to keep him/herself productive – or can he/she manage his/her day without them? (01:59)
• What set of tools would you recommend for an online entrepreneur? What are your favorite ones? (05:19)
• There are plenty of time management tools out there. Do you think that there are certain features that one should look for in a productivity application – when choosing one for everyday use? (09:20)
• Do you think that time managment systems are incomplete without proper tools? Do tools complement systems or can the systems exist on their own? (16:12)
• Your time management application is based on Getting Things Done (GTD)? Why did you originally choose GTD as your system and not some other system instead? (21:16)
• What are some practical uses for a tablet (say iPad)? Can it replace your laptop? Also, tell us about your “iPad only” experiment. (25:27)

Are you too optimistic when it comes to your schedules? Are you having difficulties of sticking to your schedules when running your daily errands? Do you promise to your spouse to come back home in X minutes but you are never able to keep your schedule?

If so, then there is a quick tip that can help you out. Once you keep applying this simple technique enough, you’ll create a habit out of it and you can stick to your schedules more easily.

Shownotes and resources:

• Video length: 03:56
• Transcript: Not yet available

Your next tasks:

1. Put this blog post into action!

2. Share your experiences on the comment area:

• Do you have any good tips for sticking to a schedule?
• How do you make more realistic schedules?

3. Spread the word:

• I would appreciate it if you share this post by clicking the buttons on the left hand vertical sidebar.

Welcome to WAHD Productivity Elements. This is a seven part series related to different productivity elements that are important to internalize and apply in every work at home dad’s (WAHD) daily life.

Each part of this series focuses on one important element (timing, nutrition, systems …) that is needed in order to keep a WAHD as productive as possible.

Every post focuses on one certain WAHD group and contains an interview regarding that particular group member.

Not only is it important to understand these elements, but it is also important to realize how these elements are used in real life scenarios.

Previous posts on this series:

• Part 1: Why Flexibility is the Key to Being Super Productive: A Conversation with Bill Nickerson, WAHD Internet Marketer
• Part 2: Ninja Productivity and a Balanced Lifestyle With Craig Jarrow

Here is a cold, hard fact: you are wasting time, and lots of it – without even realizing it!

You keep doing tasks that could be easily automated and optimized further. Yet, you are stuck in inefficiency because you fail to see better ways to work.

Especially if you work on your business part-time, every minute counts. However, with inefficient working methods, you are spending time on things that are not essential for your business.

You start to wonder if outsourcing is the answer. It could be. Yet, it takes time until you find a proper virtual assistant (VA) to do your assignments. And even after hiring a VA, you still need to train him/her, which is consuming your time even more.

Besides, what is your solution if you don’t have money to hire a VA, or if you don’t have enough work for him/her to operate full-time (or even part-time)?

There is a solution, so keep on reading …

You have the nails but the hammer is missing

One major reason for wasting time is inefficient work processes and failure to understand the role of tools in your job.

As an (online) entrepreneur, you should be focusing on bringing more cash flow into your business – not how to submit your latest blog post to various social bookmarking sites, or figuring out what is the optimum time for sending your tweets on Twitter. There are plenty of tools for automating (or at least semi-automating) those tasks for you, so that you can do more meaningful work on your available time.

Clearly, if your way of working is to focus on non-essential tasks (like what I described above), then you need to self-audit your working processes and systems.

Ask yourself these questions:

a) Do I have a regular system and process to follow when I do a certain task?

b) Is there a tool for automating or semi-automating the manual work?

After answering the questions, you’ll most likely find certain elements in your working procedures that are either missing or could be improved.

The role of tools is to help you to do something faster, easier and less error-prone. Having the right tools is essential to freeing up your time, reducing your workload and even – spending more time with your family instead of on your computer.

It’s important to remember that tools won’t solve all your work inefficiencies, and you still have to learn how to use them. On the other hand, tools can make your work processes more streamlined and automated than working without them.

Even the time investment to learn the tools is an issue, because with improved processes the time savings are going to be much more valuable in the long run.

Uneducated creature of habit

If you know that missing productivity tools is your pain point, then what prevents you to take action and getting those tools?

When I look at my own past behaviors, I have spotted the following reasons why I didn’t get the tools. See how many of these reasons apply to you:

• Things were working OK

There have been times when I was just plain reluctant to find out if there was a tool out there that would help me with my tasks.

My primary motive for doing that was: “Things are working now OK – I don’t want to mess up things.” I was living in the “If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it” world and at that moment the justification seemed reasonable.

• I had fears towards new tools

Although I’m an open-minded person, sometimes I was a bit scared to try something new. Maybe what the tool promised was too good to be true and I smelled the scam – and that’s why I didn’t learn more about them.

• Created bad working habits but didn’t improve them

I started working on a task, but I never improved my working habits later on.

We all know that especially when you start working a task for the first time, you are testing different ways of doing things and you may be very inefficient and unproductive.

However, if those inefficient working habits stick too long then you may find it hard to break those bad habits. That’s what happened to me on more than on occasion.

• “It costs time and money”

Time and money … my favorite excuse J.

This is an issue for many people. We are not buying the tools because it costs money and there is a learning curve to master those tools.

I have to say that I have fallen into this excuse too – and it cost me even more time.

• It was so cozy inside my comfort zone

Unlearning bad working habits may be one thing, but a failure to even recognize them as bad habits is even a bigger problem.

You think you are doing things right and you become very comfortable with this feeling. Any attempt to change your ways of working is bringing discomfort and inner resistance.

• I had to compromise my values and integrity

Sometimes I just felt uneasy when I saw a tool that would do the “cool things” for me. That uneasiness was linked into my own values.

I knew that if I started to use the tools, I would then compromise my integrity and values somehow. For example, one type of tool that caused knots in my stomach was article spinning tools.

Sure, you could create a ton of new content that way. However, just playing around with words and convincing myself that I’m providing unique content for my readers was just plain silly.

How to choose your hammer?

When streamlining your work and getting rid of manual tasks it all starts by getting your mindset in the right order. Many of the issues that I described in the previous chapter are more or less mindset issues that I had to deal with –which prevented me from becoming more productive.

Once you have the right “tool mindset,” you can spot many new ways of improving for work and saving time.

Next you continue by self-auditing your working habits. Take a note of all the steps you take and try to spot inefficiencies.

Be honest with yourself and don’t lie – if there is a task that could be handled easier and faster with a tool, you have spotted a weak point in your working habits.

Let’s take this even further: What if you don’t have any standard working systems or processes that you follow in the first place? Then it is even more important to take a note of all the steps you take and create a system! Listing all the work phases will open your eyes to see what you should be doing and what to avoid.

Creating and documenting a working process is going to take some time. However, when you get past the initial documenting phase and you have a system in place, you get your work done faster and you stay on track without slipups.

The final part of the tool choosing process is to find the right tools for the job. What tools you choose are clearly dependent on the work you are doing.

There may be many tools that can fill your needs, so evaluating and comparing between different tools before making a final decision is the best way to find the perfect tool for you.

It’s time to punch your timecard and grab your working overalls

Here are the detailed steps on the tool choosing process:

1. Fix your mindset

Don’t be afraid to test new tools. And especially don’t justify your negative buying decisions by using the time/money argument.

If you clearly see the benefits of using a certain tool, then take it as an investment to your business. Try to figure out how much time and money would be saved if you purchased the tool, and how much would be wasted if you didn’t.

Another major shift in your thinking has to be with constant improvement. Just because something works now doesn’t mean it can’t work better.

When you constantly audit your work processes and find ways to optimize them further with a proper tool then by all means, make the tool investment now!

Finally, think what you are missing if you are not buying the tools: Is it family time or your personal free time that gets neglected? Because of the resistance purchasing and applying the tools for the job you are missing out on things that are most important to you.

2. Self-audit your working processes

Once you got the right mindset, it’s time to do some self-auditing. What steps are you taking to do your work?

If you haven’t done this already, then it’s time to open a new document on your computer and write down all the steps that are required to do the task.

The benefit of doing this is that once you have all the tasks in front of you, you start to realize certain inefficient patterns that exist in your working methods.

3. Create a system and document it

The next step is to put all those steps you listed in part 2 in the right order and figure out if  there is a place for a tool in that process.

Write down the steps in a way that you can possibly outsource the process later on. Save this document on the cloud (like on Google Docs) so that you can access it whenever possible.

Once you have a system to follow, mark those spots that could possibly be improved by using a tool.

4. Find the tools for the job

Mindset: checked. Self-audit: checked. System and documents: checked. The only thing that is still missing is the actual tool.

To have the right tool for a given task, use this 4-step process to make a correct decision. This process assumes that you know what task you want the tool to perform, so this part of the process is not included here.

a) Find the tool(s)

First of all, you should find all the potential tools that could potentially handle your task.  I’m using plural form of the word tool, because most likely there are many tools that are capable of filling your need.

You can find the tools by using Google, forums and blogs in your market. You can also find them by using social media like LinkedIn, Facebook or asking about it on Twitter.

b) Evaluate and compare

Once you have found the available tools, it’s time to do some evaluation and comparing.

If possible, try giving a tool a test drive (assuming that there is a trial period), so that you have a better understanding what a prospective tool feels and looks like.

If it’s not possible to take your potential tool on a test drive, then you have to base your impressions of the tool by using the product details that can be normally found on the manufacturer’s website.

You may also have to compare different applications together. When I’m in a comparison situation like this, I tend to choose a product based on these criteria:

• Accessibility:

How can I access the application (browser, smart phone, tablet)? And can I use it in offline mode?

• Ease of use:

Is it easy to accomplish the tasks I want to perform? Is the user interface intuitive and easy to use?

• Price:

Surprise, surprise.  Price is one decision factor me, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that I always choose the most inexpensive one.

• Collaboration with other applications:

How well does this application mesh with other applications? Obviously this feature is not always needed, but if I need this functionality available, then obviously it is important.

• Delivery:

Can I download the application directly to my computer or do I have to order CDs/DVDs (plus pay some extra for shipping, handling and even customs)?

• Support:

If I’m stuck with my tool or I spot a defect in an application, can I submit the support ticket through the web or do I have to make a phone call? Or, does the software have any support at all?

• Active development:

If the last time the tool was updated was 2007, then I have a strong feeling that it is not in active development anymore. And if that is the case, the support is most likely non-existing.

• Lively user community:

This factor doesn’t always play a big role for me, but if the tool has an active community, the more active, the better. It most likely means that the tool is developed further – based on customer feedback.

b) Find reviews

Find out what others are saying about the product. It’s you who ultimately forms your own opinion of the product, but other user experiences play a very important role when making purchase decisions.

Try to also look for reviews made by bigger blogs or magazines.

c) Make the purchase decision

Pretty self-explanatory, but once you have found a tool where every area seems to be decent it’s time to purchase the product.

 My productivity tools

Finally, here are some of the tools I use (the ones marked with * are the ones I will start to test soon or I have used in the past).

(NOTE! All the tools work on Windows and Mac operating systems. For Windows Live Writer, I tried to include the closest Mac alternative)

• Nozbe (Time management application based on Getting Things Done, GTD)
• Enounce MySpeed (Let’s me to increase or  decrease the playback speed of my videos)
• BlogEngage RSS* (Automatically submits my posts to 5? Directories via RSS)
• BufferApp (Schedules my tweets with optimum times)
• Ping.Fm (Updates multiple social networks at once)
• Google Docs (My tool of choice for writing blog posts)
• Evernote (My tool of choice for capturing ideas and documents online)
• DropBox (A cloud-based storage tool)
• SpeechPad (My video transcripts are created here)
• FollowUp.cc* (Helps to follow up on the sent mails)
• Windows Live Writer (A Windows-based blogging client, that connects for e.g. with WordPress. MarsEdit is probably the closest alternative for Mac?)
• TweetAdder* (Twitter management tool, for e.g. auto follow feature)
• HootSuite*/TweetDeck* (Social networks/Twitter management tool. I can schedule tweets and Facebook updates – at least through HootSuite. TweetDeck is the tool I’m testing next)
• OnlyWire* (Autosubmit your content to various  social bookmarking sites automatically)
• LastPass (Manage my passwords, makes logging in to various services very fast)

Interview with Michael “Nozbe” Sliwinski

Conclusion

Tools can greatly improve your productivity by automating or streamlining your manual tasks. However, you want to evaluate the tools well in advance before making a purchasing decision.

Try to remember, sometimes you can do well without any fancy tools. Although tools are here to help us, you may very well do your job faster with your current working methods.

Your next tasks:

1. Put this blog post into action!

• Put all the work steps (related to a task) in a document and figure out if there are any parts that could be automated or done faster and easier by using a tool
• Purchase the tool by using a 4-step decision process

2. Share your experiences and tips on the comment area:

• What are your favorite productivity tools?

3. Spread the word:

• I would appreciate it if you share this post on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn or on BizSugar (click the vertical share bar on the left).

This is a guest post by Jeff Doubek.

There’s a simple reason why you aren’t always following-through with what needs to get done each day.

And, it’s not because you’re unorganized, lazy, or a bad person. You just don’t have the keys to putting yourself on the road to Productivityville, population You. Let’s fix this.

What you need: the 3 Steps for Follow-Through

Let’s face it, self discipline and motivation can’t always be there for you – by nature, we all have a limited supply. So, for those days when you just don’t have it – I’m going to offer a lifeline.

Three simple steps will make you more accountable, and here they are:

1) Get your mind out of the gutter

You know it’s there… I call it “the gutter,” that low-level area of mindless productivity where you tend to drift along on autopilot.

This is a zone where your mind lacks true focus and accountability, and you become susceptible to procrastination and distraction. It’s easy to get there if you’re not careful.

To keep your mind out of the gutter, do one simple step: write out your intentions. Create a to-do list of the top priorities. Be sure to clearly and specifically describe your desired outcome.

Writing out your intended actions creates a higher level of purpose to your activities. Having a handwritten reminder of your task or objective creates an iron-clad personal commitment.

Whenever you feel yourself drifting, just look at your list. This is just one exceptional reason a daily planner should be your dependable, everyday tool for success.

Time Tip: Don’t write a novel, just put down a phrase using an action verb and a simple, specific description.

2) Feed your passion

Let’s be honest, you aren’t wired to start your day ready to work. Therefore, it’s natural to think you’ve got to make your work interesting in order to do it.

The pleasure principle says you are more inclined to do what makes you feel good. Sadly, it’s usually the reason you procrastinate – so instead, make it the reason you are productive.

It’s simple, really. You are more likely to complete a task when you’re fully engaged in mind, body, and spirit. This is why it’s imperative you make each task more interesting.

Here are five tips for becoming more passionate about your tasks:

- Tie it to your dreams: before you start a task remind yourself about the specific goal you’re working toward
- Make it personal: come up with a reason why this task matches your personal values
- Plan a reward: like, if you do the laundry you can watch your favorite show tonight
- Challenge yourself: challenge yourself to follow through on consecutive days – show with X marks on your calendar
- Break it down: make simple tasks out of large ones – all tasks are more achievable once they are broken down into smaller steps

Time Tip: For example, cleaning my garage is a task I put off for weeks. But, once I separated it into 5 individual tasks (1) move boxes into the attic (2) organize tool shelves (3) recycle old appliances (4) hang bikes, and (5) sweep the floor; it became an actionable and rewarding task. Try it!

3) Get over it

There’s always an excuse for not doing something unpleasant. But you’ve got to look past these initial negative feelings.

Yes, it’s easier said than done, but spend a minute thinking about why you’re really avoiding it. There is almost always an inherent reason for not doing that task, and you typically aren’t going to admit it.

Once you face your fears, you are one step closer to getting over it, and getting it done.

Some questions you should ask:

- Do you fear failure? In reality, consequences are never as bad as they seem
- Are you lacking expertise? Find someone who can help you
- Is it something you don’t believe in? Discuss the task with your superior
- Are you really lacking energy? Get over these feelings of not wanting to do it
- Do work better under pressure? Stop putting that pressure on yourself

Truthfully, tasks never end up as bad as you initially thought. Anytime you hear yourself rationalizing a task away… stop! Focus on just doing the first thing, and get started. There’s no greater joy than getting a project done on schedule.

Time Tip: Start your streak. Put a checkmark in your daily or monthly planner after each day you accomplish a difficult task. Once you get started, you won’t want to break the chain of days where you got things done. It’s a wonderful motivator.

Jeff Doubek shares his expertise on time management and productivity at the Day-Timer Blog. Visit Day-Timer today for success tips and day planner systems for getting more done and achieving your goals.

Your next tasks:

1. Put this blog post into action!

• Don’t write a novel, just put down a phrase using an action verb and a simple, specific description.
• Break it down: make simple tasks out of large ones
• Put a checkmark in your daily or monthly planner after each day you accomplish a difficult task

2. Share your experiences and tips on the comment area:

• How do you hold yourself accountable?

3. Spread the word:

• I would appreciate it if you share this post on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn or on BizSugar (click the vertical share bar on the left).

When you plan your effective to do list for the next day, take some time to understand dependencies on other people or on external circumstances.

These dependencies may have a direct effect on how you are able to complete your task. However, if you haven’t given this a thought, you may find yourself wasting time with your tasks.

Shownotes and resources:

• Video length: 02:57
• Transcript: Not yet available
• Other video on this topic: Weekly Productivity Tip #1: Improve Your Daily Task List

Your next tasks:

1. Put this blog post into action!

2. Share your experiences on the comment area:

• Are you aware of the external dependencies of your tasks when you plan your day?
• Do you always have a second plan for your task, if the original plan does not work?

3. Spread the word:

• I would appreciate it if you share this post by clicking the buttons on the left hand vertical sidebar.

Welcome to WAHD Productivity Elements. This is a seven part series related to different productivity elements that are important to internalize and apply in every work at home dad’s (WAHD) daily life.

Each part of this series focuses on one important element (timing, nutrition, systems …) that is needed in order to keep a WAHD as productive as possible.

Every post focuses on one certain WAHD group and contains an interview regarding that particular group member.

Not only is it important to understand these elements, but it is also important to realize how these elements are used in real life scenarios.

Previous posts on this series:

• Part 1: Why Flexibility is the Key to Being Super Productive: A Conversation with Bill Nickerson, WAHD Internet Marketer

The typical day of a work at home dad consists of different pieces: Work, family time and your own personal free time. In addition, there is also the time you want to spend with just your spouse and also, you want to give your spouse an option of personal time for him/herself.

As you may realize, a work at home dad has many areas of life competing for his attention. In order to maintain the family well-being, a WAHD needs to master one critical concept in this package: balance.

When everything is rolling smoothly, a dad has enough time for everyone (and everything) and the whole family feels happy and content.

However, too many times you hear stories of where a dad has been focusing on just one sector in this whole entity and it is work.

When there is an imbalance like this, it starts to affect your family’s well-being. When one’s work takes the majority of his attention, the rest of the family may feel neglected, since a dad won’t have enough time for them.

Because of this work overload, you are also lacking your own personal time (e.g. for hobbies). Also, your fast pace won’t allow your spouse to spend time with you on her own and he/she will have to stay at home with the kids the majority of time.

Finally, this imbalance will affect your productivity too, and you will find it hard to get your work done. When the rest of the family is not feeling well, it affects to your well-being too. You will definitely have a hard time focusing on your work.
When a situation like the above continues for too long, it may cause serious drawbacks to your family life and may even threaten the unity of your family.

Things add-up – bit by bit

Imbalance doesn’t just happen overnight – it is cumulative in nature and its negative effects are shown only after a certain amount of time.

For example, if a work at home dad occasionally spends too much time on his computer, this may not cause any response from his spouse. But when things continue to go on like this on a continual basis, his spouse will start to react to the situation with tiredness, irritability and even by shouting.

This is a warning sign that should be taken seriously. When this kind of situation occurs, it is time to stop and think for a moment about why your spouse is reacting the way he/she does.

Most likely this is because of the imbalance between one’s work and family life. The spouse may feel that he/she is left alone with his/her family, while the other parent keeps working all the time (thus focusing too much on the work aspect of his life).

Which comes first: your family or your business?

There are numerous things that can weaken the balance of well-being inside your family.

First and foremost is the lack of communication that causes confusion. If your spouse and kids have a hard time understanding what is it that you do in the first place (on your computer), then it’s very easy to understand their confusion and frustration.

You may also be very unfocused and disorganized and you work more than what is needed. If you don’t have work plan to follow, then it is a sure way to overload yourself with too much work, which will then lead to imbalance and less time with kids and your spouse.

Lack of defined boundaries is also one reason that puts the family’s well-being into danger. I know from my own experience that my work could easily fill every moment of my free time.

If you are experiencing the same (as in my example) and you are not actively setting boundaries, you are going cause unnecessary friction inside your family.

Balance means that you and your spouse have private free time too. Make sure that both of you have dedicated time for each other to have his/her own activities too. This gives both of you more energy and alertness to run everyday family life.

Finally, take good care of yourself by sleeping enough, taking breaks when you work, and by exercising and eating healthy food. This part cannot be underestimated and forms a good foundation for your well-being.

From imbalance to balance

To solve the unfavorable balance issue, there are five things to master:

• Define your boundaries
• Communication with your family
• Planning your day/week together
• Maximizing your available time
• Balanced lifestyle (sleep, breaks, exercise, nutrition)

Define your boundaries clearly. Decide on the work-times when you are unavailable for the rest of the family.

Does your family know why are you spending time on your computer? Communicate this with your family and don’t keep it to yourself. This way the expectations are set right from the get-go and there is no guesswork done by your family members. This makes it easier for them to accept that you are working.

It is also important to plan the week together with your family. Try to find balance so that there is an equal amount of time for your family, for your work and for personal free time (both for yourself and your spouse).

Next, it is important to fine-tune your existing work processes, so that you are not working on things that don’t have any value to you.

Cut all the extra work that is unneeded out and have a laser-sharp focus on those things that matter.

The time saved here can be then spent with your family and it gives you flexibility to spend more time with your spouse.

Imbalance can be fixed – here is how!

Balance is something that every work at home dad should strive for. When your family is happy, you are happy and more productive.

There are several ways to maintain the balance:

1. Everything starts by defining your boundaries. Decide that you won’t work on your computer after a certain hour of the day (for example, you shut down your computer at 9PM every night) or that you will only work when the rest of the family is away or sleeping/napping. Define a schedule to follow and stick to it.

2. Next, it’s time to communicate about your boundaries and let your family know when you are working. Talk about this topic to your family and mark the times into a family calendar or an online one (the main requirement is that your family can access it easily).

When you communicate about your work with your family, it will also be good moment to define some common rules. For example, you should be able to work without any interruptions. If you are open about this, there is a much better chance that your request will be understood and that no guesswork will be involved.

3. Plan your week together with your spouse. Talk to each other about what the coming week might include and mark those important dates on your calendar.

Also, try to find free spots on the calendar so that you and your spouse can have time by yourselves (for example personal hobby time or time with friends). This is a great way to keep the family wheels rolling even when there are busy times.

4. It’s important that you are not spending your working time doing irrelevant stuff. That’s why you should constantly tweak your working processes and automate/outsource (Fiverr for smaller stuff, Elance for project work or by hiring a VA) as much as possible. And hey, there is no one stopping you to outsource some of the work to your family too!

Constantly ask yourself: “How can I make the biggest impact with the simplest action?” ”Is this task something I should be doing” or “Does this task take me closer to my goals?”.

When you constantly ask these questions, you will realize that you get even more done than before and you will reach your objectives much quicker.

Know your next action when an unexpected time block occurs. Especially if you are a part-time WAHD, you will never have enough time to work on your business as a full-time WAHD. That’s why it is important to take advantage of extra free moments as soon as they occur.

5.  Pay close attention to when you take breaks, how well you sleep (or nap), how much you exercise and what kinds of food you eat.

These are all very important factors when it comes to your personal well-being.

For example, I personally have lots of physical activities in my life: I swim, I run, I ride bicycle, I go to the gym (kettlebells). One thing that I have found out to be a good time for exercising is the time before I go to the office. This way I get my first exercise session done before going to work and this time is not taken away from my family time (since they are sleeping when I go to the gym or swimming hall).

In addition, I eat healthy food by avoiding as much white sugar and wheat as possible and eat vegetables, berries and seeds instead (and in general, as much organic food as possible).

However, before you start making changes (radical or less radical ones) to your current lifestyle, I strongly advise you to talk with your doctor or personal trainer first. They are the best people to tell you if you have a special condition that limits your diet or the exercises you can do.

Interview with Craig Jarrow of Time Management Ninja

• Please find the interview here

Conclusion

As you can now realize, balance is a very important thing to master in order to maintain the well-being inside your family and also – to keep you productive.

Even if the balance may be somewhat difficult to maintain at times (especially if you are a part-time WAHD), it is definitely worth the effort.

I hope that this article gave you some ideas on how to maintain the balance and how fix the imbalance, if it ever occurs to you.

Your next tasks:

1. Put this blog post into action!

• Plan your week (the whole family)
• Maximize your available time; focus on stuff that is only necessary
• Set clear boundaries for your work and communicate this with your family

2. Share your experiences and tips on the comment area:

• How do you keep balance in your family?
• Do you set clear boundaries between your work and your family?

3. Spread the word:

• I would appreciate it if you share this post on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn or on BizSugar (click the vertical share bar on the left).