I often spend my days networking, translation: rambling on and on for hours with friends over the Internet on social media sites. I would not say the networking I do is productive in that it is bringing me in money, however, it is forming relationships which is very important when working strictly on-line. The point of my post today is to discuss what methods you are using to waste time when you could be using that time to make money.
Although networking is fun and entertaining, is it really bringing you in money? It’s great to get out there on-line and form new virtual relationships because those connections can bring you money in the future, however, I feel if you are going to network for the mere social satisfaction then you should limit the time spent “mingling”. It is very easy to get all caught up in tweeets, ning groups and other social media sites to later find you are almost at the end of your “work day” and have accomplished very little in regards to business.
What I propose is this, “Time is money & Money is Time”; translation: spend time in areas that will bring in money. If you are networking make sure it’s productive. Always reference your work at some point, do not spam your on-line friends but reference, when appropriate, your business website, your blog, anything that may bring your on-line friends attention to your “work”. I must admit I don’t like to see links thrown at me all day long, however, if I am having a casual conversation about how my son is driving me crazy or my head is pounding from a major headache and an on-line friend references their blog post or business website that may be able to assist me in my areas of trouble I am happy that they sent the link. Now if I am chatting away about an issue and someone throws in some odd link that is so off key and does not relate to our conversation it leaves me with a dropped jaw and quite frankly I will not visit the link.
In order to be successful in working from home, one must make sure they are devoting time efficiently. Without networking your business will not thrive in an on-line environment. If your area of business is blogging, then sites like Twitter or Twittermoms would be a great area for networking and making the most bang for your buck; so to speak. I must admit blogging is the funnest “job” I have ever had; I get to pursue my love for writing while mingling daily with virtual friends…that’s my kinda work 
I have found lately I have been too caught up in socializing and not enough in working. What I have decided to do, and you may follow along, is to keep attract of the hours I spend on twitter, skype and other networking
I propose this to you; log your hours spent socializing, networking, and being “unproductive” in a sense, then log the hours you spend working and making money. Could you alleviate some of the networking or socializing time in a way that will better assist you to make your time = more money? Think about this, and let me know, I am curious how many others who work at home have this same problem as me; being overly involved in socializing and not overly involved in using work time wisely.
Hugs,
[...] is a must, but it needs to be productive. Building professional and friendly on-line relationships is important, however, it is easy to get [...]