Now, for the first time in 8 years I have a little over 2 hours to myself every weekday morning – not to be shared with anyone! The balance has shifted – a little more room for the other things that can easily take up my time. At least now I’ll be able to do some of those without being interrupted – increase in focus.

Rediscovering some things I used to enjoy…

• Listening to the radio (instead of Barney, or The Wiggles) while I work helps me focus.
• Doing dishes in a quiet house, start to finish, is very mentally therapeutic. I can get lost in thought AND have a clean sink for at least a couple during the day.
• Okay, I’ve never enjoyed grocery shopping, but at least now it is more enjoyable being able to do it during the morning hours – no kids + less crowds = quicker trip.
• Taking a shower AND washing my hair without feeling rushed – need I say more?

My balance shift has resulted in some other changes that’ll be coming up in future posts here very soon. My new routine, and a new approach to doing business online. Feels good!

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Use your blog’s scheduling feature – Most blogging platforms (I use WordPress) allow you schedule your blog posts in advance so that they are published on specified dates and times. This way you can have have the time away from your business knowing your posts are being published while you’re gone. This keeps your blog updated, and offers no interruption and fresh content for your readers.

Keep your newsletters going out – If your newsletter goes out on a weekly basis, or some other interval like the first and third Monday of each month, it is important that you keep your schedule. Many email providers (I recommend Aweber) allow prescheduling of newsletters. So, if you’re going to be out of town on the 15th, you could format your newsletter on the 10th and schedule it to go out the morning of the 15th without skipping a beat.

Outsource some tasks if necessary – If you already work with a VA, this is the perfect opportunity to assign some tasks that will help your business run while you are away. If a VA is not in your budget, then bartering with a trusted online friend, or recruiting family members to assist might be an option.

Check in when/if you can – You don’t want emails going unanswered for days, so depending on what coverage you may have arranged, it’s a good idea to check you email everyday, or every other day. If you’re on Twitter, hop on and tweet every so often. The idea is to maintain your relationships, even while you’re away.

I’m writing from experience here, because I just got back from being away for a week. I prescheduled posts on two sites, had 2 newsletters go out with the help of prescheduling, checked my email every day or so, and kept up on Twitter through my iPod Touch Twitter app. Did ya miss me??

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*GET OUT OF DEBT!!!!
*STAY OUT OF DEBT!!!
*LIVE DEBT-FREE!!!!

Unless you’ve shopped during the year, or unless you’ve diligently saved money to spend at Christmas, you will be tempted to do what many Americans do in November and December: They push prudence and wisdom aside to indulge in overspending.

Is it really worth it?

“The borrower is servant to the lender” is a nugget of wisdom found in the Bible. Have you experienced how awful it is to be “servant to the lender?” It’s not a joyful experience having bill-collectors call repeatedly. It’s no fun paying interest on loans or paying late fees! The way to avoid the stress of trying to pay back all those credit cards, or catching up on the bills you put off is to stay out of debt in the first place!

Determine honestly how much you can afford to spend on gifts this year, and stick to it! Promise yourself (and your spouse if you’re married) that you will not borrow one penny to pay for “Christmas,” and that you will not put off paying your regular bills in order to buy gifts either.

Get creative with traveling, cooking and gift-giving. Millions of people have done it through the years, and you can too! It begins with the determination that “debt is bad” and is directly followed up with a resolve not to go there.

Decide and act. Decide to enjoy your Holiday Season, even if it means spending less money, then act on it! Do whatever you have to, to avoid debt. Wouldn’t you rather be a servant to your family than to the credit card companies?

Be sure to pick up your copy of Stress Free Holiday Entertaining for some tips to help you breeze through the Holidays and enjoy your family and friends!

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