Time management for the home based business owner is probably the most difficult skill to master. It is very easy to let daily life intrude on your business so it is necessary to set very strict boundarys and guidelines and stick to them. This goes for yourself and your family members.
For a home based business to be successful you have to have the support and cooperation of all of the members of your household. They must recognize that although you are at home you are working. You may not be able to get a full 8 hour block of time to complete your work every day.

Many people choose to run their businesses at home for a variety of reasons but having young children at home is typically the reason for most women. Daycare costs can be a big financial burden for many families. As a home business owner it may still be necessary to employ a day care service on a smaller scale if you are going to make a full time income from your business.

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst."
William Penn

1. Make one area of your home your workspace. Set boundaries and limits for all family members that when you are in that space they are not to disturb you unless absolutely necessary. So unless the house is burning down or someone is bleeding....don't interrupt me!
2. Hire someone to take your children on daily outings. It is good for all of you. This will free up a 2-3 hour block of time that you can use for appointments, meetings and telephone time when the house will be in total silence. People may admire you for running your business at home but they will not appreciate children constantly interupting a business meeting.
3. Young children usually take naps. Make the most of their nap time to get a big chunk of your daily schedule done.
4. Get both yourself and your family into a workday routine. Organization is the key to success for any home based business. Get up and get anyone off to work or school that needs to go and then settle into your work schedule. This may include setting up an activity that the children left at home can do on their own for a period of time. Then go to work.
5. Do not turn on the TV or set yourself up for any other distraction. It is too easy to avoid doing the necessary tasks if you give yourself an "out".
6. Delegate chores to other family members. You are not super-human and cannot possibly expect to handle all of the daily upkeep of a house, children and business on your own. Have older children do basic housekeeping. Loosen up, so what if they may not do it as well as you would? At least it is getting done. Get hubby to bath the baby and do bedtime routines. Get everyone involved in meal preparation. This not only will help you with time management, it teaches children valuable life skills and helps your partner be more involved in the children's lives.

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."
Carl Sandburg

To successfully run a full-time home business you will need 6-8 hours per day of work time. You may get a couple of hours in the morning, a couple in the afternoon and a couple in the evening. The key is to make the most of those hours and be organized enough to be able to just pick up where you left off without having to waste time preparing to work. Do make time for yourself and your family. After all, isn't that the reason you are doing this in the first place?

To sum it all up, you have the time management skills to successfully run your home based business. You just need the discipline for yourself and your family to put those skills to good use every single day.