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What is your D.M.O. (Daily Method of Operation)?

June 14th, 2010 by Mary Thayer

My little princesses!

A Candid View From a Work at Home Mom

When you are running a home based business sometimes it is easy to get distracted. There are so many triggers that can take a perfectly good day and turn it into a scattered waste of a day.

If I told you I had the perfect daily method of operation aka..D.M.O. I would be a liar. I have a D.M.O. but it is continually getting refined and developed.

It certainly is a process to get one developed that is productive and profitable at the same time. The discipline to keep it up becomes easier when it reaches both of these points. The issue with that is it takes discipline to get to the productive and profitable point in your business first! It truly is a circular process.

Developing your D.M.O. should be your main focus. Not just any D.M.O but one that is achievable, productive, and profitable at the same time. I work at home around three small children (6,4, and 1) and I have found that my D.M.O. integrates everything I do around the house- like laundry and meal preparation- to business activities like making calls during nap time, advertising, content creation, social media and of course plenty of interruptions like tickle time:-).

If you have children you know that interruption free time is limited. Notice I say limited not non- existent. Honestly if you are seriously going to run a successful home business you need to have some scheduled uninterrupted time that you can count on.

As a serious business owner I realized early on that I needed to have more time to myself (without the interruptions of my children). A solution that works for us is to schedule a day and a half that my children go to Grandma’s house. They love going, my mom loves to spend time with them, and we pay her so she has a little something for her work as well. Invest in your business by getting some valuable focused time away from your kids during the day as well. If your main reason for working at home was to avoid daycare make sure you and your spouse work out something so you have some sort of set time to work by yourself. Your business will thank you!

During my process of developing my D.M.O. I discovered I am more productive when I have a plan and task list for each day. This plan is specific to what I will do at what time of the day.

For example I started to get up 1 hour earlier in the morning. In this 1 hour I am able to get most of my daily business tasks done. Leaving the rest of my day to focus on bigger projects. Having this one hour to myself has increased my productivity exponentially. To be honest the productivity that I achieve in this one hour is way more valuable to me than that hour of sleep was!

Next I started to schedule calls during nap time. So again any mothers or fathers reading this know that even nap time can be volatile at best.  To my surprise by simply scheduling this activity to this specific time I was able to successfully complete several calls while the house was quiet! If you have older children that do not take naps you can schedule quiet reading time. If they are old enough to read they are old enough to understand that they cannot interrupt you during that specific time.

When you are developing your D.M.O. expect to:
Alter it frequently in the beginning, it takes awhile to get the BEST possible method down.
Make a list the night before of what you will accomplish the next day.
Make a commitment to your scheduled tasks. Yes you will have derailing moments but do whatever it takes to get back on track!
Start with small tasks and build it up as you become more proficient in each skill you are adding daily.
Do not ever, ever, ever, ever give up!

The clear benefits of developing a D.M.O. include:
More productivity in the hours spent working on your business.
Your work day becomes more predictable.
A schedule will help you stay on task.
Your business will grow consistently as a result of consistent daily activities.
Your productive and profitable D.M.O. is a great blueprint to hand off to your new teammates to get off to a quick start!

Developing a D.M.O. had helped my home base business grow much easier and quicker. Managing yourself so that you make the most effective use of your time is the key.

Please share ideas and tips on how your daily method of operation has helped you grow your business below in the comments.

If you want to find out more about what I do and how you can have access to the same high quality training Click Here.

8 Comments on What is your D.M.O. (Daily Method of Operation)?

8 Comments

  • Posted by Coach Freddie on June 14, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    Hi Mary,
    I like your D.M.O… Daily Method of Operation. I have to work on that for myself.
    Thanks

    Coach Freddie
    Coach Freddie´s last blog ..Manifesting Is As Natural As Sunshine My ComLuv Profile

  • Posted by Mike Morgan on June 17, 2010 at 6:39 am

    Hi Mary,
    What an awesome post!
    You have nailed the realities of working from a home office around a family – there are horror-stories of marketers shut in a “do not disturb” office for 14 hours a day!
    Do we not do this to spend more valuable time with the people we love?
    Thanks for your wisdom.

  • Posted by Ghyslain on June 17, 2010 at 10:35 am

    Mary, very well said. It is certainly tough to manage a business and a family. Great job here!

  • Posted by Michael Friedman on June 17, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    Mary,
    If you don’t have a daily plan you are really flying by the seat of your pants. This will certainly reflect in your personal and business results. It is surprising how much one can accomplish if you have structure. Not to mention being able to spend more time with your beautiful family.

  • Posted by Mavis Nong on June 18, 2010 at 1:21 pm

    Hey Mary,

    Spot on! As a work-at-home mum too, I really enjoyed reading your post.

    I also find that having a DMO works best for me and has helped me improve my productivity a great deal.

    Here’s what I do: At the end of each day, I plan for the next day and when I wake up in the morning I know exactly what’s lined up for me.

    I work in time blocks and do my best to minimise interruptions. I prioritise my tasks in terms of importance and urgency. I find that starting off the day with big tasks and finishing off with small ones works great for me.

    And yes, I love the nap times, perfect for bigger projects and connecting with prospects!

    Thanks for sharing.

    Much success,
    Mavis Nong
    Mavis Nong´s last blog ..Blogging – How To Get Rid Of The Writer’s Block **Part 1** My ComLuv Profile

  • Posted by Virgen Bugay on June 25, 2010 at 11:28 pm

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  • Posted by Stacey Turner on November 04, 2010 at 2:14 am

    I have been working from home for almost 8 years now. In that time I have had two more babies and moved across the country three different time. Having a working DMO is the one thing I can contribute my continued momentum and growth to.

    Without a DMO you are left wondering what to do next. Plan your work and work your plan!

    Loved your info!
    Stacey

  • Posted by Mary Thayer on November 04, 2010 at 1:49 pm

    Hey Stacey,
    Thanks for stopping by! Wow, what a woman working at home, having 2 babies, and moving across the country three different times! That is incredible! Keep up the great work!
    Mary Thayer

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