Despite our best intentions, time with family and friends often gets pre-empted by deadlines, meetings, business trips, and other obligations. But spending quality time with the people you care about not only nurtures those relationships, but it can also nurture your business because it relieves stress and reminds you of your priorities.

Quality time is all about focusing on the other person and listening attentively as you do an activity you both enjoy or just catch up on each other’s lives (that means no furtive glances at your BlackBerry or your watch as you mentally recap your to do list). Yes, it can be tough to carve out a few hours in an already packed schedule, but it’s well worth it and doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are some suggestions for fun, low-cost activities with family members or friends:

*Group potluck picnic or swap party. Getting together with a group lets you catch up with several people at once. A potluck offers an intimate and inexpensive alternative to dinner at a restaurant, while a swap party lets you clean out your closet or bookshelves while trading with friends. You could donate any leftover items to charity.

*Volunteer project. Giving back to the community is a great way to spend your time, especially when you can do it with your family or a couple of friends. Choose a charity that is meaningful to everyone or alternate who gets to pick the activity to make it fair.

*Outdoor activities. Walking, hiking, running, swimming, or other outdoor activities give you a chance to get some exercise and fresh air while catching up with friends, family, and other loved ones. Being outdoors is also excellent stress relief and aids your absorption of vitamin D. So go hit the park or beach!

*Craft projects. Thanks to the DIY craze, craft projects like knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, or making your own jewelry are more popular than ever. Enlist the help of a crafty friend or check out a couple of instructional books from the library to get started. (I’m enjoying putting together photos of my father who passed last year.)

*Movie marathon. Choose a few movies you’ll both enjoy from NetFlix or the local library. You could choose a theme such as Fifties Fluff or Brat Pack Attack or just pop in whatever appeals to you and your friends or family. Add some microwave popcorn and drinks for an easy, inexpensive evening of entertainment.

*Board games. Feel like a kid again with CandyLand, smarten up with Scrabble (my favorite!), or fuel your inner mogul with a game of Monopoly. Board games are a great activity if you have kids, but they can also be fun for adults. Puzzles can be fun, too, with the right group of people.

Once you and your family or friends decide on a date to get together, write it in your calendar and treat it like you would an important business appointment: no last-minute canceling or rescheduling unless absolutely necessary. You and the people in your life will appreciate having guaranteed time together to relax and reconnect.

© 2009 Ali International, LLC Self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur Ali Brown is devoted to creating financial freedom for women globally through the power of entrepreneurship. To learn how to create wealth and live an extraordinary life now, register for her free weekly articles at www.AliBrown.com

Inner Diva Dilemma: You never have enough time. And it’s not for a lack of attempt at time management. You’ve tried Schedule A, System Z and every theory in between. The next person to recommend another time management book to you may very well find the book being thrown at them.

What There Is For You To Know:You can’t manage time. Time is a river. The old adage is true. And a river that’s been dammed or boxed in by human hands will inevitably someday break the artificial boundaries and run exactly where it most naturally runs. Your schedule is the same. Appointments run over time. You lose internet connection and can’t do email when you planned. Before you know it, your nice neat schedule is running wildly over the time boxes of 9:45, 10:15 and 1:30 that you were so hoping it would follow.

Go A Little Wild With Time: Back in 1993, I worked in Yosemite National Park and lived right next to the wild Merced River. Wow, was that thing alive! Just standing next to it, there was a life energy you couldn’t deny. The same is true of your schedule when you let the river of time flow naturally through it….

Try It On The Fly: You can keep the little time boxes of your schedule- just like you need a boat on a wild river, they provide a container and some guidance so that you’re not being tossed about willy nilly on the rocks. And…have a little giggle. Chuckle to yourself at the silliness of having thought these boxes would actually run the river. Instead, watch to see how the river runs them.

Now go for a ride. Holding the boxes loosely, follow your schedule as planned while watching where the river of time naturally wants to take you. When it runs wild over your scheduled plan, instead of seeing failure, take a moment to ask, “What’s the natural flow here?” Notice what happens easily in the natural flow and what falls away.

Tips For Troubleshooting: Some boxes are non-negotiable, like picking your kids up from school at 3pm. You can’t “just flow” with that box! Treat these non-negotiables as river markers. Then notice how the river of time wants to flow naturally from one marker to the next. And there’s no pressure to do this perfectly- each time you experiment with Wild River time, you’ll learn a bit more about the natural time river flow.

Let me know how it goes. This is just a taste of a big topic, so you’ll probably have some questions that I’m happy to answer!

This article written by Lisa Hunter of Inner Business Diva.  Find more great articles and get the free guide to Tame Your Never-Enough Cycle… End the seemingly endless cycle of constantly feeling behind!  Easy & practical tips that fit your high-energy, go-getting style. http://www.innerbusinessdiva.com/sexy-time-management/free-articles

Join Lisa (and me!) at the next Diva Business Day to relax, connect, brainstorm, and enjoy a day with other go-getting entrepreneurial woman.  Details at http://www.innerbusinessdiva.com/diva-business-day

If you’ve been following me or subscribed to my newsletter for a while, you already know I love article marketing as a promotional strategy.  One place I regularly submit my articles to is WAHM Articles, and you can find more info below about the site.

This week we’ve been authorized to giveaway ONE Platinum membership to the article marketing forum!  In addition, I’ll include a free copy of my guide to article marketing for the winner.  Would you like to enter?  Just post a comment below and we’ll draw a random winner on May 6th then announce it in the newsletter next week.

Many women with home businesses discover that being a work at home mom requires a lot more time, money and energy than they had expected.

If your time and energy is in short supply, and your business needs a boost, WAHM-Articles.com has launched a new social networking community that might help.

The WAHM-Articles Forum helps work-at-home-moms learn how to market their businesses in less time and more effectively by using article marketing. Article marketing is a marketing strategy where you write articles to promote your products and services and let others publish them for free in exchange for a link back to your site.

Many of the members at the WAHM-Articles Forum are experienced article marketers and publishers, so it’s a great place to hook up with website owners who are looking for articles like yours and ask all your article marketing questions.

In the forum, they talk about everything to do with article marketing, including:

-   How to write articles that get more traffic to your website or blog
-   How to use your articles to get more subscribers to your mailing list
-   How to get your article readers to visit your website
-   How to convince those website visitors to buy from you.

Joining the forum is free. There is also a Platinum membership that gives you access to article reviews, article marketing training, and valuable resources and discounts. Platinum memberships are available for an introductory price of $50 a year.

If you want to learn how to get more traffic and sales in less time, I recommend you go to http://www.WAHM-Articles.com/forum and register for a free account.

I’m a member and I’ve already learned a lot from the community there. If you join us, you can discover how to spend less time on marketing your website so you have more time spend with the kids, or on taking your business to the next level.

I’d love to see you there! You can register at http://www.WAHM-Articles.com/forum

Discover the joy of running your own home-based service business… allowing you the flexibility and freedom to be there when your children need you… I’ve done it, and so can you! Download Kimberly Reddington’s popular report “4 Lifesaving Keys to a Successful Service Business for Mothers” by visiting http://www.cereuswomen.com

With just a bit of work and creativity, you can transform your home office into a space that you feel energized by and enjoy spending time in.

Remove and Declutter

Give yourself permission to declutter your space and remove anything that makes you feel anxious or that you’ve been tolerating but don’t love.

Organize Everything

Take time to plan out what you need in your space, then organize it in a way that supports your needs. Arrange your various office furniture (desk, shelves, storage cubbies, etc) so it’s easy to access what you use most frequently.

Keep your office supplies and desk organized as well. You’ll save time, feel more relaxed, and enjoy your office space more when you know exactly where things are.

Artwork to Inspire

Beautiful things on the walls can lift your spirits or serve to keep you centered and focused.

You can often find inexpensive frames at secondhand shops or discount retailers. Just replace what’s in them.

Some ideas for budget-friendly wall decor include:
- your own photography
- artwork by your children
- recycled postcards or calendar pages
- inspirational quotes

Another great way to inspire yourself with wall decor is to create an inexpensive vision board or story board with items and photographs significant to your own personal journey and goals.

Create an Ambiance

Surround yourself with the scents and sounds that help you feel motivated and strong.

Consider these items for your office:
- candles
- incense
- reed or oil diffusers
- soft music

Add Life

Bring life into your home office space and you may find it improves your health and productivity. Live plants bring beauty into your space and clean your air. A goldfish (or other fish) can help you relax.

What are you waiting for? Create your home office sanctuary and make your space a place you love.

(Be sure to read all the way to the bottom where I’ve included links you can use to get listed in green directories, join campaigns, and add credibility to your site if you’re running a green business.)

Let’s start this month’s article with a friendly disclaimer. I am aware that not everyone agrees with Al Gore, Leo DiCaprio, Al Sharpton or Pat Robertson. There’s a quite a debate with interesting scientific evidence and support for several perspectives on the issue and I respect that. So, if you don’t believe global warming could be the end of civilization, there are other compelling reasons to take action to be environmentally friendly in your business.

Respect for the planet and life all around you is the most basic of those reasons, but here are three others: it can reduce your costs, increase your efficiency, and add to your USP (unique selling position).

By following the familiar reduce, reuse, and recycle mantra you can save financially, which will allow you to invest more into growing your business or free up family finances.

You can increase your efficiency and get more organized by making small “green” changes such as printing less. For example, fewer piles of overflowing paper will make it easier to keep that working space clean and uncluttered so you can stay focused.

Sharing that you care, whether it’s about the planet, the people, or some other angle, or some other cause entirely, helps you connect with your market and become more “real” than just a hidden person behind a faceless website. It’s okay to allow your personality and passions to shine through your website and marketing. In fact, it’s smart marketing!

So with those benefits in mind, here are some small steps you can take to make your business greener:

1) Reduce the amount of paper you use. Before you print, think. Do you *really* need to print out that email or document? If you just need a backup copy, pick up an inexpensive USB thumb drive and use it to save copies of important files.

2) Reuse and recycle. Keep a small box or tray for paper that you’ve printed on but no longer need and announce to your children that they are welcome to color, paint, cut, etc with the paper. Kids don’t mind recycled paper and some really creative projects can result from paper that’s already been used.

3) Buy EnergyStar appliances. Watch the energy usage on any appliances you purchase–computers, sergers, sewing machines–whatever tools are required for your trade. Always turn them off when not in use.

4) Go paperless for billing. Many business models easily lend themselves to e-billing. If yours does, do it. It will save you not only paper/envelopes, but also time and postage. Bills get where they need to go quicker, too.

5) Use organic, recycled and/or natural elements. If you’ve got choices in the materials you use, take a few minutes to research your options. You may be pleasantly surprised by the range of choices available.

6) Choose reusable. Instead of notebooks and paper for your to do lists, consider a dry erase board or go to a digital online version. Try Google Calendar instead of a paper planner. If your products require certain materials during the production process, can you use something reusable instead of disposable?

7) Buy in bulk. You’ll save time as well as trips back and forth to the store if you purchase in bulk.

8) Change your lighting. Open the windows in your home office or working area and enjoy the beautiful, natural light! Replace your old style light bulbs with energy-saving fluorescent bulbs to save energy and reduce your electric bill.

9) Choose a VA (virtual assistant) instead of an in-person assistant. Work with employees or contractors who work from their homes and you’ll help save the gas and emissions from cars driving back and forth as well gain as many, many other benefits.

10) Combine errands and schedule meetings selectively. Can you do them all on one day? Fewer trips in your car are better. If you can eliminate some errands by having the USPS carrier (who’s already driving by) pick up packages or meeting with clients via Skype instead of in-person, consider it.

11) Buy Green Tags. With green tags you can compensate for your CO2 usage. I purchase mine through https://www.greentagsusa.org/GreenTags/index.cfm

12) Go 100% Replanted. Through http://www.replanttrees.org you can have trees planted to make up for your paper usage.

13) Choose your packaging materials carefully. You can find green packing materials starting at http://www.sustainablepackaging.org or http://clearbags.com/?category|BIOBAGS Recycle or reuse when feasible.

14) Deliver your products digitally. Can you offer a digital version of your products? How about offering your patterns as a PDF download? Or a PDF ebook option of your printable book? Encourage the digital options. Check out http://www.e-junkie.com for an easy way to sell digital items online.

15) Sell locally. No need for shipping if you sell to local customers. Try craft shows or farmers markets if they fit your products. You can find listings online at http://www.indiecraftfairguide.com or http://www.indiecraftshows.com Depending on your products you could also work out discounts or commission based deals with tourist shops, museums, locally owned bookstores and other businesses or organizations in your local area.

16) Support green businesses. Does your webhost power their servers with green energy? Does your printer offer recycled paper for brochures or business cards? Look for ways to support other businesses who are making an effort to be green.

17) Share your commitment! Websites listed below maintain link directories of eco-aware businesses. Add yours if you’re taking action steps to be earth friendly.

• EcoFirms: www.ecofirms.org/support.php
• EcoBusinessLinks: www.ecobusinesslinks.com
• Green People: www.greenpeople.org/addlisting.cfm
• Coop America’s Green Pages: www.coopamerica.org ($75)
• OCA Green People: www.organicconsumers.org/btc/BuyingGuide.cfm
• US Green Commerce: www.usgreencommerce.org/bestbb

Got more suggestions? Leave a comment below and share your ideas.

A subscriber on the Powerful Business Networking group asked for a checklist of steps to starting an online store.  Here’s what I shared..

Off the top of my head, here are some steps I’d recommend:

* Check local and state licensing/permit requirements for the business area and structure you’ve chosen — get your DBA or LLC setup, etc
Federal (US) — http://tinyurl.com/262r7x
State — http://tinyurl.com/2hbrul
Local — http://tinyurl.com/yvxzus

* Choose your business/product line names and do searches to be sure you don’t violate an existing trademark or service mark: http://tinyurl.com/26dp91

* Decide on your account method (keep good records!)

* Decide on and sign up for your payment acceptance methods
PayPal — http://www.paypal.com
Google Checkout — http://checkout.google.com
Merchant Account — http://cdgcommerce.com

* Research and choose a domain name and website host
I have a free PDF on my website that is helpful for this step, called “Getting Started Online”:
http://themusesguide.com/resources.html

* Start working on a marketing plan.  Be sure to include getting listed in online shopping directories, Google Base (http://base.google.com), etc.  I offer a free mini marketing workshop that covers some basics at http://www.marketingbrainstormworkshop.com/miniworkshop

* Begin researching and choose your shopping cart
Start by listing out all the features that you need, such as types of products you want to sell (virtual downloads or physical shipped products), what shipping and payment methods you need, whether you need to be able to collect taxes on your products, your technical ability level (because some carts are much more user friendly than others), etc.  Be sure to really research shopping carts and make sure that you know what features you want before you pick one.  Look around to see what other stores in your business are using and how it works for them.  Ask friends or colleagues what carts they’re using and if they’re happy with them.

* Create your logo and customize your website/shopping cart, setting up your payment methods, shipping methods, categories, products, informational pages, etc

* Setup a newsletter/announcement list and add it to your website.  I recommend www.aweber.com but there are lots of other options.  I do not recommend Yahoo Groups or anything similar that requires your customers to go sign up for an account somewhere just to get your newsletter.  Make it easy for them.  Yahoo Groups is great for connecting and interactive groups.  Other services are better for business newsletters.  Spring for one that does not add advertisements to your newsletters.  www.ymlp.com is another good, reliable service to consider.

* Request feedback on your website/store so far from trusted colleagues, your business coach, etc

* Do a final check on your site to be sure it’s easy to purchase from (run test purchases), and that it’s easy for sutomers to find the important information such as your policies, shipping prices, payment acceptance methods, etc.  You may find the “Writing Your Polices” and “Creating Customer Confidence” downloads on my site helpful in this step:
http://themusesguide.com/resources.html

* Open your store for business and being PROMOTING!!  Follow your marketing plan and dono’t get discouraged if it takes a bit of time to get your business going.  It usually does but if you stick with it and keep marketing things will happen.