Whilst Stephen Covey may have outlined seven habits of effective people, especially from a business perspective, specific coaching for women can help us interpret these seven habits for single mums – mums who are able to overcome significant obstacles and become highly effective in their day-to-day living.

It is possible to reinterpret some of these habits in a different way as they overlap in certain cases, but you should adopt these principles wherever possible if you are new at being a single mum or are beginning to feel stretched beyond all comparison.

Habit number one – Master the clock.

We all have the same amount of time in a given day, but how we use it dictates how we will feel after the sun goes down. Will we have been productive and feel good about ourselves, or will we feel as if we have been bouncing back and forth with little to show for our efforts?

Those who are very effective and fall into the first category are time masters and have set out everything they need to achieve in a given day. It is important to take baby steps and not to look too far ahead when you have a busy schedule, as this will appear so daunting that it may compromise your ability to succeed.

Just dump everything out onto paper, all the tasks that you need to achieve on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis and marshal all this information together. Have you ever considered professional coaching to help you control your time?

Habit number two – Be habitual.

You really must get into the habit if your highly effective timetable is going to work. When you start out you will probably have to initiate some triggers and have to set a goalpost to aim for as you progress, but through repetition you will achieve these mundane but necessary tasks and get them out of the way.

If you stick to your timetable and become used to doing these tasks, you will be able to achieve them in far less time and have lots of personal space available to you at the end of the day.

Habit number three – Set up voicemail.

Distractions are the enemy, unfortunately, even though we would wish to catch up on the latest gossip with a neighbour.

You may not have the luxury of a personal secretary to answer your random phone calls and the most effective businessmen or women do not become distracted, so you must maintain your focus and don’t be tempted.

Habit four – Plan for the rainy day.

You know that rainy days will come and that family issues will sometimes trump what is going on at work. Look after your personal days at work and only use them for emergency purposes. If at all possible, see if your schedule will allow you to catch up from time to time by working an evening per week or even on Saturday mornings, so when the inevitable issue with the kids at school comes up it will not be a major concern for everyone.

Rainy days may certainly make it more difficult for you to master the clock, but the highly effective single mum has planned as much in advance as possible.

Habit five – It’s all about me.

No amount of efficiency and dedication to what you have to do for your family and your work will count if you do not allow time for personal re-invigoration.

From time to time you will need to delegate so that you can get away from it all and recharge, able to get back to work refreshed and ready for action.

Habit six – Be fit.

The most important thing in life for you and your family is health. Never be tempted to sleep in for an extra 15 minutes at the expense of your daily walk on the treadmill. This should be an A-list priority and if you do not make it so, over a period of time your efficiency will suffer and your ability to be highly effective, will be compromised.

Habit seven – Scratch a back.

You might well be able to manage as a single mum for the majority of the time, but if you are forward thinking you know that there will be times when you need help. Hopefully you will have a good network of acquaintances, friends and other family members and should nurture this support group by putting time into your schedule to help them out in advance. Covey talked about a “win-win” situation when he was outlining his seven habits and this is what you are doing here. By donating your time or other resources to help one of your contacts, you will have kept your side of the win-win bargain.

There can certainly be a lot to it, but you shouldn’t despair. These days, online life coaching can help you drill even further into those seven habits and come up with your action plan for the future.

Amanda Alexander, Director of Coaching Mums, helps pressure-cooked, stressed working mums who long for more hours in the day. Through her coaching programmes and online life coaching courses, Amanda shows mums how to create fulfilling and successful lives. For your simple 5 step guide to balance as a working mum, download our free eBook today!

For the busy mum who needs additional sources of income, self-employment may seem very palatable. If it were possible to set your own hours, keep up with all the household chores and family commitments and still get a meaningful income, this would be an ideal scenario! Mums in this position have been known to turn to direct selling and it is said that 70% of the more than 50 million people occupied in this style of business are women.

So many things can stand in the way of the mum when it comes to getting back to work after a pregnancy or achieving some additional income as a family grows, but professional coaching – particularly coaching for women, can help quickly make these things an achievable possibility. It’s difficult to set a fixed schedule with a family involved, as some of us who have been down that road can testify that any number of crises and last-minute panics can push us off track quite easily. Kids in school are so vulnerable to what seems to be the smallest virus and certainly the school hour-days you had set aside can be suddenly compromised. If the thought of a flexible-hour, part-time, direct selling business is very attractive to you, it’s definitely worth your while to look into online life coaching to help get you on the right track.

Think about some important aspects before you commit to starting your direct selling business.

- To start off with, are you an outgoing person, socially active, who loves to meet people? No one is suggesting you are a hermit, but this kind of business requires you to be very forward and to revel in social environments. This may require a bit of soul-searching; make sure that you are really cut out for this kind of approach before you start.

- How good is your research? As we know, the Internet can uncover a wealth of information about any subject. Look into the concept of direct selling and learn all you can about the companies you are considering an involvement with. The direct selling business can be a little bit of a minefield and some “opportunities” can be compared to pyramid scheme selling. If you come across a program that requires you to enrol others for financial gain, be wary. It may be a good idea to call in some of the references and check out the testimonials as well.

- Direct sales opportunities exist in so many different industries. Maybe you have an existing hobby that you can set up a business around? Direct selling opportunities exist in childcare, book sales, clothing, beverages, cosmetics, supplements, party supplies, scrap booking, toys, weight management and a host of others. Get involved in something that you really like, that’s a key.

- Be wary of any significant start up fees. Generally speaking these are low and you should expect to pay for an initial kit of supplies to get you going. Are you happy with the quality of the product concerned? Would you buy it yourself – if not don’t think that you’ll be able to sell it to acquaintances, friends or friends of your friends without some repercussions!

- Maybe you know somebody who is already into direct selling? Brainstorm with them as much as they will allow and while you may not expect them to give away any proprietary secrets, you will undoubtedly get some interesting tales from the front line to help you make up your mind.

Through a thorough investigation of the direct selling opportunity, you may be ready to invest and the next thing to do is to come up with a clear vision of what you expect from the business. Think about what income goals, lifestyle goals and contribution goals you want to set. When you have compiled your vision, take action by setting out the first 10 steps to help you launch your direct selling business in style.

Amanda Alexander is Director of Coaching Mums and a highly acclaimed ICF-accredited coach who delivers professional coaching programmes to working mums who yearn for success, balance and fulfilment. Are you a juggling mom? Download our free eBook for working moms that will give you 5 simple and instant ways to balance your life right now!