One of the biggest challenges a work at home mom faces is finding time to work on her business, with so many other important things in her busy schedule. You know it's important to find time to work on your business and spend quality time with your children.

Start by writing a business and marketing plan. Then set smart goals, goals that are specific, measurable, action oriented, realistic and time based. Use your calendar and a time blocking technique to determine when you will work on your business. Fill in all your family and personal obligations. You will usually find you have blocks of time that aren't committed and can set these times for your business.

Try these tips for fitting your business into your life:

Delegating. Can someone else do that? Your children can help with all sorts of things around the house and even in your business. If your husband is a whiz at something, delegate that job to him!

Out sourcing or hiring a professional. Hire someone else to do the tasks that you dislike doing and consequently might put them off. Things you are not as good or skilled at or tasks that overwhelm you would be better done by someone else. Someone else might enjoy doing something that you find mundane and this will free up your time for more important things.

Automate Tasks. Anything that can be automated makes more sense than doing it manually. For example if you write the same letter or e-mail over and over again, save a master copy and reused it. Use an auto responder to follow up with customers or clients.

Early Bird. If you are an early riser you can schedule time to work before your children and family get up in the morning.

Quiet Times. Schedule a block of work time for when your child generally takes a nap, attends school or after they go to sleep at night.

Share. Arrange for your husband to spend time with the children during set time blocks during the week. Your children will love their special time with Daddy.

Trade child care. Swap child care with another work at home or stay at home Mom with similar aged children. This makes it a fun play date for your children while giving you an couple of uninterrupted hours to work.

Play time. Even young children can amuse quietly themselves for a period of time. Depending on their age, set a timer for 10 to 20 minutes and while you work you child can play. Your children will quickly learn that once the timer goes off it's okay to interrupt you.

Create a deadline in which you want certain things done, even setting a false deadline will work wonders in motivating you to accomplish tasks.

Watch out for time wasters, e-mail and surfing the net can be the two big ones if you work online. Friends who drop by unexpectedly for long coffee klatches and getting caught up in weekly TV dramas are a couple of other work at home time wasters. Worrying about keeping your home spotless can be another time waster. When they grow up your children won't remember how clean the house was but they will remember the time you spent with them.

Don't sweat the small stuff! Yes, it's actually all small stuff! Working at home means you can be flexible and work around your family's schedule as long as you set goals and take action.