When you run a home business, there's always something to distract you from the job at hand. To help you stay focused and get down to business, here are five winning ways to keep you on track when you're hit with the urge to procrastinate.

1) Stay in Your Space. Go to your desk and stay there. To discourage frequent (and potentially fattening) trips to the kitchen, bring a supply of healthy snacks and hot or cold beverages with you. This is not the time to be roaming the house while on the cell phone with a client. And don't try to squeeze in household tasks. On days when your discipline is shaky, even something as simple as throwing a load of wash in the machine can send you spinning into the goof-off cycle.

2) Hang "Not Now I'm Working" Signs. Put them in all your favorite wandering places. It might sound corny, but it's a great way to get you back to that desk. Potential spots? If you take one too many "quick trips" to the mall, stick a "not now I'm working" note on your steering wheel. Like to garden? Tack one of those little reminders on those gardening gloves. By anticipating your problem areas beforehand, you can keep yourself from getting derailed by distractions.

3) Set Goals. The incentive is that we all feel a sense of satisfaction and relief when we reach our goals, so break big tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces and give yourself a deadline for finishing each one. For example, tell yourself you'll finish typing five pages by 10:00, or pledge to complete the introduction to your business proposal by noon. It's great to see your to-do list vanish by the end of the day.

4) Make Incentive Plans. Offer yourself little rewards so that you have something to look forward to when you complete your goals. Little luxuries -- a long walk, a bubble bath, a bouquet of tulips, or curling up on the deck or patio with a new novel -- are great motivators.

5) Calculate Your Child-Care Costs. Nothing jolts you back to reality faster than a quick reminder of how much you're paying someone else to entertain your kids while you work. So get to it. Someone's got to pay those child-care bills -- and you'd like to make more than your sitter, wouldn't you? Promise yourself and your kids a romp in the park at the end of the workday.