Managing Time; Your Most Valuable ResourceCopyright @ Douglas Canary
“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.”… Theophrastus (372 BC - 287 BC),
It is said that time is money, and I believe this is true. However, money can be regained; time cannot. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, and once they are spent, they are gone forever. Therefore, I believe that time is much more precious than money. Yet many of us take great care to budget our money, while squandering our time. When you fail to manage your time, you become unfocused, inefficient, and stressed. Whether you are just getting started, or you are successfully earning a fulltime living online, you simply cannot afford to waste time.
But what is effective time management, and how is it done? The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, argues that 80% of unfocused work only produces 20% of the result, while 80% of the results are achieved with only 20% of focused effort. Time management is simply identifying and focusing on activities that give you the greatest returns. Effective time management requires developing some habits and utilizing certain tools. Let’s look at these.
Activity Logs:
In order to manage your time well, the first thing you need to know is how you are currently spending your time. In order to fix anything, you need to know what’s broken. By keeping an activity log, you will be able to see how much time you are wasting, and where you are wasting it. Record the time you spend doing each activity in your day. Include everything: meals, reading and answering emails, making coffee, everything. Don’t alter your normal routine; just record it. I’ll bet you’ll be amazed at how much time you waste everyday on unproductive tasks. Also it is a good idea to record how you are feeling throughout the day so that you can identify at what time of day you are the most productive and energetic.
Set Clearly Defined Goals:
“In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.”… Robert Heinlein.
In order to accomplish anything, you must first know what it is you want to accomplish. Setting goals gives you a clear target to shoot for. Set an overall long-term goal that you want to accomplish. Then set smaller short-term goals that are necessary to achieve your main goal. In setting goals, it is important to keep four things in mind:
1. Clearly define your goals. Be as specific as possible, including dates, times, and amounts so that you can measure your progress. This allows you to know when you have achieved the goal.
2. Write it down: This crystallizes the goal and makes it more powerful.
3. Set realistic goals: It is important to set goals that you can actually achieve. Setting goals too high just sets you up for failure and discouragement.
4. Don’t set your goals too low: This is just as important as not setting your goals too high. When you set your goals too low, you keep yourself from realizing your true potential.
Make an Action Plan:
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”… Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944)
An Action Plan helps you to map out everything you need to do in order to achieve your goal. List all the steps necessary to achieve your goal in the order that they must be accomplished. Then simply carry out each task in the plan. This allows you to effectively monitor your progress. Update your plan as you go to reflect any changes or unforeseen items that come up.
Make a To Do List:
A To Do List is simply a list of the individual tasks necessary to accomplish each item in your action plan. List everything you need to do to accomplish the first item on your action plan. Then assign each task a priority from A to F (A being the highest priority; F being the lowest). Then rewrite the list in order of priority from highest to lowest. Complete each task starting with the top and working toward the bottom. Whatever you do not finish you can roll over to the next day’s list. As a task gets older and closer to its deadline, you can assign it a higher priority. This will help keep you on track and focus your energy on the most important tasks first.
Set a Schedule:
“What may be done at any time will be done at no time.”…Scottish Proverb.
Setting a schedule maps out your day and allows you to assign your time to the tasks on your To Do List according to their priority. A schedule is to time management, what a budget is to money management. It is the actual allocation of resource to the tasks necessary for the execution of your plan and the achievement of your goal. By having a clearly defined schedule you will be able to effectively manage your time use. With a schedule, you never have to ask, “What do I do now? Just follow your schedule.
Time management requires time, discipline, and effort. However, the return is well worth the investment. Regain control over your most valuable resource. Begin using time management today.
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Making Money Online:
Facts, Myths, and LiesCopyright © Douglas Canary
http://www.TNTMarketingStrategies.comPeople are flocking to the internet by the millions,
seeking a way to make money online from home. Some are
only looking to make extra money to help pay bills, provide
for their children’s college, or supplement their retirement.
Many are seeking to make enough money to quit their job and
make a fulltime living from home.
While all these goals are certainly achievable online, you need
to know the facts about making money online. Without knowing
the facts, you will be victim to the myths and lies that are prevalent
in this industry.
The Facts:If you are new to internet marketing, full of hope and
excitement, you may not want to hear this, but 95% of all
internet marketers fail. Is it really that hard to make
money online? No, but it’s not that easy either. The good
news is that you can be part of the 5% that are successful.
But you need to know why 95% fail, and more importantly,
you need to know what the other 5% do differently to succeed.
So why do 95% fail? Well, there are many reasons
people fail online, but here are the top 3 in my mind:
Ignorance: People simply have no clue how to make money
online. There is a huge learning curve in this industry.
Can you imagine what would happen if hospitals recruited
surgeons off the street without experience? What would the
mortality rate be? At least 95%! Starting an online business
without knowing what you are doing is the same thing. Ok, so
nobody looses their life from a failed business. But you could
easily loose your life savings. You should make educating yourself
in this industry one of your top priorities.
Lack of Driving Desire: Many people dream of the financial
freedom they can have through their own online business.
But few are ready to make the commitment necessary to
realize their dream. This business takes work. It is an
emotional rollercoaster full of ups and downs. If you don’t
have a real burning desire to drive you through the
obstacles and challenges, you will not make it. Rate your
desire to succeed from 1 to 10. If you’re not at least an
11, forget it.
Now I’m not trying to frighten you out of your dream,
but you need to be honest with yourself. This is a great
business. It not only rewards you with financial freedom,
it really develops you personally as well. The best reward
this business gives is the person you become in the process.
But you have got to want it so badly that you will do whatever
it takes to succeed.
Disillusionment: People fail when their unrealistic
expectations are not met. They become disillusioned and
quit. In fact, the only way you will ultimately fail is to quit.
As long as you keep learning and applying what you learn, you
can ultimately succeed. This is the key to success in any
endeavor. But the minute you quit, you fail. So don’t quit.
Now let’s talk about what it takes to have a successful home
business online?
Essentials for Success:Education: I know I already mentioned this, but it is that
important. Building an online business without knowing what
you are doing is like performing surgery on yourself.
You’re going to get hurt. I’m not saying you can’t do
anything until learn everything. In fact, a big part of
your ongoing education will come from doing.
Simply invest time and money in your education as you go.
If you are going to use traffic exchanges, learn about how to
use them effectively. If you are setting up an auto responder,
read what you can about auto responders and how to write an
effective series. And if you are going to use Google AdWords, you
had better learn how first.
Don’t deprive your education because you don’t want to pay
for a book, course, guide, or whatever. If you learn just one
thing from a course that helps make you money, then that
one thing will be worth far more over time than the cost of
the course. One of my favorite sayings goes, “If you think
education is expensive, try ignorance”.
Mindset: Your thoughts are real things, and they are
powerful! But they can destroy you just as easily
as they can serve you. Invest in a copy of Napoleon Hill’s
best seller, Think and Grow Rich. Read it.
You need to learn to control your thoughts and emotions in this
business. You need to be positive. You will face many
disappointments and challenges on the road to success. It
really matters whether you believe you can succeed or not.
Because whichever way you believe, you’re right.
Never blame someone else or some program for your lack of
success. Take ownership of your success. Your success is
entirely dependant on you.
A Hot Product or Service: This may seem obvious, but if you
are going to be successful, you need a product or service
people actually want. It needs to be something of real
value. Stay away from fads that only last a short while.
You don’t need your own product or service. You can sell
someone else as an affiliate. Or you can build a business
reselling digital products. Whichever way you go, it’s
important to due your due diligence. Research the demand
for your product/service.
A Target Market: This goes hand in hand with a hot
product/service. If there is a demand for what you are
selling, then there is a market. But who is your market?
Who would want your product? It is important to identify or
“target” your market as precisely as possible. Otherwise,
you will waste valuable resources marketing to people with
absolutely no interest in your product or service. Don’t try to
sell steak to a vegetarian.
Define your market by asking questions. Some questions to
ask are: What’s their gender? How old are they? What do they
do for a living? How much money do they make? Where in the
world do they live? Define your customers as completely as you can.
That’s your target market.
An Effective Marketing System: Now that you have a hot
product, and have identified your market, you need an
effective means to bring the two together. I’m not going into
a discussion of all the different ways to market a product
online, but I do think it is important to understand what
an effective marketing system is, and how to develop one.
An effective marketing system is one that gives a
reasonable return on investment (ROI). It not only needs to
produce results, it needs to produce enough results to
justify continuing with it. Also, your marketing has to be
geared towards building your list of contacts. You will
here a million times: “the money is in the list”. Building
a list of contacts is not just important to your business online,
it is your business.
Set a marketing budget and stick to it. As you begin to make
some profit, reinvest it into your business and increase your
marketing efforts. Make a plan designed around your budget.
There are many free and paid ways to market. Decide on a
mix that fits your budget. Also, set a schedule and stick to it.
Setting a schedule will help you to stay focused. You don’t want
to try and build Rome in a day. Don’t neglect your home, while
building your home business. Once you have your plan, work it
consistently.
Domain Name and Hosting: Even if you are planning on
selling someone else’s product as an affiliate, you will
want to invest in a domain name and hosting. Your domain is
you own address (URL) on the internet. I recommend
GoDaddy.com. Their prices are very reasonable, and the
service is excellent.
Once you have your domain, you will need to host it someplace.
I recommend using
Host4Profit. They have excellent customer
service, easy to use control panel, all at reasonable rates.
Now why would you need a domain and hosting if you are
selling someone else’s product? You will eventually want to
use Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising. PPC search engines will
not allow you to advertise someone else’s site. So, you set up
a landing page that will send your visitors to your affiliate page.
You can also design and host splash pages for traffic exchanges.
You can set up email addresses on your domain, which will help
give you a professional look.
Bottom line is, if you want to be successful online; you will
eventually need your own website. For a great deal on your
own website, click the link in the resource box at the bottom of
this article.
Myths:Get Rich Quick: Many people think that they are going to
get rich quick online. It takes the average person 3 to 4
years before they start to make any real money online.
Do you have to spend 3 to 4 years to make real money online?
No, you can do it much quicker if you know how. It’s just
that it takes the average person 3 to 4 years to learn how.
The simple truth is that building a long lasting, profitable business
online takes time and effort.
You Have to be a Computer Geek: You don’t have to a computer geek.
However, you should have basic computer skills. I would also suggest
investing a little time in learning HTML. What is HTML? HTML
(HyperText Markup Language) is the language that browsers read.
Websites and many emails are written in HTML. You don’t have to
master HTML, but a basic understanding is very helpful.
You Have to Invest a lot of Money: You don’t need a lot of money to get
started. You do of course need a computer and an internet connection.
But beyond the hardware, you can start for next to nothing. Start I said.
To reach your goals you will need to invest more money. The key is to
focus on your plan and stay in your budget. Expand your budget as you
begin to earn some money. Reinvest everything you earn at first. This way
you can start a business on a shoestring budget and use your earnings to
build it big.
Lies:Money Without Work: There is no such thing. Even a crook has
to work to rob you. Here’s a very true saying: “The only place you
can find money before work is in the dictionary.” An honest business
requires an honest effort.
Scams: There are all kinds of scams out there that prey upon the
desperate, ignorant, and greedy. It is important to do the proper
due diligence before joining any money making program. Here are
a few tips to help you spot and avoid these internet lowlifes:
One thing that should get your B.S. alarm ringing is
outrageous claims.
We all know that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Yet we still fall for wild promises. If someone tells you that for a price
you can make $10,000 in a month, RUN. If they guarantee it, run
FASTER. Evaluate claims with your own good sense, and don’t let greed
get the better of you.
Another sure sign of a scam is if there is
no real product or service of value.
Whenever you talk about multi-level marketing, someone always asks the
question: “Isn’t that a pyramid scheme?” Almost all effective organizations,
whether business or government, are pyramid shaped. This is so for the same
reason wheels tend to be round. It really is the most efficient structure.
What makes a pyramid scheme a scam, is that there is nothing of real
value flowing down the pyramid, only money flowing up. Everyone at
the top makes money, everyone else pays for it. I only deal with programs
that offer a product or service that I find valuable.
Check their
customer service. Send an e-mail, or call them. If you get
no response, run and never look back. Even if you get a response, what
kind of response was it? Was it timely? Did it answer your question
adequately, or did it just refer you to a FAQs page? The hallmark of an
honest, well run business is great customer service.
Check their
reputation. Check with the
Better Business Bureau, and see
if there have been any complaints filed against them. Also checkout what
the forums have to say about them. You can do a search on the program
to find posts that mention the program in question.
You need to use a little discernment here. Remember, 95% of all online
marketers fail. They fail because of laziness or lack of knowledge. When
they fail, many of them blame the program and blast it in the forums.
So if one or two people cry scam, it may simply be a case of sour grapes.
Well I hope this is of help to you in your quest for success. Remember,
anyone can be successful online, if they will follow 8 simple rules:
1. Study to learn everything you can about this business.
2. Apply what you learn.
3. Set realistic long and short term goals.
4. Make a plan to achieve those goals.
5. Work hard towards executing your plan.
6. Stay positive.
7. Be consistent.
8. Don’t Give Up.
See you on the beach!
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