Work Yourself Up!

Paralysis of the Plentiful

With so many electronic gadgets and office systems to help with your time management, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. At some point, it’s “paralysis of the plentiful”; or so many options and so little time to use them all.

This is like “analysis paralysis” where a person gets so wrapped up in making the right decision based on endless amounts of information that nothing gets done. The same is true for “paralysis of the plentiful.”

You’ll see these people; they have a cell phone, a Blackberry ™, a wireless headset, online calendar, to-do list on the computer, calendar posted on the refrigerator at home and day planner in hand.

This doesn’t even count the myriad of yellow sticky notes at home and at the office. This person has “paralysis of the plentiful.” If that sounds like you, then you have to make some tough choices.

When you find a new device that claims to save time, you grab it then add it to whatever you are currently using.  Before long, you have several time keeping options but you are still running late to meetings or forgetting to prepare reports on the date due. This is a case of working for the time savers instead of making the times savers work for you.

Start by choosing the most comprehensive, easiest to operate scheduling system. Don’t feel like a low-tech co-out if you find the paper and pen day planner is that system for you.

If you are spending time programming an exotic phone or hand held organizer, then you are wasting time. That’s not the point. Another problem you may have encountered is using more than one system.

Maybe you use the electronic planner for work items since it hot syncs with your computer, but you keep the paper day planner   for your personal life. That’s a huge mistake. The more systems you have, the greater the chance for forgetting an important appointment. 

Do you spend more than ten minutes daily updating your time management system? If you do, you may be working with more than one device or planner and that’s what’s wasting time.  Let’s face it, you will not your improve time management by spending more time with “paralysis of the plentiful,” trying to keep all your systems synchronized.

Time management systems once engaged are supposed to give you a sense of relief and security that your schedule is under control. If you have the opposite feeling, take a look at what you are using for your time management. 

If you have more than one schedule method, cut back to one and use that until you are confident in the system. Later you can experiment with a new method, just resist the urge to add more and more options. Otherwise the time savers become time wasters when they throw you into “paralysis of the plentiful.”

Taking Back Time After Work

Does the excitement of arriving at home in the evening get ruined when you open the door to see a pile of unfolded laundry and a week’s worth of newspapers scattered around?

It’s not that you are a slob; at least you don’t want to be. The problem is, you have so little spare time. At the end of the day all you want to do is grab dinner and collapse on the sofa exerting only enough energy to work the remote.

Instead of berating yourself about not having enough time to clean your home, decide which jobs that you are willing to spend time on and which you can delegate. Yes, you can delegate housework.

When you delegate, you free time for what is more important to you. Start with the laundry. Find a full service laundry that’s on the way to work and drop it off weekly. The next day, you pick up clean, folded and pressed clothes.  If the laundry doesn’t do dry cleaning, then find a drive-thru drive cleaner that opens early so you can drop the clothes on the way to work.

Stop ordering pizza or Chinese food when you are too tired to cook. You’ll save money and time after work by purchasing frozen dinners that were made just for you with your favorite recipes by a personal chef.

Some personal chefs cook in your kitchen twice monthly while others deliver the foods. What you spend on custom prepared meals frees your time in the evening and offsets all the foods that go to waste in your refrigerator because you don’t have time to cook.

If you do enjoy cooking but only when you have enough time, then use the same concept as the personal chefs do and plan an all-day cooking binge once or twice monthly then freeze the meals.

Hire a maid service to come in once or twice monthly to do the heavy cleaning, floors, carpets, scrubbing and so forth. Then you can keep the place clean with twenty minutes of speed cleaning on alternate days.

Don’t fool yourself by promising to clean all day Saturday. When the weekend comes, you’ll find more interesting ways to spend your time than cleaning. Rather than set yourself up to break a promise to yourself, find a combination of maid service and your cleaning that works within the time you are willing to consistently devote to cleaning.

Gardening and outdoor spaces are wonderful but only if you have the time to keep ahead of the weeds. If gardening is relaxing to you, then you’ll gladly spend the time to do this. But if you simply like the look of a beautiful outdoor space yet lack the passion for gardening, then get help with the yard. You can save money by hiring a student or retiree to weed and prune a small garden. If you have a full yard, hire a lawn service.

Running errands for routine matters can take hours when you are disorganized and too tired to focus on the task. Keep a list in the kitchen where you add items by location. Have a section on the list for groceries, beverages, cosmetics, personal care items and clothing.

Choose stores where a large number of items can be obtained. That saves time and gas. Bring your list and make one shopping trip each day until it’s done. Or spend Saturday as your shopping and fun day, because you’ll have more time after being freed from other routine tasks.

SMART Time Management

You’ve probably heard the acronym, SMART; Specific, Manageable, Attainable, Realistic Timely.  This is an ideal way to create a time management system for your work or personal life.  Or you can use these criteria to evaluate a time management and day planner system that you might purchase.

Specific: Your time management system must be able to record each task and have enough room to add necessary details. That’s why those small, freebie calendars that you get from local businesses doesn’t have enough space to be specific about your tasks and what’s needed to accomplish them.

Manageable:  Some time management systems can be so detailed and complex that using them is a part time job. That’s not helpful and can discourage you from doing any type of scheduling. 

If one system does not work for you, find a different one, but don’t give up. And don’t get a planner book that’s too large to comfortable carry with you when you are out of the office. That leads to the sticky notes scattered around and missing important appointments.

Attainable: Yes, you can get your frantic, over-booked life under control. In fact, you have to do it for your health as well as for your business. Why add needless stress to your workday by trying to remember your schedule instead of planning it on your calendar. You can complete more work in less time if you have a big picture of the tasks and prioritize those tasks each day.

Realistic: No matter how you try to stretch it, there’s still only 24 hours in a day. If you work 8 hours, travel 1 hour, sleep 7 hours, then you have 8 hours remaining to get dressed, eat meals, spend time with your friends and family, exercise and socialize.

You can enjoy more variety in your personal time if you schedule special events on your calendar. Knowing that you have tickets for the Broadway touring company of a stage play on Friday evening, then you’ll avoid over-scheduling tasks so you can leave work on time and be ready when the curtain goes up.

Timely: Time does not stop for any of us. When you take on too many tasks for the allotted time, you know how it feels as if time is moving in hyper-speed. The purpose of time management is so that you can accomplish what you need to do and balance each deadline with other work plus those unexpected interruptions.

If you delay a difficult project by claiming that you “work better under pressure,” you are only fooling yourself. What actually happens when working under pressure is a higher tendency for error.

As you choose the right time management system for your work style, you are preparing to simplify your life. You’ll also gain a sense of mastery over your time so that you know what you can add to the day and when to say no to over-commitment and when you can say yes to enjoyable activities.

What Really Matters

Do you think that the idea of time management is so that you can cram more work into fewer hours? That’s what many people think but it’s not the correct answer. Time management allows you to make the most of your work hours while still having a life outside of work. Now that’s a concept too many people miss.

Does it matter to you to have leisure time or time with your family? Some people have missed out on this for so long that they don’t miss it anymore. They have given up the idea of having time for themselves.

That’s really unfortunate and unnecessary. It’s like the old saying, “Some people trade time for money while other people trade money for time.” Then there are those entrepreneurial types who insist that you can have both time and money if you plan effectively.

If you could find the time to do what really matters to you, what would be included in that time?  Make a list and be specific. Don’t just say, “travel” - put down your real dream.

Maybe you have dreamed of taking a month off and backpacking around Europe or camping at several national parks on a drive across America. Those dreams take more than money, they take time off. If you only have a week or two of vacation, how would you get the time needed?

Or would you like to go back and finish a college degree or earn an advanced degree? When you work during the day, you have a limited amount of time at night for classes. That might mean you work full time and take longer to complete the degree.

Another option is to reduce your lifestyle expenses, cut back to part time at work and free more hours to complete your degree faster. What really matters to you? How can you balance time and money to make these dreams become reality?

Whatever your dream, you can begin to align your time toward achieving that dream. It may mean that you work overtime to save money or take a second job for a year. Or you may have to extend the time to reach your dream to accrue enough vacation time to make the time off possible. It’s all about planning your time as well as your money.

Time management is so often thought of as a way to do more work in a given day. It’s also your ally in arranging your life and work so that you can fulfill your dreams. If only you could see this positive aspect of time management, then you might stop looking at it as if it’s another burden. Hours tick by whether or not you plan them. Hours become days to months and years while many people only talk about the dreams that they “don’t have time” to enjoy.

If you wait for extra time to magically appear in your life, you’ll wait forever and nothing changes. By using time management to support your dreams, then every day you get closer to what really matters to you.

To start, you can look at the calendar three to five years from today. Make the time you would like to leave for your extended vacation or the semester you want to enroll in college. Then count backwards for the number of days (months). As you divide that time into blocks of smaller preparation tasks, you begin to prepare to make the dream possible.

Even while waiting, you have the satisfaction of doing something regularly, investing time in planning and taking action toward your goals. When you identify what really matters in the big picture, then you find it easier to use time wisely today to set up your future goal.

Time Management and Goal Setting

I've had a lot of requests come through for help with time management.  Working on some new stuff now and will start posting it within the next couple of days.

If you're interested in time management, make sure you get on the feed to keep updated.

How to Use Waiting Time Productively

Do you get impatient when you have to wait in line at the bank or sit for an extra hour at the doctor’s office? Instead of getting frustrated with wait time, put that time to good use. As you look over your daily to-do list, identify places that you are likely to have to wait.

Then you can go prepared with an easy to carry project or reading.  You can even keep something in your car or briefcase that you would enjoy doing while waiting. Perhaps it’s catching up on popular magazines or business journals.

You might take that time to plan your next decorating project and identify the items that you need to purchase. Here are dozen ways to use wait time productively and make the time pass faster:

1.    Read a motivational book that will change your mindset in ways that will empower you to reach new goals.

2.    Scan the directions to a building project or clothing pattern and get the process firmly in mind before you start to cut.

3.    Bring a pile of coupon pages collected from several weeks of newspapers. As you clip the coupons, add in the proper tab of a coupon file

4.    Plan what you need for a birthday party, barbeque or other social event that you are hosting or coordinating

5.    Carry a small tote with knitting, crochet or mending to work on while you wait.

6.    Sketch at random in a small sketchbook that fits in your pocket or purse.

7.    Study for an upcoming test or review material so you help your child study

8.    Download a podcast onto your Mp3 player. Instead of just music, choose a podcast topic that you want to learn about and listen to it with ear-buds

9.    Use your day planner to make a to-do list for next week

10.    Play games on your cell phone, just turn off the noise so that others are not bothered

11.    Work crossword puzzles or Sudoku

12.    Daydream – there’s nothing wrong with zoning out while you wait.

Why depend on finding new magazines or someone interesting to talk with when you are stuck waiting? Bring your own “on hold” activities so that wait time become productive and seems to go by faster.

Get Your To-Do List Under Control

Is your to-do list almost too long to read every day? Or have you simply given up trying to keep a current to-do list. Don’t give up; get your to-do list under control to compliment your time management strategies.

To begin, you need to understand that a to-do list is a “hot list” not a planning pad, wish list or long term idea starter. Your to-do list is for tasks that must be accomplished in 48 hours or less. For anything further ahead, use advance planning list or add the items to your day planner for the appropriate due date.

Start by writing down every task you need to complete on individual index cards. Arrange the cards in three piles: Must Do, Need to Do, Want to Do. The “Must Do” pile is the tasks that have to be completed in 24 hours.

Take any “Must Do” items that could wait an extra day and place them on the next day’s to-do list. These are what some time management systems call the “A” level tasks.  Next sort the “Need to Do” or “B” level tasks. These are important to do in the next day or two but not as imperative as showing up for a presentation or catching a plane.

Finally, deal with the “Want to Do” or “C” level tasks that could be done any time in the next several days.  Some time management systems suggest that you toss out the “C” tasks or add them to a “Someday” list for when you have extra time.

Of course, that’s humorous since you need a time management system because you are already overscheduled.  If you want to include these, just make sure they don’t serve as a distraction from necessary items. For example, you might enjoy surfing the net for collectible books but you don’t need to do that “C” item when you have an “A” list report due in four hours.

How many items can you manage on a daily to-do list? It depends on whether each item is a one step process or multi-step process.  With complex tasks, you may only be able to reasonably complete 3 or 4 “Must Do” items in a day. As you are adjusting to this time management technique, make a note by each item about how much time you expect to spend on this task.

You can create a paper to-do list or one on your computer, just as long as it’s easily accessible during the day. When an item is done, cross it off, make a checkmark beside it or in some way be able to see what’s done from what needs to be done.

If you use an electronic to-do list, you can add color background for each level. The advantage of color-coding items is that you can quickly see how many yellow highlighted Must Do items are left compared with the green highlighted Need to Do items.

At the end of the day, transfer any remaining important items to the proper category on the next day’s to-do list. When you finish the day and see most or all of the “Must Do” items finished and crossed off your list, it’s a great sense of relief and motivation to keep your time management system working for you.

Time Traps for Online Marketers

Be honest - how many online marketing courses leave your breathless with excitement that soon turns to exhaustion and confusion? That’s a common frustration for people who are trying to get up to speed in online marketing.

There seems to be so many things to do that the time drain is huge and the profits don’t match time expended. Stop and make a priority list. What do you want most from online marketing?
Supplemental income? 

Potential for fulltime income in one year or less? Freedom to work from home or anywhere you find an Internet connection? Identify your top three goals - and only three. Next, create an immediate to-do list.

What’s necessary to get in business online? Get your domain name, build a website, engage an autoresponder, search for products, etc. Make sure you have at least a DSL or high speed Internet access that’s reliable.

Get a computer that’s the best quality you can afford. Follow the ideas you learned in the online marketing courses, but start at a basic level. Some courses want you to jump in at the deep end and presume you have the basics already.

With the basics in place, create a weekly to-do list. Print these as check off sheets and keep it on a clipboard at your computer desk. Here’s where you put order into the chaos of leaping around cyberspace to tag, post, comment, blog, write, research and all of those other tasks used by experienced online marketers.

Unless you have a list and a time schedule, you can spend hours posting to blogs only to get distracted with other information.  Decide how often you need to do each task weekly. If you’re marketing on a part time basis, then you could do tagging on Monday, forum postings or social networking on Tuesday and Saturday, blogging on Wednesday and Friday and conducting keyword research on Thursday.

Take Sunday (or at least one other day) as an online free day to get out, take a brain break and enjoy yourself.  You may need to set time limits on your to-do list items. Use a screen reminder or an old fashioned kitchen timer. 

Sitting for hours fixated on the computer screen is bad for your eyes and posture, but also puts you at risk for mindless munching on junk food. Here’s another time saving tip - turn off the instant message or email notification while you’re focused on a to-do task.

Time Spent Learning versus Time Spent Doing

If you asked me one of the biggest reasons why many people take so long to achieve their success with Internet marketing I would definitely have to say it comes down to a lack of action. Many people spend so much time learning and learning and yet never get around to actually applying any of the knowledge that they have learned. This is possibly because there are so many products out there that seem to position themselves as a magic pill and that just by buying them many beginners think that they will automatically start raking in the big bucks that they see on the sales page they bought from. Sadly, this is not the case and no one is going to make any money for you but yourself and your own hard work and diligence.

In order to prevent yourself from turning yourself into an information junkie you will want to have some discipline and make sure you get the fundamentals of making money online mastered before looking into any new scheme which claims it is going to turn you into an overnight millionaire. Sorry to break the news but it ain't going to happen. However, if you master the fundamentals that are necessary to be successful online then there is no doubt whatsoever that in the long run you will build successful businesses online.

The skills which you should learn before trying anything else are the following:

1. How To Put Up A Website

If you can't do this you aren't going to get very far no matter what anyone may tell you. There are many good HTML tutorials online which can be accessed for free and there is also some nice free software like NVU which you can use to get some experience with. If you have some money then investing in XSite Pro is a very good decision and can have you churning out quality websites very quickly.

2. Learn How To Write Sales Copy

This is crucial since if you can't write Adverts that convert then you are truly wasting your time driving traffic. There are some good books you can buy cheaply to get you started such as Dan Kennedy's "The Ultimate Sales letter" and you can also get some good advice in the Copwriting section of The Warrior Forum.

3. Learn How To Drive Traffic Using Proven Methods

Start to submit articles, learn the fundamentals of PPC and post informative useful posts on forums related to the topic of your site.

It is best to learn these one by one and build up over time rather than rushing in and getting overwhelmed.

My Typical Day...

First of all, let me tell you a story about how I came to be in the position that I'm in...

When I was in college, my friends and I would spend a lot of time hanging out and playing Mario Kart on Nintendo.  We'd go to dinner, shows, etc.  Lots of free time...

I remember thinking, "This is what I want my life to be like and I'm going to find a way to do that."

Today, I rarely play a video game.  But I could do it all day, if I wanted to.

So what's a typical day like?  Well, I hit the gym daily, usually during the day, when most people are working.  It's me, the trophy wives, and maybe some retired people...

As one of the few guys, especially at my age (35), I get a lot of questions regarding what I do for a living.  Things like:

"Do you ever got to work?"

"Do you have a job?"

"What do you do for a living?"

So it got me thinking-- as this is a blog about growing a business and living the life you want, I should post something about my "typical" day, if there is such a thing.

My typical day...

This morning, I woke up about 9am.  Did yoga, like I do every morning, ate breakfast, and went to a hair appointment.  Came back home, ate lunch, and watched last night's episode of Celebrity Apprentice.

It's worth noting that I don't own a TV and watch very little.  But I feel the business lessons in a show like the Apprentice are worthwhile, so I downloaded a copy of last night's show and watched it on my computer.

Had a real estate closing at 1pm.  Signed some papers, got a check, and hit the gym for a couple of hours.

Dropped by the office supply store to get some envelopes, hit the bank to deposit that check, and had a brief meeting with a friend and business associate...maybe 15-20 minutes.

Got home, talked to my assistant about plans for a product we're developing and now I'm in the process of going through my "to do" list and waiting out a big snow storm, which is supposed to come in tonight.

What's on the list?  Mostly product creation stuff.  A few outsourcing management tasks. 

These two things are what enables me to do what I do.  And by that, I mean make money without actually being in the office "working" on something.  When you sell products, as opposed to services, you do the work once and get paid for it again and again.

For example, you write a book once, but you can sell as many copies of it as you're able to print.  And if printing and fulfillment is outsourced, and it should be, you'll bring in money and be able to be off doing something else...like creating another book, which will bring in even more money for you.

Let's talk about books specifically for a minute...

Having a book will not only bring you money directly, it will also bring you money in other ways.  For example, you'll make money from the sale of the book, but the credibility you'll get from having a book will enable you to make more money from something like consulting or speaking.

I'll give you an example...

This is my new book, Ask, Believe, Receive - 7 Days to Increased Wealth, Better Relationships, and a Life You Love.  If you buy it, and I hope you will, I'll make money.

But the real money comes in from other things I do, like speaking or consulting.  Or backend products, which cost a lot more than a $10 book.

Why not just skip the book and go straight to the big money products?

Well, you can, and plenty of people do, but a $10 book can give you 1000x that in perceived value.  A person who has put out a book has a lot more credibility in the industry than somebody without a book.  This means you'll be able to make a lot more money!

Why?  Because people don't understand how the book business works.

Unfortunately, people who should be in the book business don't understand how it works either.

I can tell you firsthand that putting out a book is easy.  Last year, I released 12 of them.  This year, I've already released one and I have another four in the pipeline.  And I'm a guy who spends his "typical day" at the gym...and nights out dancing or spending time with friends.

But because people don't know how easy it is, they think it's right up there with something that hard...like becoming a doctor or famous celebrity.  I mean, think about it... When you turn on a show like Larry King, who is he interviewing?  Doctors, famous actors, people who are somehow at the top of their chosen professions...and authors!

Putting out a book is easy...if you know how.  And because I'm so convinced it's the way to go for making all your lifestyle and financial dreams come true, I want to help you with your book.

My question for you...

Actually, I've got a couple of questions...

First of all, I need to know if you're interested in doing a book...and having me teach you my step-by-step process for making getting it out.

Secondly, I need to know what you need to know about the book creation process.  Things like:

• Topic Selection
• Writing
• Editing
• Layout
• Printing
• Distribution
• Fulfillment
• Marketing
• Dealing with Ghostwriters and Outsourcing

First of all, are you interested in learning about this stuff?  If so, let me know.

And if you are interested, post what you need to know here and please be as specific as possible.  This will help me with future post topics and make sure you get exactly the information you're in need of.

Let me know what you want to learn and watch this blog for more details.  You may want to subscribe to the feed or bookmark the site, so make sure you don't miss anything.