ACT Busy…

If you’ve been doing Internet Marketing for any length of time, you’ll know how easy it can be at times to do nothing, but still be on the computer the entire day.

When I first was transitioning from my part time sales Job at a computer store 2½ years ago to full time internet marketing, I would struggle with this a lot.

Basically there would be days where I would be at the computer from the minute I woke up to the minute I went to bed and yet at the end of the day, I had accomplished very little.

It’s a common issue with small businesses actually, specially those who are doing fairly good. Once you hit that comfort zone level of profit, you tend to slow down a bit.

Recently however I have been teaching myself to get a lot more done, and it’s been great. Income is up, free time is up, and overall, it’s much better this way.

So here are some tips for helping yourself to not only ACT busy but actually BE busy and do productive things.

Lists… For the Win

First, write a to do list. I take a little bit of time usually in the morning, before lunch, just to sit and think quietly what I need to get done.

To help myself get more organized and know what needs to get done RIGHT NOW, I usually read my email first and any email that I don’t reply to or need to focus more attention on, I keep open in my task bar until it is finished. Keeping the message open is a great way to remind yourself – specially during those “transition” times where you are in the process of finishing one job and moving on to the next.

After the To Do list is written, I put a star next to the most important or urgent ones. After the urgent issues, I focus on “What will make me the most revenue.” Lastly, I get to the other issues.

Starting Time – 10 AM

Another way that I’ve become more productive is by scheduling a starting time to work.

When I first started my full time at home job, I would sleep in until whenever I would wake up. It was like heaven. I hate waking up early.

Now, I realize any more than 8 hours adds nothing extra in terms of energy, etc and overall I feel very energized on 8 hours of sleep. So I set my alarm every morning to 9AM and start work at 10AM.

Now I have a bit more incentive to go to bed at a normal time (1AM) so that I can get my full 8 hours.

I am trying a bit to shift this one more hour 12 – 8 instead of 1 – 9 but it’s a hard transition for me.

Plan Ahead

Lastly, plan for your next business move.

Start to think of what you can do NEXT in your business to take it to the next level.

This might be adding another successful campaign. This might be moving into another area of business that you’re seeing a need for. Whatever it is, know what direction you want to go.

After all your “to do” lists are finished, knowing what to do next will help you continue on that “full steam ahead” mentality.

So, how do you stop from ACTING busy and actually BE BUSY?