Today I wanted to talk about “Procrastination” and having your days sucked up by sites such as Youtube and Facebook.
If you are an internet marketer (or trying to be one) then you’ll probably know exactly what I’m talking about. Sometimes it is hard to stay laser focused and it’s easy to change browser tabs and waste time on your favorite sites such as Facebook or Youtube. Hell, you might even turn on your game console or watch TV.
Here’s what you need to do. STOP!
You’re never going to build a business or reach any level of success by p#ssing away your time in that manner. You need to work on tasks that are productive. Period. Tasks that are going to get your a step closer to your goals.
This is what I do.
At the end of every day I create a short list of tasks to do on the following day. Simple tasks that I can work through one by one. I don’t just write down work related tasks, I also write down other things that I would LIKE to do that day too, and for those I also add a time.
Let’s say I want to take my dog out for a nice walk along the woods (local to me). Being my own boss this is something like to do. So, I add that to my daily list and note a time next to it.
The list doesn’t need to be huge. But it needs to have enough tasks on it that if completed by the end of the day, will give you a sense of achievement.
Here’s an example from just a week or so ago. I had a load of tasks that I wanted to get done on this specific day. I broke these tasks down into their simplest form and created a small list. I also wanted to go to the gym… and also meet up with a friend for an hour that day for a late lunch. Quite a tall order for one day right?
I added those to my list with the times that I needed to leave my house (where I work from). What this done was give me a clear direction for that day. It removed any clutter and gave me focus. I made sure I had no distractions open (Facebook etc) and I worked through the tasks one by one. As I completed each one I ticked it off my list. When it was time to leave for the gym, or to meet up with my fiend I stopped what I was doing and left. When I returned I got straight on with my tasks, sticking to my list rigidly.
This is how you STAY productive and get stuff done.
By the end of the day not only did I manage to fit in everything that I WANTED to do, I also completed a list of tasks that got me closer to my goals.
Remember, you can make more money but you can’t make more time. Use your time wisely, you only have so much of it. If you’re going to work on something then WORK on it 100%.
Remove all distractions during your WORK (Fun!) time and structure your day. It doesn’t matter if you do not complete ALL your tasks. At least you will have been productive and done enough of the “Right” tasks to move yourself and your business forwards.
The words you need to remember here are Focus, Structure and Discipline. If you follow this routine every day you will get a TON done and you’ll make real leaps and bounds with your business (and life).
Stay productive!