If you've been in a home based Internet business even
a short time, you've probably discovered that it's not
time to give up your day job just yet. You haven't
come into those millions you've heard others have so
quickly amassed in cyber space.
Of course, you'd love nothing other than to be free of
that 9 to 5 leg iron so you can work your business as
much as you want. Well, knowing that's not going to
happen overnight, it's time to learn how to live in
both worlds without going bonkers in the process.
You know you have only a limited amount of time away
from your day job to devote to your business. How are
you going to get the most from the time available?
Here are some pointers I've jotted down from my
experience and reading on the subject.
Once you've decided to make a go of an online business,
finding time each day for working it can be daunting.
Let's say you have a fulltime job. If you're like me –
and I'd guess most people are or else there wouldn't
be an ever increasing number of us out here – you need
that fulltime income.
On top of that you no doubt have to slice up your time
off to do your share of the child rearing and
household chores or upkeep. Child rearing doesn't take
place just at home but includes little league, Scouts,
school functions, and the like. Household chores can
be routine activities like cleaning the garage, doing
the dishes, or cleaning the garbage disposal. All
these are time consuming.
How can you possibly fit anything else into your
schedule? Maybe the best thing is to make the most of
your time when you wrestle down those precious couple
of hours per day on the net.
To begin, you'll want to take a hard look at how much time
you're spending on your own leisure activities –
softball or bowling league, hobbies, and so forth.
Decide what you can limit or scrap altogether and come
up with a time per day you can afford to work at your
online business.
Now it is time to take a look at cutting out some distractions,
at least those over which you have some control. It is time to
develop a kind of tunnel vision, lessening some of the
noise around the house like television, radio, video games, etc.
Decide what you're threshold of distraction is before you can
no longer focus on your business. Find a quiet time to work.
With all that accomplished, now develop a daily
routine. I start out each day reading my email. I sift
through and get the important stuff first and take
action if any is needed. Then I look at the junk
email, take notes on any good ad writing I see, and
file 13 the rest.
Next I read my ezines. Ezines are my primary source
of knowledge about online business. Everything I can
buy about business is there someplace in the world of
ezines, so I don't just skim them to see if my free
ads got posted and trash them.
I read and file the articles by category. They become
my ezine encyclopedia. I notice the editors'
notes and look at their disclaimers, warranty
policies, and subscribe/unsubscribe links.
Next on my agenda is to study my affiliate materials.
Since my affiliate programs go together with my own
endeavors, I learn daily from going to the links in
them.
Your daily routine will vary from mine according to
your individual needs. However, from your daily
routine, you should develop your weekly habits. My
weekly objectives are to write an ezine article,
publish my ezine, and improve my web site.
If you find yourself drifting away from your
objectives, don't panic, but try to work your way back
on track. Be flexible about interruptions and allow
for problems. This is a complicated life we lead. Why
would your business be less so?
Give up computer time to your spouse and children. One
of your business goals should be to buy a computer
just for the business, but for now, please share.
Review your daily and weekly accomplishments. Evaluate
every task and step. Develop a to-do list and check
off the items you complete. Start to-do lists for
tomorrow and next week. Adjust your routines according
to the quality of your accomplishments. If you're
spinning you're wheels, admit it and move on.
Last but not least, take time off. Not as a reward,
but as part of your routine. Schedule a cool-down time
at the end of every online session.
Take one or two entire days off per week. Spend time
with your family. Forget about your business until the
next day. Obsession can be a crippling force in your
business. Don't let it overtake yours.
Please heed the advice you've just read. Your family,
whom you must live with, and your boss, whom you can't
say goodbye to just yet, will thank you for it.
About the Author
Brian Moore publishes 'BizOps Secrets', a complete
ezine resource for online success. AllPro BizOps, Proven Business Secrets That Work
Online. http://www.allprobizops.com