If You Don't Work Like A Slave Everyday You Must Not Want It Bad Enough

[pheonix44]

I'm beginning to fall into the trap of believing if I don't work to the bone everyday then I must not want it bad enough. I listen to alot of podcasts and belong to many online newsletters that say if you don't work like a slave to make something happen then you must be lazy.

I just can't help it. If I work 8 hours and someone else works 10 I feel like I'm lazy. If I work 10 and someone works 12 I feel they want it more then me.

I know this has nothing to do with the money I make because I can make twice as much as the person working longer hours. My question is how do you get rid of the nagging feeling that if you are not working as many hours a day as someone else that you are "lazy or don't want it "bad" enough?

[Daniel E Taylor]

1. Quit listening to those podcasts. Anyone dumb enough
to say that, probably isn't something you want to listen to.

2. I think most of us go through this in some form or
fashion. Feeling like we could be more productive. I
believe that is the way things are.

I wouldn't use self defeating terms like LAZY.

Daniel

[Mike Shain]

Hi pheonix44,

There are literally millions of people making money online and many more trying to and each have their own system that works for them. You can't compare yourself to them.

For some people working 4 hours a day is working like a slave. Others might think working 4 hours a week is working like a slave. People like you think working 8-12 hours a day is working like a slave.

It depends on how much time it takes to maintain/promote your sites and build/promote new ones. Working more hours does not necessarily mean more money. There is a point of diminishing return where it just isn't worth it to put in that many hours as you will soon get burned out and have to take a break from marketing.

Bottom line is to only compare yourself to... well yourself. Test new things that could streamline your business and see what impact it has on your time and income. Work to become more efficient while still making a level of income you can live with. Work smarter not harder (god I hate cliches).

Good luck and always make sure you get enough rest!

[mark z]

When you`re your own boss, there is no need to measure time and force yourself to do what others do. You will do your best and you`ll work as much as you can, but all in the zone you`re comfortable with. You`re making rules.
That`s the beauty of having your own business.
Don`t get distracted by trying to keep up with what other are doing.
After all... read last sentence of your signiture. It says it all.

[JohnMcCabe]

What happens when you bump into someone who claims to work 24/7? If such a thing were possible, there would be no way to "outwork" that person, so by definition that would mean that person "wanted it more"?

You need some balance in your life. From balance comes perspective.

I agree with Daniel - quit listening to those podcasts that tell you that you have to work more hours than the next guy to prove how much you "want it"...

When I really grab hold of a project, I'm not a fun person to be around. I communicate in monosyllables. I get irritated at interruptions. Pretty soon, even I can't stand to be around me.

That's no way to live.

Even if you finally manage to achieve "it", what good is it if you have no friends or family or health or happiness.

I've met a lot of seriously driven people, some with enough money to buy a small, third world country. None of them were particularly happy people.

Now, I'm not saying you should abandon all work ethic and "don't worry, be happy" all the time. To achieve some things requires periods of intense activity and focus (I hate the cliche' "massive action"). Those periods should not make up the bulk of your life, though.

[KatyaSenina]

Originally Posted by pheonix44

I'm beginning to fall into the trap of believing if I don't work to the bone everyday then I must not want it bad enough. I listen to alot of podcasts and belong to many online newsletters that say if you don't work like a slave to make something happen then you must be lazy.

I just can't help it. If I work 8 hours and someone else works 10 I feel like I'm lazy. If I work 10 and someone works 12 I feel they want it more then me.

I know this has nothing to do with the money I make because I can make twice as much as the person working longer hours. My question is how do you get rid of the nagging feeling that if you are not working as many hours a day as someone else that you are "lazy or don't want it "bad" enough?

I have the same issue

EDIT recently I've watched a video where a guy was saying that if you want something really bad you're willing to lose sleep to get there. First I thought his message was inspiring and powerful, but then I thought he was nuts. =S

[Jonathan 2.0]

Compete with yourself. (An no one else.)

Compare what you did last week, or whatever, to what you did this week, or whatever. Comparing yourself to other people will always result in you finishing last.

The most important factor for me is working smart. In other words, doing the most productive, wealth-building activities rather than just working for the sake of it.

[Daniel E Taylor]

Originally Posted by KatyaSenina

I have the same issue

EDIT recently I've watched a video where a guy was saying that if you want something really bad you're willing to lose sleep to get there. First I thought his message was inspiring and powerful, but then I thought he was nuts. =S

Um... That's true. The more you work towards
something the faster you get here.

I've loss many nights sleep making this work and
many more nights to lose.

I'll put it this way.

If you had a mega to-do list with 100 tasks and when
you completed all those tasks you knew your dream
life would be here (Cars, money, etc...)

Would you lollygag and take your tiem finishing those
tasks..

Or would you work feverishly to get those 100 tasks
done? Losing sleep, skipping "Fun time", Working
instead of going out with friends.

The hungrier you are to reach your dream life the
faster you would work through those 100 tasks.

That's what the quote you were referring to
means.

And if you've found your passion you start to
see sleep as taking away from doing what you love.

Daniel

[Liam Hamer]

The way I see it, I make sacrifices now and I reap the rewards later. As I said though, I'm probably only working 6 hours a day at the moment. With everything else, I don't really bother with my hobbies any more. I am a musician, play guitar and write and record music but I haven't done any of that for the last 3 months or so. I know I'll come back to it though. I want to be successful really bad, so I'm willing to put in the time and effort to do it, especially as I'm still very much at the 'apprenticeship' phase.

[jgand]

You gotta work hard to be successful, there is a lot of competition out their and to stay ahead you've got to put some work in. Otherwise you'll get left behind, but you can always hire someone to put the work in for you.

[Michael Oksa]

You could also try to "work" just as hard at taking a break. Add recreation of some kind to your to-do list, and take it seriously.

Listening to stuff that re-inforces what you want to do is a good start. Taking a pro-active approach will help, too.

All the best,
Michael

[pheonix44]

What happens when you bump into someone who claims to work 24/7? If such a thing were possible, there would be no way to "outwork" that person, so by definition that would mean that person "wanted it more"?

This is a good point, but with me I don't want to feel like I'm going to easy and at the same time I don't want to flame out either.

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by pheonix44

This is a good point, but with me I don't want to feel like I'm going to easy and at the same time I don't want to flame out either.

Robin, the trick is to unhook the number of hours you put in from your level of desire. Unless you do, you're setting yourself up for that burnout.

If you truly enjoy what you do, then work becomes play and the hours don't matter. If you're "working like a slave", it doesn't sound like that's your situation.

Look for balance. When you do work, work hard. When you play, play just as hard. You'll recharge the batteries and be more effective when you come back.

You don't have to prove how much you want "it" to some podcaster.

[pheonix44]

I think I was doing alright when I thought of it this way, when I began to get too cute that's when I messed up.

[pheonix44]

Therapy might help.

Paying someone 50 to 100 dollars an hour to give me the same info I can get here for free wouldn't be good. But some physical therapy might do me some good because of all the bending infront of the computer all day.

[webmatic]

I suggest making a list of goals every week. At the end of each week, see if you meet them. If goals are not being met, then you can safely call yourself lazy. Set high but realitic goals.

[Hesaidblissfully]

Originally Posted by pheonix44

I'm beginning to fall into the trap of believing if I don't work to the bone everyday then I must not want it bad enough. I listen to alot of podcasts and belong to many online newsletters that say if you don't work like a slave to make something happen then you must be lazy.

I just can't help it. If I work 8 hours and someone else works 10 I feel like I'm lazy. If I work 10 and someone works 12 I feel they want it more then me.

I know this has nothing to do with the money I make because I can make twice as much as the person working longer hours. My question is how do you get rid of the nagging feeling that if you are not working as many hours a day as someone else that you are "lazy or don't want it "bad" enough?

Live your life based on what YOU want, not what other people say you should want.

Also, it's easy to get so caught up in working that you forget WHY you're working in the first place. Try sitting down with a pen and a sheet of paper and writing down exactly what kind of lifestyle you want for yourself, in detail. Is working 80 hours a week part of that lifestyle? No? Then why should you feel bad about not doing something that's not even what you WANT in the first place? That's just silly

Now if you have to work 80 hours a week to reach a specific goal, fine. But let YOUR goal determine how hard you work, not what somebody else says. You should work exactly as hard/smart as you need to in order to reach your goals, and no more or less. I mean the whole point of "wanting it" is to actually GET what you want, right? The wanting itself is just a means to an end, not the end itself.

[pheonix44]

I suggest making a list of goals every week. At the end of each week, see if you meet them. If goals are not being met, then you can safely call yourself lazy. Set high but realitic goals

This worked so well for me in January when I had a weekly do to list. This worked so much better for me then having a daily list. It allowed for me to be flexible, I made over 5000.00$ that month and have not duplicated it since I stopped doing this weekly to do list.

[rwb24]

Just focus on your results. As you become more effective, you will feel good about being more productive and making more money than others spending endless hours working. Enjoy life!

[mhendenterprises]

I'm having similar issues. Being a noob I expect to put in a lot of time trying to learn what I need to in order to be successful. But all work and no play can lead to burnout. Just be sure you're taking care of yourself and are taking the necessary decompression time. I find more happens for me right after a decompression break than at O'dark thirty in the morning after beating my head against the wall for hours.

[dv8]

Originally Posted by Daniel E Taylor

And if you've found your passion you start to see sleep as taking away from doing what you love.

Daniel

So true!! Past few nights I've been up all night working on finishing up a website and product.

I actually got annoyed at the fact that I was so tired I HAD to take a break so I could sleep.

The one night I only slept for 3 hours though. Woke up for some reason and couldn't fall back asleep. To the computer I went. Back to work.

[Tinkerbell]

Phoenix, just remember it's all about "quality" not "quantity." If you can accomplish in 2 hours what takes someone else 10, that's a good thing.

It's not how many hours you put in, it's how much sincerity, dedication, and perseverance.

Tina

[Web Warrior]

Originally Posted by pheonix44

My question is how do you get rid of the nagging feeling that if you are not working as many hours a day as someone else that you are "lazy or don't want it "bad" enough?

I don't try to get rid of that feeling maybe because I think I need to work harder or I am not making a living here yet. So I use it to my benefit by working a bit harder for a couple of days.

[pheonix44]

I don't try to get rid of that feeling maybe because I think I need to work harder or I am not making a living here yet. So I use it to my benefit by working a bit harder for a couple of days

I can do this when I have a list of actionable steps. I find I'm more driven to complete them all when I see all the checkmarks on the list.

[AndyBlackSEO]

You need to also remember that many people work better and more smoothly when they don't work silly hours. Is it not better to work 8 hours and achieve a lot than work 12 hours and feel tired, lethargic and have a produced lower grade work at a slower rate.

Work at a rate that suites you. You don't need a time table to tell you how much you want something.

[BIG Mike]

Originally Posted by pheonix44

I'm beginning to fall into the trap of believing if I don't work to the bone everyday then I must not want it bad enough. I listen to alot of podcasts and belong to many online newsletters that say if you don't work like a slave to make something happen then you must be lazy.

I just can't help it. If I work 8 hours and someone else works 10 I feel like I'm lazy. If I work 10 and someone works 12 I feel they want it more then me.

I know this has nothing to do with the money I make because I can make twice as much as the person working longer hours. My question is how do you get rid of the nagging feeling that if you are not working as many hours a day as someone else that you are "lazy or don't want it "bad" enough?

First, stop comparing yourself to others, because unlike working in a similar position in the corporate world, time spent in this business doesn’t have a benchmark per se.

Next, if you’re productive and happy with the time spent for now, then don’t worry about it. Eventually you’ll discover ways to reduce the number of hours worked per day if you want or need to. You’re the only one who really knows what your business is all about, so you’re the only one who can honestly know what too much or too little time is.

I mentioned in another thread that I’ve reached the point where I absolutely need to spend a total of 23 minutes per day managing my online business activities. That’s the bare minimum to sustain it indefinitely – but I normally do more than that…not much more though

On the other hand, when I’ in the zone working on a new script, I’ll happily work thirty hour days until it’s completed

Don’t let others try to tell you what you should or shouldn’t be doing unless they are deeply involved in what you’re doing at present. They cannot possibly know what you need or don’t need, so ignore them and do what you know needs doing.

[Colin Palfrey]

I wake up and have a cuppa then go get something to eat.

Then I go on the computer and type, plan, research and type.
I stop when the missus nudges me with a dinner plate for 1/4 of
an hour then back to the computer.

Then when I'm dropping I go to sleep.

BUT I enjoy it, and get payed!!
Different Horse's 4 Different Course

Colin Palfrey

[TelegramSam]

An ant or a bee works like a slave.

They know of no other way.

Use what is between your ears.

It's not how hard you work, it's how intelligently and how effectively you work.

Sam

[pheonix44]

An ant or a bee works like a slave.

They know of no other way.

Use what is between your ears.

It's not how hard you work, it's how intelligently and how effectively you work.

Sam

This is what I'm trying to pound into my head.

[Lady_T]

I used to feel the same way, but after
some soul searching, I began to realize
that I don't know what the other guy
knows and can't compare my day to
his.

I may know some tricks that eliminates
an extra of work that he may not know
about.

Now, I just plan my day and I'm fully
aware of any time I begin to feel
worn down. I take a break, and feel
good about what I've accomplished.

I know of people who work 2 jobs and
get only 4 hours of sleep and they are
miserable.

They work more hours than I do and
seem to resent the fact that I seem
"to only sit at the computer."

But truth be told, I get in 8 hours, I
just don't get them all in at the same
time.

If I pull a 12hour day it's because I
WANT to not because I HAVE to.

You just have to work on re-training
your mind and you'll find peace.

[JeffLam]

Convince yourself that though you work 8 hours, you work smarter and has more experience than the guy who worked 10 hours.

It isn't how long you take - it is what you do in those time.

[Coach Ramy]

Don't feel bad about this....don't EVER compare yourself to others or you will always fee dis-satisfied...set your own goals and work towards them...that should determine how much you work...good luck

[Scott Ames]

I'm glad you didn't say "work like a dog" . My dog doesn't do anything.

[SuzanneR]

I've gotten uncomfortable hearing remarks like that, along with advice that you should always be doing something productive every waking minute. As well as Dan Kennedy's "Entrepreneurs are the loneliest people on the planet" (paraphrased).

Remarks like that have made me feel like an inadequate underachiever. I particularly disliked the suggestion that I should give up my favorite tv shows (which boil down to 1-2 hours a day) in favor of working.

Now that said...I'm finding when you know what you want--and you know what you have to do to get it...it doesn't feel like slaving and you gladly put in the time. If you don't put in the time then you probably don't want it badly enough.

I guess my point here is...it doesn't matter what others say...but eventually you'll come to the same conclusion yourself about putting in tons of hours WHEN IT REALLY MATTERS TO YOU.

[patselby]

You need to work the way you want but remember your goal. Keep in mind the alternative to not succeeding on line; having to drive to an office or a plant, sign in, stay there for 8 hours and go home tired. That is enough to keep me working and a day will come when you realize that you can take it easy for a while.

[pheonix44]

Remarks like that have made me feel like an inadequate underachiever. I particularly disliked the suggestion that I should give up my favorite tv shows (which boil down to 1-2 hours a day) in favor of working.

I cannot tell you how many books I read that said I should give up television in favor of working. I only watch one or two shows a week. I love law and order svu and WWE. I hate feeling like a lazy bum for watching them all because someone else feels superior to me because they watch no television at all or only read nonfiction books.

[John T.]

No point in working hard for a bunch of money and never having time to use it.

Enjoy life while you can...

[SeanWatson]

We all have to work on some level to achieve our goals in live. A plan is a must you should have your goals layed out and a time frame to complete them in. Just remember for the things we want in life if we ask the universe to provide them to us they will, you just have to ask then take the steps neccessary to get there....

[jasonmorgan]

OK, that is enough chit-chat.

Back to work slaves

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by pheonix44

I cannot tell you how many books I read that said I should give up television in favor of working. I only watch one or two shows a week. I love law and order svu and WWE. I hate feeling like a lazy bum for watching them all because someone else feels superior to me because they watch no television at all or only read nonfiction books.

I'd say it sounds like your TV watching is under control. Watching shows with good plotting and character development can only help your copywriting. The guys behind WWE are masters at pushing emotional hot buttons. Even if you only watch for the mental break it gives you, you learn by osmosis.

I forget who said it (Dear Abby, maybe?), but it's true - no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

You can learn a lot reading good fiction. When I got to grade school, I was already reading at a much higher level, mainly because my father gave me access to his library in addition to the usual kid books.

Bottom line, taking breaks and filling them with things that recharge you is a GOOD thing...

[BIG Mike]

Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe

I'd say it sounds like your TV watching is under control. Watching shows with good plotting and character development can only help your copywriting. The guys behind WWE are masters at pushing emotional hot buttons. Even if you only watch for the mental break it gives you, you learn by osmosis.

I forget who said it (Dear Abby, maybe?), but it's true - no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

You can learn a lot reading good fiction. When I got to grade school, I was already reading at a much higher level, mainly because my father gave me access to his library in addition to the usual kid books.

Bottom line, taking breaks and filling them with things that recharge you is a GOOD thing...

Same here...except my father's library only had magazines with girls in them - very educational I must say

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by BIG Mike

Same here...except my father's library only had magazines with girls in them - very educational I must say

That was my grandfather's library. Definitely, extremely educational...

[NY1]

Efficient work beats hard work any day of the week.

You can easily accomplish way more just by trimming the fat so to speak. The hard work mentality is a learned, employee mindset. A by product of the farming culture and the industrial age.

[pheonix44]

Efficient work beats hard work any day of the week.

You can easily accomplish way more just by trimming the fat so to speak. The hard work mentality is a learned, employee mindset. A by product of the farming culture and the industrial age.

I was listening to this focus mp3 I got and I did get alot of stuff done. I think I'll give the weekly to do list thing a try again because this worked so well for me before.

[armani]

You shouldn't base your achievments and how long you should work just because you are trying to compare yourself with others. People have different threshholds and capacities of working.

[pheonix44]

You shouldn't base your achievments and how long you should work just because you are trying to compare yourself with others. People have different threshholds and capacities of working.

That is certainly true. I like to focus on getting alot of stuff done rather then working alot of hours.

[JAIDEEP2959]

This is very much true, specially when you are a newbie.

[Steve Powers]

I think it's normal.Some guys are more efficient than others.But they may work less hours.For me,I will choose to work longer assuming that I'm more efficient that my fellows.My work needs devotion and with more devotion I will do better that I used to be.

[james300]

I spend atles 2 hours a day doing internet marketing, but i don't think im working hard enough

[GeorgR.]

Devotion, Motivation, Innovation...all more important than "today i worked 10 hours, so it MUST be profitable" <---- big fallacy

IM does NOT get paid by the hour! It's the Results which count!