Are you guilty of any of these...

Filling your hard disk with outdated stuff and PLR'S in the hope you can use them someway..

Downloading every software you can get your hands on and later on realise it aint working.

Bookmarking every second site you visit rather for later reading, when you should have read it now and make some notes if the information is useful!!

Hi Jim,

I have to respectively disagree with this one (at least depending on the person involved). Reading is key to learning and it's something most of us don't have the time to do each day. Especially if you are producing content, you must be reading what other people are saying.

I see your point and email, blogs and forums can be time sucking vampires from hell, but I really think you have to make the effort to block out time to do that. The trick for me is to be disciplined and not get distracted by content which really isn't related to what I need to accomplish each day.

I have a long time addiction to forums and because of this, I definitely have to be careful not to invest too much time each day in it. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

However, you definitely have a point in general.

Regards,
jim

I've done all of these I'm afraid. Hopefully someone will read this and learn from our mistakes.

They probably won't though. On a positive note, I'm looking forward to reading their thread in a few years from now where they beat themselves up about how they didn't start take action sooner.

Guilty! disorganization, and lack of direction/focus will keep you right where you are.

Guilty of all above exept for recently Not taking action i have stared to take action and I'm seeing massive improvements in my business.

Good list. Found this very interesting, cheers

Alex

Everyone falls into these traps at first, especially if this is all totally new to you. It's part of the learning curve. Live and learn glad to see you are taking action
Lexilou

#4 Not organizing files.

Yep. But I'm getting better. I'm starting a major new project and yesterday I worked on "infrastructure" stuff. That is, building a filing system that allows me to put my hands on stuff I'll need when this thing takes off. There are many components so it's taking time to think everything out and plan ahead wisely.

I'm not very well wired for such left brain stuff but the frustration of hunting around for documents and stuff I'll need quickly in the future has forced me to set this thing up properly from the start.

I'd much rather be doing the nuts and bolts work of creating and marketing but I know this is what has to be.

I definitely download way more stuff than I'll ever get around to looking at. I see something and I always think, "Man, I can definitely use that for something," then never ever do.

I was guilty of most of those when I first started out (in 2006). Although reading the forums can be useful for research and learning new things, while checking emails - well I have to do that to respond to customer queries and check new orders :rolleyes:

I have all kinds of stuff on a separate hard drive that I've collected over the years. Most if it I've never used or looked at, some of it I refer to on a daily basis. The thing is, products are great, but what most people want and need is support. It wasn't until I found someone that could actively help me that I started to see some seriously results. Someone that I could approach and say, "I think I'm doing this right based on your guide, but can you take a look and make some changes." And yes, I paid for a deticated coach/mentor but it was well worth it. You can get a lot of great help for free. So what I suggest is take all those products you have, choose a strategy, and start seeking help.

Thanks to everyone who has shared so far.
JimDucharme I was only speaking in the broadest sense of doing something that is not work, but telling yourself it is. If you are using a forum for research, or to gain useful knowledge that you can apply, or to build relationships with the hopes of future sales, that's work. If you're just wasting time replying to every post and not working toward an end of some sort, that isn't work. It can be a very fine line.
Perhaps I should have cited a different example such as joining a lot of JV giveaways, but not as a contributor. (Been there, done that, got the freebies. LOL) It's very easy to tell yourself you're working towards being an internet marketer, but what you're really doing is filling your hard drive with a bunch of outdated useless junk. (Every once in a while I still find myself doing something like this)

Mostly I hoped to spark a dialogue that might be useful to some of the newer folks on here who might think the way most of us have in the past and follow the same fruitless path. Any time you can save by learning from the mistakes of others is worth more than gold, because time is the one commodity we can't get back once it is spent.

That is why most people start to succeed once they find a decent coach, mentor, partner, or what have you. Learning from the mistakes of others. Additionally, finding people whose strengths are your weaknesses can help a lot. One of the main reasons for this forum is to help others succeed. (Besides, helping others can help you, too. Just like you can learn more about a topic by teaching others about it.)

I have made more than my fair share of mistakes along the way, and I hope to help others avoid doing the same thing.

Best wishes for much success,

Jim Waller

While I was reading your post I thought I was reading my own bio. All kidding aside I am just as guilty. Trying to get out of the bad habits though.

Haha emails feel so important to read, the can be a real time waster.

Less reading and studying, more action. Amazing how simple it is to succeed in this game when you get those two concepts down.

I think it's natural for beginners to commit mistakes especially if they are still adjusting in there fields. But to the extent of keep repeating those errors which is inexcusable.

1. Joining EVERYBODY's list Not as much but I am on a good amount of lists
2. Amassing a HUGE collection of freebies you'll never use No doubt about it. I have downloaded countless programs and eBooks and the thing is that they have not been opened once!
3. Amassing a HUGE collection of paid products you'll never use Not as much as freebies but still a reasonable amount!
   
4. Not taking action Yeah I used to be afraid to invest into projects that I learned about because I was afraid they would not work, but even if they don;t work, you must learn from your failures!

Well, for me i have bought lots of Wordpress theme, which i never used. also bought some template, PLR article, etc I wasted couple of hundred on them.

I think we have all been there before at some point or another...I remember back in 08' when I got started online those were some of the EXACT issues that I struggled with. One of the most important things for me personally was realizing that there is no ONE method that is right for anyone.

I've been fairly successful as an SEO (for myself & other biz owners), affiliate marketing, MLM, and several other industries...I cannot tell anyone that one of those is better than the other. You can succeed in just about any "money making method" you choose, but the real trick is to pick something that you know is working for others & master it...come hell or high water.

I agree with you on your last point, I think people definitely get into this business and have measurable success then they start getting into serious IM and SEO so they read forums and try to figure out a way to make the money come faster.

This may help them learn but it also can be addictive and waste time where they could be creating more material and trying new ventures. Websites are just like brick and mortar businesses, they fail at an alarming rate but if you create enough of them and never quit you will eventually realize what works for you particularly and then the sky is the limit.

Thanks for the great post.

I can't seems resist freebies..
some of them was download and leave it

Hate this one! I really need to sort out my marketing folder on my pc. It has way too much junk and there is a lot of stuff scattered all over the place!

Jim,
I've been guilty on all counts.

This year I've starting unsubscribing from many lists.

When I need to get a lot of writing done I disconnect from the internet to avoid temptation.

Rose

4 and 6. But that is all cleared now, that was long ago. I do call things I do not like to do work though, but I do it anyway so it doesn't matter.

Simplestan

Many people new to IM experience the same as you and it's due to a lack of understanding / knowledge about how to make money online. What I did to avoid many of the mistakes you've listed is join a proven Franchise. Once I'd got the system set up I started to learn the marketing methods recommended in the programme one at a time and then applying them. It's taken some hard work on my part but it's now beginning to pay off. I still collect the free e-books though!

Done a couple of them.lol I think the worst thing to do is spend time on learning something new, then doing nothing with it at all.
Not taking action is a real killer in anything.

Good post


Kevin

Glad to say I am definitely Innocent

I guess those are the newbie's mistakes. Almost everyone faces those, what i managed to solve this problem is to write down the software or product that i believe is most constructive for implementation and delete the unnecessary files that have been downloaded for a long time and have not been touched.What most people do is collect garbage and then download something else similar to that. Its hard to resist freebies.

guilty of all the above !!! GETTING FOCUSED IS THE KEY !!

I was guilty of a few that you listed not all, but I can notice it is a trend among those who want to soak up as much information as they can to shrink the risk of failing at IM.

Once I realized what information kept being repeated I started to see patterns of how to do certain activities, also when I figured this out I did a fun game of DELETE where I simply deleted everything that I wasnt using as far as wso's and software. I did it in under one day because some items I had to read over again before deciding if it stayed or disappeared.

Quilty as Sin..

Guilty of five and six, and am slowly in the process of number three.

"Not properly organizing important files"

There was a day when I decided to organize my files. As always before doing anything I go to google and find some articles to get ideas on how to do it best.

There was one article which was very interesting and helped me a lot. Actually it was just one line:

If you didn't open the file during the past 3 to 6 months DELETE IT!

My computer become cleaner and I never needed to use those removed files again.

all me sometimes