*IMPORTANT* Increase productivity and INSURE success!

[MouseandMice]

Hey Fellow Warriors!

Today I was talking to a few "big name IMers" about what makes someone successful instead of crashing and burning.

First thing we agreed on was that when people say things like "If you don't make it in the first X months, you most likely won't!", they are full of crap. So don't get put off by it if you aren't a billionaire after 5 weeks.

Secondly, in all business, ESPECIALLY Internet Marketing (since we are at our computers all day, er'ry day), it is very easy to get sidetracked and find that after a week of "work," you haven't accomplished anything.

How many times have you spent the whole day on Twitter or Facebook? How many times have you sat down and chatted with all of your buddies on AIM or Skype? How many times have you gone around and "ran errands" only to find that you haven't done anything useful in the end?

That is what kills businesses, and their success...

Think about it: If you worked EXTREMELY productively for only one day, how much could you accomplish? 8-12 hours of complete pinpointed tasks? I bet you could launch a site and get it to reach insane heights in that time.

We realized that we all did something in particular... I am not sure if you do it too, but I saw a HUGE increase in productivity when I started doing this, and I have no doubt it had a big part in my success.

AND IT IS CHEAP TO IMPLEMENT... LESS THAN TEN DOLLARS!

Here is the secret:

1) Go to your local Costco and buy their 10-pack of Legal sized notepads.
2) Buy a pen
3) Keep it NEXT to your computer at all times.
4) Any time you realize you need to do something, whether it is buying a pack of pens, pressing your suit, contacting your graphic designer, setting up JVs, or launching your website, WRITE IT DOWN ON THE PAD (make a list.)

Now then... Make sure that you don't just write "Launch new site" but instead split it into its individual pieces... E.X. Create design, write sales letter, contact jvs, make videos, and so on...

Make a separate column for a checkmark once you are done.

Every morning, go through the list and see what things you can pack together and get done... And DO IT.

What does this list do? What the heck is the point?

A few things actually...

First off, how many times have you come up with a great idea, or a thing that, if done, would make your business so much more successful or efficient or just plain easy... Now how many times did you forget it halfway through your day? How many times did you forget it once you woke up the next morning?

Exactly. This gets rid of that!

Secondly, it makes you accountable to yourself! If you are looking at a list that is constantly "screaming" that you haven't reached your full potential, or that constantly reminds you that you haven't completed anything for the past few days, it is IRRITATING and on top of that it forces you to take action.

Action + Knowing Everything You Need To Do = Increased Productivity...

Increased Productivity = Increased SUCCESS.


Think on these things :-D

Thoughts?

Ali

[T2VSonya]

I use my Palm, but it's the same idea.

I was overwhelmed by how many different irons I had in the fire at once for about a year. I could see my productivity dropping and my revenue following. My biggest problem was being pulled in different directions by too many different "urgent" things. I have things at home, personal things, health things, work things, website things, etc. It was all too much to manage.

I sat down one afternoon about a month ago and put all my tasks into the Palm using the "Tasks" and "Memos" tools. (Big projects go under Memos where I can write more details and the smaller parts go into Tasks) I took all the things out of my notebooks, scraps of paper, stickies all over my desk and put them all together. Then I categorized and prioritized them. I took some projects like "update xxxxxxxx.com" and broke it down into more manageable pieces that could be completed in one or two sittings like "redesign header", "find programmer for blahblah", "research keywords", etc.

I took another week or so to add things as I think of them that didn't make it on the original lists. I also am adding things as I come across them. I just started putting in "due dates" for all the items too. I even added recurring chores (grocery, laundry, vacuum, dogs to groomer, etc) into there so that when I check them off, they go to their new due date.

It's fantastic! I think I'm getting a lot more done. But the best thing is that I feel like far fewer things are falling through the cracks and getting forgotten. It's also a lot harder to ignore the things I'm less fond of doing that always end up at the bottom of the list. Those due dates are looming so I know I have to just buckle down and do it or face the dreaded red lettering and "overdue" message.

I assume that many of the smart phones and Outlook can do the same thing, can't they? I'm old skool with my Palm. I don't know about specific effects on my income yet. I've just started this and I can see the difference in my day to day life, but the checks take a little longer to change. I think the challenge will be to keep myself motivated to keep the Palm handy to put in new things as they come to me.

[JustaWizard]

Here's something that has worked very well for me:

I have a sheet I made in MS Word, all blank except for some horizontal lines, and on the left side I put 7am, 8am and so on thru 6pm horizontally.

At the top is a space for day and date.

Then, as I start work, I enter the activity I'm involved in for that time frame - just noting what I'm doing, checking email, doing twitter, making a phone call, working on a blog post.

I don't take a long time to just jot down - "blog post on my Cnow blog" and the start and end times are noted.

At the end of the day and week I can look back and see EXACTLY what I did...

...and sometimes more important what I DIDN'T DO.

This really keeps you honest.

If you're "j*cking off", and doing something not leading to anything productive, there it is in black and white.

Even better, my girlfriend and I meet on the weekend for coffee and review what we intended to to that week vs. what we actually did that week.

This is a great productivity "increaser" because it keeps you honest.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who can start out with great intentions, then get distracted by all kinds of things that don't lead to productive work activities.

Best,
David

[Adaptive]

Ali, you're missing one step.

It's great to capture all your ideas so they don't distract you right then.
And it's great to follow a written checklist.

The missing step goes in the middle. It's important to prioritize that list rather than just doing everything in the order it popped into your mind.

This means some things on the list might never get done... because you're successfully doing what's more important.

Regards,
Allen

[MouseandMice]

Originally Posted by JustaWizard

Here's something that has worked very well for me:

I have a sheet I made in MS Word, all blank except for some horizontal lines, and on the left side I put 7am, 8am and so on thru 6pm horizontally.

At the top is a space for day and date.

Then, as I start work, I enter the activity I'm involved in for that time frame - just noting what I'm doing, checking email, doing twitter, making a phone call, working on a blog post.

I don't take a long time to just jot down - "blog post on my Cnow blog" and the start and end times are noted.

At the end of the day and week I can look back and see EXACTLY what I did...

...and sometimes more important what I DIDN'T DO.

This really keeps you honest.

If you're "j*cking off", and doing something not leading to anything productive, there it is in black and white.

Even better, my girlfriend and I meet on the weekend for coffee and review what we intended to to that week vs. what we actually did that week.

This is a great productivity "increaser" because it keeps you honest.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who can start out with great intentions, then get distracted by all kinds of things that don't lead to productive work activities.

Best,
David

Wow dude. I REALLY like the idea of making a list of everything you do on top of actually making a to do list... its like the opposite... its a DO list haha.

God knows I need it :/