Getting the most out of your time

by Logan Lee

Posted: 11 years ago 16 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Being an internet marketer offers the freedom to work whenever you please, but sometimes this can be a double edge sword. I'd like to share some of my personal habits that I use to make my work time the most productive:

-Organize a list of daily to-do's by priority, and check them off as I complete each task. Personally, I like to use this method while others may choose to spend a certain amount of time on each task. It is really just personal preference.
-Start the day with the hardest/least enjoyable tasks first. I like to knock out the hardest tasks in the beginning of the day because if I save them for last, I may not have the energy or mental alertness to tackle them at 100%. I find that this usually leads to procrastination.
-Work in 1-3 hour blocks. I like to work for blocks of time before taking a break, and find that if I work longer than this time period, my productivity starts to decrease. A quick 10 minute break can help me refresh my mind and relax for a bit.
-Getting rid of all distractions. This includes social media and web surfing, what feels like 10 minutes can easily turn into 2 or 3 hours of wasted time.
-Eating a well balanced diet and exercising. I used to think that not going to the gym would save me time, but actually staying healthy makes me more alert, energetic, and just feeling better overall. I also noticed that taking fish oil supplements on a daily basis helps me concentrate better.

Feel free to share your thoughts and throw out any ideas so we can all learn from each other!

#productivity #time #time management

Cobaki 11 years ago

Thank you for sharing this as people will get some ideas on how they manage their time efficiently. We have a somewhat similar plan except that I start with a few simpler tasks first to give my mind some warm up. When my mind is already functioning fully, I shift to the harder tasks. I also provide 10-15 minute breaks for some relaxation because I push myself too hard, it will take longer for me to get everything done since I can no longer focus.
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ramcon 11 years ago

Nice posting! Managing our time is very important. We must used it and not waste it. But it doesn't mean we don't have the time taking a rest. We work a lot, so we deserve a lot of rest too. Just not over think things and stress up ourselves. Planning what to do first is also very helpful before doing something.
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Plugin Profits 11 years ago

Originally Posted by Logan Lee

-Getting rid of all distractions. This includes social media and web surfing, what feels like 10 minutes can easily turn into 2 or 3 hours of wasted time.

This also includes Forums, Email, and Skype! My friends wonder why I don't sign onto Skype much. Cause when they start talking to me it ends up going on for hours a conversation. At least with emails it's quick and longer intervals.

These various things can become a cycle of distraction when you don't know what to do next. When you feel lost and don't know what you should be working on even cause of work overload or information overload and disorganization. So much easier to jump to these go to things since you understand them and they are immediate time and mind occupiers.

One of the greatest blocks of being productive is feeling disorganized in knowing what to do next action wise and how it all fits together. It's like writers block for writers, though it's production block for taking action.

I often suffer from this. I think the solution would be to make a list and write out all the steps your project needs to complete it and get to the results you want. Then breakdown the steps into priorities and the order they need to done in. Then assign the tasks deadlines and check them off as you complete them.
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- plfbus 11 years ago
  
  Great post and pretty much the plan I'm trying to stick to but am not there yet. I prefer to do my list the night before but sometimes it doesn't happen & then the next day is not as productive.
  
  Have found that I quite often put too much on the list and feel disappointed with myself when less than 75% is crossed off. Does this happen to anyone else?
  
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proguy7 11 years ago

I very much agree about the exercise part - that keeps you going!
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abbersuk

11 years ago

Thanks Logan, great post. I think when you're starting off especially working for yourself, it can be difficult to get your tasks done because you don't know exactly what you need to do and what's most important.
I read not too long ago a little tip from someone that they don't ever stop for the day until they have written down what needs to be done the next day. It's a vital thing to keep yourself moving and limiting procrastination and complacency that you've got everything in hand.

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Logan Lee

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Cobaki

We have a somewhat similar plan except that I start with a few simpler tasks first to give my mind some warm up. When my mind is already functioning fully, I shift to the harder tasks.

Great idea! At the gym, I warm up with light weights before any sort of heavy lifting. It's the same concept here, so I'm going to give it a try!

Originally Posted by Plugin Profits

These various things can become a cycle of distraction when you don't know what to do next. When you feel lost and don't know what you should be working on even cause of work overload or information overload and disorganization. So much easier to jump to these go to things since you understand them and they are immediate time and mind occupiers.

One of the greatest blocks of being productive is feeling disorganized in knowing what to do next action wise and how it all fits together. It's like writers block for writers, though it's production block for taking action.

I often suffer from this. I think the solution would be to make a list and write out all the steps your project needs to complete it and get to the results you want. Then breakdown the steps into priorities and the order they need to done in. Then assign the tasks deadlines and check them off as you complete them.

I feel the same way sometimes, just being so overwhelmed with tasks that you don't know where to being. Having a "production block" also makes me overestimate the time needed to finish all my tasks. Writing down the tasks would really help because I find once I am able to complete 1 or 2 tasks, my momentum starts to pick up and I start becoming very focused. Before I know it, my project is completed.

Originally Posted by plfbus

Great post and pretty much the plan I'm trying to stick to but am not there yet. I prefer to do my list the night before but sometimes it doesn't happen & then the next day is not as productive.

Have found that I quite often put too much on the list and feel disappointed with myself when less than 75% is crossed off. Does this happen to anyone else?

I've had a few "75%" days these past 2 weeks and felt very disappointed at the end of each day. I'll take my unfinished tasks and carry them over to the next day, making them a priority. When I start the day without any sort of goals, I find it's a lot easier to become very unproductive and waste time.

Originally Posted by abbersuk

I read not too long ago a little tip from someone that they don't ever stop for the day until they have written down what needs to be done the next day. It's a vital thing to keep yourself moving and limiting procrastination and complacency that you've got everything in hand.

I totally agree with you here. One of the biggest skills I learned when working for myself was putting urgency in my life. When you work a 9-5, project deadlines and managers keep you in check. When working for myself, having urgency really keeps me in check, gets me working hard, and pushes me to be as productive as possible. I find that having an accountability partner also helps me stay on track.

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twinkenterprises

11 years ago

These are such great ideas. The problem for me is that a lot of what I'm doing I'm learning as I go, so it takes time to find good info to learn from. and then implement it.

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twinkenterprises

11 years ago

I Forgot something before. If you're having trouble keeping organized, check out evernote. It was recomended on another post and it is great. You can clip webpages and make notes on them. Then you can search all your files in it easily.

Originally Posted by twinkenterprises

These are such great ideas. The problem for me is that a lot of what I'm doing I'm learning as I go, so it takes time to find good info to learn from. and then implement it.

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retsced 11 years ago

Great post Logan. I'm a productivity junkie and place that skill above any other.

Personally I like to work in 45 minute blocks of time with a 15 minute break in the morning and afternoon - and then switch to 25 minute blocks of time with 5 minute breaks in the evenings. I find it's very easy to motivate yourself to work for 45 minutes. Anything longer just seems very taxing on the mind.

I don't know how many times i've put off tasks in the evenings, until the next day, because I couldn't get motivated enough to do them as energy levels are always lower for me in the evenings. But, since I set smaller time blocks I find it's far, far easier to just sit down and get it done.

Exercise and diet are very important, as well as getting the more important tasks out of the way first.

I usually start my morning with a walk around the local park. I then come back and meditate for 20 minutes, eat a healthy breakfast - and then get to work. I get up at 5:30 every morning because It's super quiet and I find it much easier to wind into the day ahead. Sleep is very important too, so I'm usually in bed by 10:30pm.

Oh yeah, I schedule my day the night before also.

Thanks for sharing.
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Cobaki

11 years ago

Well, yes something like that.

Warming up is healthy and gives you more motivation to finish your tasks. I am interested though how you get rid of distractions. I am not consistent on that area. There are times that I still get tempted to open my FB account and other social media accounts. You are very correct about the time consumed on these sites. I thought I only invested several minutes on them and when I check, it's already more than an hour.

Thanks
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Logan Lee

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Cobaki

Well, yes something like that.

It's pretty tough sometimes, we all slip from time to time. There's many free programs available, I usually just go to the Google Chrome store (temporary site blocker is one program I know off the top of my head) to download them. Other than that, I only let myself surf the internet during break time and really keep a close eye on how long I've spent.

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mjones70 11 years ago

Very good post, planning and organization is key; a lot of marketers skip this step and wonder why they aren't successful.
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dbrwn 11 years ago

One way to manage your time is to prioritize our productivity. That is, you can divide things up into individual days. Fior example, let's say that you're going to do forum marketing on Mondays, then on Tuesdays, you will write articles, Wednesdays, you will make telephone calls if needed, Thursdays, you will reply to emails and other correspondences, and on Friday, work on product development and such.

Now of course, you can do more than one thing a day, but I think that you get the idea don't you? As long as you prioritize your work week, you will be able to get a whole lot more done in that period of time.

Now this particular schedule might not be the one that you use for your business, but it does give you somewhat of an idea of how to lay out your work week.
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betsyanne 11 years ago

I agree with other posters. Making a schedule out and sticking to it is key. Exercise and trying NOT to waste time on Facebook, etc. is also a great idea. It's very easy to go overboard and waste time there.

I also like to update my blogs at least once a week, and hopefully twice. This takes some time; and I'm thinking of combining some. I also have some websites that need updating.

Being kind to yourself is a must. I agree with plfbus, I usually have more on my "To-do" list than I get done. But I don't beat myself up about it. There are some good ideas here. Thanks for this thread!
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datingworld 11 years ago

Originally Posted by Logan Lee

-Getting rid of all distractions. This includes social media and web surfing, what feels like 10 minutes can easily turn into 2 or 3 hours of wasted time.

Thats very true and this happens with me most of the time....
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Getting the most out of your time

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