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Productivity/Time Management Wizards...Can I Pick Your Brain?!

by Steve23
12 replies
Hopefully you can help me to answer a few questions, so that I can put together a solid plan of attack.

I work for an IT company in software sales during the day(9-5:30pm) and get home around 6:30pm. I'm usually pretty wiped out, so I find myself vegging out for about an hour or so, surfing the web or watching youtube, reading random articles, etc. I find I can usually focus a bit better once 7pm rolls around. I'm in bed by around 1am, so I figure that leaves me from 7pm-1am to cover the following projects/activities:

- Workout: 1.5-2hrs(travel time included) 4-5 days/week.

- IM project #1 - Authority Site: After some years away from niche sites, I'm working on setting up an authority site to be monetized with display ads and affiliate programs. My goal is to build this up to receive large amounts of organic traffic over the next 6-12 months, filling it with high quality content. I'll also be sending paid traffic to the site, an area where I am starting to learn. I'm not a total newbie in this regard since I use to make about $3-4k/month with niche sniper sites several years ago. However, things have changed and I'm basically learning this over from scratch following a course with some email coaching alone the way.

- IM project #2 - Infoproduct Funnel - I've chosen a niche where I'd like to build out a full infoproduct business with a series of low-end to higher ticket offerings. My goal is to build large customer list and evolve according to their needs. This is an area where I'm fairly new, in practice. I used to work for a CPA company where we would build out customer funnels, however most of this work was outsourced, so I have little hands-on experience of my own, although I know what needs to be done and I am following a step-by-step course in this regard as well.

- Reading(various categories): I've set a goal to read 2 books per month, so I'm trying to set aside a regular reading time of at least 45mins-1hr every day.

- Volunteer work: Haven't started this yet, but I plan to volunteer 1hr/week.

- Cleaning(dishes, vacuuming, dusting, etc.)

- Internet Shows: I like to spend an hour just watching a documentary or garbage reality shows at some point during my night. This doesn't happen too often, but it's something to look forward to I guess.

- Eating & Meal Prep for next day: Gotta eat at some point


That's basically my weeknights. Pretty boring, I know Anyway, if you have any suggestions on how I might break up the night to cover all the tasks, I'm interested to know. I was thinking about maybe alternating the nights where I would work on the 2 IM projects. Was also wondering if I'd be better off just choosing one of the projects and devoting all my time to that one until it was mostly up and running. I'm pretty motivated these days, just need a solid gameplan. Thanks.

S.
#brain #management #pick #productivity or time #wizardscan
  • Profile picture of the author rhinocl
    Two suggestions. Make a bunch of meals at a time and freeze/refrigerate them.
    One or two days a week find a way to get some exercise before you head home. It's much easier to get it playing a game or racquetball or taking a dance class than by working out. If you pace yourself you might be able to be productive immediately upon returning home. Of course if you go at any exercise really hard, it can have the opposite effect.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeff Burritt
    Banned
    Honestly Steve, that's a tough one. It's easy to put a schedule on paper, but living it out is another thing. For me, I try to prioritize my day. Usually first thing in morning, I make a brief list on a sheet of paper the absolute most important things I need to do. So, if something comes up, and usually sometime does, I've got a list to help get me back on track. And, if I don't get as much accomplished as I hoped too, at least I can scratch off something off my list. And that helps me feel that the day was productive.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve23
    Thanks for the replies guys. Anyone think I should just choose one project and focus on that versus working on getting two up and running at the same time?
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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Steve, if it's at all demanding, working a full-time job requires some serious down-time. Your proposed schedule looks like it might get you zonked out before too long, or demotivate you if (when) you start slipping.

      My advice would be to spend your weekday evenings mostly relaxing - maybe take an hour or so to work on a project if you're in the mood, or otherwise just read for a while. Then use your weekends to crack on with the extra-curricular stuff.

      Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author Marvin Lex
    First of all, your schedule sounds pretty solid. It's not too strict and ambitious.

    Three times exercising per week is enough for regular, not bodybuilder-like people who want to use their time efficiently

    I also think you can drastically reduce your reading time. There are special techniques called speed reading you might want to look at.

    With regards to your projects, it might be more efficient to concentrate on one project only but that's something you have to test.

    There are also time management tools like the Pomodoro technique. Didn't work for me but some people report great results.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve23
    I guess I feel like if I don't do some work during the week, or if I spend too much time just reading, watching TV, it seems to me like I'm wasting alot of precious time. At the same time, I don't want to create an unrealistic schedule(done this in the past) where I'm burned out as soon as I get out of the gate. Will probably need to test a few things out, maybe one week at a time

    S
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      First off, is there a way you can cut out the travel time on some of your workouts? In other words, instead of going to a gym and doing yoga or calisthenics or something, can you use a recorded program (I see "Daily Burn" advertised a lot) and get your workout at home?

      Originally Posted by Steve23 View Post

      Thanks for the replies guys. Anyone think I should just choose one project and focus on that versus working on getting two up and running at the same time?
      I try to have two complementary projects going so I can alternate between them. For example, one project right now mainly requires curating content for a newsletter so much of that time is spent reading articles, watching videos, listening to podcasts, etc. Another project is more intense, with a lot more personal creativity involved. Since the two projects require different skill sets and focuses (foci?), alternating between them keeps the burnout wolf away.

      Just accept that getting two projects done at the same time will take longer, although I've often found the time frame to be less than twice as long.

      Make sure you keep scheduling some of that down time - the junk reality shows, etc. Not only does it give your conscious mind a break, it gives your subconscious mind time to work on other problems.
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      • Profile picture of the author MValmont
        First of all you say you want to do volunteer work, but you haven't started yet. If I were you I would make this a priority.

        I'm a volunteer for homeless people here in Montreal and let me tell you, IT WILL raise your energy. It WILL make you more productive. Why? Because when you see people that truly suffer, your realize that your life is pretty sweat and you'll work hard to make it even better and not become broke like they are. You Will work HARD to make sure you don't end up broke and without any hope like them...Every time I feel tired, I think about the homeless people that have to walk in the snow with holes in their boots, that have to sleep outside, beg for money to get food etc, and I say to myself : Get to work because you don't want to end up like this.


        Second of all, I would highly recommend you to start your day with a morning routine that empowers you. Yes, I know it sounds strange but it works. As yourself questions like : What am I happy about? How can I make this day a great day? What am I excited about? How can I make sure I live this day without any regrets? This questions will put you in a peak state and you will perform better during the day. You could also do the same thing after work just before you start to work on online marketing.

        I would recommend you to do this routine BEFORE you browse the internet and watch Youtube. Why? Because this routine will put you in a PROACTIVE state of mind, whereas browsing the internet and watching youtube puts you in a REACTIVE state of mind. I'm pretty sure that after asking yourself these questions and putting the answers on a piece of paper, you won't even want to waste time doing nothing on the internet.

        You basically want to put yourself in a PRODUCING state of mind, not a REACTIVE state of mind.

        MValmont.
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        • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
          Originally Posted by Steve23 View Post

          - Cleaning(dishes, vacuuming, dusting, etc.)
          Dishes - get paper plates.
          Vacuuming, dusting - people still do this? lol

          The less you have around, the less there is to clean.

          7-1 is 6 hours a night - and this is just Monday to Friday?

          Think about cutting it to just 3 hours of solid work time every night. And maybe 3-5 hours on the weekend.

          Solid work time means you start immediately at from let's say 8-11. That means not reading articles, watching videos, etc.

          See if you can make the list of what needs to be done, then take that and piece it into 3 hour intervals to happen during the week. Take your weekend time off to do the planning and follow the plan for the week.

          Get a solid calendar that you put in the time chunks of what you are supposed to be doing and do it during it's time.

          Failure to plan is planning to fail.

          It comes down to creating measurable goals. If your goal one night is to create some content or find someone to make your content then you get that task done and move on. If you get it done ahead of time then you see if there is something else scheduled for that week you can do with the remaining time. If you don't get it done, then you have to schedule it in to be done in the next week.

          Reward yourself with the mindless shows when you've completed your tasks for the day.

          Jerry Springer can wait. lol
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          • Profile picture of the author Steve23
            Originally Posted by Jill Carpenter View Post

            Dishes - get paper plates.
            Vacuuming, dusting - people still do this? lol

            The less you have around, the less there is to clean.

            7-1 is 6 hours a night - and this is just Monday to Friday?

            Think about cutting it to just 3 hours of solid work time every night. And maybe 3-5 hours on the weekend.

            Solid work time means you start immediately at from let's say 8-11. That means not reading articles, watching videos, etc.

            See if you can make the list of what needs to be done, then take that and piece it into 3 hour intervals to happen during the week. Take your weekend time off to do the planning and follow the plan for the week.

            Get a solid calendar that you put in the time chunks of what you are supposed to be doing and do it during it's time.

            Failure to plan is planning to fail.

            It comes down to creating measurable goals. If your goal one night is to create some content or find someone to make your content then you get that task done and move on. If you get it done ahead of time then you see if there is something else scheduled for that week you can do with the remaining time. If you don't get it done, then you have to schedule it in to be done in the next week.

            Reward yourself with the mindless shows when you've completed your tasks for the day.

            Jerry Springer can wait. lol
            Wish I could double thank this Jill

            While I like the idea of working on two projects, I think what I will do is focus on getting one up and running with some momentum before adding the other. Right now I'm going through the project and listing out the various steps to take me from start to finish(although it never really ends). I'll block off calendar time for each day in advance and make sure that what gets scheduled gets done.

            Not sure I have 3 straight hours of focus left in me at the end of the day, but I'm going to experiment with the pomodoro method and see how that goes for a few weeks. I'm sure it'll be a challenge sticking to the schedule precisely, but I'll at least be able to make sure that things get done. I'll use Sunday for a weekly review and look at my progress over the next few weeks. Wish me luck

            S.

            P.s. of course, I'm always open to more input...so if you have anything that works for you, by all means, feel free to share
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            • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
              Originally Posted by Steve23 View Post

              While I like the idea of working on two projects, I think what I will do is focus on getting one up and running with some momentum before adding the other. Right now I'm going through the project and listing out the various steps to take me from start to finish(although it never really ends). I'll block off calendar time for each day in advance and make sure that what gets scheduled gets done.
              Steve, this is not a bad way to go.

              Over the years, i've developed (or at least improved) my ability to compartmentalize working on two projects. In other words, when I'm working on Project A, I'm not even thinking about Project B and vice versa. Unless you have or are willing to develop that kind of focus, sticking to one project is a good decision.
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  • Profile picture of the author Engineer2Blogger
    I'm a firm believer of working on one project at a time as your main focus.

    I'd do a 4 - 2 hour split. If there's a second business idea i just can't shake off, I'll give it 2 hours a day and my main one 4 hours.

    Note, these are intense work sessions! No social media or distractions, just pure work!
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