How to Quiet the "Jump Around and Do Everything" Voices?

There is a free tool named Temptation Blocker (http://sourceforge.net/projects/temptblocker) that can lock you out of your other programs on your computer.

The idea is that you are forced to stick with your current task for a specified period of time.

It comes with an emergency mode where you need to type in a horribly long phrase to unlock it in an event that you absolutely must regain control of your blocked applications during the 'block' period.

It might help you

Sean

Sit down and write a out a schedule.

Also prioritize via ABC (Franklin Covey has some great Planners)

Divide your time in your days and your days in your week.

Ex.

Mon-
8-10 check accounts follow up emails
10-12 forums
12-5- Build Site
5-6:30 Social networking
6:30-7:00 Next day Priority list

Tues 8-10 Check accounts follow up email
10-12- Research
12-5 -Write articles ( Can be for Blog| Site| or Dirctory)
5-6:30 social networking
6:30-7:00 Next day Priority list

Wed 8-10 Check Account follow
10-12- Autoresponder| email marketing campaigns |write emails
12-5- Work on site | Link Building
5:6- Social Networking
6-6:30 Plan Next day

Thurs 8-10 Chec Accounts Follow Ups
10-12 Reasearch
12-5 Write Articles
5-6- Social Networking
6-6:30 Plan next day

Friday
8-10 Check Account Follow Up
10-3 Work on Site | Linking
3-5 Reasearch new Niches
5-6 Social Networking
6-:630 Plan next week


So that it looks something like this...you know that set days are for set things...however that applies to your business model

MONDAYS--Site Building
TUESDAYS--Research and Article Writing|Linking (Updating Blogs\Websites)
WEDNESDAYS-Autoresponder | Email campaigns | Link Building
THURSDAYS--Research | Article Writing (Blogs\Sites or Directories)
FRIDAY--Niche Identification| Linking


Obviously this would tailored to your individual schedule. But a SOLID Schedule is the only way to combat the off in a million directions syndrome. When you feel you want to go off task you need to look at your schedule and realize that what you want to do is accounted for and will be completed on another day...or later that day.

Not following a schedule, mind map, plan etc will lead you down the road of having a lot of loose ends and not one thing finished. This is how I manage the craziness.

Sean

kohuether...

The secret is to keep things simple. Don't get too obsessed with creating lists. I've spent (and tend to spend) far too much time creating lists. It feels good at the time, then I move on. Some time down the road, I come across lists from 2-5-20 years ago that I never finished... many of them duplicates. Talk about lack of organization!

Funny how so many things on my list stay the same over the years. Tells me something.

With my little list book, I don't bother trying to organize them as I write them down. I just toss out everything I can think of that needs doing. Then, I go through each day's list and pick and choose according to how they appeal to me at that time, or how important they are.

On day 2, I start more to-dos, but when I begin work, I go back and finish anything that I entered on day 1. So it's quite possible to often be working on tasks from 1-2 or even 3 days ago.

I'm not very good at scheduling, so this works well for me. I don't have to think about how long it will take me to do a certain task, or how much I can accomplish in a day, because I'm always wrong.

I also don't like rigid schedules. So being able to pick and choose through my list on a given day works well for me. It gives me freedom and appeases my independent spirit.

The list keeps me focused on the things that DO need doing and minimizes the time I spend messing with frivolous and unimportant things.

It's important figure out how this type of system will work for you. I know many people like to be precise in setting time per task but that's not me. If I do set times and the task isn't completed, I keep working at it. If I stopped when the time was up, the task would not get done.

Sylvia