Suggestions for balancing a J-O-B and PLR business

I also work 10-12 hours a day, with an added 2 hours of commute time when I go back to work.

The thing I found that works is trying to do what I can when I can take a break (service based industry, making breaks rare at times.) I don't have a laptop, but what I find works well for me is to use break time to outline my content for later.

I bought a digital recorder on the off chance that I come up with ideas on my drives. I hoped to be able to use it to "write" while I drive, but I never really became comfortable with talk to text... mainly due to not really having a quiet spot to work at home.

Motivation is hard at times. I try to push myself a little each day, but not to the point of burnout on either end. I have found motivation comes much easier as my traffic and sales increases. The PLR store has been a slow starter, but it has started to take off for me.

I do not work a full time job along side my PLR, so I'm afraid I can't give advice specifically related to that, but I think this tip might help you with feeling as if you aren't doing enough etc.

I would set yourself a target of x number of articles per day, even if it's just one. It might seem slow at first, but with PLR it helps to be constantly producing new content, and it's better than getting overwhelmed and not coming up with anything. That way, even if you're tired from your day job, at least you'll be doing something (however small) to advance your PLR business.

Divide your tasks based on the amount of time and concentration they take. For example, you may find it hard to write if you only have 10 or 15 minutes available (some people do, some people don't). However, that time might be perfect for editing an article or doing some research.

As an example: I had a doctor appointment this week. I knew there would be waiting time, but there would not be a big block of time. A few minutes in the waiting room, then moved to the exam room, a few minutes there, then the nurse comes in, a few more minutes, then the doctor, etc. I took a print out of an ebook I am editing and used the short blocks of time to edit a few pages at a time. Each little piece doesn't seem like much, but it added up to getting quite a bit done. Certainly better than nothing!

It is not easy to launch a new business while working full time, but if it were everyone would do it. Congratulations to you on taking the initiative to follow your dream!

Jenifer, I'm in almost the exact position you are in: I work in a theater about 60-75 hours a week, and am working on starting my PLR business as well.

The best way I've found to keep motivated and moving is to keep each of my steps small. I don't try to think about everything I have to do to get going all at once (getting the website up, getting the autoresponder up, writing 10 articles today, etc).

Instead, I pick one element to work on and give myself a strict time period to do it. (i.e. I'm going to spend 15 minutes researching topics, then 20 minutes to write my first article on it). Keeping your steps small will really help to keep you moving forward; with small steps you can quickly feel a sense of accomplishment building. And you'll find it easier to do do small tasks that build your business when your at home and exhausted from the day. Trust me, you can easily get yourself overloaded if you try to tackle everything at once after a long day of work!

I also don't get too many breaks during my work day, so honestly I find trying to split my focus during the day (between day job and business building) just makes me feel more frustrated and overwhelmed and less likely to actually get anything accomplished.

Finally, don't give up! Results won't necessarily come quickly, but we're building a lasting quality business. When things start to pickup, you'll be glad you spent the time on it!

IF you can find a way to outsource it then you are in luck. Otherwise just plan out a small time each day and just work on the business. Don't waste anytime reading the forums or anything else.

I'm sorry, I'm not aware of what this JOB thing is you speak of. I'll have to google it. Is it something you're forced to do by the government or a form of public service?

But seriously, weekends? You should have some free time then.

Jennifer, there's a lot of very good information here, but I wanted to add that you shouldn't beat yourself and think you're not doing enough. All those little steps you consistently do will add up or least that's what I keep telling myself

Good luck!

This answer may be unpopular but it worked for me years ago: sleep less.

When I started in 96 I had 4 children under the age of 12, was single and worked 4 pm to 1 am. With commute time and all the kid/school stuff, I could only make the business happen by sleeping 3 hours a night. Long story and it sucked but I made it happen.

I think it is a great idea to break your PLR business into a tiny chunk of you day or week. Set aside 30 minutes a day or 15 minutes a day OR even 30 minutes a week - whatever you think YOU can spare and put everything else aside- even your 'real' job.

PLR business time is like "ME" time. You need to take the PLR creation time and just run with it. Hope that helps.

As a resident slacker, it's hard to offer advice on working MORE but I'll try

I think you ought to just put in 1 hour to 30 minutes a day at home or before school. I would NOT work weekends if I were you because you NEED some time off.

I like the idea that you're doing it on laptop from school. Try not to do it all in one sitting - I know you and your 40 pages in 1 day ways!!! Try little bites instead and it won't seem so overwhelming.

And get lots of 5 packs up. This helps because:

a. It gets lots of varied keyword searches into your site (and remember those people often see lots of other packs they want) and

b. It lets people test you at $5 instead of having to wonder if their $50 investment is going to be worth it. I personally know your PLR is great but others don't know you and won't want to risk it.

So 1 page a day - each week gives you a new traffic stream coming in.

5 pages a day - about 1 hour for you, means 5 new packs per week.

Tiff

Have students do it for extra credit.



-g

OMG I love it Garrie - Jeni this is the example I was talking about. LOL!!

How about setting up a PLR Writing day instead of taking the bit of time you have everyday to write those articles?

Andrea

I know the feeling. The car dealership as a day job is working two 12 hour shifts, plus they snuk up working every Saturday, instead of the original 2 Saturday's they only asked in the beginning. They say one thing, and then say another. If the internet is something you truly love, you'll figure something out creatively, in managing to get beyond working 12 hour shifts. Believe you me, I know the feeling!

I do a day job and slowly growing a publishing business.

If you need to add more things to your schedule, you need to drop current things on your schedule. I don't watch TV or read news. I work on my side business from 7pm till about 12-1am. When my friends are playing and partying on friday nights and weekends, I'm usually working.

With the projected numbers on my online income, I should be able to quit the JOB within next 4-5 months and make more money.

I've now started outsourcing some repetitive tasks. If I already earn $20/hr, but then I can get someone to do some repetitive tasks for $5/hr, I immediately boost my productivity by 200-400%.

I guess the answer to the question is, work more hours, outsource some tasks - or do both.

If you're going to produce article packs on a single product, I suggest doing all your research at once...rather than doing research for each angle on a niche. That way you'll have everything you need in front of you when you're writing...and your articles should come quicker to you.

Also, as much as possible, start with topics that you have some familiarity with rather than niches you know nothing about.

Best of luck, and let us know when you're ready to sell your PLR!

Bill

Hi Jenifer,

Tons of good advice here, although I like Garrie's suggestion the best. Brilliant!

Sometimes I think the less time I have to do something, the more I get done. If I were to analyze it I'd say it's probably because I like to be under the gun and have some structure forced on me.

What I like to do is hold a mini-contest. I say mini because I'm the only one doing it, but I tell others so I'm accountable. Plus, reporting how I'm coming along with it is motivating for me. The last one I did was to see how many words I could write in 5 days (no editing or rewriting during that time). You could make it a binge-writing weekend.

The results amazed me and I had quite a few new PLR articles written at the end of it. It was fun! Sort of.

Just an idea! Otherwise, I agree with the 1 article a day approach.

Peggy

I think the thing to remember is that you are not alone. If the work load becomes overwhelming, you can enlist the help of others. Perhaps you have friends or family members that can help. check in here and see if anyone can help or offer suggestions. Just remember to take it one step at a time. You can do it!

Doug - I think it's great you can work with your wife! Useful because PLR is flexible, so when she gets ill she can take a break. Hope she's better soon! My partner, on the other hand, isn't interested But thankfully he is still supportive.

Your biggest problem will probably be rapid burnout. That's avoidable if you feel that people are truly interested in your sales approaches. The best way to find truly interested people is to use something like Google Alerts or Blogger Link Up to identify them. Then, when you approach them, you'll at least feel a warm fuzzy feeling.

I'm curious as to how you feel about this suggestion. Be candid.