How many hours do you work per day?

117 replies
I'm curious. How many hours do you work per day? And how many of those hours are productive?

I find I have about 3 core hours of work in me -- 3 hours where I can flat out concentrate and produce high quality content/product.

I do these 3 hours in the morning -- pretty much every day. I shut off the phone, close my email client, and usually either code or write.

After 3 hours of that kind of work my brain just won't take any more. It's pretty much burned out on "high focus" work for the rest of the day.

After that I have to do "lighter" work -- such as correspondence and planning. Some days I'll do 2-3 more hours of light work. And some days I just get my core 3 in and go play disc golf in the afternoon

If you count the reading and studying I do, I actually get a couple extra hours in per day, but this is stuff I would do even if I wasn't trying to make money with it.

So what's your typical work day like?
#day #hours #productivity #schedule #work
  • Profile picture of the author James Vang
    As a freelancer it varies greatly. If I'm working on a big project I can easily work 10+ hours a day simply because I like to get it done for my client as quickly as possible. If I'm not working a big project I can make ends meet no problem working as little as 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. I do like working on bigger projects better, of course, since I earn more doing them. but having a lot of free time is fun too.
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  • Profile picture of the author jimbo159
    First thing I do when I wake up is check emails, forums, plus read any exciting/interesting news for about 45 mins.

    Then I have breakfast, then get straight into the nitty gritty for 3-4 hours until lunch time. Throughout this I take regular breaks, walk around the house, get a glass of water. Nothing exciting but refreshes my mind and I highly recommend it

    Take an hour or so for lunch, do something different like read a book or relax in the sun.

    After lunch I continue to work for another 2-3 hours until I slowly come to a halt. I could push it further to 3-4 hours but honestly I find my productivity drops quite sharply after the 3rd hour, so it's really a waste of my time and energy.

    I would say by heavier work is done in the morning. But if I have a big work load it doesn't bother me pushing this heavy stuff into the afternoon.

    I always make sure I finish the day by writing a 'to do list' for the following day. This helps to clear my head, and start the following day with focus and drive.
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    • Profile picture of the author Billy Levin
      Originally Posted by jimbo159 View Post

      do something different like read a book or relax in the sun.
      Haha try doing that in the UK. The end result won't be good.
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      • Profile picture of the author jimbo159
        Originally Posted by Billy Levin View Post

        Haha try doing that in the UK. The end result won't be good.
        That's why I moved to Australia
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  • Profile picture of the author AdwordsMogul
    Hmm...

    It could literally be anything from 0 to 16 hours.

    Depends on my mood, whether or not I have a deadline approaching, my energy, my geographical location...

    P.S. Most of the time I do my best not to check emails, or even pick up the phone for the first 4 hours.

    Majority of the time my email will not get checked before 2pm - reduces distractions and allows me to focus on what's important to ME and MY BUSINESS.

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  • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
    I generally spend 1-2 hours per day on my Amazon sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author dennis09
    How many quality work hours I put in really depends on my mood. Most days I can get in roughly 6 hours of highly focused work.

    The most productive hours for me tend to be the early morning and late afternoon. Although im finding that if I get a good morning workout, then I can usually squeeze a bit more done.

    My most unproductive hours are right after lunch until around 4pm. I can sit at the pc this entire time and not get anything done, even without distractions. Ive learned to use this time for more productive "offline" activity.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Keith
    for my daily tracking i use a very simple site that has pomodoro cycles built in.

    https://kanbanflow.com

    It tells me at a glance how i have been doing for the last 30 days, with very minimal effort on my end to make it work.

    i just checked and it seems i do about 7 cycles a day. so thats about 3-3.5 hours a day 5 days a week.
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  • Profile picture of the author LeahRae
    I work anywhere from 5 - 10hrs depending on my workload and how hot a project is to get launched. Once in my office I answer all client emails & ignore the rest. I don't even think about reading a newspaper or anything else till lunch, if I do it's easily a lost hour and lost momentum. At lunch I do the rest of my correspondence & watch the news. I still won't do any surfing till after my "To Do" list is finished, then I can check out the latest local and industry news.
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  • Profile picture of the author cuple
    Usually around 5-6 hours..
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  • Profile picture of the author dvduval
    When I work longer hours, it is because I am training people to work for me. Increasingly, those people I trained are now training others, so a large part of my work involves communication and planning, both things I like to do very much. I don't count hours.
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    • Profile picture of the author dannn1
      As someone who is relatively new to Internet Marketing I put in about 6 hours of work a day. I think that the amount of time you put in doesn't actually matter as much as what you actually get done in that time.

      Working 12 hours a day probably is not a good idea for most people. In my experience my productivity slows with the fatigue that sets in after staring at a computer monitor for such a long time. Do as much as you can in a given time - the amount of hours you put in is less important than the amount of work you actually get done.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nickels
    I call myself working anywhere from 5 - 12 hours a day online but maybe only 1 - 2 hours of it ends up being productive. I am guilty of checking my email every 20 minutes and getting sidetracked easily. Really need to stay off this forum
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  • Profile picture of the author zk46
    I work a lot of hours maybe 10-12 hours/day , If you work a lot that means that you are very professional in your job, High quality services need a lot of work
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    • Profile picture of the author HappyLuke
      Hi,
      I tend to work as many hours as humanly possible.
      I enjoy doing it, pushing myself to new limits, and best of all accomplishing goals. I recently finished writing, publishing, and now selling my success manifesto online.

      You can do a search for thoughtsofsuccess com and you will find the site to review and buy my manifesto.

      Live Happy And Successful
      Luke
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  • Profile picture of the author funkynassau
    I would say 3 hours per day for an average day and when I have orders to package up and take to the post office, that can add another two hours, maybe more. I know tomorrow I'll have 5 hours of work to do as I have several orders to fill.

    My husband mixes the paint that we ship to customers and it takes about 20 mins. to mix one bottle of paint. So far he's got 3 to do tonight. His day job is 8-9 hours per day, not online.
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  • Profile picture of the author seoimninja
    I work online full time from home. In the morning, from 8-noon, I am fully dedicated to my work, people know not to call. This may seem extreme, but I need to be focuses completely because if I even get side tracked for a minute my whole day will be messed up. Then in the afternoon after lunch, I work on smaller projects if I have time.
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  • Profile picture of the author tour explora
    My effective work hours about 3-4 hours a day although I have to be at office from 8.00 - 17.00
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  • Profile picture of the author TheArticlePros
    I work my day job from 8-5, M-F, and my IM stuff and article biz from 7P-1A during the week and usually from 9A-1A on Sat & Sun.

    And I typically burn a day or two during the month from my day job to work on IM when I can convince my boss that I make more in a day online (when I take off) than she pays me in 1/2 a month.

    -- j
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  • Profile picture of the author CalvinBH
    Since I am still working a job I usually spend about 18 hours working online on off days. The hours I've been getting from my job are decreasing every week, so I've had a lot more time lately...
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  • Profile picture of the author WritingService
    only 4 hours in a day
    but before i work, i always make list for make sure i'm not waste my time and forget my family behind
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  • Profile picture of the author peewhy
    Far too many, the whole idea with IM is to reduce work time and enjoy the income ... I got lost on the latter!
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  • Profile picture of the author Jim Stone
    I'm surprised by two things:

    1. Many people have converged on a morning 3-4 hour high focus work time followed by lighter work in the after noon (my own schedule).

    2. Some of you manage to work 12-18 hours/day. How? Is it high concentration work? Or is it lighter focus work?

    Jim
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    • Profile picture of the author MP80
      Originally Posted by Jim Stone View Post

      I'm surprised by two things:

      1. Many people have converged on a morning 3-4 hour high focus work time followed by lighter work in the after noon (my own schedule).

      2. Some of you manage to work 12-18 hours/day. How? Is it high concentration work? Or is it lighter focus work?

      Jim
      Hi Jim,

      It may come down to different personality types, and perhaps passion for IM. Personally, I deliberately avoid doing any really focused work until I know I have a spare couple of days lined up. Once I start, I am like a dog with a bone (lol) and can't let go until I am finished.

      At times this has involved working for two to three days straight, with little or no sleep. Not the best strategy for most, and also not suited to every business model, but it is what works for me. I have often tried to do the two-to-four hours per day thing, but without success.

      So, usually, I concentrate on lighter activities, while eliminating/dealing with any distractions and commitments in the 'real' world. Then, when the decks are cleared for action, I focus on the higher value stuff, and keep going until at least 90% completed.

      Working on IM is kind of like my 'reward' for getting everything else done first, lol
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  • Profile picture of the author AndyBlackSEO
    I work from 9am until 5pm or sometimes a few hours on the evenning too. My work rate varies and some days are more productive than others. I think it is definately wise to keep a list of tasks and set a number of them per day and work through them. It's easy to lose focus on a sepcifc task. Having the right mindset is a powerful thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author romanos8
    Banned
    I work about 12-16 hours sometime developing other promoting and other giving support
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    • Profile picture of the author James Gladwell
      At the moment, I'm in a slightly different 'work day' pattern as I'm creating a product, so the days are spent just doing whatever the next step is on that project. During that time, I'll work a minimum of 10 hours per day...

      During 'normal time' I'm more like the original poster, in that I'll do a burst of the hardcore stuff, although I split mine into 1-2 hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. For that time, I'll focus on bringing projects to their next phase, either through testing or implementing changes. The rest of the time is given over to clients e-mails (only 20-40mins per day) and any other pressing business (Skype calls, JVs, etc).
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      • Profile picture of the author honestim
        Slogging around 14-15 hours a day at the moment. Got a day job and that is kind of demanding leaving me about 5-6 hours for IM.

        HonestIM
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        • Profile picture of the author PR Wizard
          Between my "real" job and IM, probably about 10 hours per day.

          I currently work for a small PR firm but I am hoping to start my own full-service marketing firm one day. Then I will probably work even more but I know it will be worth it.

          When I first started IM I thought it would be a breeze, boy was I wrong. Shouldn't I be on a beach in Tahiti by now?
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          • Profile picture of the author davidkings
            I aim to do 6-7 hours, but distractions sometimes make me sometimes do less, haha.

            i have breaks though.
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  • Profile picture of the author PhilippaWrites
    it really varies depending on health and the amount of work I've got on. there's probably an algorithm featuring those 2 key factors that could predict my work day to the minute!


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  • Profile picture of the author jivens
    Banned
    I do about 4 hours a night. 7 nights a week. I work better at night . It's paying off extremely well finally!
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  • Profile picture of the author phinneus
    I work usually 2-6 hours a day 7 days a week. When I get an idea sometimes that extends by a few hours.....cause once I get something in my head I want it live so I work more hours until its done
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  • Profile picture of the author VHSEOMike
    I work five hours per day, and three hours of them is productive.
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  • Profile picture of the author curtisrk34
    Man!!! I know I have to get a system down where I do it on a day to day basis. Some days its 20 mins and some days its a couple hours.
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  • Profile picture of the author DotComBum
    I work online more than 6 hours per day to manage my site.
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  • Profile picture of the author mindfulness
    I Usually spending about 10 -12 hours per day
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  • Profile picture of the author WinstonTian
    I work in flat bursts of time. It's highly
    productive. I will set aside about 4-5
    hours a day for intense, in-the-zone
    work.

    It's great to get stuff like copy done.

    Winston Tian
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  • Profile picture of the author emarion1114
    It depends...I am always working for additional hours overtime...maybe 10 to 12 hours a day.
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  • Profile picture of the author mariyajames
    I usually work for around 7 to 8 hours excluding email checking.
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    • Profile picture of the author matt78
      I usually work 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening. But I think I'm more productive in the morning, have more focus and done more work than the evening.
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  • Profile picture of the author automaton
    I'm working as many hours as I can WHILE I'm trying to be as productive as possible. There is a difference between the number of hours and productivity, so a better question would be 'how productive are you?' Each person has his own biorhythm that dictates their productivity, for example, I'm way more productive in the morning then in the rest of the day. Some people are bragging about working 14, 16 or even more hours per day, but are they really that efficient working so many hours? In a such work marathon there comes a point where you are losing more resources then you are gaining and being less and less efficient.
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    • Profile picture of the author FertilityCoach
      I have a website that I sell PLR, I'm a freelance writer, and I have 3 year old twins running around and two teenage boys in sports.
      I would love to say all the work I do sitting at my computer for about 10-12 hours Mon-Fri are productive--but that would be a lie
      Honestly being so new to trying to make money on the internet I have had one goal for the last few weeks-to make XX per day!
      I have been meeting that goal So I guess I am productive in that way.
      I try to meet half of that goal everyday before lunch and during the twins nap. So out of 12 hours on the computer a day--I would say about 5-6 are actually productive

      Very interesting post--
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  • Profile picture of the author mohsince
    I normally prefer to work 10 hours Daily.!! 8 Hours for my company and 2 hours for my freelance work.

    Hopefully Going to become Full Freelancer.!
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  • Profile picture of the author shifat
    it depends on the workload but usually i work around 8-10 hours a day
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  • Profile picture of the author Gerald Arno
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Jim Stone View Post

    I'm curious. How many hours do you work per day? And how many of those hours are productive?

    I find I have about 3 core hours of work in me -- 3 hours where I can flat out concentrate and produce high quality content/product.

    I do these 3 hours in the morning -- pretty much every day. I shut off the phone, close my email client, and usually either code or write.

    After 3 hours of that kind of work my brain just won't take any more. It's pretty much burned out on "high focus" work for the rest of the day.

    After that I have to do "lighter" work -- such as correspondence and planning. Some days I'll do 2-3 more hours of light work. And some days I just get my core 3 in and go play disc golf in the afternoon

    If you count the reading and studying I do, I actually get a couple extra hours in per day, but this is stuff I would do even if I wasn't trying to make money with it.

    So what's your typical work day like?
    It depends - I prefer to work in intervals, 40 minutes, 50 minutes and quite often 90 minutes.

    You really need to know when your best and most productive working hours. The same is true for hours where you should be multi tasking.

    If you invest into some testing you'll soon figure out when you are on top of your game.
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  • It really depends what's on the agenda.

    When I wake up, I immediately set myself 5 daily tasks that related to my monthly targets. These tasks can vary, some may take only half an hour (e.g hang out on forums), some may take an hour and half (e.g watch a webinar) or even 10 minutes (e.g writing a blog post)

    It really depends on the task, sometimes I could be finished before lunch time but sometimes I could be working from morning towards dinner.

    What really is top priority is that these 5 tasks are done. As long as I do SOMETHING during the day that moves me towards my weekly/monthly target. It matters little when during the day they are done, as long as by the time I go to bed, they are done and don't have to worry about nothing.
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  • Profile picture of the author ElaineHenderson
    I am also a morning worker I find it better to work on the morning, other way I feel like I am loosing the best part of my day in front of the computer. I am getting mad on the idea of working on my afternoon... Usually I work 4 hours at the morning and then I check my work and maybe add/correct something after lunch. I also have a look before I go to sleep.
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  • Profile picture of the author virtueinfo11
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    • Profile picture of the author Martin Avis
      Hours per day?

      No thanks. Not any more.

      As a full time Internet marketer I suppose I *could* work harder and earn more, but I'm not convinced. When my wife got seriously ill 8 months ago I had to drop 90% of what I was laughingly calling 'work' and focus on the important stuff because I simply had no choice but to devote most of my time to her.

      The result was that I cut right down to 2-3 hours a week. And in the last 8 months my income has increased.

      The moral of the story is that the number of hours you work is a red herring. Focus instead on the very few hours that really matter and stop farting around for the rest pretending to be busy. And spend your life on things that are really important (hint: that's the people around you and not the money you make.)

      My wife is now, thankfully, on the road to recovery and we only have another month of treatment ahead. But come July I don't plan to change my new-found working practices.

      Hours per day working are hours not spent enjoying the company of the ones you love.

      Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author geek12
    I work anywhere from 7 - 9 hrs.
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    • Profile picture of the author Marcustlr
      Hi,
      I work eleven hours per day, and 5 hours of them is productive.
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    • Profile picture of the author cashp0wer
      I easily work anywhere between 8 to 12 hours per day - sometimes more. It really depends on what is going on. I can easily put in 8 to 12 productive hours each day though taking the weekends off.
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    • Profile picture of the author Fast Solution
      Usually i use 4-5 hours per day. I use for manage my online store, learn something new and get more bussiness relationship
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    • Profile picture of the author Laura De Giorgio
      Most of the time, I work all-day-long, 12 - 16 hours a day, and I've had times when I stayed up for 24 - 30 hrs. When I'd immerse myself in a project and I was so excited to see the finished product, time would cease to exist and I'd just keep going until I was done.

      I enjoy writing, creating new products, updating my skills with different computer programs, checking up on what's new in my industry and in internet marketing, reading books, watching all kinds of tutorials, helping clients online and seeing them in person. I enjoy variety and multi-tasking.

      At times, I'd realize that I could benefit from some physical exercise, so I'd go to the gym or salsa dancing
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    • Profile picture of the author seolabs
      most of the time 8 hours would do but at times, I do extend and work at about 16 hours depending on the demand of what I need to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author scrapcar
    Not sure exactly ranges between 3 to 5 hours but it is every day.
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  • Profile picture of the author toman
    Only 12hrs/day - full time IM
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  • Profile picture of the author lizashaw
    I struggle a bit with regular hours, husband works weird shifts and doesn't believe we can earn online (even though he's cashed the cheques a few times!) so he doesn't like me working when he is home.

    That makes life really difficult for me but when he's at work I usually manage 5 or 6 hours a day, (more if he's on nights) but if he's at home I'm lucky to managed 2 or 3.

    Liza
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  • Profile picture of the author suniltrch
    i work between 6-7 hours a day , i think 2-3 hours are productive
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  • Profile picture of the author CyborgX
    I usually work for 3-4 hours a day besides my regular job. I haven't quit my job so I can't give full time to IM.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chronic IM
    Hello! Well, I usually work on my PC the whole time. As it's my number one source of income. I usually spend most of my time in the computer to work. But sometimes, I work at least 10 hours a day. Depends on my schedule.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dragontech
    6-18 hrs depending on mood, but seriously it's hard to stay off the computer whenever it's open
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  • Profile picture of the author computermesh
    Over the last several years I've narrowed in on how many hours of sleep I need, which is between 4-5 hours to be at my best. Any more than 5 and I feel worse than If I had no sleep for a 24 hr period. That leaves me 19-20 hours. On a typical day I spend 4 - 5 with my Girlfriend of 2 years. The rest I devote to I.M. We usually hang out after she gets off of work. But it works well for me and she loves that she gets so much time with me. So to answer your question, probably between 14 - 16 hours a day, 6 days a week. Sunday is my rest day. No GF, no IM.
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  • Profile picture of the author wenzel777
    I work as long as I have to. Productivity is my #1 goal. While working from home, I demand at least 6+ hours for myself each day. I fit in two workouts and a lunch break, but I work a typical 8-5. I never work past 5PM (as I found out early on that if I work after 5, I'll work until 1-2AM). The biggest obstacle for me is burnout. If I work 12-15 hours one day, my next day is almost always completely shot. When I stick to a 6+ hr day, I have enough energy and motivation for the next, and over the course of a week, I'm much more productive.
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  • Profile picture of the author werpetalpushers
    I usually am in my office anywhere from 7 to 9 hours. Some of that time is productive, and some not so much. But...I love what I do
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  • Profile picture of the author Prideoflion
    It really depends. if I'm working on a large project that needs to be finished right away, I can work up to 10-12 hours per day. but on the average i work somewhere in the ballpark of 3 to 5 hours per day.
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  • Profile picture of the author ElaineHenderson
    Wow, I am amazed reading that many of you are spending more than 10 hours a day to do online jobs... Isn't it very difficult? If I were in front of a screen for so many hours, I would probably have pain to my eyes! Sometimes I stop because of this, I believe I will harm my eyes if I use more the computer.
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  • Profile picture of the author MeganFreed
    It depends on how many articles I have to get written each day. Usually, I work about 5 or 6 hours a day, but it really just depends on my workload.
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  • Profile picture of the author AffiliatesGetPaid
    Originally Posted by Jim Stone View Post

    I'm curious. How many hours do you work per day? And how many of those hours are productive?

    I find I have about 3 core hours of work in me -- 3 hours where I can flat out concentrate and produce high quality content/product.

    I do these 3 hours in the morning -- pretty much every day. I shut off the phone, close my email client, and usually either code or write.

    After 3 hours of that kind of work my brain just won't take any more. It's pretty much burned out on "high focus" work for the rest of the day.

    After that I have to do "lighter" work -- such as correspondence and planning. Some days I'll do 2-3 more hours of light work. And some days I just get my core 3 in and go play disc golf in the afternoon

    If you count the reading and studying I do, I actually get a couple extra hours in per day, but this is stuff I would do even if I wasn't trying to make money with it.

    So what's your typical work day like?

    i never stop working, even work the weekends

    emails never stop, social never stops, content never stops... you should see my ashtray
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  • Profile picture of the author sarlat
    I make a list of things I want to achieve that day and then just do the list until its finished!
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  • Profile picture of the author BudaBrit
    Generally the morning is where I get a good 3 hour burst after checking emails and before lunch.

    Then after lunch I get a pause where I do some admin before another 3 hour burst. After that I may work some more, but it's more difficult unless I'm on a roll.

    The two things that a different for me are that I'm concentrating on a lot atm, and that, as a writer, sometimes the words just start flowing, and I wont stop until I'm finished with all my tasks. So some days I can easily work a 6-7 hour burst instead of 3, but then the next day it will be considerably less.

    Today I managed 3 hours in the morning and 2 in the early evening.
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  • Profile picture of the author john dudley
    I think it all depends on what type of work you are engaged in and what you want to accomplish for that day. The most important thing to remember is that to be productive, we should not get ahead of ourselves to the extent that we get stressed out already. Assigning which work to do at any part of the day is a good idea to be productive without getting stressed.
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  • Profile picture of the author kevinseo
    im working max 5-6 hours
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  • Profile picture of the author sanjx01
    For me personally it depends on what I have on at the time.

    There have been days where I've worked for more than 24 hours at a time straight, and then there are others where I don't even turn my computer on!

    I would say on average though I get between 5-8 hours of work done a day.

    This is usually done in 2-3 sessions.

    I have one session when I wake up (2-3 hours), then another in the afternoon(2-3 hours) and then the main one I have is late at night (3-5 hours).

    Hope that helps!

    ~S
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  • Profile picture of the author philt
    I have full time job, and do this part time, i can be home, anytime from 12-5pm(avg-2-3pm) depending om my work load during the day, as I start work at 5 in the morning.

    When I get in I tend to chill out for an hour or two, then I start work online, anything fropm 1-3 hours, sometimes more, at the weekend I do more obviously (but sometimes at the weekend I get into the mindset of resting which is hard to get out of), and then I make sure I rest and chill for at least an hour before bed.

    I have tried working loads of hours even when i've come home from working, but that just makes me unhappy and narky, so I chill as much as i can between times, some people would say that is not the way to do it if you want to be successful.

    To be honourst I don't really care what they say, as I am not in it to make myself miserable, i want to have fun doing it, success is not everything but it is a bonus when you get there. So i do what work when i can, it is different of course if you have a project or deadline to meet or you have a client, then it becomes serious.

    Speak soon
    Take care
    Phil
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  • Profile picture of the author James Paul
    I generally work about six hours in the day three in the morning and three in the evening. My most productive perios is early in the morning.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rojak Moon
    I Plan: 6 Hrs
    I'm Productive: 4 Hrs
    I End-Up Actual: 8 - 10 Hrs

    Yeah, I know, I ain't figured it out either.
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  • Profile picture of the author williamk
    Banned
    I work anywhere between 8 hours to 12 hours. Its tough when you start out but slowly you will get used to it. BTW my actual time to develop sites is less than 4 hours. Other time I am doing SEO and other Promotions.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Guest
    It goes in cycles for me. If I am starting off a project I work maybe 4 hours a day for a few weeks to get it set up, profitable and automated.

    Then I have a couple of months of working 1-2 hours a day and it's all productive.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marcus Rockey
    Great thread thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author oniram
    When I worked in the Telecommunications industry it was always a 10 hr day fending off the email warriors and meeting schedules. Glad I made it to retirement. Now, I enjoy starting my Internet work at 6AM and working till lunch time. Then walk my dog for an hr or so.Then back to the net.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jim Stone
    I thought it was Peter Drucker who said the average executive does only 2 hours per day of productive work. The rest is spent in "wheel spinning".

    I can't seem to find the reference now. Anyone else know which reference I'm thinking of?
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  • Profile picture of the author hbhanot
    I sit on my chair for 5-6 hours but sure work only 2-3 hours.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jbarros
    +12 hours if you count the time I spend studying. Yeah it's a start of my own business so a lot of effort and energy is required. I guess I am obcess in succeeding with this.
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    • Profile picture of the author RogueOne
      I'm kind of addicted to the whole making money thing. When I first started I would go 16-18 hours with many jags of up to 30+. I would sleep for 4 or 5 hours and do it again.

      I still get so hooked in to what I'm doing that the rest of the world just kinda fades away. If I'm really in to something sleep is impossible so I don't even try.

      I do take breaks now days. Sometimes for days. I guess it all depends, and there is no typical day.
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  • I (over)work full time, but I doubt I stay productive for more than 3 or 4 hours a day.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brian Tayler
    I'm "always" connected. But I don't see any of it as "work" I'll answer a customer question at 3am the same I will at 5pm. It's not a big deal to me. When you are "forcing" yourself to clock certain hours... you have to step back and ask yourself if you're in the area of business that is best for you and your customers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sarafantrys
    6-8 hours depending on work load.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jim Stone
    Seems to be a 2-tier distribution.

    People are either working 3-5 hours per day, or 12-16. (with a few exceptions outside those ranges here and there)

    I've always thought Tim Ferriss's 4 hour work WEEK was a bit ambitious, but maybe we should collaborate on a book and call it the 4-hour work DAY, lol.

    I know from experience that if it's organized well, and you can set up a way to shield from distractions, you can get more done in 3-4 hours that most people do in 12.

    I'm not saying the Warriors in this thread who work 12-16 hours aren't extremely productive most of that time, but the average person working 12-16 hours probably doesn't get as much done as many of us do with 3-5.

    Keep up the good work everybody.
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  • Profile picture of the author kencalhn
    core hours of work are always 6-8 hours minimum per day, usually 5am-11am... I work an additional 6-10 hours daily on maintenance activities/customer support etc. I'm one of the top guys in my niche. 12-16 hours total workdays minimum, often I'll do 14-18 hour days during product launches, routinely. I've been like this my whole life, it doesn't feel like too much work, if you sincerely believe in what you're doing, and enjoy it. Online fulltime since the late 90s, running dozens of sites in my network.

    I believe in absolute world class customer support and usually answer most emails/support tickets within 2-12 hours, 24/7. I can't believe those companies that only answer emails M-F 9am-5pm or whatever. It's a 24-7 world and instant/near instant support is key to success, and I do it all myself, not hiding behind VAs or whatever. Personal fast support, and rapid product development is essential.

    I do not own a cell phone or waste time on the phone randomly being interrupted, nor do I use mobile electronic devices, except when traveling to speak at industry conferences or on vacation. I am isolated and work extremely hard to be of service to my customers.

    Productivity tip: sometimes it's good to work on website design (graphics/video production) by unplugging your internet cable from your computer, for an hour or so now and then, to avoid the tempation of being sucked into forums and 'net surfing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gianni
    I usually split my day in sections.

    1/2 hour in the warrior forum.

    1/2 hour checking e-mails

    1/2 hour reading through different things at home.

    1/2 hour on google analytics checking my stats.

    1/2 hour to 45 minutes writing an article to post on ezine article or other website.

    I do this when I get home. I am personal trainer, so i cannot do this at work so I have to do it from home.

    That is the way I split my time to focus in this online business.

    I hope that helps a little bit.
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  • Profile picture of the author The Star
    I also still have much to learn about time management, I now spend as much as 6 hours per day to build my business on the internet and I feel are lacking. because I still have a job in the field off line.
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  • Profile picture of the author ceenote100
    I work on my IM for 3 to 4 hours a day, which would add up to around 20 to 30 hours a week.
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  • Profile picture of the author C29662C
    Banned
    i rarely pay attention. I should start scheduling however.
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  • Profile picture of the author joey19333
    I generally spend 1-2 hours per day on my work. Sometimes it could take more, depending on what I need to get done. Sometimes, it takes a whole day. It also depends on whether or not I get distracted by something else.
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  • Profile picture of the author jamesrich1
    5-12 hours a day depending on what I have going on with my family.
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  • Profile picture of the author worldprime
    Well for me - the first 2-3 hours as soon as i am in office and 2-3 hours just after lunch is the most productive hours for me. Although i work 10-12 hours a day.
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  • Profile picture of the author bibs
    Depends on what I do. For easy ones, I spend 1-2 hours per day. If task needs to be technical, like making a video, I spend 3-5 hours per day. (techie dunce here...)
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  • Profile picture of the author aaron86
    I work 8 - 12 hours online
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  • Profile picture of the author Cantufind
    16 hours a day but I don't class it as work when I enjoy what I do.
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  • Profile picture of the author loads16017
    7-10 hrs per a day
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  • Profile picture of the author Media spider
    I can work 12 hours or less than 12 hours in a day. If your hard working is affecting your health then stop hard working.
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  • Profile picture of the author SirKonstantine
    depends on what you call work.

    but I never like to sit around and watch TV so I'm always doing something.
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  • Profile picture of the author sea queen
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author mrdomains
      Like everyone else, I spend more time in front of the computer than i need to.
      I did an experiment a while back where I was only allowed to use the computer for actual production. It was harder to filter out anything that was not productive than I realized. It is much easier to build a house with carpenter tools, or wash dishes effectively than it is to work with abstract stuff like we do that have so many parameters.

      The trick to being productive is to compartmentalize what you do.

      It took me 3 (honestly boring) days to get the routine right but in the end it showed that all I needed was 2 truly effective hours a day, preferably between 7 and 9 AM.

      The rest could (should) have been spent outdoors in the sun. :rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author magiclouie
    I normally work 8 to 10 hours a day but I am using my computer for roughly 14 hours a day.
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  • Profile picture of the author Noonaa
    I work full time so at present only have 2 hours an evening to concentrate on my business. It makes it hard but I am getting better at focusing and effective time management.
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  • Profile picture of the author focused
    A typical day might involve about 4 to 6 hours.
    But this can vary widely on something I get caught
    up in or if there is a deadline of some kind.
    Then the time might go up to 12 hours or so.
    But it's best to stop if you become unproductive,
    and take a break to recharge you batteries.
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  • Profile picture of the author HorseStall
    I too break my day up. Doing harder "more focused" tasks first. If I get a lot of stuff I don't like accomplished, I reward myself by doing something I like ;-)
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  • Profile picture of the author jeresteem99
    I am working together with my butt and starring for computers for almost 14 hours a day.
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  • Profile picture of the author Davipet
    What you intend for "work" ? I could spend 6-8 hours on my computer but in this time I also study (english and marketing-related stuff) , read news, social network, and from few days, write here in WF.
    For real focused work I usually stay about 4 hours in the morning, switching-off email, social networks, iphone etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Parry
    The best part about internet marketing is that you can choose your hours whether the number of them or the time. I work 7-8 hours everyday and as a habit I log in and log off at the same time each day. This makes it a routine and it becomes easier to follow a routine.
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  • Profile picture of the author junrai214
    I can work 8 to 10 hours a day. However, It would be very draining to place all the hard tasks in a single day, I prefer dividing the hard tasks and combining them with lighter tasks. Example article writing plus social media optimization.
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  • Profile picture of the author redeyegirl
    More hours you works per day will determine the your success within you, i work 5-6 hours per day.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ryanmoff
    I do Plumbing in the day and them switch my mindset to internet marketing. So after work I could be doing 6 hours online learning about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author prem khaira
    Banned
    It really depends!

    Some days i spend anywhere from 1 - 4 hours online.

    Some days i spend 1 - 8 hours...

    Average i would say is about 4 hours/5 days a week...
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  • Profile picture of the author watto123
    Hi

    I have a regular day job, so I try to fit in as many hours of IM as that lets me. It can be tough and the days can be long.
    I get up a couple of hours before I have to be in the office to do IM stuff. I find I am best at writing during this time.

    After work I try to go to the gym - some physical exercise I find re-enegises me for another 3 hours on average in the evening.

    On the weekend I try not to spend all weekend doing IM stuff, although sometimes if I have a great idea that is difficult. Something usually has to go - which is normally tidying the house !!

    I have almost stopped watching TV and cancelled by satellite subscription, so that is no longer a distraction.

    I have a goal to give up work and do IM full time, so with that in mind I don't mind spending almost all my spare time doing it at the moment - The sacrifice now will hopefully pay off.
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