Becoming your own boss

I love the idea of a "boss hat". I wear many different hats and have many different personalities. Thus far I've really only had one IM personality, and it has been doing exactly what you described; changing things as I go, etc.

I'm going to adopt this. Good idea, thanks for sharing.

I am going to use the Boss idea that will work for me very well.....thanks for sharing

Be the master of your own life. But never become the architech of your own misfortune.

Great idea! If no-one is giving the 'employees' guidelines, are they truly working productively? Putting on the 'boss hat' will indeed ensure that they are.

I have also had to start adopting such a strict routine with myself to keep from spending too much time on Twitter, forums or finding new IM information online. When I just started out online, absolutely every bit of information captivated my time and my attention and I found that an entire day would go by where I had done nothing but look for new IM ideas online. The next monster was when I discovered and joined forums with their wealth of information. Hours would pass with me just 'lurking about' absorbing all the information I could. Talk about information overload without action!

I am a great maker of lists and as soon as I had gotten to the point where I realised that gathering information when the initial process was not yet operational was not at all productive, my lists became the boss.

I have a current list, divided into different categories for different aspects of my businesses. All pending tasks are added to this list as and when I think of them during my daily work. I spend 15 minutes every morning and 15 minutes every evening evaluating my list of requirements to ensure that my businesses function properly. If new tasks come up during the day, these tasks are added to the bottom of my existing list in the relevant category. In the evening, once work is complete, I take 15 minutes to mark off tasks on the list that have been completed. Based on what has been achieved for that day, I then place other tasks on my list in order of priority . There is seldom a need to change the order of the tasks come the next morning but I do like to take the 15 minutes allocated to setup a realistic 'plan of action' for the day with best guess time slots for tasks to be completed.

I do have one separate list which contains details of standard tasks which have to be completed on a daily basis. I try and get these routine tasks done ASAP in the morning, unless there are other urgent things which need doing. Thereafter my listed & planned tasks are on the agenda for the remainder of the day.

I find that by adding tasks to a 'live' list it helps eliminate the chance that a specific task is forgotten. It also gives me a complete structured overview of the sequence in which tasks on the list need to be completed for every area of my business to ensure the best results.

I do however like to allocate at least 4 hours a week discovering new information pertaining to my business but if I find that crucial tasks pertaining to the basic operation of my business have not been successfully completed, I rather focus on those aspects first as I feel that there will be plenty of time to study new methods and information once my business has been properly established.

Making lists and prioritising the tasks on these lists truly assists me with structuring my day better and there is very little that pleases me more than being able to cross completed tasks off that list at the end of the day.

Great post Ben!
Of course, we all have different issues but you just shared a general idea which can be applied by every online entrepreneur!

In the last weeks I tested several approaches to include the "employee" job with "the boss" job. Usually I plan my next day in the evening,prioritize the tasks and work hard to accomplish every of them.There are some daily routines except few little changes!

Gotta mention that I split my time(90 minutes work,30 minutes break for refreshing,reading goals,visualising etc). After 90 minutes I tend to loose focus...
At the end of the week I check how the tasks were accomplished and how it can be done better.It's a great idea to leave a day in the week end for marketing training and acquiring new skills. Also I seek to eliminate the distractions and interuptions!

Thanks for sharing!

I think I have used a similar method for two weeks and it seems am a little a head of myself

[QUOTE=Ben Armstrong;4201090]
Once the tasks are allocated they're pretty much set in stone and for the rest of the week I'm an "employee" of my own business.

I focus on these tasks 100%. I don't argue with my boss or 2nd guess if he's given me the right instructions. I simply do what he's told me to do for that particular week.




This is really funny, it made me laugh! I'm going to start doing this as well, becasue I find it takes me a long time when I'm working on new projects because like you said, I'm always researching, or reading up on how to do what I'm doing better, and only actually working about a third of the time... Although researching is useful when I actually need it, but you get the point. I think this "hat" thing is going to help me be more productive.... Thanks for sharing!

I love to have a time freedom that no one will intervene my time during at work that is why I love online business.

I'm trying to master this too. Every night, when I've spent the day trying to make money one way, I'll research all these other ways to do it. It's definitely overwhelming, to say the least, but forcing myself to focus on one thing at a time is the only way to really see what works and what doesn't.

I suggest time boxing. Box in every day exactly how much work you get done (e.g. note down any breaks you take). And write this in a journal.

That's a great idea! I tend to get sidetracked in similar ways if I don't discipline myself. I think I'll get myself a Sunday job being my own boss

This a great post Ben...i am learning alot about time management as far as IM is concerned.
I know it needs a lot of discipline and the employee attitude. I am going to try it out and follow it to the last bit
thanks ben

Impressive post.

I now realize why most people prefer to work for big organizations than start out on their own. Being your own boss is not an easy task. You start by developing a plan, motivating yourself, and ensuring you stick to the plan.

One thing I would like to add is that, I schedule my activities behind the screen. I write my to-do-lists and prioritize them before putting on the computer. Or else, one thing will lead to the other and the day is gone.

Exactly as it happen to me, thanks for this great post, opened my eyes, today I will implement it.

i am going to use this tips..

Hey Ben I think that you have something there. Your thread reminds of this book I read years ago called 'The E-Myth'. In it, it talks about how a lot of entrepreneurs have a hard time being successful in a business because they aproach it waring only one Hat(functional-personality) as in a Technical, or Salesman, or Manager, and Creative.

I don't know if I have all of the personalities correct that the book talks about, but it is kind in line with what mentioned; You put on the Boss (Manager's Hat) and looked at your IM Business from another prospective.

Anyway, Cool Thread...

This is a great subject. Organization and time management are two very important aspects of any business. For me, I had to stop reading the emails until late in the day. They took up too much of my time.

I also use to-do-lists. Something I've adopted is to stay focused on the project I'm working on, and not care about anything else that's going on. I tell myself that I must complete this today, or by a certain day and time of the week. If I stop that project to start reading emails; talking on the phone; or reading the paper, I feel my day is shot.

I feel in IM, it's crucial to make everyday count.