Sep 29

Do you do internet marketing?  Whether it is your job to market websites, services, and products for others or if you are marketing your own personal projects, time management is key.  In fact, your ability to work and manage your time is directly related to your income earnings.  The more links you distribute and the more interest you generate, the more money you should make.

Since time management is an important component of becoming a successful and profitable internet marketer, you may wish to revamp the daily managing of your time.  If so, continue reading on for 6 easy steps to get started.

1 – Brainstorm

Do not make the mistake of jumping right into work.  Instead, take the time to brainstorm and develop a list of internet marketing tasks.  Decide what you want to do for the day.  How do you want to market and advertise today?  Do you want to update your website or blog?  Do you want to submit to article directories?  Do you want to buy advertisements on similar websites?  If so, list these items on a scrap sheet of paper.

2 – Prioritize

You might assume that you are done after brainstorming your daily tasks, but you are not.  Next, you want to create a to-do list or a detailed schedule.  To get started, prioritize.  If working for yourself, as opposed to a client, you have more freedom.  It is best to start with internet marketing tactics you know will work.  Since there is less gamble, your work and the energy you put forth should pay off.  For example, submitting articles to article directories is “safer,” than using Twitter to generate clicks to a website.

3 – Set Time Limits

As previously stated, you can create a detailed schedule.  When doing so, use blocks of time.  For example, 9am to 10am can be used for writing and submitting one article to EzineArticles.com.  This gives you one hour to do the task.  Yes, it does apply pressure, but a time limit can also serve as a source of motivation.

If you opt to create a detailed scheduled, set aside specific blocks of time.  Even if you don’t take this approach, still create a time limit.  Before you start each task, create a goal time to have it completed by.

4 – Stay Organized

Those who are unorganized often have poor time management.  And, those with poor time management are often unorganized.  To improve the use of your time, get organized.  Make sure you are working in a clean and professional environment, even if only working from a laptop at your kitchen table.

5 – Know When to Outsource

Outsourcing is not the preferred method of internet marketing, as it does cost money.  With that said, there will come a point in time where you fall behind or feel overwhelmed.  This is when you should outsource.  Outsourced projects do not need to be large.  So, even if you only hire a writer to write one article for directory submission, you are still receiving much needed marketing help.

6 – Don’t Waste Time

The biggest time waster when working as an internet marketer is the internet.  Yes, this seems ironic, but it is true.  There are millions of things to do on the computer and online.  Therefore, it is easy to get distracted and waste time.  Set rules for yourself.  For example, no checking your personal email, no communication with friends on instant messenger, no playing computer games, and no surfing the internet for random websites while working.  The internet is a great source of entertainment, but not when you should be doing your job.

In my new ebook Motivation To Succeed Online I teach you how to use time management. Borge Hansen http://www.yourcareergoals.net

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Sep 26

Are you new to internet marketing?  If you have recently started selling a product or service online, it is something you need to familiarize yourself with.  After all, internet marketing is an important component of buying and selling online.

When familiarizing yourself with internet marketing tactics, you may start to feel overwhelmed. After all, there are hundreds of ways to market a website, product, or service online.  Since it is impossible to do it all at once or even in one week, you need to manage your time.  When it comes to internet marketing time management, there are many dos and don’ts.

Do not surf the internet when working.  Internet marketing involves using the internet.  Unfortunately, it is easy to become distracted online.  Do you like reading the news or playing games online?  If so, avoid these websites during work hours.  Save internet entertainment for after-hours.

Do use the internet to research internet marketing.  Avoid surfing the internet for personal use or entertainment during your work hours, but do not avoid it altogether.  Since new internet marketing methods arise often, use the internet to stay up-to-date.  Remember, there is a difference between searching for fun websites and searching for research.

Do remember that time is money.  If you are new to internet marketing, realize that poor time management not only leads to following behind and unorganization, but it also means lost money.  Since you cannot sell a product or service without first advertising, you need to do so online.  If you don’t, you will not make any sales, resulting in a loss of income.

Do not play games on your computer during work hours.  It is not uncommon for some home based workers to turn to computer games when feeling stressed.  Yes, you deserve a break, but games are not the way to go.  Since they are installed on your computer, they are easy to access.  Playing a game for a 10-minute break can easily turn into an hour long distraction.

Do remember to have fun outside of work.  Right now, you have heard that you shouldn’t play computer games or surf the internet for entertainment purposes.  This may not sound like fun.  Realistically, work isn’t always fun.  That doesn’t mean that you can’t have a good time, but do so outside of work.

Do not check your personal email account multiple times a day.  Unfortunately, many home based workers believe checking email does not waste a lot of time.  For starters, even a second can be wasted time.  Since you will spend more than one second reading emails, clicking on links, viewing attachments, and responding, this wasted time can easily add up.

Do create a separate account for business use only.  If you sell a product or service online, you need to check your email.  This is how you are notified of a sale.  This is okay, but eliminate distractions by keeping personal emails and work email separate.

Do not give up when overwhelmed.  Internet marketing is important to selling a product or service online; therefore, it must be done.  With a wide range of marketing options, you may feel as if you have to do them all.  Yes, you are encouraged to do so, but not at once.  If you find yourself overwhelmed, do not stop for the day, but take a short break.

In my new ebook Motivation To Succeed Online I teach you what to do and not to do. Borge Hansen http://www.yourcareergoals.net

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Sep 25

Do you work from home and on your computer?  If so, you are lucky, but also susceptible to distractions and interruptions.  Working from home does have its benefits, but interruptions are common.  So, how do you manage your time when something always comes up?

1 – Tone Out

Toning out interruptions and distractions is not easy, but it can work.  For example, are you working at an internet café instead of at home?  If so, you will find a lot of noise.  Don’t let the noise bother you.  Instead, just focus your attention on your work and the tasks at hand.  In fact, you may no longer notice the background noise after a few minutes, as you learned to tone it out.  As a last resort, relocate to a quieter location.

2 – Continue to Work

The best way to not let distractions and interruptions ruin your ability to market is to keep on working.  No matter what do it.  Focus your attention solely on the internet marketing tasks at hand and nothing else.  This allows you to get your work done and on time.

Note:  Continuing to work and ignoring interruptions can improve your productivity, but there are some instances where this is not advised.  For example, are you a parent?  Do not ignore or tone out your children.

3 – Do Not Get Frustrated

Getting frustrated is the worst thing you can do when faced with a disruption or interruption when working.  If you need to, take a short break or take deep breathes.  Remember, that distractions are usually only temporary.  For example, if someone calls you and you answer the phone, end the conversation quickly.  Interruptions that only last a few minutes can still cause you to lose focus and time, but they are not worth getting upset over.

4 – Handle the Interruptions

The best way to handle interruptions when working is to deal with them so they no longer become an issue.  For example, are you a parent whose small child is asking for a drink?  Making your child wait, even just for five minutes, will likely result in even more interruptions.  So, get your child a drink and then start working again.

The same can be said with distracting telephone calls.  If someone keeps calling your home, answer the phone.  If it is not an emergency, explain that you are working and end the call.  Tell the caller you will call back when you are finished working.

5 – Eliminate Interruptions
As previously stated, the best way to deal with interruptions is to make them no longer an issue.  This involves stopping the problem at the source.  Remember, there are some situations that you cannot control.  If you are a parent, work when your children are asleep, at school, or at daycare.  As for the phone issue, do not answer your phone.  Use an answering machine to screen calls for emergencies instead.

As reminder, you will always face interruptions and distractions when working from home.  There are some aspects of life and others that you cannot control.  That is why dealing with interruptions should be incorporated into your time management plan.  So, take steps to prevent these distractions and interruptions from causing you to lose money.  You can handle the issue at hand, tone out background noise, not let it get you down, and keep on working.

In my new ebook Motivation To Succeed Online I teach you how to deal with interruptions and distractions. Borge Hansen http://www.yourcareergoals.net

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Sep 24

Do you operate a website or blog that generates income through the sale of a product, service, or affiliate links?  If so, you not only need to be a webmaster, but an online marketer.

As a website owner who uses a website to generate income, internet marketing is important to your success.  For that reason, you need to implement it.  If this is a new step for you, you may be looking for guidance.  The first step is to familiarize yourself with popular internet marketing techniques. You can easily do this online or by visiting internet marketing forums.  Once you know how to market your website or blog, you start to implement the techniques you learned.  Unfortunately, this is where many new marketers make costly mistakes.

To ensure you get the most out of your newfound internet marketing knowledge, you need to create a schedule.  When properly complied and used, a schedule will increase your productivity.  Remember, the more traffic you drive to your website or blog, the more your earnings potential increases.  If that isn’t enough reason to create a schedule, continue reading on for five more.

1 – It Is Easy to Make a Schedule

An internet marketing schedule is essentially a detailed to-do list.  What you do is start with times.  Set aside blocks of times, like in one or two hour increments.  For each time slot, write a task or two.  This is what you want to do.  For example, do you want to submit an article to a directory or send advisements to your followers on Twitter?  If so, add to your schedule.

2 – You Have Many Options

Not only is making an internet marketing schedule easy, but you have many options.  You can compose a schedule by hand, in Microsoft Word, or by spreadsheet.  You also have the option of creating daily, weekly, or monthly schedules.

3 – A Schedule is a Guide

When you are familiar with internet marketing tactics, it is easy to advertise online.  Unfortunately, many run into problems with distractions.  It is easy to go from using the internet to research to reading the news or the latest celebrity gossip.  To prevent this from happening, use your schedule as a guide.  You want to avoid distractions, but if an interruption happens, don’t spend time trying to remember what you were doing or were about to do, just consult your schedule and get back to work.

4 – It Serves as a Source of Motivation

As previously stated, a schedule is essentially a to-do list with times attached.  These times are important as they add pressure and serve as motivation.  When you track your time with a clock or beeping alarm clock, you know when time is about to expire or has.  When most know they only have X amount of time to complete a task, they tend to put forth more effort and increase their productivity.

5 – You Can Extend Your Reach

In terms of internet marketing, there are hundreds of successful tactics.  You cannot implement them all in one day, but get the process started. When doing so, don’t place all your attention on one marketing tactic.  Unfortunately, if you do not have a set guide to follow, you may make this mistake.  The best way to market a website, product, or service is to spread your reach.

In my new ebook Motivation To Succeed Online I teach you how to make a schedule. Borge Hansen http://www.yourcareergoals.net

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Sep 23

Do you work from home as an internet marketer?  Whether webmasters pay to access your marketing skills or if you market your own personal websites, time management is important to your success.  In terms of time management, your ability to stay focused and on task is crucial.

So, how can you stay focused and on task as an interenet marketer?

Avoid online forums.  Unfortunately, it is easy to market a website, product, or service online.  With the use of signatures, posting in an online forum can be considered a form of marketing.  However, use your best judgment.  Choose message boards inline with what you need to market, such as a pet board for pet products.  Set aside a specific block of time for marketing on forums, like 30 minutes.  Stop when your 30 minutes are up.

Avoid instant messaging programs.  If you are marketing a product or service you sell, you should not need to have an instant messaging program open on your computer.  The only exception would be if you are internet marketer for hire who uses instant messages for business purposes.  Other than that, do not socialize on instant messaging programs.  In fact, avoid them at all costs.

Avoid surfing the internet.  Since internet marketing relies on the use of the internet, you will need to use it.  There is a difference between surfing the internet for internet marketing ideas and viewing random, but interesting pages.  For example, search online for internet marketing forums where the latest tips are shared, but avoid other websites, such as those for news, gossip, and sports.  View these websites on your own time.

Avoid checking your personal email.  One of the biggest time wasters in the day of an internet marketer is email.  If you are currently using one email account for personal use and business use, stop immediately.  An email account just for business enables you to check your email throughout the day, but without getting distracted with personal messages.

Let everyone know you work.  Unfortunately, not everyone understands the concept of working from home.  Some actually think it is nothing more than a clever disguise to be lazy and watch television all day.  This means you may find friends, family members, or neighbors calling or stopping by for a visit.  Do not let this happen.  Instead, let everyone know you do work a normal job, just from home.  Also make it known that you will not be available during work hours unless for emergencies.

Create a to-do list.  Having a daily to-do list by your side is one of the best ways to stay focused and on task as an internet marketer.  Why?  Because you have a specific guide to follow.  For example, your list for the day may include marketing on message boards, writing search engine optimized content, and so forth.  As you complete each task, cross it from your to-do list.  A to-do list not only serves as a helpful guide, but as a source of motivation.

Create a detailed schedule.  If you have time management problems, a simple to-do list may not be enough.  If that is the case, create a detailed schedule.  A schedule is essentially a to-do list with times attached.  Set aside blocks of time for specific internet marketing tactics, such as message board marketing or article directory submission.  Keep an eye on the clock.  When you have a deadline, you are likely to increase your productivity and stay better focused.

Know the consequences of not staying on task.  It is nice knowing how you can stay on task as an internet marketer, but you need to know what the consequences are for not.  Unfortunately, many make the mistake of believing they will just fall behind.  Yes, this will happen, but there is also the money aspect.  Time that is wasted, as opposed to spent marketing a website with affiliate links, products, or services for sale translates into money lost.  Essentially the more marketing links you distribute online, the money you can make.

In my new ebook Motivation To Succeed Online I teach you how to stay focused.

Borge Hansen

http://www.yourcareergoals.net

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Sep 23

Do you rely on your skills as an internet marketer to generate income?  You may sell your services to others or use your skills to drive traffic to a website you monetized.  Regardless of how you make money as an internet marketer, you must not only have good marketing skills, but good time management skills.  Why?  Because managing your time can save you time.

Managing your time can save you time.  That sounds like a neat and catchy phrase, but is it really true?  Yes it is.  Unfortunately, many individuals look at good time management as nothing more than a useful skill.  Yes, it is, but it can be so much more.  It can be transformed into a time saving and moneymaking tool.  How?

An important component of time management is knowing how your time is spent.  For example, how do you market a website for yourself or a paid client?  Do you submit articles to directories, submit websites to directory lists, or you buy advertisements?  If so, you are on the right path, as you are getting work done.  But, are you using your time to its fullest extent?

One of the many pitfalls of working as an internet marketer is that you work from home and on the computer.  There are many benefits to doing so, but many cons as well.  One of those being rampant distractions.  Every time you turn around, you may find a distraction.  These distractions could include an incoming phone call from a relative, a sink full of dirty dishes, an interesting website you found online, or computer games.  Are you avoiding these distractions, eliminating them as an issue, toning them out, or falling victim to their allure?  If falling victim to their allure, you are not making full use of your time.

But wait!  Above, you stated that you are getting many internet marketing tasks done throughout the day.  Yes, this is good, but you are still not making full use of your time.  Even if you send an email to a family member, you are wasting time.  It doesn’t matter whether you spend 30 seconds or three minutes sending that email, it is still wasted time.

When your workday involves more than just working, you get less done.  By eliminating distractions and improving your time management, you can get more done.  This is nice, but look at it from an opportunity standpoint.  When you finish your to-do list quicker, you can do something else.  If you are an avid internet user, your newfound free time many be spent focusing on researching new internet marketing tactics, but it could also be spent with your friends or family.

In addition to saving you time, properly managing your time can also help you generate income.  In fact, it can prevent you from losing money.  When an internet marketer, you generate income by either selling your service or marketing a product you sell.  Regardless of which category you fall into, time management is vital to your success and your high earnings.  By eliminating distractions and doing nothing but work during business hours, you distribute more links over the internet and complete more paid projects. 

In short, time management is more than just a nice skill to have.  When properly used, it can be a moneymaking and time saving tool.

In my new ebook Motivation To Succeed Online I teach you how to manage your time.

Borge Hansen

http://www.yourcareergoals.net

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