How do You Eat An Elephant?

7 Tricks to Getting More Done

Do you have more "To Do" list at the end of the day than when you started? With all you have to accomplish, it seems like there’s never enough time for the important things, much less the things you want to do. Wouldn’t it be great if life were like TiVo? If only we could pause, rewind, playback, and record life’s moments to access later, when we had the time.

Well, I've got some sad news for you: we ALL have the very same 24 hours in a day. So how is it that some people seem to be so productive, while you feel like you're just spinning your wheels?

I don't believe we can "manage" time. We can only manage the tasks we do in the time that is available to us. You’d be surprised at how much time you waste each day—and those extra minutes can really add up.

So, how can you get more done? Here are 7 ways to stop time drains in your life and accomplish what you need to do, so you can get to the things you want.

Let it Go
For one week, carry a diary with you and jot down all the recurring, administrative, or chore-related tasks you do daily. At the end of the week, identify the tasks that you can get someone else to do. Let's do the math here for a second. Here's a sample list of things you might do during the week:
3 Hours - food shopping (includes driving, shopping, standing in line, putting groceries away)
1 hour - post office run, pick up mail, open and sort
2 hours - straighten and clean house
1/2 hour - change litter
1/2 hour - dry cleaner run
1 hour - laundry, wash, fold, put away
8 Hours - TOTAL (That's a full work day gone!)

Have you ever driven across town to save a few cents when filling up your gas tank? Think about it: a five-cent difference in the price per gallon of gas will save you a whopping dollar for a 20-gallon fill-up. Isn’t an extra half-hour of your time worth a dollar? Let it go.

Now let's say you find someone to work for $8 an hour to do these tasks for you. That's about $64 a week (or about $250 a month). Now with that extra 32 (!) hours a month, could you generate that $250 back plus some if you focused on your business? The answer is a resounding "Yes!"

I have a post-it on my computer monitor that asks me every time I start a task:
"Does this Action bring you toward or away from your target?" If my target is to increase sales by 20% by the end of the month, does doing the laundry bring me closer to that goal?

Set Goals and Prioritize
What do you want out of your life? In order to determine the most effective use of your time, you need to know what you want to do with it! It’s important to have both long- and short-term plans for accomplishing your goals, and equally important to understand what is most important to you.

Long-term goals: Whether you’re dreaming of becoming a superstar or opening your own business, keep this in mind: a goal is a dream with a deadline. You can achieve anything if you plan it out. Whatever your goal, find out what you must do to make it happen, and then break it into manageable chunks and work toward it every day. Make your priorities clear: do you want financial success? Is your ultimate goal to spend more time with your family by working for yourself? Concentrate on your top priorities.

Short-term goals: Daily to-do lists help keep you on track—but listing too much can make you feel as though you’ve accomplished nothing. Break up your task list into three groups: Must Do, Should Do, and Like to Do. Put no more than 7 tasks on your Must Do list.

Tackle the Musts first, and give yourself permission to not feel guilty when the rest remains undone. Simply move those items to the next day’s list. Also, be sure to accomplish at least one Like every day!

Break it Down
The answer to that old elephant adage is: "One bite at a time."
Does that huge pile of unopened mail look too daunting to tackle? Then break the task down into smaller "bites." Open just 3 pieces of mail in the morning, and 3 at night. Before you know it, the task is done.

Tackle the Tough Stuff First
Everyone has certain tasks to accomplish they don’t enjoy doing, whether it’s collecting from slow-paying clients or changing the litterbox. When they are top priority tasks, get them out of the way first—that way, you’ll have more energy and enthusiasm to get things done, and you’ll find yourself moving through your goals quickly. Brian Tracy writes about this in his great book "Eat That Frog."

Streamline Communications
E-mail is a huge time-waster for many people. Cell phones come in at a close second—not to mention television! Set aside certain times for dealing with any particular form of communication. If e-mail is vital to your business, you should tackle your inbox more than once a day—but can you manage by checking in at certain times, such as once in the morning, afternoon, and evening? Try it for a few days; you may be surprised to find that you don’t miss out on anything. Also, when you’re in the middle of an important task, turn off your cell phone. You can always return calls later. Managing television time is easier than you might think as well: each week, sit down with a program guide and decide on what shows or movies you really want to see, and give yourself a schedule. This eliminates hours spent flipping through channels hoping to catch something good.
I keep a small TV in my home office so I can have West Wing reruns on while I'm working.

Reduce Clutter
Clutter instills an underlying stress. When you walk into your office, do you look at your desk piled high with unidentified stacks and moan? This will be in the back of your mind while you work, and reduce your productivity. Time spent organizing your work environment is an investment in your ability to get more done. You will be able to locate everything you need without shuffling through piles of paper, and a neat work space is a calming thing.

You are Your Greatest Asset
Invest in yourself with ongoing education—workshops, books, CDs — which pay for themselves when you generate more income from the knowledge you gained. And remember to reward yourself for accomplishing big jobs or tasks you don't like to do. You may find yourself looking forward to those unpleasant necessities!

Getting more out of life is everyone’s ultimate goal. Now is the perfect time to go for it, whatever your dreams may be. If you have always wanted to work from home, be your own boss, and run a business for yourself, invest in your future by attending Butt Camp on February 25th —as an entrepreneur working from home, you will soon find more ways to get things done than ever! www.Buttcampaz.com

After learning how to build your Internet Business on Saturday, I'm gifting you an Action Planning Breakfast on Sunday! Only 8 seats left, so please grab yours now! Bring a friend to Butt Camp and save $100! www.buttcampaz.com

To Your Success,
Barbara Drazga

Top 5 Reasons to Become a ‘Netpreneur

Top 5 Reasons to Become a ‘Netpreneur

You’ve probably heard that Internet businesses aren’t “real” businesses, or that running a successful online company is impossible unless you are a computer programmer. According to Tom Antion's three-prong approach to selling on the web, this isn’t the case at all. You can work at home running an Internet business as long as you follow some simple steps.
Download a one-hour teleclass with Tom Antion now to learn how!

So, why should you start an Internet business and try your hand at a work-at-home position? Here are just a few good reasons:

1. Work when you want to, not when you have to. Who wouldn’t want freedom from a constricting 9 to 5 punch-the-clock position? With an Internet business, you can start your day whenever you want, whether it’s three in the morning or one in the afternoon. When you work at home online, you get to set your own schedule.

2. No more commuting—your living room is your office! When you work at home running an Internet business, all you need to do to get yourself to work is get out of bed and walk into whatever room you’ve designated as your office. You will save hours in travel time and tons of money on gas.

3. Forget leasing an office. Traditional entrepreneurs have to find an office, then sign a contract and pay hundreds to thousands of dollars a month for use of the space. Not you, the Internet business owner! You will never pay a dime in office rent—unless, of course, you want to bill yourself for the use of your spare bedroom.

4. Reach millions of customers at the speed of a mouse click. With an Internet business, your online marketing efforts can reach far more people than traditional print media. Today’s online tools allow the Internet business owner to carry out business transactions with people all around the world at a fraction of the former cost of international business.

5. Your family knows you’re alive. If you are working at a traditional job, there have probably been days, or even weeks, where your family wonders if you’ve moved in to the office. When you start an Internet business and work at home, you will be able to spend those extra commuting hours with the ones you love instead. Though you will still have to work at your Internet business, you’ll be able to give yourself some time off to go to all those school concerts and ball games you missed out on when you were working.

Forget those work at home myths that say Internet businesses are all scams. Do your research, choose an Internet business you love, and start working for yourself today.
Learn how at the Butt Camp in Phoenix on Feb 25th!

Common Myths About Online Business

So, you want to start an online business. What do you expect will happen when you “go live” with your brand new web site (or web sites)? Do you believe hordes of people will batter at your virtual doors, snatching up your products left and right? Do you think that once you “become an online business owner,” you can simply sit back and watch the money pour in? If you do, you’ve fallen for the online business myths.

Owning a successful online business is not as easy as signing up for an affiliate program and collecting payments from eager buyers. This is one of the most destructive myths out there on the Internet. Thousands of people are suckered into throwing money down the black hole of scam-dom, lured by the promise of easy profit. Here are a few of the most common myths you should avoid:

Myth #1: Everyone with an online business is living on easy street. Nope. The only successful online businesses are run by folks who’ve put a lot of time and effort into researching and building their businesses—even those who run affiliate programs. Online businesses are just as likely to fail as brick-and-mortar businesses.

Learn How with this Free Audio! www.ButtCampAZ.com

Myth #2: You will start making money immediately with an online business. Wrong again! It takes time to start turning a profit. You have to build a customer base and market your tail off. This doesn’t mean you have to throw thousands of dollars into expansive hit-or-miss marketing campaigns. But it does mean you have to get the word out. There are many creative, inexpensive, and sometimes even free methods to marketing an online business—but it does take time. Expect to spend at least a year in development stage, and hold on to your day job for a while.

Myth #3: There is one magic marketing method that works for all online businesses. Unfortunately, no one has yet been successful in bottling and selling online business success. There is no one way to go about achieving success. Engaging in a process of trial and error is the only way to find out what works best for your online business—and that takes time, not money. So don’t fork over hundreds of dollars to anyone who promises you instant success!

Myth #4: Once your online business is established, it becomes an automatic money machine. Not true. The good news is, you will be able to reduce the amount of work you must put in to your online business once you’ve stabilized—but you can never just sit back and watch your riches grow. An online business is work, just like a real job. However, it does get easier over time.

You can be successful with an online business, as long as you’re willing to ignore the myths and work for your success. Like any business, you will get out of it what you put into it. I wish you much success!

About the Author:
Drazga owns and operates dozens of profitable websites from her Anthem home, and produces events teaching people how to do the same. Her next event, the Internet Business Butt Camp, is February 25th in Phoenix. Get details at www.ButtCampAZ.com

How to Profit from a Web-based Business

You may have dreamed of starting an online business, or perhaps you already have. Often there is one overriding reason people start online businesses: to make money. Many people do it for passion, or from the desire to be their own boss, or simply because it sounds easy—but the intention behind starting any business is to make money. After all, you need to earn a living somehow!

There is a common conception that says making money with an online business is easy. After all, with billions of people using the Internet every day, how can you have an online business and not make money. But the truth is, online business is even more competitive than brick-and-mortar business—and it is because so many people are doing it. In order to succeed, you need a foundation and a solid plan.

Learn how at www.ButtCampAZ.com

What are the secrets to online business success? If there were such a thing, every ‘Netpreneur would be a millionaire by now. The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to give yourself every chance at success. Even if you don’t end up a millionaire, you can still make a living through online business and finally leave your day job.

Communication is essential in any business. Therefore, the first thing you should concentrate on is the way you’ll communicate with customers. Simply put, this is your web site. Don’t expect to slap up a template web site with an affiliate URL and watch the business pour in. Get your own domain name, make your site professional-looking and easy to navigate, and ensure that your customers derive real value from a visit.

Once you have a web site (or even before you have a web site), you need a plan. Your plan might be “make $50,000 this year.” That’s fine, and it may even be a workable goal for your online business. However, you also need a definitive strategy to reach that $50,000 target. Do some research to determine which advertising strategies work and which don’t, and invest your money wisely. You also have to invest your time: one key to successful online business is a solid client network, and that can only be built one customer at a time.

Finally, make sure the products you’re offering are valuable to customers. If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, no one else will either. Your passion for your products will shine through in your marketing efforts, and you will attract and keep clients who truly enjoy your online business—and they, in turn, will tell others about it. Stand out from the online business crowd with professionalism, targeted marketing strategies, and an honest relationship with your customers, and you will go far. Then next year, you can double your profit goal!

About the Author:Drazga owns and operates dozens of profitable websites from her Anthem home, and produces events teaching people how to do the same. Her next event, the Internet Business Butt Camp, is February 25th in Phoenix. Get details at www.ButtCampAZ.com