|
Archives
May 3, 2010
Be More Productive by Eliminating Distractions... Find Money
That You Didn't Think You Had... Don't Be Afraid to Head
Back to the Drawing Board... Basic Promotions You Can
Teach in Info Marketing... and More.
Be More Productive by Eliminating Distractions
By Adrian Newman, Founder of e-Wealth Daily
When I first started out in the working world, there were
minimal distractions and my productivity was much higher.
For example, at my first office job, I was working in a small
cubicle with no phone and a computer that ran on DOS (for
those of you who have no idea what DOS is, let's just say it
predated Windows and you didn't need a mouse).
Today, it's a whole different story. My workday is full of
phones ringing and e-mails flooding my inbox. It's tougher to
get things done today than it was just 10 years ago.
So how do you eliminate these distractions in order to be more
productive? Here are a few tips that have helped me:
--- Start earlier. If you can start working early in the morning,
do it. The earlier you start, the fewer distractions you have. I
get to the gym at 5:00 a.m. and am in my office by 7:00 a.m.
This way, I avoid the crowd at the gym, the rush-hour
traffic, and rarely does my phone ring before 9:00 a.m. I can
check my e-mails, clean out my inbox, and get a head start on
my tasks for the day.
Most importantly, the office is quiet. I don't have to worry
about meetings, background chatter, or any other distractions
that comes from working with others. I can shut the door of my
office and not worry about someone knocking on it for two
hours. In fact, I probably get more done between 7:00 a.m. and
9:00 a.m. than I do between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
--- Take the phone off the hook and shut down your e-mail.
Whenever I get on a roll with an idea or a project, I like to keep
it going without distractions. That's why, before starting
something, I push the "Do Not Disturb" button on my phone
and close my e-mail program. The last thing I need is to have
my next million-dollar idea interrupted by a trivial phone call.
Next time you need to put your head down and get something
done, unplug your phone and shut down your e-mail program.
Even if you only have a few minutes to get the project done,
this habit will increase the amount of work you'll finish in a
short amount of time.
--- Clear your mind. Let's face it, everyone has distractions and
everyone has some sort of issue in their life that might make it
more difficult to think clearly and get things done. Whether it's
a personal issue at home, the excitement of an upcoming
vacation, some recent bad news, or any other issue, these
distractions must be cleared out of your mind so that you can
focus on the task at hand.
Take some time to mentally prepare yourself before each new
day. For me, I use my morning workout to help gear me up for
the day. I also use the alone time in my car on the way to work
(about a 30-minute drive) to help shift my mind from "personal
mode" to "profit mode." Whatever it takes, get all those
distracting thoughts out of your head so that you can get things
done.
For some people, this is challenging, and they can't stay
focused for a full day when the going gets tough. That's okay.
Do what you can for as long as you can. If you feel like your
personal issues are too distracting, take some time off to clear
them up. Even if it means only working for part of the day and
taking the rest of it off to clear up your issues, then do so. It
will help you be more productive in the long run.
--- Have a plan. Before I "get down to business," I map out a
plan of what I hope to accomplish by the time the day is over.
As best as I can, I stick to that plan. Sure, other work-related
issues come into play that steer me away from my plan, but
more often than not I accomplish most or all of my daily goals
by the end of the day. If an emergency situation at the office
distracts me, I will put my plan on hold. However, as soon as
that distraction is dealt with, I get back on the plan, and, even if
it takes me some extra time, I get it done.
Look, everyone has distractions and personal issues to deal
with in their lives. But successful people never let it show in
their profession, and it's that ability to deflect distractions
that makes them so successful. It's the people that let
distractions impede their work that wind up failing, because
they're unable to focus. You can't eliminate distractions.
However, by eliminating the effect that distractions have on
you, you will be on your way to becoming more successful.
Find Money That You Didn't Think You Had
By Doug D'Anna, the "Hundred-Million-Dollar Man"
Regardless of what you make, if you feel that you are
struggling to get by and pay the bills, then it's probably high
time that you took a look at what you spend your money on
every month, because you can sometimes find money in the
least likely place -- your bills.
That's right; your bills could hold the answer to your financial
problems. There are ways for you to get money from your bills,
as many of them have costs that you can cut back on.
People generally pay their bills every month and move on to
the next month, without a second thought. However, if you dig
a little deeper, you might find yourself hundreds or even
thousands of dollars richer with money you didn't even know
you could save. You can also do this without denying yourself
the things you enjoy. There's no rule that says that you have to
deprive yourself and be unhappy to save money. It's all about
cutting corners here and there and making your money work
for you.
Start with the basics. If you are one of the millions of people
who have a cell phone, then you are also one of the millions
who pay a lot of money every month for this service. You can
cut down the cost of your monthly cell phone service by
making little changes. At first, they might seem drastic, but
they might save you more than $20.00 every month. Saving
$20.00 a month means that you will have saved $240.00 by the
end of the year.
For starters, even though it might be convenient, text
messaging is a costly feature. You're either paying a monthly
charge for an unlimited amount, or you're paying per message.
Ten cents a message might not seem like a lot, but it can really
add up if you use the service a lot. See if you can get a package
if you use it often, or don't use it at all and just make a call.
Also get rid of things like caller ID, voicemail, Internet access,
and, if you have a newfangled camera phone, don't use the
photo service, as it will cost you a good chunk of change. And,
if you're not the type who has their cell phone permanently
attached to their ear, you may want to consider switching
from a monthly plan to a "pay-as-you-talk" phone card system.
Companies these days are trying to make it as easy as possible
for you to save on your bills. They still make money, but, by
combining services, they take you away from the competition,
and you actually can save a buck or two.
For instance, there are companies that combine Internet service
with your telephone, cable or satellite service -- some might
even throw in your cell phone service as well. Do some math and figure out if these combo plans save you more money than
getting three services from three different companies.
While on the topic of cable service, if you're getting 250
channels and you're only watching 30 of them, then you might
want to consider cutting back to a basic cable package. It
sounds great to get all the sports channels, the movie channels,
and everything in between, but if you're truly not watching
them, then cut them out.
It can be a lot easier than you think, and believe me you will
adjust to not having caller ID and things of this nature when
you see how much you can save by cutting them out.
Don't Be Afraid to Head Back to the Drawing Board
By Michael Newman, Self-made Millionaire
It may sound strange, but even as the economy struggles,
opportunities abound. After all, changes, whether good or bad,
always open up avenues for exploration and produce new
opportunities. The fact is that when things change, new
avenues for exploration open up; people's needs change, and so
do businesses.
The key to finding an opportunity is to look around and see
what can be done to improve a given situation. For instance,
right now companies and people are looking to save money
more than they were a couple of years ago. By providing a
service capable of saving money for people somewhere down
the line, you'll be in decent shape.
I recently read a story in "The New York Times" about a
software design entrepreneur who lost it all. He had a
successful business that was booming so he figured the
contracts he'd secured would make his business a cash cow
well into the future. When his clients backed out of their
contracts, he was forced to head back to his entrepreneurial
roots and find another way to put food on the table.
What he did was change from developing software for Fortune
100 corporations to creating a Web-based product for
companies and organizations on a smaller scale. The new
product is an event-planning system that will help
organizations schedule events, keep track of them and
hopefully save them money in the future because they will be
organized.
By heading back to the drawing board and taking a look at
where new opportunities were available, he was able to spot an
area completely unrelated to what he was doing before; one
that he knew could help. A few months later, his new business
was up and running.
If your business isn't quite performing these days because of
the economy or other reasons, it may be time to look for ways
to tweak it or change course altogether. The key is making
sales, so if your product or service isn't selling you may need to
change more than just your marketing campaign. Start testing
out other ideas or come up with a new way to shed light on
your business that will make it appealing to customers.
Basic Promotions You Can Teach in Info Marketing
By James Burt, Online Marketing Expert
One question I get a lot from other entrepreneurs is how to
promote a business. It's the one task that you need in order
to get new clients, but one that really doesn't come with a how-to manual.
These days, it's hard to know what you need to promote your
business. Even twenty years ago, it was typical to just ring up
an ad agency to create great ads and show you how to
push them to the public. But with the Internet and digital
publishing, everything's changed. This can be both good and
bad, but either way information is needed for others about
promoting products.
Whether you're an ad pro or someone looking for new ways to
promote a business, you could be a good info marketer on the
subject that is needed in today's ultra competitive economy. It's
that simple. Sure one might know how to start a business, but
promoting it is another story. That's where you come in.
Maybe you've worked in advertising as a graphic artist,
copywriter, or promotional expert. Perhaps you've solicited an
agency once to promote your business. Both instances are good
ways to provide ad and promoting info to others. Here are
some basic advertising and promotional information topics you
can provide through your own information marketing business:
-- Business cards: You're probably thinking I'm nuts in
suggesting this. How hard can business card be to create right?
Well, you'd be surprised on some of the results I have seen. A
lot of graphic design grads have made some business cards that
would put comic books to shame. I've seen gaudy colors, bad
spelling, cheesy slogans, and on and on. A business card
should be a simple design with the business name, contact info,
and a brief insight to what the business is about. Like learning
to play the blues, it sounds so simple but is so hard to master. If
you've ever gotten a business card made or know how to make
one, save the rest of us from falling into the same ad pitfalls
of business card design.
-- Ads and banners: I once spoke to a guy who went to art
school and who was chronically depressed. He wanted to be a
professional illustrator and cartoonist but could only draw a
paycheck by drawing print ads. When I saw his work, I yelled
at him on spot. His stuff was fantastic, with great colors and
graphics. Sure it wasn't Warhol grade, I told him, but he had to
remember Warhol paid for his art ventures thanks to his
commercial art contracts. Advertising can be a great creative
world unto itself and getting the right ad for the right product
or business is a long process. The process is lost on a lot of
people who have been exposed to it. A good info marketer on
this subject can help them understand more about it and assist
them in getting a good ad created.
-- Flyers and direct mail: The mailing system is still a
misunderstood, but highly effective way to get your business
promotions out to people; be it about carpets, cars, or credit
cards. You need a well-designed ad, you have to pay for
printing, and you have to come up with a distribution method.
Any and all info on this process can be good for other
entrepreneurs and business owners who want bring their wares
right to a person's doorstep.
-- Online advertising: The worldwide web has now become the
new frontier for advertising. Pop up adds, roll down banners,
top Google business rankings...it's wild, exciting, and
competitive. But it is so new that a lot of people don't know a
thing about it. If you do or can provide a service to help others,
consider yourself lucky and sitting on a potential goldmine of
info marketing success.
Obviously this is a short, basic list, but it's a good place to start
on. Advertising and promotions are the ways that consumers
can get the things they want, and entrepreneurs to help them do
so. Good info can make this all happen.
|
