Well as most of you know that my life had turned upside down on me and without some effective time management skills, I would not have been able to get back caught up as quickly. Before I got my routine down and also learned to put things into perspective, without that, I would still be overwhelmed right now. Life does throw you some curves and that is why I can’t stress enough to get a routine down.
Each person will have their own routine depending on what they are doing and the avenues that you are pursuing with your online businesses. The key is to get that routine figured out so that when one of life’s bumps in the road comes along- you can quickly pick back up and keep going. Just think of it as picking up a fumble and run with it till you reach your goal line – that is what you have to do here.
Don’t beat yourself up when you can’t get all done that your were doing but stick with your routine – maybe if you were writing 5 posts at a time – then just write 2 – if you were answering 10 questions on yahoo answers, answer just 3, – you get the idea – stay focused – just cut back till you can build back up to where you were – stay consistent with your routine and in no time you will be back to where you were.
Another effective time management tip that I use is when I have been gone for awhile is that I use the buddy system and that is why it’s very important to build those relationships with people. There will be time that you will need some favors and this could be one of the times – like you have always been there to lend a hand to others – don’t be afraid to ask a friend when you need some help.
Maybe you know someone that you can swap some things with – I love the barter system – I’ll do this for you and in exchange you do this for me. I have used this several times when I had been sick and it worked great – I would exchange some free advertising on some of my sites in exchange for something that would help me get back to where I was on my daily routine faster.
And if you have hard task that take long or ones that you dread – depending on what they are – and yes we all have them – I find that breaking them up into smaller projects help – don’t try and do them all at the same time or the same day. I’ll use writing articles for an example as that is my weakness – so what I try to do is break it up into my keyword research, the another time work on an outline, then another time write the actual article.
Do you plan your tasks daily, weekly and monthly? Do you know how to say no to non-essential tasks? (like sitting in a chat room all day – ouch that one hurt huh – yea I was guilty of that also) Do you limit distractions? (another one that I battle with as when that Skype light blinked I had to see what was being said – oops another ouch) Do you take the time to do a quality job vs quantity? (yea I was guilty of this one also – write as many posts, articles, and even comments on others blogs as I could and focused on how many and not was seeing if I was really writing good info) Do you get the rest that you need and let your brain refresh? (Ouch again as most of you know that I am so guilty of not sleeping enough) Do you take a break when you need it? (Again, guilty as I know I have been here for days straight and didn’t even leave the house – working. At the time I didn’t see it but as I look back on things that I thought I was doing so well – there were so many mistakes that were made and had to be corrected.)
Effective Time Management is attainable – you just have to keep working at it – these are a few questions to keep in mind when assessing yourself. Do you or have you had some of the same issues???????
Hi Nancy. I can certainly relate to this , because I have found myself doing the same things that cost you so much time. Some times out sourcing or bartering, like you mention really helps you when you have so much to do within a certain time frame. Thanks for reminding me, James C
Oh I know it helps me and I would be lost without it sometimes
Nancy – becouse of my fulltime ofline work I have daily issues with following my daily routine online. I have trouble to find a good routine but do work to get one that would work okey for me. It is a daily task I work on. I guess we all have to realize we do have limits on how much we can do and what we should do – LOL.
Oh I hear you as I know I think I’m “Super Woman” and it’s disappointing to find out that I’m not lololol Yes, we all have to do our daily routines based on our life and when you are working full time that even gives you less time – you may want to see if a weekly one is better to maintain
Oh Wonderful! Yes, I have many times had issues with time management. Many times I ask whether I am putting out quality or just quantity. I do try to go back over and make sure that I am offering quality! Sometimes it’s a tread mill, but I do believe that if you concentrate on what really matters and is important to you, you will find the quality!
Wonderful!
Yes I agree and it’s amazing that as I write about things that happen to me and the experiences that I have gone thru – it’s almost a relief to see that I’m not the only one lol
Hi Nancy,
Wow that was very well put and I certainly can relate. Self discipline is one of my major weaknesses that I’ve been working on, and time management is such a huge part of that. It is hard to break old habits but when they are so important to change and you really want those changes it’s funny how next thing I know I’m finding a way and doing it. That’s when stubbornness can work for you too. Writing them down and setting up a schedule for those all important tasks has helped me greatly, but until I realized just how important it was to me to do this and the consequences for not doing it, it became easier to make it a routine.
Thank you for the reminder of how important it truly is to manage time and be consistent.
Oh I know it took me quite awhile to get a routine down but it gets easier the more you just keep repeating what you are doing
We think this post resonates with everyone in this industry! We know we’re guilty of getting sidetracked from time to time. LOL! Distractions will come, but we just have to get back on track like you said. Outsourcing is a great tip Nancy! We were thankful when one of our business partners stepped up to help us out in a time of need. The support you get in this industry is so phenomenal. We all help and encourage each other. So grateful! Awesome post Nancy!
Thanks and I know there are definitely times that I would not get thru if it wasn’t for the help of my friends – that is why building relationships are so improtant
Ouch! Nancy, you sure like to step on my toes. I used to be very faithful in having a daily routine, but lost my focus due to too much program hopping and so just quit.
Thanks for the reminder as I do need to set up a daily schedule again.
Donna Meyer
Skype: dgm47dgm
Oh Donna don’t feel bad as I think we are have been there did that at one time – the main key here is to get started again as it really makes a difference