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July 23, 2007

How I Mange To Get It ALL Done!

How I Mange To Get It ALL Done!
Copyright 2007 by Willie Crawford

First of all, the title is misleading in that, as Dan Kennedy
points out, most of us will go to our graves with lots of things
still on our "to do lists." There's simply not enough time in
the day to do everything that many of us want to do.

Therefore, both the problem and the solution lies in identifying
what you should be doing, and then managing your time properly.

Here' how I, as someone very active in the "Internet marketing"
niche, accomplish an inordinate amount of WORK:

1) I set aside specific times to answer emails. Email was the
one (often less productive) thing that was stealing more of my
time than any other specific activity. Taming the email monster
involved both reducing the amount of email and it's flow.

2) Closely related to number 1 is the fact that I set up a
help desk. I now route 95% of customer service issues, joint
venture correspondences, and general coordination issues through
my help desk.

Inside my help desk I have pre-composed answers to the most
frequently asked questions that we get. It's set up so that a
customer can sift through my FAQ files. If it's something
sensitive, such as download instructions, I still have templated
answers pre-composed. I (or an assistant) merely needs to log
in, glance at a help ticket, and select the answer from a
dropdown menu accessible from our admin panel. This makes
answering many "trouble tickets" HONESTLY take less than a
minute.

Can you imagine answering a customer service email in under
a minute? That's the power of a help desk. You can check out
the very simple and inexpensive system that I use at:
http://TheRealSecrets.com/helpdesk.html

3) Outsourcing and using assistants. I know that I can't do
everything, so I only do those tasks that I'm best suited for
or REALLY enjoy. For example, I don't do my own graphics or
programming. I could easily get proficient at both, but that
would draw me away from managing and marketing my businesses.

4) Akin to number 3, I actually completely turn the running
of certain websites or systems over to specific individuals.
Once I have validated that things are properly setup, I often
find it more economical to train someone to manage that
site or business. Then I only periodically make inputs. An
example is a site that I sell a fairly successful cookbook
from. The cookbook sales, list management, and most aspects
of that site are delegated to one well-trained individual
who seems to really enjoy it!

5) Specific times for most routine tasks. I block times for
writing, reviewing metrics and test results, answering trouble
tickets, email, making phone calls, doing consultations,
revising copy, product creation, and even visiting online
forums.

6) I set time limits for many tasks. For example, I've found
online discussion forums can be excellent for conducting
marketing research, locating joint venture partners, actually
networking with others in my industry, and test marketing
products. The danger is that visiting online forums can
become addictive.

I actually have a digital time installed on my computers.
Prior to starting certain tasks, I set how much time I will
allocate for that task, and start the timer counting down. At
the end of the allotted time, the timer gives me an audible
alarm, and I move on to the next thing on my schedule.

7) Controlling time spent using instant messenger type programs.
I have ICQ, Skype, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and a number
of other programs installed on my computers. Most of these are
turned off MOST of the time. When I do have them turned on, I
am often in "invisible" mode.

It's far too easy for others to notice that you are online and
to start a casual conversation. If you're not careful, hours
later, you're in that same conversation. I take advantage of
the convenience offered by these tools, but at a time of my
choosing.

8) I've touched upon it already, but I closely monitor my
phone time. When setting up phone calls, you generally should
set up very specific blocks of time, and you should have
written agenda... assuming that they're business calls. Just
telling a client or business partner to call you "anytime
tomorrow morning" only invites inefficient use of your time and
theirs. Have an agenda, have an allotted timeframe, and make
sure that all parties understand these two parameters.

9) Only "touch" each email once... if possible. When you open
an email, decide right then and there what needs to be done
with it and take care of it. If it's something that will require
more time than you can allocate right then, flow that task into
your schedule, delegate it, or decide that it's not something
that you should be doing.

10) Learn to say no. You can't do everything. You can't help
everyone. You have no obligation to allow others to put their
problems on you shoulders... although it is nice to help
people from time to time. Just make sure that YOU decide how
to spend your most limited asset... your time.

11) See each project through to completion before starting
the next. I am, at times, disciplined enough to take an idea,
create an information product, write a sales letter, and launch
the project "all in one sitting!"

It's far too easy to start a dozen different projects, and
then jump from project to project, never really making any
progress on any of them.

Pick a project to focus on, and then work on ONLY that project
for an allocated amount of time, or until completion. If other
projects popup, simply jot them down somewhere so that you don't
worry about "losing" the ideas, and then go back to what you
were already working on.

12) Set aside quiet times to really focus on certain project.
I personally need a quiet environment to work on things like
copywriting, proofreading, or writing an ebook. So I do these
when there are few others around, or in environments that
relax and stimulate me.

13) Take advantage of "Automobile University." If you find
yourself spending a lot of time in your car or on airplanes,
etc., use that time to get caught up on listening to audio
lessons that you've put off. Use that time to learn or brush
up on topics you've been meaning to master.

In my car, I always have CDs and/or audio tapes of seminars,
topics I want to learn, or just motivational speakers. When
flying I also take printed versions of the same material.
While out jogging, I have similar material on my portable
MP3 player. I'm never bored while exercising or stuck in a
traffic jam because I keep my mind occupied.

14) Finally, know the value of your time. Perhaps the simplest
way to "value" your time is to set an income goal for yourself.
Divide that income goal by the number of hours you're willing
to put in during a set timeframe to reach that goal. That gives
you a VERY rough approximation of the value of your time.

Now, when you're stuck on the phone listening to a telemarketer,
or bouncing emails back and forth with someone that you really
shouldn't be having a protracted exchange with, at least you
know what it's costing you.

Those a just a few of the ways that I DO get a LOT done each
day. I do other things that I haven't covered here. Many of
those things, I do without even thinking about them. They have
become habits! That's another key to getting more done. You
want to make doing many of these things that you want to do
automatic. If you don't have to think about them, they just
get done :-)

----------------------

Willie Crawford is an 11-year veteran of internet marketing,
and an expert at generate massive traffic to your web sites,
and building massive list of responsive ezine subscribers. For
Willie's special report, "How I Boosted My Ezine Sign-Up Rate
By 5200 Per Month... Virtually Overnight... And How You Can
Too!" visit: http://TheRealSecrets.com/5200/

Posted by Willie Crawford at July 23, 2007 12:48 PM

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