Six Ways to Find More Hours in Your Day
By Derek Gehl
A couple of weeks ago, I told you about my
"BeBiz Challenge" -- in which I challenge YOU to build a money-making website from scratch in 28 days or less.
(If you follow my
proven 4-step system, I guarantee you can do it!)
... Ever since then, I've been getting emails that say something like:
"A money-making website in 28 days??? Easy for you to say! You're able to dedicate yourself 24 hours a day to your business -- but me, I'm already working a full-time job that leaves me exhausted at the end of the day, plus I have a family who needs me.
... With all these demands on my time, how can *I* ever build a profitable business in just 4 weeks???"
I hear you...
... When you're already doing everything you can to keep your head above water -- but that
ever-growing "to-do" list of yours keeps dragging you down -- the idea of taking on a massive new project can seem pretty daunting.
(Even when you KNOW
the rewards of completing that project
will be HUGE.)
However, I want you to know that
no matter HOW busy you are, you can always
squeeze more hours out of your day. You just have to know where to find those hidden hours -- and then make the best possible use of them!
Here are
6 "time-finder" tips that will help you cross those items off your "to-do" list as quickly and efficiently as possible, so you can devote more time on the work that REALLY matters...
... Building your very own money-making website!
Time-finder tip #1: Turn off your email!
Email is a HUGE distraction... every time you hear that little "ding" that announces a new email, it interrupts your thoughts and makes it harder to get back into the same productive mindset.
Set yourself specific times to check your email and respond to it (if ABSOLUTELY necessary -- otherwise, ignore it). When I'm in a time crunch, I only check my email at 9:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and then at 5:00 p.m., just before I leave work. That way I don't have to deal with endless distractions during the day.
... And I figure if someone who's emailed me REALLY wants to get in touch with me ASAP, they can always pick up the phone and call me!
Time-finder tip #2: Set yourself scheduled "surfing" times
For me, Internet browsing is right up there with email as a major source of distraction. It's all too easy to get sucked into reading your favorite blogs or news sites -- and then discover that almost an hour has passed, and you have nothing to show for it!
If you're like me and enjoy surfing a bit too much for your own good, do what I do and set yourself scheduled browsing times. For example, for every two hours of hard work you do, reward yourself with
10 minutes of random "pleasure" surfing.
Just make sure you don't go over your allotted time! Set an alarm if you have to, so you can get back to your work when your time is up.
Time-finder tip #3: Cut your lunch time in half
If you get an hour off for lunch, use
30 minutes of that time to work on your website. Half an hour might not seem like much, but it's amazing what you can get done in that time if you really focus on it.
... Also, if you don't already do this, try to bring your own lunch to work so you don't have to waste valuable time going out to buy it. Plus, you'll also save money that way!
Time-finder tip #4: Use your "slack time" wisely
By "slack time," I mean those periods of time during a day where you're stuck doing nothing -- such as when you're commuting on a bus or train, or waiting in line at a bank machine.
Bring along some training materials to read wherever you go, so you can use that "slack time" to brush up on your learning and put the time you spend in front of a computer to better use.
... You should also bring a notepad and pen with you wherever you go, so you can jot down any good ideas you might have (for example, ideas for niche markets or keywords to research).
Time-finder tip #5: Prioritize your tasks
Even though all the tasks on your "to-do" list may seem like they're all high-priority items that need to be done ASAP, chances are some tasks are truly more important than others.
Before you begin work each day -- whether it's for your "day" job or your website -- write a list of everything you have to accomplish that day, then prioritize the items on the list according to how important they REALLY are.
Next, rewrite the list so the absolute MOST important tasks are at the top of the list, with the least essential ones towards the bottom. That way, you're guaranteed to get your most important tasks out of the way first.
... And if there are any tasks on the list that don't REALLY need to be done, then consider crossing them off the list altogether!
The last thing you need to be involved in are silly "make work" tasks that don't really benefit anyone. Your time would be better spent working ahead on the important projects that really DO need to get done right away.
That way, you can free up even MORE of your time to devote on your website!
Time-finder tip #6: Go on a "TV diet"
Many people like to come home from work and "decompress" with a little time in front of the TV.
... Well, as you probably know, TV is one of the biggest time wasters there is -- so even if you think that an evening of TV is helping you relax, all it's really doing is stealing valuable time from you -- time that would be better spent working on your website!
Allow yourself one hour of TV watching MAXIMUM each day. Pick your favorite show each day and pre-record it, if you can. (Tivo is one of the great tech inventions). That way, you can fast-forward through the commercials and earn yourself an extra 15 minutes that otherwise would be wasted.
If you're working to get your website finished within a specific time frame, (as in my "BeBiz Challenge" for example) then you might want to try cutting TV out altogether, or only watching it at special times, such as Friday night.
Then, when your site is finished, you can reward yourself with a free weekend in which to catch up on all your favorite shows!
... So there are my "time-finder" tips to help you squeeze more time out of your day.
They might seem pretty simple, but if you follow them faithfully, you'll be amazed at how much more time you'll have to spend on growing your website.
To your success,
Derek Gehl
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