Many new marketers, however, underestimate the time and work necessary to launch an internet business. They are solely concerned with the fact that they no longer have to report to a boss and that they may work their own hours.
However, one of two things frequently occurs. First, the novice marketer becomes so engrossed in their business that they overlook everything else in their life. Or they don't dedicate enough time to their business and end up struggling for weeks, months, or even years.
The following ideas will help the smart marketer develop a strategic time management.
1. Begin with the end in mind
Yes, you’ve heard that before from the late Stephen Covey!
You must have an end goal in mind in order to manage your time and succeed in your online marketing activities. This does not imply being vague and broad, as in you "want to make more money online."
You want to be as precise as: “I want to make $20 extra per week.” You also don't want to say anything general like, "I want to work less hours." How many hours does this mean to you?
An hour? Ten hours less? You must be specific in order to develop an effective time management plan.
A goal may be anything you want it to be. It might be financial, such as earning $10,000 a month. It might be based on time, such as working 20 hours per week while getting a full-time income.
It may be a productivity goal like creating six new digital products every year, or it could be something different. Only you know what you want to prioritize in your life in terms of goal setting, and this may change from person to person.
Don't simply make something up out of thin air. Take the time to sit down and imagine your life once you go on the route to become a successful internet entrepreneur.
2. Set a deadline for completion
Whatever your goal is, you will have an idea of how much time you want to devote to your business each and every day.
Let me be clear, it’s not how many hours you work on your business that count for productivity. It’s what you are able to produce that counts for your marketing success.
Some people “work” all day on their business and end up with very little result, in part because they focus on every minutiae and have themselves stretched thing trying to do everything involved in online marketing.
With strategic time management, however, the smart marketer can get a lot more productive work done with less time.
If you're not sure how many hours you'll need to work and have complete control over your schedule, you should start by setting an end date for your goals or project.
It's got to make sense. You can't make a goal of losing 100 pounds in one week, and you can't execute some tasks in your business in too short a time frame, such as establishing a list of 10,000 subscribers in 48 hours.
Your timetable will be determined by what you want to do personally vs what you intend to outsource.
It will also be determined by how quickly you work. If you can write five pages in an hour and want to develop a 50-page eBook, you will need to commit ten hours to the production of your digital information product.
Remember that you need a cushion in case of emergencies or unexpected setbacks. You should also allocate time for additional duties linked with your launch. The production of an eBook is not the only factor in the launch of a digital information product.
You also need to create a listing on the site where you plan to sell it, such as Warrior Plus or JVZoo. You must also design the joint venture page for affiliates, as well as the sales text for the front end and any further one-time offer upgrades.
You'll need to network with people to get them on board to promote your launch, schedule emails to your subscribers to announce your debut, and produce any visuals needed for the info product itself, the sales page(s), or the affiliate toolkit.
Even if you want to outsource or delegate part of these activities, you must allocate time to interact with the freelancing service provider, account for any delays, and budget for time spent on revisions and changes.
3. Get Rid of Time Wasters to Make More Time in Your Day
When you first start working as an internet entrepreneur, you'll have to be harsh on yourself when it comes to procrastination and squandering time in general. Being your own boss will give you greater independence, especially if you are leaving an unpleasant 9-5 job.
If you realize that your goal is always getting pushed out to a later date for completion, you should take a step back and examine how you spend each hour of your day.
If you want an honest appraisal, conduct a sort of productivity audit of your day. Record everything, from the time you get out of bed to the time to go to bed, and see if you can determine how many hours you actually spend on business productive activities.
You perhaps, might realize that you are not spending as much time on productive activities as you might think. And you will determine where you have been spending much of your time – on your phone, social media, binging on Netflix, running errands, etc.
Some people are unaware of how much time they waste.
Time wasters are frequently caused by outside sources. People may drop in on you at home because they know you're there. However, they are unaware that you are actually working.
If you find yourself falling behind on your tasks and goals, you must put your foot down anytime you need to be establishing your business and not allow anyone to intrude on your work time.
4. Make a Schedule That Balances Your Work and Life Needs
Working the most hours isn't necessarily the best approach to succeed at time management. It's about being strategic such that your life balances out and your business thrives while you enjoy your personal life when you're not working.
Some people fall so far behind with their job that they are unable to relax when they are meant to. They are filled with guilt and humiliation for being absent when they should be working.
Some suffer in silence, while others take severe steps to begin disregarding their own needs in order to burden themselves with additional labor. Instead of attempting to keep all of these plates spinning, look for something that provides tranquility and peace.
Begin by identifying the time of day when you are most alert and energetic. This should ideally be done while working. You must be able to concentrate and absorb information without fail.
You also want to observe how you work best - in huge chunks or spread out throughout the day. You may commit to working Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until noon.
Or, you might work from 8 to 10 a.m. and then again from 2-4 p.m. This allows you to enjoy some personal time, such as stopping for lunch with a friend or spouse, spending time with your children, or even napping in the afternoon if you so want.
You should plan your schedule ahead of time, regardless of the hours you work. Take each project and divide it into tasks. If you know you need to write a 20-page report in 10 days, you must commit to producing two pages every day.
How long does it take you to compose those two pages? Twenty minutes? An hour? What else do you have to accomplish that day? You should write down all of your duties, including project activities, administrative chores, and even networking.
Handling customer care emails, uploading an article you produced to your blog, or checking on your paid ad accounts are examples of administrative activities. Befriending fellow niche marketers, evaluating their products to advertise, or asking them to support your future one are all examples of networking.
You should also make time for brainstorming or idea generating, as well as research. It should all have a place on your calendar, whether you're contemplating a slant for an eBook or blog post or investigating a breaking news article in your sector to share with your audience.
5. At the end of each day, evaluate your productivity performance
Being smart with your time management requires you to check in on a regular basis to assess how you're doing. You can't just make some modifications and hope for the best.
You should evaluate your progress in little increments. Begin by considering how you performed at the conclusion of each day. Were you able to quickly complete all of your tasks? You might be able to push yourself a bit harder.
Alternatively, if you enjoy your current speed, keep it up. However, if you feel harried and overwhelmed, or even if you have failed to complete all of your tasks, you may have taken on too much.
If you know you were working hard, you can revise your project completion objectives and timelines. But if you can accept that you didn't perform your best - that you were preoccupied or had brain fog - then strive to make some improvements.
You may need to work in a new location with fewer interruptions. You may need to utilize an egg timer or alarm system to assist you work focused until the timer goes off.
Continue to adjust until you see the correct sort of timetable emerge from your efforts. You should also check in every quarter. Every 12 weeks, you should set goals that show you how far your business has come.
That's fantastic if you're on time or ahead of schedule! Continue doing what you're doing. However, if you're far behind, it's time to start working smarter or asking yourself some difficult questions.
Are you still passionate about what you are doing, or are you loosing steam and rather do something else?
Maintain a quarterly review, as well as serious end-of year evaluation.
Being strategic with your time might feel like a difficult effort at times. You must cast a light on yourself to determine if you are meeting your own expectations. There is no shame in doing so; in fact, it is a sign of a wise business leader. It’s your business, it’s your life.
