Archive for improve focus
Internet Marketing Overwhelm Is Kicked Into Touch
Posted by: | CommentsI looked at my inbox first thing and felt my energy drop as I was bombarded with the latest Internet Marketers plying their wares. As I’ve been feeling overwhelmed recently, I’ve not been opening these emails so they’re just sitting there, torturing me.
Here are just a few:
- Really cool opportunity (get in now)
- Life Changing (I Promise)
- Ready to TURBOCHARGE your web visitors and profits??
- Webinar That Will Change You (Seriously)
- I’ve got something BIG I WANT TO GIVE YOU
Why do I do this to myself? Why even read them?
I am haunted by a fear of missing something important – of missing the one big thing that’s going to make the difference. It seems to be part of my cells now, an almost instinctive response that makes it hard to let go. And yet, if I only stop to think about it this fear has no validity whatsoever because THERE IS NO ONE BIG THING.
I know from personal experience that there is always another “life changing” opportunity in internet marketing. Not to mention that, all the ones I’ve signed up for, in the past, never actually changed my life. But that’s all part of the internet marketing dream isn’t it? The magical promise that some product is going to be the big thing that changes everything. It’s the same erroneous mentality as winning the lottery. And we all know that the vast majority of the big “winners” can’t hold onto the money or end up miserable. But still we chase the dream.
Well not me. Not any more!
Behaving as though there is something important out there to miss is slowing me down, confusing me and is counter productive to my achieving what I’m really after. I have caused this internet marketing overwhelm so I can get out of it too. Here’s how:
- take a deep breath.
- unsubscribe from all “just in case I miss something” email lists – not just internet marketing but coaching as well.
- unsubscribe from all teaching lists apart from Ed Dale’s.
- cancel all teaching products apart from Ed Dale’s mentoring.
- filter automated emails from my coach Elese Coit and from Michael Neill so they don’t hit my inbox. Read only when I need a bit of a motivational push.
- DO NOT SIGN UP FOR ANYTHING NEW unless it forms an intrinsic part of my CURRENT (as in RIGHT NOW) web marketing strategy.
- take a deep breath.
. . . Done!
Internet Marketing Overwhelm or Oops! I Did It Again
Posted by: | CommentsAs last week drew to a close and my stress levels increased. I realised I’d made the classic Internet Marketers mistake (again!) and was trying to focus in too many directions.
One of the reasons for joining Ed Dale’s mentoring programme was so I would have a structure to work within that might contain my tendency to jump from one thing to the other. Alas, in the short-term, this has not been the case. I’m still tempted by “shiny new” and, as a result, I find myself in a position of having to make some decisions about what to drop and what to keep.
There’s a fine balance to be drawn between focussing on a single thing (e.g. this website) and bringing other things into the mix to add a bit of variety which helps me stay interested and motivated. However, I need to work at something long enough to create a system around it, so I can outsource it. I’ve reached that point with the link building for this site so I’m ready to add something else into the mix.
Since I’ve never outsourced work full-time before, this process in itself has to be learned and is, therefore, a project in it’s own right.
So, currently I have this website and setting up an outsourcing project to focus on.
But . . . I’ve also been tempted by other stuff since I started the mentoring, some of which I’ve not mentioned before. These include – list control, the free “Take Over Page One” video course, John Reese’s Outsourcing videos, Crowd Mountain and the addition of Ed’s teaching on buying and selling websites. Oh yeah. And then there’s the stuff in 30 Day Challenge+ which is included in the mentoring package. So, with all these things swimming round in my head, you can see why my mind is beginning to get more than a little muddled.
There’s simply not enough time for me to do all those things – soooooo – how do I sort out the mess and narrow down my focus again?
Well, as I said – this website and setting up an internet marketing outsourcing project are in. This website is the current focus for my mentoring and I definitely need to outsource stuff if I want to create a business that I really enjoy. There is only one more John Reese outsourcing video so I’ll watch that later once my CFT is completed and then I can delete that from my list.
The 30 Day Challenge+ I can follow as and when I need it. I have created an index of what is available so I can check there when I have questions or am starting a new process.
List control, which has been on the back burner, will have to be dropped. I don’t have enough traffic to be building a list a this point and it just takes focus from what I need to be doing right now.
The “Take Over Page One” video course will be moved to the back burner. I will look at that once I’m actually in the position of making a video. Seems pretty obvious when you write it down, but it’s so easy to get sucked in and distracted when you have emails tempting you and what you’re currently doing is more than a little tedious!
What else . . .
Crowd Mountain. Hmmmm. Bit tricky this one.
My main motivation for signing up was to have an opportunity to try out the CM tools. However, the sales message was misleading. In the guarantee Michelle McPherson stated that, amongst other things, we would have 30 days to try out the tools. Once inside, this is not the case. Three weeks in and only one tool is available. We won’t have full access until week 6 apparently, so I’m not going to be able to test them out until after the guarantee has passed. That said, I like Michelle’s approach, so I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and pay the money so I can try out the tools.
That results is a bit of a dilemma though. I’m tempted to follow the Crowd Mountain process as well as wait for the tools, which ties in quite nicely with what I’m doing since it has bits in common with the 30 Day Challenge. But there simply aren’t enough hours in a day. I think I’m just going to have to try and fit this is once my critical focus time blocks are completed.
Once I’ve got some outsourcing sorted I’ll be able to spend more time in Crowd Mountain and, possibly, apply the strategy to my old sites.
Creating A Routine
Posted by: | CommentsOK. OK. I put my hand up.
Not only did I not complete my Critical Focus Time over the last few days, but I didn’t send my reports in either.
Learning to be disciplined and changing old habits is not as easy as simply choosing to do so.
No, hang on. Actually, it is. But only when the choice is made on a moment to moment basis. The temptation is to decide to work in a certain way, make a commitment to that and then expect it to happen. Forever and ever, amen.
Even though the rational mind knows it will take a bit of an effort and learning, there’s part of me that thinks that, once I’ve decided, it’s done.
But that’s not how it works. New habits need to be practised.
The trick is to not let my “failures” stop me. That’s what I’ve always done in the past – made a commitment, got started, got disappointed at the lack of early results, or just got plain bored so moved onto pastures new. But this year is about sticking with it and stick with it I will!
So . . . today’s another day and a new week to boot. Once more into the fray and all that.
This Week’s Challenge
The challenge I have set myself for this week is to do what I’d said I’d do in my “more on critical focus time post” on 29th March, i.e build in more routine. I’m curious to see what effect this will have, so it’s a worthwhile experiment.
To save you having to look back here’s the plan:
As I said last time . . . I’ll report back next week . . .
20th April – Update
Still made no progress on creating a routine so going to leave it for a while. I’m taking a couple of steps back and refocussing on completing my CFT reports each day. I think I’m doing the work but I can’t be certain as I’m not writing a report each day. I need to get that habit more fully entrenched.
More On Critical Focus Time
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate on CFT . . .
So far, I’m doing well with my critical focus time blocks. I am keeping to my targets of the amount of time spent and I’m doing tasks within it that are critical relative to internet marketing, as outlined in my earlier critical focus time post. However, I’m noticing that I am still spending a lot of time faffing around and doing stuff that, hand on heart, I would have to say is time-wasting.
So something new I am going to add this week is to add a non critical focus time block each day, NCFT, and then stop “work” when that is complete. That way I will be able to do other work related stuff but I will know when to stop. The way I’m working at the moment means the work day stretches out and the rest of my life gets put on hold unless I have specific appointments calendared in.
In relation to this I’m also noticing that the faffing around happens first thing in the morning before I settle down and get to work. So this week I will try and build in more routine and see how that works, as follows:
1. Write list of actions for the day.
2. Write for 30 minutes (= 1 block CFT).
breakfast
3. 1 x 45 minutes CFT.
15 minutes break
4. 1 x 45 minutes CFT.
15 minutes break
5. 1 x 45 minutes NCFT.
life outside work!
This just a starting point. I don’t expect it to work out straight away as I will need to make adjustments depending upon whether or not I’m working at home or if I have appointments etc. But it’s a good move towards establishing a routine that works for me and that is my goal here.
I’ll report back next week . . .
Critical Focus Time In Internet Marketing
Posted by: | CommentsThe first “lesson” from Ed Dale’s mentoring program was on what he calls Critical Focus Time or CFT. Basically it’s about committing yourself every work day to a certain amount of time during which you will only work on actions critical to your business.
This is something I’ve frequently struggled with for 2 reasons:
- I’ve not been committed enough to the outcome to practice getting good at CFT (see internal motivation post for more on this).
- I’ve misunderstood, in realtion to internet marketing at least, exactly which activities should/shouldn’t be done during my CFT blocks.
~~~~~~~~
1. Critical Focus Time Takes Practice
A mistake I’ve made in the past is to think that a commitment to being focussed is sufficient to make me so. I’d start out all keen and determined and then discover that creating a new habit was not as simple as saying as I was going to do so. I’ve learned that, like any new skill it requires consistent effort.
For example, one strategy I’ve found to be helpful is to work in 45 minute blocks – what I call the 45/15 rule. I’ve been applying this idea for a number of years, on and off, and reaping the benefits. But I forget to do this every day. It has not yet become a habit so I’m still practising. I have to remind myself each day to set the timer and then discipline myself to stop when it goes off.
So, don’t expect to get your CFT right the first time you try it. Chances are you will need to practise until it becomes a useful habit. While you’re learning accept that you will make mistakes and let that be OK. If you see this in the context of learning a new skill you will be more motivated to keep practising until you’ve cracked it.
In order to get the most from your Critical Focus Time:
- Remove All Distractions – turn off your phone, clost your office door, ask your family/colleagues not to be disturb you for your allotted time, etc.
- Set A Timer – start with 10 minute blocks is you’re new to this, working up to whatever you’re optimum work block length is. You will need to expereiment and find what works best for you. However, never go beyond 45 minutes as studies have shown that this the the maximum amount of time we can focus for effectively.
- Take Regular Breaks Between Sessions – up to a maximum of 15 minutes for the 45 minute block. Use that time to get up from the desk and away from the computer. Do something that requires you to move our body.
2. Critical Focus Time for Internet Marketing
Here are the tasks that Ed counts as IN:
- activities that directly relate to bringing money in
- content creation
- link building including using Market Samauri Rank Tracker for finding and making back links
- outsourcing guides
- prospecting, e.g. active Joint Venture making (by phone not email) or looking for clients
- creating/tweaking PPC campaigns
Tasks That Are Not Included in CFT
- anything passive
- learning
- answering emails
- editing writing
- ANY social media (I was a bit surprised at this one!)
- exploring new keywords
- checking ranking
So, now you know what and what not to do in your CFT sessions. Make a commitment to how many blocks you will do each day. Start small and work your way up and, remember, practice, practice, practice.
———– An update on this post can be found at more on critical focus time.
Get Thee Behind Me Email
Posted by: | CommentsGet Thee Behind Me Email
Well, this morning was a resounding success of how not to apply Critical Focus Time!
I got thrown off course by my son waking me early, feeling unwell, and so, not going to school. This resulted in my being at my computer at 6.36 a.m. thinking “oh well, this is earlier than I intended to start so no harm in taking a little look at my emails”.
Which led to my watching another about the List Control launch
which led to my trying to find out Frank Kern’s birthday
which led to my checking out the various affilaite bonuses on offer
which led to my reading a post in the Warrior forum about a possible (but seemingly unfounded) security problem with the list control software that went on and on for yonks and contained the usual slew of misinformation and conspiracy theory that seems to attend most big launches these days
which led to my doing another search in Google which resulted in my reading a load of IM gossip about certain “gurus”
which led to my feeling vindicated about certain times in my internet marketing history where I felt well and truly “ripped off”
which led to my feeling pleased with myself about my choice of Ed as a mentor
and then . . .
. . . the phone rang
which led to my coaching a friend to stop trying to work everything out and just take some action
which led to me returning to my desk and briefly getting back on track as I wrote my action list for the day.
But then I glanced up and saw a new email
which led to my going to Hayhouse to listen to Michael Neill’s latest recording and, whilst listening to that,
I was wondering if Ed had posted anything new on the mentoring site so went there to look
and then remembered something I heard earlier about Stompernet and so went there
and then noticed that Michael was saying the exact same thing that I’d said ealier to my friend so
went off on a coaching tangent
and checked out Steve Hardison’s site
and then one of his client’s sites
and then I noticed an email from my friend saying she was back and how helpful our chat had been to get her out of the house and how she was going great guns now so
I just had to ring her to tell her Michael Neill’s recording was very appropriate and would she like me to forward it to her,
which I did.
And whilst doing that I noticed Ed had emailed about Frank’s latest video.
It was now 12:17 – almost 6 hours since I first sat down at the computer and I was back where I started.
UNBELIEVABLE – 6 H O U R S!
I would have guessed I’d been faffing around for 2 hours at most, which would have been bad enough – but 6 HOURS!!!!!!
The good news is, it was such a shock I made a new commitment to never doing that again! Six hours will be my record for Internet Trawling Diversionary Tactics.
Putting “My money where my mouth is” I took the coaching I’d given to my friend to heart and applied it to myself.
After I’d showered (yes, I was still languishing around in a dressing gown) I grabbed pen and paper and took myself off to a local cafe to do my first CFT block of the day – writing this post.
Note to Self – Do Not Open Email until after you’ve done your CFT!
I shall be interested to see how that pans out . . .
Internet Marketing History Shows A Lack Of Internal Motivation
Posted by: | CommentsI first tried my hand at internet marketing back in 2005, when adsense fortunes were being made practically overnight. I was instantly hooked by the ability to create a site and start earning money within 2-3 days. It wasn’t really the money that hooked me in though, although I was unaware of this at the time, it was more the excitement of the numbers. Of being able to see things change (pages indexed, adsense earned etc.) almost instantly.
But the easy money adsense days came to an inevitable swift end and I then spent years in the web marketing wilderness trying to recreate that buzz. I tried Underachievers, Ultraunderachievers, Jeff Johnson’s Coaching Club, Perry Marshall’s Adwords Course, Traffic King Pro, PLRPro’s 90 day challenge, the 30 day challenge, The Lazy Affiliate, PPC Kahuna, authority loophole, and numerous seminars etc. etc. But all to no avail. Until this year, I never managed to create a decent IM income again.
Looking back I can see that all my previous attempts at setting up an internet marketing business were externally motivated. I was focussed on the money I thought I would earn and the tactics that would get me there. I never stopped to question why I was really doing it or what I was hoping to achieve, beyond the dollars. I just blindly started, but rarely finished, one project after another.
And I am not alone. Thousands of people have spent thousands of dollars chasing the internet marketing dream but relatively few have succeeded. In some cases this is simply due to a lack of skills but more often than not it is due to a poor understanding of what it is we are really after. We find ouselves chasing a dream that’s not really ours and focussing on purely external goals. When these goals aren’t connected to our internal motivation then it’s easy to get distracted and give up when the going gets tough. So we adandon what we’ve been trying and move on to the next shiny, new toy.
So, this time around, I’ve taken the time to consider why I am trying internet marketing again and what my internal motivation is. This has allowed me to define success on my own terms rather than in purely monetary ones. Instead of blindly chasing the “get rich” dream and making money the goal I have set up the game so I can play it by my own rules and measure success in a way that is meaningful to me. So now when the challenges come they will be worth making the effort to face because the reasons I am doing this are now connected to my internal motivation.
