My In-House Ban on Television

Well, I'm finally taking the advice of nearly every successful person I've met when it comes to television.  Okay, at least a step in that direction. 

Now I don't think I'm as bad a TV-holic as some people, and at least a good portion of my viewing includes stuff from the History Channel, Discovery Channel, Science Channel and a few others that don't typically count as the "junk food" of TV-land (reality TV, sitcoms, etc). 

That said, I was thinking about the past year and realized I had no idea what the storyline was for that episode of Family Guy that I watched one year ago.  Nor did it have any significant impact on me reaching my goals or adding any meaningful value to my life (although you have to admit, that show is pretty funny). 

If I had read some profound book, visited some really cool place in downtown DC (only 20 minutes away) or done just about anything else, the chances are a lot better that it would have had more of an impact than that TV show.  Of course, the book could have sucked, the place downtown could have ended up being horrible and so on, but that's not really the point now is it?

I'm not saying I'm totally getting rid of TV.  But it's going to trimmed down quite a bit and batched like everything else…probably left for Sunday which is my day to relax anyway (gotta' love TIVO).  Like I said, not getting rid of everything, but I did go through my TIVO and whack just about every sitcom and other junkie program.  Stuff that's still on the list:

• The Universe (I love space stuff)
• Human Weapon (yes, I should go take a martial arts class in lieu of this show)
• CSI, Law and Order (because I'm weak and can't give those up yet… )
• Dogfights (goes back to my Air Force roots…yea, I could take flying lessons instead…already did that though)
• A few travel shows, for inspiration and ideas
• High Net Worth (CNBC show that everyone should watch to balance out all this doom and gloom about the so-called market)
• A handful of others…

Other things to fill the time void include:

• Exploring the nation's capital
• Road trips to places nearby
• Reading / listening to audio books (literally infoproducts at a fraction of the typical cost.  I recommend Audible.com)
• Learning how to cook (sorta' know already but could be better and it's an excuse for me to buy a new grill)
• Some other stuff…I have a list around here somewhere

Note that none of the things on that second list are things that are done at the computer…because of course, that's not the goal.

I guess you could call this an "experiment in lifestyle design" like what Tim Ferris talks about over at the 4 Hour Work Week blog.  He also recommends Audible.com in that link, plus more great gifts if you're still looking.  Sheesh, you're still not done shopping for the holidays!  (Me either…)

Anyway, that's one of my personal plans for 2008.  I'll let you know how it goes.

(Note: I find it funny that when I've told most of my family and friends about this idea, the first response I've usually gotten is, "Why?".  Must be on to something)

 

 

Popularity: 94% [?]

Another Great Reason to Have Your Own Products

The other day I got a really cool gift from someone I don't even know (yet).  It's the best kind of gift too, a totally unexpected surprise.  It was from Richard Lee, a fellow internet business blogger who I've mentioned a couple of times on this site.  Anyway, it was pretty cool to get that in the mail, though I've been lazy about getting over to the UPS store and it's been sitting there for almost three weeks - and he was probably thinking I was an ungrateful SOB for not at least saying thanks (again, sorry about that Richard and my sincerest thanks for the CD).

Okay, so a couple of points.

First, here's the link to the CD:

Motivation and Distraction Management  (goes straight to the order page, not an affiliate link)

So why do I think you should drop everything and go get a copy of this CD pronto?  Because whenever you get a room full of entrepreneurs or wanna-be entrepreneurs together in a room and ask them what their toughest challenges are, staying focused and actually GETTING THINGS DONE are two things that almost always show up on the list. 

My thinking is that anything that can help you knock those off the "what's-holding-you-back" list is a good thing.  In fact, I got several good ideas I'm going to use when it's time to write the next batch of articles to promote one of my products.  If you do the same, you'll more than make up the cost of the product, making that factor irrelevant.  Of course, that assumes that you have your own product…

You DO have your own product, right?

Well if not, this little story is yet another reason for why you should.  You see, by creating your own product, you now have something of value.  Normally your goal is to exchange that value for money.  But what about offering certain products as bonuses, or even giving something away for free (with good reason, not just willy nilly)?  What about trading your product for someone else's?  I know for a fact this is done, though usually behind the scenes. 

Really the sky's the limit but I want to keep this post short.  The point is that if you're just an affiliate or just building AdSense sites, you don't really have much to offer your peers in the way of a "value exchange".  Not to mention the difference in profit potential. 

Something to think about.

Popularity: 98% [?]

Another Way to Stop Wasting Time on Mundane Tasks

Okay, this post might seem a bit off topic, but it's really not.  It's all about TIME…or more importantly, using it most effectively.

One of my personal pet peeves is grocery shopping.  I don't know why, but for some reason I just don't enjoy it.  Maybe it's the long lines, the time it takes to load everything up in the cart, haul it home, unpack it, etc.  Or the fact that now I even have to "clock in" and bag up my own stuff.  Kinda' nice how they added those self-serve checkout lines, have fewer people at the other registers, yet the prices are the same.  Hmmm…

Anyway, being the good little online business owner that I am, I decided to bypass all of that this time and just order it all online.  Actually, this is something I've done in the past, but as we roll into 2008, I'm more serious about guarding my time - may as well start a month early.

So that's one of the things I did this past weekend.  In fact, I wrote the draft for this post right after I the delivery guy left and I put away my stuff (no, they don't do that for you).  I have to tell you, this is the best idea ever.  Well, maybe not ever.  Maybe that was just hunger talking. But it's still a pretty good idea.  First of all, the delivery guy was super nice, a missing ingredient these days most places I go (how about you?).  Everything came nicely packaged/bagged, probably better than I would have done myself. 

The ordering process was incredibly simple.  One of the larger grocery stores here in Maryland offers online ordering and delivery.  You just login, choose a delivery date, add your stuff to the cart and checkout.  Yup, just like ordering on Amazon or elsewhere except instead of categories like books, DVDs, or electronics you choose from deli, breads, frozen foods and so on. 

But here's the kicker.  Say you need bottled water or some other item where cost per unit volume is more important than brand.  It's easy to do.  Just sort by cost/pound, cost/ounce, etc and go down the list 'till you find the one you want.  Imagine being able to search all the different versions of "whatever" in some particular isle at the brick-and-mortar store in order to find the one that's the best value - and to be able to do so in SECONDS.  Hey, not that I'm a cheapskate, but no sense in paying more than necessary for some stuff either, right? 

You can also save everything to a list so the next time, re-ordering only takes a couple of clicks and you're done.  NICE!  Oh, and yes you can still use coupons, discount cards and all that stuff too…if you were wondering.

So you're probably wondering how much extra did it cost me?  How much did the gouge me in order to have my stuff picked out by their own crew of personal shoppers, then delivered by their delivery guy?  And my gosh, what about gas prices…or tipping the delivery guy?

Looking at my invoice:

Delivery fee:        $6.95
Fuel surcharge:   $0.58
Total extra cost: $7.53 + optional tip (of course I tipped him! )
Total time saved: At least an hour and a half, possibly a bit more

That was for about $140 worth of stuff.  I think they have a $50 minimum.  But who doesn't spends at least 50 bucks on groceries?

So the question is this - Are there things like this you can implement in your life to take back more of your time.  Other things that could be on this list include cleaning house, laundry, most car stuff, lawn maintenance, snow removal and so on…things that need to get done but probably, HOPEFULLY, not by YOU.  Some of my friends would think I'm nuts for having FOOD delivered, but to me it's a simple matter of putting a higher value on my time.  In the hour+ that I saved, I took care of a few orders that came in via my online store and wrote a sales letter for a new product. 

Good trade off?  You tell me…

Popularity: 87% [?]

Time Management Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs

Whether you're a full-time entrepreneur or you're just getting started building your business, the fact that there's a limited amount time will become crystal clear, if not already.  It's one of the biggest challenges - just getting it all done.  Here are a few ideas you might want to try out.  These are things that I've implemented recently to take back more of my time that you might want to try too.

Batch Similar Tasks

The biggest thing I've started doing is batching my tasks.  This is an idea I got from the 4 Hour Work Week and if you haven't read that book, you should definitely check it out.  There are quite a few more great ideas for time management, outsourcing and other issues.  But in terms of batching, all that means is doing similar tasks all at once. 

For instance, if you know you want to have one blog post per day during the week, instead of taking time EACH DAY to write a blog post, why not do all of them on Monday (or whatever day you choose)?  That way, you can get them all done while you're "in the zone" rather than trying to get in the mood to write every single day.  The same goes for paying bills, running errands, or other periodic tasks (typically weekly stuff).

Force Tasks to a Specific Amount of Time

Speaking of things like writing (or any other task for that matter), another idea is to use an egg timer.  No, not to time how long it takes you to do something, but to FORCE yourself to get it done within a set amount of time.  I'm giving myself 15 minutes to write, proof, and post this article to my site.  There's nothing like the ticking of that clock to focus your mind on the task at hand…in this case, writing a blog post.  How else can you get your time back if you don't limit the amount of time devoted to a task?  Otherwise, the time required will just continue to expand since more time will be available.  Gotta' limit things to a reasonable amount of time and then move on.

Only Work on Tasks Related to Your Goals

I hate to bring up the topic of goals, but it's important to mention when it comes to managing your time.  If you don't have clearly defined goals, you're likely to just end up spinning your wheels.  You'll be more likely to take on tasks that aren't in line with your goals or not finish things that would help you reach them faster. 

By having clearly defined goals, you can focus only on those things that will move you closer to those goals…tasks that actually produce RESULTS.  In addition, you can figure out what needs to be done, which tasks suit your particular skills, and which need to be outsourced (the ultimate in time management).

Figure Out Tomorrow's Tasks the Night Before

One last tip is at the end of the day, take 5 - 10 minutes and look back at what you accomplished today and what needs to be taken care of tomorrow.  Make tomorrow's to-do list the night before.  That way, when you wake up and are ready to get to work, there's no time wasted figuring out what you need to do. 

It's even better if you can prioritize your list, identifying the 2 or 3 things that would make the day a success if that's all you got done.  Do those FIRST!  Or do the hardest, most time consuming first.  It's sort of a personal choice, but it helps to have some rhyme or reason to your list.

Bonus Tip: Have a Plan for Your Extra Free Time

Another idea pulled from the 4 Hour Work Week is the fact that once you've freed up some of your time, it helps to have an idea of what you'll do with that extra time.  The goal is freedom, not more time to work on the business, search forums, or for goodness sakes…finding MORE ideas!  So have a plan for something worthwhile to do with the extra fee time you create.

Popularity: 6% [?]