Here’s the link to the survey mentioned in the video.
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on today’s topic in the comments below!
Cheers,
Here’s the link to the survey mentioned in the video.
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on today’s topic in the comments below!
Cheers,
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it seems you upload videos just intime to match my situation and thoughts that are swimming in my head.
im very impressed great video :)
when i need motivation i always play this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5NBYu6iyvA&feature=related – Best Motivational Video …This will really get you going
Nice!
I love that quote right at the beginning.
“Playing small does not serve the world” – that part as well as the entire quote is really inspiring.
Shane, thanks for your refreshing honesty, as always. I have a problem with motivation from time to time as I am never progressing as fast as I would like to be. What helps me is to go back over where I was just over six months ago when I got started and what has happened each month since. I can then see that things are moving upward, even if not on as steep a curve as I would like!
What I do when I get really fed up is go and do some keyword research – this really cheers me up when I find a good keyword phrase. I also now have a few contacts who are at a similar level to myself and we encourage one another which is very helpful. I have also learned to give myself some time-out and do something completely different which is great for recharging the batteries and getting me motivated again.
What I avoid doing when I am really demotivated is to go reading lots of marketing emails in my inbox or browsing in the forums – both of which rob me of the time I could be spending more productively!
Great that you have a few people you know who can relate to you.
I think it’s one of the big challenges with being entrepreneurial, that so many people’s standard reaction and attitude is “why don’t you just get a job?”
Having a few friends who are also entrepreneurial is hugely helpful.
Hi,
I think I am qualified to the disaster week club. With millions of things to do I had a total motherboard crash last weekend. I have to admit that the idea that “this was it…I should do something else” appeared in my mind.
I am not sure if I have any clear methods to get over things like this. Probably one thing is that I meditate one hour every day. Have done that for many years and feel that I get kind of a better view of situations. This is certainly not for everyone but something I believe in.
I also try to find positive things to focus on. 2010 is by far my best year online and by reminding myself about that, it’s a bit easier to continue.
/Erik (from an ancient xp machine)
Nothing deters me more than the words “now you need to build hundreds of backlinks” or “now write 10 articles for each directory”.
If I’ve got a plan to work to and I’m comfortable with the tasks I can work all day. One of the problems is other people think you’ve got nothing to do!
Nothing inspires or spurs me on more than a sale, even an Amazon sale with $4 commission. It’s a result.
Yes, celebrate every victory you get!
I used to beat myself up over every mistake I made and not really give myself credit for my victories… the other way round would be better.
One thing I do when I feel down is I have some physical fun – I take a break from working, and do something that gets my blood flowing.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that a little stress is always good. I think this is the same thing, when people talk about that you should use deadlines and timers, but I’ve found “real” stress to be more effective than timers and such. That’s why I consciously try to keep myself busy, though I have a lot to improve in that.
That is a really ambitious project that you have there, by the way. Though, “the most advanced training program” is a really vague goal, and doesn’t really mean much… I hope you have it imagined in your mind more clearly.
By the way, how do you do these non-public posts?
You just need a theme that allows you to hide pages from the menu (or manually remove a page from the menu). “Non-Public” is a hidden page and all the update videos and other stuff that I don’t want to publish goes in as sub-pages to that.
Difficulties?
APIs!
Need I say any more?
I get away from it for awhile and do something totally different. Usually some type of physical activity….working in the garden, cleaning, walking. This helps me turn off my brain and let it re-organize. lol
Your product goals certainly are interesting. The great thing about having a goal is the amount of things accomplished on the way to achieving it. Great morale booster when you set small “stepping stone” goals on a daily or weekly basis. You always feel good about achieving a goal (no matter how small) and getting one more thing off your plate.
My issue is, buying a great product like BLBP, going through the motions, then getting something else because it WILL help in the future such as Backlinks Hydra….then getting something else like Link Control…..
All this before I’ve managed a complete project with BLBP (for a variety of reasons)
In the end, everything has to wait until a complete BLBP project is done and a review of the results gives me the information I need, even adding content to my hundreds of other sites….phwew.
No doubt, the BLBP projects that follow will be in half the time so I can then go through Hydra and Link control because I feel the knowledge they will give me will help me with my business model.
I hope there’s nothing in the queue to upset that plan?
Not complaining….just writing my thoughts.
Peter
Yes… that’s the “focus” part in focus & action, isn’t it?
Can’t say I have the solution for this myself, I’m afraid. I guess it comes down to pacing yourself and setting priorities. But it’s something I struggle with, as well.
We all get the “heeby jeebies” sometimes and I’m not sure I would call it procrastination. My take on the latter is that it is what we do when we think we have to do something but don’t know how.
Naturally we put it off…
To quote Kev, above,if we don’t know how to do this, ““now you need to build hundreds of backlinks” or “now write 10 articles for each directory”.” then we’re going to react negatively / procrastinate. After all it is hard to find free and reliable sources of info on I.M. stuff so we often feel we are on our own.
“Never, never, never give up”, Churchill
:-)
Alex
Hi Shane!
Thanks for the Sunday update. It seems to become a nice Sunday afternoon habit to me to sip my cup of coffee and listen to your thoughts and inspiration :)
My biggest issue with procrastination is the technical aspect of things. I dread on the thought of how best to put a sales funnel together, because I cannot find a good lesson on how to do this from scratch. I find technical issues do take so much time away from my daily work.
If I am off-focus, it is usually hard to get focused again and it can take hours or even days to get back to the normal work flow again.
Until next Sunday :)
Great observation, Shane. We all have hard times and lose motivation, and that’s just part of developing. Look at these challenges as ways to work around them and improve.
Also celebrate in other areas of your life where there’s achievement. Today I realized I had lost a total of 11 lbs. Yay! So I’m psyched, even though my internet marketing campaign is a little slow at the moment.
But there’s always a silver lining behind every cloud. : )
What really demotivates me is seeing my to-do list either stay the same or get longer month in and month out, year in and year out. That and information overload overwhelm me occasionally. When that happens I take a break and go to the dog park or lounge around with my son and talk about silly things like why “poop” and “vomit” always come up at the dinner table. Once I get my mind off what’s frustrating me, I’m usually able to re-approach things with a fresh perspective.
I’ve had big problems with motivation before – and still have some but they have decreased. If I get distracted within 15 minutes of an activity, or if I do things unrelated to my purpose/mission/goals , I loose my motivation.
Now I’m playing around with meditation and relaxation techniques whenever I burn out or loose focus. I also start my day doing “mind power” exercises by John Kehoe and visualize myself doing activities effortlessly and with ease, while thoroughly enjoying the moment, and it helps me. Also celebrating what I did or results at the end of the day , whether it was as little as an adsense click or a couple of affiliate product sales, I focus on that and it helps build some sort of momentum.
Good stuff!
Momentum is definitely a big factor, at least for me. I do my best to consciously build it up and “ride it out” whenever I can.
After I spend many hours working on a project I often get mentally exhausted and am unable to do anything for a while. I do not think it is procrastination it is just temp burnout.
I have no idea how to keep working at this time. Even mindless tasks seem too much.
Hey Shane,
Thanks for another valuable update and for bringing up this evergreen of a topic.
Over years I´ve earned myself the highest possible master degree in procrastination and it will certainly take my continous perseverance to get rid off the bad habits I created.
What still tends to evoke procrastination in myself is when technical obstacles occur – I start out fully motivated and then programs unfold their own life and do things I didn´t expect at all, which happens way too often. Also although I have mastered quite a bit of techie-stuff over the years I still consider myself being a rather non-technical person which make seemingly little things difficult to bring to life at times.
Another reason for my bad habit is probably my various fields of interest which often give me a hard time to focus on one thing at the time. There is so many opportunities and just when I picked up one of those the next one pops up.
But of course I have been guilty of subscribing to way too many newsletters before and now managed to reduce that amount and will further reduce it.
Like some of the other commentors I leave the computer when procrastination hits me too hard and do something physical instead, that always helps me.
I´m so glad I stumbled accross your blog, bought your programs and follow your focused path of ethical and high quality marketing. You rock, my friend and I´m looking forward to work even closer with you in the future.
Have a great start into the new week
Mirko
You know, that’s a problem I’m very familiar with. I’m interested in so many things… I’ve had to abandon a few projects and hobbies because it was simply too much to fit into a 24 hour day.
I think that before a person starts off on a business venture or a project, they need to have extreme clarity on what they want to accomplish, and more importantly why they want to accomplish it. If your family is the why for example, then that needs to be in front of you constantly or several times a day. Maybe pictures on your desk or a desktop background or what ever works. Next, I feel you need to track how much time you’re spending on “productive time”. My definition of productive time is time spent working on things that could directly lead to a sale, a lead, a click etc. Also, I think a person needs to spend a certain amount of time a day on education about what you are working on. I spend some of my education time watching Shane’s videos which has definitely helped. Knowing what you want and why you want it coupled with productive time and education should lead to some small successes which have motivated me and should motivate others as well.
That is some very good advice, Chris.
You touch on several points that are really essential to high-level productivity and I couldn’t have said them any better.
I gotta admit that my “education time” has been a bit neglected, lately…
Hi Shane,
I am new to this internet marketing. Almost start from the scratch. The things that make me procrastinate are those thing are way too much for me.
I have to learn from zero so you must have known better that me – how much is all those stuffs to learn?
The only thing that wakes me up again is the fact: if other people can, why can’t I?
Hey Steve,
Two years ago, I hardly knew anything about the Internet, apart from how to read and send e-mails.
One year ago, I coulndn’t have built a website myself to save my life and I didn’t know what SEO meant or what a backlink was.
I even hired someone to build an online store for my business that I had at the time and I was so technically challenged that I couldn’t figure out how to operate this online store…
It really is a lot to learn. Just take it step by step and celebrate the small victories and you’ll get there.
Hi Shane
Another great Sunday update and a topic we all run into from time to time
Mirko’s comment on a Masters Degree in procrastination is something we could all admit to from time to time
How to stop it? clear to do list and stick to it,the trusted timer,an accountability partner,read your e mails no more than three times a day and I think the observation that Dean Holland made a couple of weeks ago about clearing out of your e mails all the people who just try and sell all the time but who add no value whatsoever
I think as a last thought and we are all guilty of this is to stop pushing yourself when you get stuck and take the afternoon off and clear your mind, how many of us actually take any time off, in the end we just get stale
Thanks Tony
Hey Tony, that’s some awesome advice. Timers and accountability partners go a LONG WAY to getting more productive.
Hi Shane,
I love the prospect of being along for the ride with your plan for making a select group of us into expert marketers. I honestly think this is a great thing and follow with great interest as this develops.
I find that when i have troubles getting things done, i will take my dog out for a brisk walk with my ipod for company. After an hour and one album later i am home and mostly ready to continue.
I also find that i tend to do more work at certain times of the day. I think this is more to my internal body clock. I will get more done between 10pm and later. So i like to be online at this time as i can achieve far more.
I also find it better to switch off skype so i do not get instant messages interrupting my work.
Love the videos by the way!!
Chris.
This past week for me I have had to deal with a lot of changes in my life, which is stress.
Lately been doing more meditation. At least 10 minutes in the morning and 10 min in the eve. Do what I can to slow my brain down so i’m not overwhelmed and it’s helped me a lot.
Also I always give myself the right to say no to anything at anytime and I do use that right a lot.
HI Shane!
I’ve unsubscribed from 95% of the internet marketing lists I was on (because I want to focus on my plan) but not yours and I won’t because you consistently give so much value.
Very quickly just a couple of things that keep me motivated. I try to clearly find the value in what I am doing because it can’t just be about money. I have a huge list of why I’m doing something and how it will improve/ add/ make my life happier if I complete this project. And I have a big picture of my family and an arrow pointing to them to them that says ‘The reason why I work hard’.
Even so, I have brain freezes and I’m not the most patient man so fiddling with websites and apps gets me peeved. If I’m stuck for too long I usually excercise or go for a short run and come back sweaty but more motivated.
I’m truely scared of your world domination plans Shane, if anyone can do it you can. Just one note and it’s only my opinion. It seems to me that advanced is often a selling point but somehow the feature is ‘simple.’ Aka the iPad is an advanced hardware but it’s made simple and everyone loves it. I would love an advanced website creator but so advanced that it simply can do everything in my head without me knowing a piece of code!
I still think the holy grail of IM is still push button marketing that does everything and I mean everything! Or maybe that’s just me… :P
Wishing you much success my friend
Samith
Yeah, ridding your inbox of annoying and useless messages is a big step toward reducing distraction and general noise.
As for “simple”: if you look at many of the things that I consider to be in the realm of advanced marketing, like testing and tracking, segmentation, automation, implementing seamless processes and so on, I doubt any of it will ever be truly simple.
Some things are just complex in nature and the only way to simplify them is to dumb them down and remove all flexibility.
Marketing psychology, on the other hand, has a capacity to be very effective and advanced, while still being based on simple principles. But even then, it’s not easy to actually implement many of these principles.
In my opinion, the way to make things simple is to become really good at them. ;)
I start to procrastinate and be unproductive when I think of all the many things I have to do instead of focusing on one or a few critical activities at a time. Also if something seems hard as it often does online for me (still learning the ropes) I seem to avoid it and not do what I have to do. The example I have is my website and the work I have to do to make it look and function better. Not being creative and also not being trained properly for a course that should have trained me works against me.
On the positive side lately I have been getting better in other areas that appear easier, eg article marketing.
I think for me to overcome procrastination I have to stop thinking and clear the mind and stop it racing. I do that by just sitting there and listening to music. Eventually I will have calm and clarity. After that I can more easily focus and disregard that which has led to procrastination.
Unfortunately I haven’t been doing this enough as I have been impatiently trying to master all of these concepts and take actions to get somewhere with my website. I have let the stress get to me and instead of taking a breather I have tried to battle on.
hi Shane!
One thing that REALLY helps me to get out of procrastination is when someone is telling what to do and how to do them. It’s a bit silly and might even be childish, but that’s just the way it is with me.
The idea embedded in BLBP and SECockpit, where you have some kind of a task list, is really helpful. It’s like having a personal coach telling you what to do and how to do them. The part “how to do them” could really use something better, as I need detailed step-by-step on how to do things. But all in all, I really like BLBP and SECockpit as those products really help me to get over with my procrastination.
I’ve never been more productive in IM ever since I got BLBP and SECockpit…thanks again Shane!
Glad to know that the checklists and tasklists are working! :)
Hi Shane,
I totally agree with you about the procrastination part. Everybody goes through those kinds of things. The only thing that sets entrepreneurs apart from the rest is that they push through those slumps; find ways and means to beat them.
I personally believe anyone can be an entrepreneur, there is no such thing as I am not smart enough or too stupid/slow to be an entrepreneur. It’s how you go about handling your challenges that is the key.
For me, usually, when I am in a procrastination rut, I just ride it out. Especially if I have been productive before that. Slumps of procrastination now and then is ok.
However, if procrastination is a common occurrence, then something is wrong somewhere and the cause needs to be determined.
Hello Shane,
I have worked from home for over 20 years and noticed during the past year that I was finding it more and more difficult to focus on a set of tasks without getting distracted. There is also the constant bombardment from all the Internet Marketing Hyenas hoping to pick up the scraps from the latest JV offer!
So, I bought myself a large magnetic “White Board”. What a difference!
Every day I break down my daily goal to smallish tasks and write them down on the white board in order, using different colours for how important an element might be.
The idea is I don’t finish work until the board is wiped clean!
It saves bits of paper all over the place which end up getting lost. It also helps if I get ideas for things or someone calls and I need to make a note. No hunting for a pen and paper anymore.
There is something about committing my goals and tasks to the white board that gives them an importance. It might sound a bit pathetic but it works for me!
Anyway the board is telling me to get on with my Battle Plan so I’m off!!!
Best regards
Brian
That sounds awesome!
I used to have a huge, sideways flipchart on my wall, that I used to map out ideas. But I can see how a whiteboard would be much better for many things, because it’s easy to “edit”.
I think I’ll have to get one as well, as I really like this idea. :)
If you get one make sure it’s a big one and decent quality. The cheap ones don’t wipe very well. Go for a magnetic one, great for getting paper off you desk and reminding you to do things!!!
Gruezi Mr. Shane,
I’ve been quietly following your updates for some time now as you always make it worth my time. I have many difficulties in terms of productivity, but I believe I’m getting better. I’ve bought hundreds of books on amazon, got Eben’s Wake Up Productive, listened to Tony Robbin’s Time of your life course and studied dozens of other things.
Now, I’ve realized that if I don’t have a clear goal of what I want to achieve at the end of the day/week and month I seem to be procrastinating all day long.
I used to try one method/system/ritual, get bored and then try the next thing, but as many might know there is no one fit solution. I’ve recently started to create and model my own rituals and planning methods that I learnt over the years and I’m now actually starting to increase my productivity quite a bit.
I’ve read several comments on this blog post and noticed that many seem to be cough up with technical issues or repetitive/boring processes.
One thing I highly recommend you do is get yourself a VA (Virtual Assistant) that can take over your important but time consuming tasks. If you’re just starting out I’d first learn the basics of IM, make some income and then hire your first VA.
I now spend most time managing my VA’s which I actually enjoy doing lol.
Can’t wait for the next Sunday Update :)
Wish you the most productive week ever!
PS: I like the idea of doing a continuity based Seminar. I think Jay Abraham does this as well which obviously is a good thing.
PPS: I’m glad that I’ve finally found a marketer in the same country and honest one at the same time.
Perfect timing Shane
Sometimes I just have to step back, reassess what I have, remind myself what the long term goal is, review what my “why” is and honestly define what it is that’s keeping me from it all.
I usually find that I either took on too many projects and need to focus, or that what I did focus on is taking me down a path I didn’t plan to be on.
This time, I found I needed to work smarter, as the harder was already stealing the time I had quite well. (Backlink Battle Plan came to my rescue for that – Thanks!)
But taking on too much is a vicious cycle for me as I have many interests and lofty goals … so the important (and hardest) part is to recognize the cycle and not to beat myself up when I once again need to reassess.
Dave
I have an established routine which keeps me on track. I have a set of online puzzles I complete every morning. As soon as I’m done, I launch directly into my work. There isn’t anything special about this. It’s just what I do.
Love your videos, Shane
Great video Shane! I too have been in a serious spinning my wheels marathon for a while now. Mainly on SEO since it’s soooo time consuming. I feel a bit “burnt out” so to speak.
I’ve got to say when this happens to me a simply take a little break from sitting in front of the computer and go work out. It gets those good endorphins going and really make me feel better mentally and of course physically too.
The other thing I do and highly recommend to anyone is to listen to Tony Robbins. I personally own his Personal Power II and Get the edge audio series.
Tony Robbins is not just an extraordinary motivational speaker, he’s a master of human behavior. He can help anyone exceed in any aspect of there lives. He has helped me overcome many obstacles in my life.
Thanks again for all the great training and videos
John