Posts filed under 'working efficiently'
Generally, people who make a living by working online can expect to receive a lot more email than most people. Not only do we receive the regular emails and forwards from our friends and family, but we also have:
- comment moderation emails from our blogs
- newsletters and announcements that we’ve signed up for from other blogs and websites
- feedback/questions/comments from blog and website readers
- joint venture requests from other internet marketers
- quote requests (if you offer a service online)
- customer service requests (if you handle all your support issues yourself)
- payment notifications (for when your make a sale on your own product or through an affiliate program)
There are plenty more that I could list, but hopefully you get the idea.
It’s not uncommon for some of us to wake up, open our email program, and receive hundreds of new emails a day.
Sorting through these and responding to the ones that require a response can eat up a huge chunk of your day. Here are some ways that I try and tackle my flooded inbox.
Only open your email program twice a day. First thing in the morning, I open my emails and sort through and respond accordingly. Once everything is taken care of, I close my program for most of the day. Unless I’m expecting an important message, I’ll leave it closed until the end of the day. I’ll check it again before bedtime and do the usual routine of sorting and responding.
Keep separate email addresses. I like to have a few different email addresses for separate uses. I have one that only my friends and family use. I have another one for work related emails, such as comments, contact form emails, JV requests, payments, invoices, etc.. I have yet another one for any newsletters and websites I want to sign up for. Last but not least, I have one for signing up for competitor sites and related feeds and newsletters to see what my “niche” is up to. I can check on this one as infrequently as I like because none of it requires any response on my end.
Use Windows Live Mail. Everyone has their own preference when it comes to which email program they use, but I really like Windows Live Mail because I can read all the emails from each email address in one program. It has a lot of other handy features too. You can manage your RSS feeds, update your MSN status, or look at “Quick Views” which will show you all your unread emails from all your accounts in one window. Importing messages from Google gmail, Hotmail, Outlook Express, etc. is ridiculously easy.
Setting “filters” or “rules”. Under each email account I like to create subfolders. Then I set a rule so that any email that meets certain criteria gets sorted automatically into its own subfolder. Blog comments go into one, Google Alerts goes into another, etc. By doing this I can easily dictate which emails need to be dealt with quickly while others can be put off until later.
Keeping a “swipe file”. If I read an email that gets me to take action, I usually send those to my “swipe file”. I like to go over these once in awhile so I can analyze them and incorporate similar tactics into my own newsletters. Having this swipe file allows me to keep everything that inspires me in one place, instead of having to search through hundreds of emails trying to find that one I read the other week that had a good idea in it.
Do regular maintenance. Every couple months or so I like to go through and decide which newsletters I want to remain subscribed to, and which ones I can unsubscribe from. If Joe from Idaho is sending me a newsletter every few days but I never read it, I promptly unsubscribe. If it isn’t benefiting me in some way (teaching me something, making me laugh, etc.) then I don’t need to be a subscriber. Doing these type of maintenance regularly really cleans up the clutter in my inbox.
Laying the smackdown on your inbox clutter can save you a ton of time which frees up precious minutes of your day to do other important things.
June 11th, 2008
Are you using Google Calendar yet? (It’s free by the way.)
I tried it a year ago and quickly switched back to using my trusty paper organizer and post-it notes.
Then I read a post over at WAHM 2.0 by Kelly McCausey and figured I would give it another try since she was liking it so much.
I’m not sure how much Google Calendar has changed in the past year, but I’m sure loving it now!
I’m saving trees since I cut down my paper use by at least 75%. I’m also saving time because I’m not searching all over the place for things I’ve written down and then forgotten about. My kids aren’t ruining my lists and notes with their own crayon and marker masterpieces. And best of all, my crap is all in one place!
I’ve been trying for months to get more organized with my work, on my computer and my desk and I can honestly say that Google Calendar is the perfect solution. It’s really handy for those of us who work online because you can set a reminder to pop up each time an event is about to happen.
Here are some things I really love about it:
- Instead of bookmarking links to check out later, I copy and paste it into my calendar.
- You can create an “event” and choose how often you’d like it repeated. Once a day, once a week, etc.
- You can have multiple calendars and view them all at once or chose which ones you don’t want to see - all within one window. Super cool.
- You can share your calendars with others. Works great for projects you’re working on with a partner or Virtual Assistant.
- You can easily drag an event to a different time or day, or edit the settings of that event with one click.
- You can chose to view your calendar by day, week, month, next 4 days, or agenda view - or you can print the whole thing.
If you’re in need of a better way to organize yourself, Google Calendar could be a great option for you - especially if you’re a list-making freak like me. 
May 22nd, 2008
I’ve stressed quite a few times how “to-do lists” (not a very well written post but you’ll get the drift of it) are really helpful when you need some way of staying motivated and organized, but I’ve also discovered that having “Things I Got Done lists” are just as helpful.
Throughout the day, I keep a list of all the things I did that made a positive impact. I’ll jot down when I posted to my blogs, when I’ve written an article, what I’ve done to promote them, when I’ve made a new contact, etc. At the end of the day, I’ll go back through the list and give myself a mental pat on the back for everything I accomplished.
If my list looks pretty bare, I give myself a mental kick in the ass to do better the next day. I even keep these lists in a file so I can look back at them weeks or months later. It’s a great way to assess your work day and use that info to become even more efficient.
Our ultimate goal is to make more and work less right? If you’re a crazy list person like me, this may help you achieve that.
April 25th, 2008
It’s amazing how powerful deadlines can be.
I used to work at my local newspaper where everything depends on deadlines. There were deadlines to submit ads, deadlines to finish financial reports, deadlines for sending in news stories, deadlines for delivering the paper.
Now that I’m working at home, I don’t have all these tight deadlines to adhere by. That doesn’t mean that I still don’t use them though. They may not be as strict as when I worked at the paper, but I still do my best to stick to them.
Creating deadlines for yourself and making sure you complete your tasks on time can be a huge secret of success for you, especially if you are your own boss. It gives a sense of accountability that otherwise might not be there for someone who works at home.
The trick with creating your own deadlines is to make them challenging, but not impossible. You should also figure out ahead of time a ‘punishment’ for not meeting your deadline. I love to buy shoes, but if I miss a deadline I don’t allow myself to buy any more until I make up for the work I skipped out on. It also helps to have a buddy to help you stay on track. This could be a friend or family member, or even someone you met online.
There’s something about knowing that you only have a certain amount of time to finish something that really makes you get your butt in gear. I find that things also get done a lot quicker, leaving more time for other things like spending time with family.
Set yourself some deadlines and see how it works for you.
May 30th, 2007
There’s something about crappy weather that just gets me down and really hinders my productivity. As you can see, I haven’t posted in a few days. It’s also been raining and cold for the past few days. I’m assuming that’s no coincidence.
Today it’s nice out again, so I’m back at it. However, I really need to work something out so that I can still be productive when it’s not so nice out because obviously we can’t have sunshine, lollipops and rainbows every day.
I was actually doing quite well with my new schedule that I printed out for myself, until my daughter swiped it when my back was turned and proceeded to color all over it until there was nothing left. If I was smart, I would have just printed another copy since I have it saved on my computer, but I’m obviously not that smart.
Today though, I was reading Problogger like I do every morning and this post helped me snap back into place. Now I’ve got a new schedule printed out and I’m back to work as you can see. This time I think I’ll either laminate my list and stick it on my wall beside my monitor or I’ll make it an image and set it to my desktop background.
Whatever works, right?
May 24th, 2007
The internet is loaded with free information on virtually any topic, so it’s no wonder that you can easily spend your entire day just reading while sitting in front of your computer.
However, earning money online takes more than just reading about how to make money on the internet. You have to actually take the information you’ve learned and apply it to your own online business.
Yaro Starak suggested in his last newsletter that only a small part of your day should be spent actually consuming information. The rest of your day should be spent working and using that information to create something of your own.
This sounds like common sense but if you actually compared the number of hours you spend reading to the number of hours you spend actually working, you might be surprised.
If you get caught in the web of free information, maybe it’s time to change your schedule (or create one if you haven’t already). I like to spend the first parts of my morning checking emails and reading anything that’s on my list of ‘things to learn more about’. Once that time is up, it’s off to work. If I come across something interesting later in the day that I’d like to read, I’ll bookmark it and add it to my ‘to read’ list for the next morning.
Since adopting this new routine I’ve cut down my ‘consuming’ hours drastically and my work performance has increased. It doesn’t feel like I’m missing out on anything either. All the information I’d normally be reading right now will still be there when I decide to get to it. In the meantime, I’m building my content and gaining exposure to my sites because I’m actually WORKING!
May 17th, 2007
Wow, what a difference this makes. In the past couple weeks I’ve done a lot of revamping and ’streamlining’ to make my work day more efficient. One of the things I did was I spent a good chunk of time to sit down and write out a daily schedule for myself.
It took quite a bit of rearranging but eventually I figured out something that I think will work really well. I’ve done up a fancy little list for myself that I’ve printed out, and as I do each thing on my list, I check it off.
From Monday through to Friday, I’ve listed a reasonable amount of work for myself to do that will make sure all my websites stay current, and marketing, testing and tracking will be done every week. I’ve also included lists for my regular newsletters as well. It’s all there in one neat little page.
Before I committed to this list, I made myself swear that I would focus on the tasks for each day of the week before I did anything else during the day (including visiting my favorite blogs). If something comes up (like an appointment at the doctor, or unexpected company) I realize that things might not get done on time. However, I’ve also promised myself that if I absolutely can’t finish what’s on Monday’s list, it will be finished by Tuesday night after I finish Tuesday’s tasks and so on.
So far, it’s working great. With my list in front of me at my desk at all times, it’s easy to stay focused. Distractions like email, instant messenger, and funny blogs aren’t as tempting. Every time I finish my daily tasks on time it gives me an awesome feeling.
Working at home can be daunting, especially for moms. With all the responsibilities that come along with being a work at home mom, it’s really nice to take a break and just relax. However, when you’re laying on the couch with a good book and you can see the computer out of the corner of your eye, it’s easy to feel guilty and think that you should be working.
I felt that way all the time, even if I was cleaning the house. Now with my list, I don’t feel guilty for doing other activities as long as everything is checked off for the day. In fact, I think I have even more free time now because I don’t spend half of every morning trying to figure out what I should be doing.
It’s really made a difference for me, you should try it!
May 14th, 2007
Working from home is not for the weak. It can actually be harder than having a regular J-O-B. At least when you’re working outside of the comfort of your own home, you don’t have distractions like housework or kids to keep you from your daily tasks.
At home, my biggest weaknesses are games like Heroes of Might and Magic and Final Fantasy. Once I get playing those, I never stop. I literally have to rip myself away from the game if I want to get anything done. It takes a lot of physical effort to put down that controller or click the close button on the game window. But that’s just me. I’m a dork.
However, I know that a lot of you find distractions like instant messengers, forums, email, and social bookmarking sites nearly impossible to stay away from. So what is the trick to getting as much work done as possible with all these glorious distractions calling for you all day long?
Time yourself!
Being your own boss is great, but that also means you have even more responsibility. One of the tricks I use is to time myself using my oven timer. I set it to 30 minutes, then I get to work. It’s funny that it works so well, since I could easily open up my game, or my Outlook Express, but for some reason knowing that timer is on makes me work hard and fast. It’s almost like a game I’m playing with myself to see how much work I can get done before I hear the beep of the timer go off.
Once that half hour is over, I’ll reward myself with some MSN action or I’ll plop down on my couch with a new magazine. So I guess the moral of this story is to have ‘work-bursts’ if you’re like me and you can’t stay away from the inevitable daily distractions of working online.
April 13th, 2007
Never underestimate the importance of an ergonomically correct desk area. Having a comfortable chair at the right height can mean you spend more time working and less time rubbing your sore neck and back.
I know from experience that a poorly setup work station can greatly hinder your performance. That’s why I’ve come up with these tips to help you stay comfortable while you’re working at your computer.
- If you’re looking to buy a new desk, look for one with an adjustable keyboard and mouse tray. This way you can adjust it to suit you perfectly and reduce your risk of getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which can be very painful and sometimes irreversible. The tray should be large enough to accommodate both your keyboard and mouse. Having your mouse close to the keyboard will prevent your arm from having to be extended to reach for it.
- Most keyboards have ‘legs’ attached to the top part so you can tilt your keyboard up. You shouldn’t actually use these legs because a tilted keyboard will create an improper wrist positioning. If possible, you should tilt the bottom of your keyboard to help lift your wrists up to a better position.
- When using your keyboard, your wrists should be in a straight position. If they are bent up or down, you need to change your chair height or keyboard angle. Your keyboard should be low enough that your elbows are not bent more than 90 degrees. If not, you could develop sore arms, wrists and shoulders.
- For those of you who have a larger frame, you might consider an ergonomic keyboard with the ’split’ in the middle. Because each half of the keyboard is angled away from each other, your arms and elbows will naturally have better form.
- If you use an armrest or wrist rest, only use it when you aren’t typing. A wrist pad should actually be used to rest your palm on, not your wrist.
- Use keyboard shortcuts whenever possible to reduce time spent with the mouse and clicking all over the place.
- Reduce eye-strain by eliminating as much glare on your monitor as possible. A glare-reducing screen can be purchased at most office supply stores.
If you’re really serious about changing your work area to a more ergomically correct one, you can have an occupational or physical therapist come in and inspect your workspace. They can recommend you the right equipment for your needs. I will warn you though, this can end up being very costly. But then, that begs the question, “How much is your comfort worth?”
Mine obviously isn’t worth very much at the moment, but by making a few inexpensive changes like the ones I’ve mentioned above, the time I spend working at my computer has drastically increased. Now I urge you to take a look at your own workspace and see what changes you can make.
September 17th, 2006
I was just thinking last night that I wish I had more time in the day. I’m sure almost anyone wishes that 24 hours would go by a little slower.
Between kids, cleaning, cooking, laundry, yard work, and keeping up websites, I can hardly find time to exercise. By the time my husband gets home from work and supper is eaten and dishes are done, I’m so exhausted that exercising is the last thing I want to do. I’d rather plop myself on the couch and watch my evening shows. Tonight is the season finale of ER and I CAN’T miss it.
This is where multi-tasking comes in. Being a mom automatically means you have a degree in multi-tasking. If I really wanted to, I could drag my exercise bike upstairs and sit it in front of the TV so I can exercise while watching ER. But after a long day, that just seems like too much work. Instead, sitting on a fitness ball while working at the computer seems like a better idea.
If your posture is bad at the computer, then sitting on a fitness ball will correct it. It also works your core muscles and improves your balance and stability. If you want to break out a pilates video, you can use your fitness ball with that too.
There’s plenty of uses for it.
The only thing I have to figure out now is how to keep my 2 year old daughter from grabbing the ball and running while I get up to pour myself a glass of water.
May 20th, 2006
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