How Many Hours Do You Invest In Your Online Business Per Week?
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Introduction
Today I was doing an evaluation of my overall online business and the many different projects that are ongoing...
I thought it might be interesting to put together a roll-up of each main area I work in regularly, what I am doing with each, and how much time I am spending on each...
This exercise can help you see what areas need adjustment in how you are working them and also you can see how much time you are spending in each area...
It could very well be that you find you are spending far too much time on Wealthy Affiliate, or maybe it is taking too long to write blog posts, etc.
You can then make adjustments...
Here Is A Brief Breakdown Of Time I Am Spending On Each Area...
(1) BLOGGING
What I am doing: I am writing blogs for 6 websites, plan for 3 posts per week on each, seek an average of 1500 words for each post, plus locate supporting graphics, images or videos...
Time Spent: I spend about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours per post from my experience to now...
AVERAGE HOURS PER WEEK: 37.5 hours
(2) SYNAPSES OF BLOGS
What I am doing: I am posting synapeses of 4-5 posts on some external sites such as quora and Blogger dot com and via Facebook Notes
Time Spent: About one per week per site at 1.5 hours for each roll-up
AVERAGE HOURS PER WEEK: 5 hours
(3) WEBSITE MAINTENANCE
What I am doing: I have a number of websites that have to have updates, fresh looks, features added, etc. There 6 that I focus on and a few others that I spend less time on...This includes additionally 2 e-commerce stores and 3 drop shipping sites that are set up and running...
Time Spent: It seems to be averaging 1-2 hours per week per website, although I do think that will drop off over time, it I can get to the point where I am happy with what I have (I doubt this hehe)...
AVERAGE HOURS PER WEEK: 10 hours
(4) PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT/DEPLOYMENT
What I am doing: The goal is to add 5 products per month, these are wholly owned by me and any sales are 100% mine after costs...
Time Spent: For each product I must spend a minimum of 6-8 hours, often more...This is from having the idea to a finished sales pages, download page/location and payment system in place and working, etc.
AVERAGE HOURS PER WEEK: 10 hours
(5) DROP SHIPPING
What I am doing: I have websites that are selling products that I source from AliExpress and create product pages for on websites...
Time Spent: Based on experiences to now, I have to plan for 1 to 1 1/2 hours per day for this...It can vary, some days nothing, some days 2 hours...
AVERAGE HOURS PER WEEK: 10 hours
(6) WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
What I am doing: We are in the development stage of a new and extremely complex membership site (think about the complexity of the Wealthy Affiliate platform - then you have an idea of what we are building) that will include training/forum/affiliate/drop shipping elements for e-commerce...
This membership site will complement our e-commerce partnership platform plus offer free and paid training to members...Membership to the platform itself will be free for all, there will be varying levels of free membership however...
Time Spent: This is a BIG time sucker at the moment, I am spending 4-5 hours per day at least just on this project...
AVERAGE HOURS PER WEEK: 30 hours
(7) WEALTHY AFFILIATE
What I am doing: I try to stop in here daily and comment, add blogs, and otherwise interact with members...I learn something each visit, so I really enjoy this time...
Time Spent: It seems to be 1 to 1 1/2 per day minimum...
AVERAGE HOURS PER WEEK: 10 hours
(8) TRAINING/LEARNING
What I am doing: This includes learning about various elements of online marketing to include website design, coding, video editing, writing, sales pages, infographics, etc.
Time Spent: I try to get in at least 3 sessions a week of at least 2-3 hours each, depending on the subject...
AVERAGE HOURS PER WEEK: 8 hours
TOTAL HOURS PER WEEK I AM INVESTING IN MYSELF: About 120 hours!
Here is a breakdown by percentages (approximate) for each activity I spend time on in support of my online business:
Blogging 32%
Synapses of Blogs 4%
Website Maintenance 8%
Product Development 8%
Drop Shipping 8%
Website Development 25%
Wealthy Affiliate 8%
Training/Learning 7%
If I notice some of these getting out of whack from what I am after, I look to see what is happening and take corrective action...
"So what is the purpose of this whole exercise again?"
BOTTOM LINE
If what you see above seems like it cannot be done in a week by one person, you are right...There are compromises at times when unplanned events like my other businesses get in the way...
But...
I fit more into less by outsourcing certain mundane tasks or ones that experts can do quicker than I can...Also helpful are automation tools that allow you to get more done in the same amount of time...This means that those hours you see are squeezed into less hours...
In this way, what normally takes 120 hours can be all done in 80! I know this still seems like too many hours...
That is OK and I decided long ago that I am building an online business for myself and grandkids, so this is a good investment I am willing to make now...This time and effort is going to pay off greatly over time...
So now it brings me to the point where I want to turn this around and ask you...
WHAT DOES YOUR SCHEDULE/HOURS LOOK LIKE?
I am curious to know if I am going overboard or am I just another average member here working hard to grow their online business as fast as possible?
What do you think?
Let us know below what you are doing and how long each area of your business is costing you in terms of time?
Maybe you have some things you are doing that I am not, and most certainly it would be valuable to share any tips you have that will help us do more with less...
Have a great day!
Cheers!
Dave : )
Recent Comments
35
Most of the time we all are " busy"! Some have jobs other than working "our learning time" @ WA. Some have full time businesses that are a part of our WA classes. I am nearly 70 years old and suffered 3 mini strokes. I work our "brick and mortar" in house store with gardens, We average 8-10 bus tours a month. Participate in 30+ shows a year, and on the average of 90 presentations a year. My learning curve is very limited and it takes me 4 times the amount of time to get anything complete on anything dealing with computers. So what I am saying if I can manage our business alone keep up with an 11 year old great grandson in which is home schooled because of his disabilities. Any of you, "young folks" can DO IT!!! Don't EVER GIVE UP!
Dave has given us something to work toward!
Great info Dave Thanks, Blessings!
My goodness, you are an inspiration for me! That you have the drive to work on this online stuff I think is wonderful and as a young guy barely into my 60's hehe I can only hope that I have that energy going forward!
I do get the aches and pains of broken bones from yesterday more so than I can remember, and the old eyes are not that good anymore, but all in all, I am blessed for sure. I have a great bunch of supportive and loving folks around me, so life ain;t too bad...
The great grandson must be a handful...So far only the 6 grands, oldest one is 20 and in school...The rest range all the way down to the last 2 that are one month apart and 2 years old now (what in the world the girls (daughters) were thinking when they decided to have a baby at 38 and 37 I do not know!)...
I appreciate you stopping by and I can tell that you are the same strong figure that my mother was and who raised me with a lot of love (and a hair brush when I needed it)...God Bless You and your family, may you continue to enjoy life and yes, stay busy (it keeps us alive I believe!)...
Cheers!
Dave : )
That's mind boggling Dave, I really don't know where you get your energy from! Are you Superman? Now that I know your schedule, I wonder how you can maintain concentration to even write detailed comments so coherently as you do on WA. Highly commendable.
But be really careful of burnout buddy. Your health is still the most important thing. You can one day "hit a wall" and collapse! That would be tragic and so not worth your great efforts! Please give yourself some "me" time.
Thanks for the kudos and you are right with the age thing...When I was young I had a lot more strength and stamina than now...
There is no doubt that I have to be more careful no matter how young I think I am in spirit and will (but am not)...I really do not have much to keep me busy so this sure does hehe...
I like being engaged with life and doing something productive..I had friends that retired after 20 years in the Army, went golfing or fishing every day for 6 months, and passed on...Just like that!
This happened several times to good acquaintences that mentored me when I was young, and it taught me that I needed to stay busy, even as a retiree...
But your point is well taken, over time as some of the hard work is done like having that membership site up, the work load will drop back down again, and likely I will keep it at that level when it happens...
If you notice that would drop me to a 60 hour week, which is much more manageable (after factoring in outsourcing and leveraging tools)...That would match my age, a good thing hehe!!
Cheers and thanks for you input, I do hope it has given you some ideas for your own online marketing business...The musos over here normally outsource this stuff, they stay too busy to do much drill down (they do music videos and promo reels, etc.)
Dave : )
wow... working 120 hours per week is like 17 hours per day
that reminds me of a famous MP quote...
"I woke up half an hour before I went to bed"
Dave you are very committed and I am sure that dedication will pay off.
As long as you don't get overwhelmed, and if you can keep up that pace... you will get to the top of the mountain faster than average people and then you can rest and "stare and the view".
My average is 50 hours +/-
Thank for sharing
Cheers
50+ hours is a LOT as well my friend! These kind of hours will get you where you want to be pretty darn fast I am sure...There will be a tipping point where all the work starts bringing in the income...
Then once you drop the other job, you can build even faster your own online business, as Kyle and Carson have done, or you can mix it up a little...
Spend more time with the family and doing things you like to do, while losing the stress of the day job...All good outcomes to look forward to and rewards for your concentrated efforts...
Cheers!
Dave : )
I wondered how you managed 120 hours per week but I just read below that you do about 80! Even 80 is mental Dave! I am nowhere near that. I write 5 articles per week, Monday to Friday (one a day) and that's it. No more than 40 hours.
I find that after doing my research and writing a review I am completely wasted. Average is about 1200 words. It's no wonder you are making it successful so well done mate, you are an inspiration to us all.
Cheeeeeeers,
Craig
Hehe Craig, yes I did the math and know how I work, so early on I realized I needed to find ways to leverage my time and resources...
Even the 120 hours a week is a bit much, as some have said here in the comments, but as I have my whole life, I am once again oon a mission...
It is not even like a job for me, because I really enjoy most of what I am doing. That is what I call an ideal job...There were so many years when I just hated what I was doing, and this day after day, month after month...
I am sure that most people cannot spend the time I am able to on the business, but the only difference is that I hopefully will get to where I want to be sooner than otherwise possible...
Cheers!
Dave : )
WOAH! 120 hours a week? If I was to do that I would surely burn out before too long. Also, it's really not good to be sat at a computer staring at a screen all that time.
I think that less is more. I actually believe that the "down time" is actually a fundamental part of work. It's when we are relaxing that we rejuvenate and process things. If we are in a constant state of "do do do" for every waking hour, we become less effective because we have no time to rest and process things internally.
Once I take away time for regular breaks throughout the day, I do about 7 hours per day, Monday to Friday. So that means about 35 hours per week. However, not all of that time is spent on WA stuff. I also have a contract with a company for 8 hours per week.
But I try to stay disciplined with my time and focus on work stuff during work time.
I work in 1 hour chunks with breaks in between:
8:00-9:00
9:15-10:15
10:30-11:30
11:45-12:45
1:15-2:15
2:30-3:30
3:45-4:45
The 10:30 and 2:30 time slots are reserved for my contract with the company. I don't do a full hour each time, but it's just a block of time set aside if I need it.
Fridays are different to Monday to Thursday. On Fridays I do any money related admin, website maintenance, computer maintenance, Skype meeting with Jim-Bo, then plan out the next week.
I tend to save all emails and messages for the last hour of the day, unless I get tings done quickly earlier in the day, then I take a few minutes to go through messages, like I have done just now.
That email thing is a good idea Marcus...Between emails and the social platforms, it is a slippery slope thing...You get started and before you kknow it, the time has slipped away and you didn't get done what you set out to do....
I like the way you have split the day up into sections, and you are right that breaks are important as well as longer breaks peridodically for me...
My social life is not what it was when I was younger, so if I do 16 hour days that start at 0400, I am generally free after 9 to 10 PM...That is enough to unwind and then jump into bed for some sleep..
I even add in a siesta these days to one of the mini-breaks...This is not a long affair, maybe 30 minutes max....After I have a fresh hot coffee and get back to the tasks at hand...
The outsourcing and tools also make some of the tasks I really do not enjoy that much easier, less of a burden...Right now, we have people in Germany and Thailand doing the warehouse stuff, plus some website and branding work by professionals...
I think just setiing up whatever you are comfortable with and works is the main idea...There are many here that have full time jobs and there is no way they can devote that much time to this business...
Thanks for sharing M8!
Dave : )
Wow Dave that is superb. for me 21- 30 hours a week, I'm a double agent :)
(working with 2 different job) plus parenting.
I salute you my friend.
Ahhhh hats off to you, that you are able to squeee in so many hours for the online marketing business is admirable! I have the luxury of less distractions/responsibilities...
Family is important, and the day job as well to take care of the family while the online business comes together and over time get you to that point where you can unlatch yourself from the other jobs...
It all is a journey my friend and as long as you are on a planned path and see progress with each passing day, week, and month, you are doing well...
I have less time to get everything in place, I figure almost 2/3 of my time here on earth is gone already, so I need to put the nose to the grindstone now...
Also my kids are grown, each has the main resonsibility for the grands (I am just a novelty hehe), and the offline stuff I am doing gives me a lot of lattitude...
Just enjoy the knowledge that all your work has an end game which will make all aspects of your life a lot more fulfilling - having your own business and income, plus more time for the family and doing things you like are things dream about...
The difference between those dreamers and you? You are taking action to realize your dreams...All the good plans in the world mostly remain just that - plans...Not in your case!
Cheers!
Dave : )
I love my map.
How lucky that I have Google map.
Sometimes, I lose my mind.
How lucky I have a friend in WA. Alway give me heart power and inspiration and motivation.
Maps are a good thing for sure! We are adding in the geolocation tool to all of our sites so people can see the business locations and can even zoom in and have a look at the streets we are on...
Cheers and hope you can accomplish everything you desire in your life! It all starts with a goal and a plan...
Dave : )
I am literally working all the time. My brief breaks are either for food or mandated by my parents, lol.
Thanks for stopping by!
That you are willing to devote most of your time to your business bodes well for the future of the business! You do need to eat and maintain your health though, so good on your parents hehe!
The reason I go through exercises like the one above is that I want to see how I am using my time for the business plus I want to squeeze the maximum productivity into that time...
Best of luck and if you do this once in a while, it can help you maintain focus and reinforce the 'why' of your efforts...I find it can make me get much more done!
Cheers!
Dave : )
You're a busy guy. Hope you're earning what you would from 3 full-time jobs (120 hrs. per week). I don't spend anywhere near that much time on my sites, but then again, I'm retired, and I'm more of an author (info products) than an affiliate marketer.
Yes I am pretty busy...I do have a team of people though that help get things done...This allows me to leverage the time a lot, so the 120 hours represents the whole...I do average 80 hours a week though...5 days at 16 hours...That is a lot...
I am retired as well, and have some passive sources of income coming in, plus some bricks and mortar stuff too...I guess this latest project (online marketing) is something I want to build for the future...I like building things...
Cheers!
Dave : )
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...for me it is more a weekly average...which equals about 28...
As long as it is working for you, that is the important thing I think...Many have too many other things going on in their lives, in my case I do not hehe...Best of luck! Dave : )