How do I waste time - let me count the ways.

byjoekeriii

1.8K followers

Updated 7 years ago

By doing just a little every day, I can gradually let the task completely overwhelm me.

- Ashleigh Brilliant

For years this "Brilliant" quote was set as my automatic email signature. (I eventually changed it to a Groucho Marx Quote: "If we had some eggs we could have eggs and ham, if we had some ham." ...but that's beside the point.)

The point is, I have a tendency to procrastinate.

The main thing I try to avoid doing is writing content. It's strange, because once I get started, you can't stop me until I have a (pretty much) finished product.

It's the getting started that's tough for me. With so many distractions to choose from, It's a wonder I get anything done. But it's not like things like Facebook and Twitter are sucking tons of time.

I might have a new idea for a niche site, when my first one is just getting going and I also have a WA affiliate site that needs a lot of work. Or I read about a new gimmick or technique, and I spend hours researching, following it down the rabbit hole. Typically, this is time spent spinning my wheels. The idea may be flawed, or it's just too time consuming.

Sometimes, in my research, I learn that this really is a great gimmick or technique. In fact, it would really be a great opportunity, if only I had a mature site with about fifty times the traffic I have now.

A couple of days ago I read DomW's blog: "A Note on Opportunity cost" and something just clicked for me. He points out that, early on, we're learning and we really do need to explore some of this stuff. But we shouldn't let this "exploration" suck too much of the time that should be focused on just a few core things.

In these early months, I'm not likely to see massive traffic leading to huge sales. Now is the time to learn AND PRACTICE just a few core things while building quality content and giving my site some time to grow and mature in the eyes of Google and the rest of the world.

The list below is a screenshot from DomW's blog. I love this short list of things to help me stay focused on the things that matter.

I've also taken from Dom a great idea for being sure that I don't loose some ideas that I would otherwise want to chase right away. He calls it a "parking lot". Now, when I have a new idea, I can just "park it" by writing it down.

Later, after I've taken care of those five things I need to focus on, I can drive that idea out of the parking lot, right down the rabbit hole - or wherever it leads.

Thanks Dom!