Organize Yourself - Especially for Newbies
As much as I wanted to work from the comfort of my own home, I didn't realize how easy it would be to get off track and distracted. I don't know if this has happened to any of you but I still have to work on not allowing my mind wander when I need to stay focused. In order to forge ahead I am finding that I have to relearn how to organize and discipline myself to complete a task...and to get in the habit of writing articles/blog posts regularly! OMG! For over 20+ years, as a secretary I haven't had to write anything more lengthy than a message for my bosses. This alone has been a challenge, but I am not complaining.
As a newbie to Wealthy Affiliate, while perusing the website, there is just so much to take in that I have often strayed from a lesson to check emails, reply to comments, check my stats, activity dashboard....and before I know it, it's four hours later and I haven't accomplished a thing! Not good.
I am sure many of you can relate to this.
So I decided that I had better restructure my time or nothing will get accomplished!
I just want to share what I have recently begun doing and you may find it helpful as well.
Decide how much time each day you are going to devote to WA. 1, 2, 3 or more hours? How many days per week? If you decide to spend at least a couple of hours a day with WA, you can then plan how much you will spend on each task - for instance, you may want to start by responding to comments on your website for about 15-20 minutes, followed by 45 minutes (more or less) on your blog, another 15 mins or so commenting on someone else's blog, or driving traffic to your site.
Another strategy would be to assign a certain task to certain days; for example, Monday, Wednesday & Friday, you may want to devote to your blog or article, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday (or whatever day(s)) you choose can be spent other WA-related tasks.
I also suggest not taking more than one day off at a time, at least while you are still a beginner. I found it difficult to get back in the swing of things after a couple of days off, particularly on Mondays...:(
I know if I had followed either of these steps when I first joined Wealthy Affiliate I would have spared myself some headaches been more productive.
As of this blog post, I have finally finished Phase 1 of Bootcamp training, and will spend the next few days catching up and adding more reviews & blogs. I'll probably stick to the second strategy I suggested earlier...:)
I just wanted to share my thoughts with any of you WA newbies that still might feel a little bit lost, or discouraged a bit. Just keep pushing ahead.
*Margaret*
Recent Comments
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Hi Margaret, I think you make some really good points, and yes your link worked fine for me. I too, often find it challenging to stay on task and not get distracted. I have been my own boss for 30 plus years and have had a particular interest in Time Management and Task & Project Management for a long time, and still find 'Staying on task & Staying focused' something I have to consciously practice, especially here at WA where there are so many positive distractions.
Something else to throw into the mix, is 'Energy Management' which is allotting various tasks to time slots when your natural energy levels are best suited to that task. eg there may be certain times of the day when one may find they are more creative. It is certainly an interesting subject to research. Sorry, I've just given you another distraction. I am now following you by the way.
Hi Margaret,you have some very good ideas and I know exactly what you are speaking about,not have enough time to do what you should be doing on your site. You sound like you are getting organized and are on the right track. All the best to you. And your link opened just fine.
Barry
Margaret. It's very true....!! I have worked at home for years now and still struggle with getting distracted. Then, there is the work that takes over and stops me creating my website! All these emails and blogs to read - some of which are relevant but I'm not finding the time to put some of the information into practice!! Aaaargh!! I like your suggestions! Thanks for this post. A good reminder for me to build in some structure.
Excellent suggestions Margaret! I have been working from home for seven years now and I know how easy it is to get distracted from your work while at home. Having a distraction-free work zone, I feel, is very beneficial.
Excellent suggestions Margaret. It's especially meaningful since these are things that you have experienced. The only other "advice" I would offer, from my own experiences, is...if possible...create a dedicated space in the house/apartment, devoid of distractions, that says "this is my office...for work only." Continue what you're doing as is certainly appears as though you are on the right track!
Vince
Hello Margaret,
Move it, move it ... 123 Move it!
Some methodology works very well ... there seems to be a contrast between thinking and actually working on a solution. The reason I fear is that the environment is dynamic ... things do not always stay quite still ... interruptions in various forms occur on the spot.
However, the pressure is on us to race against time ... a measurement of efficiency ...what if , or should we fragment the chore .. perhaps just a little here and there and save the energy in physically demonstrating
the effort ... maybe, a longer time line may help!
By the way, I enjoy your post ... great way to go.
Cheers.
If anyone has a moment, can someone provide some feedback on my blog? Thanks. Organize Yourself - Especially for Newbies I've been having issues with links lately...let me know if you can open it.
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This is all such great info. I totally agree. -Alexx