Overcoming Overwhelm

As Internet marketers, it’s easy for us to become overwhelmed with distractions that slow productivity and can even cause mental and emotional paralysis. When paralysis kicks in, it’s extra tough to get going and accomplish much, if anything at all. Additionally, many of us, like myself, are ADD types with attention going from one thing to another in quick succession, which exponentially exacerbates the situation. We want to complete necessary tasks quickly, but often find ourselves unfocused with stacks of unfinished business. This can cause enormous anxiety and self-criticism, neither of which is the least bit heathy for you or me.

The best and most reliable way to complete undone tasks is to create an action plan for the day and then stick to it. Each morning right after your meditation session (you do meditate, right?) ask yourself what tasks must be done next and in what order to advance the current project. First things first. Gather your artwork before building the site. Do your research before writing a post. Prepare your lead magnet and have your autoresponder series ready before promoting the site. Line up your tasks in needed order and with assiduous determination knock them out one by one. You can’t choke down the whole enchilada in one gulp, so don’t try it.

Break each task down into bite-size morsels you can have fun doing and easily accomplish. This will lead to feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction. Much better for you! If you were a coder tasked with writing a fully featured customer tracking program, it could seem daunting, probably would. But how about a line of code to get a string of characters from the keyboard? You can read the manual, so this is easy! One little mini-task at a time leads to a completed project. It’s the same with building a profitable affiliate marketing website. Line up the tasks in the order you need to complete them. Break those down into mini tasks and pick them off one by one. When you take your breaks, you’ll feel good instead of exasperated.

We are constantly bombarded from all sides with what I like to call “shiny objects” – offers from other Internet marketers for everything from “secret sauce” and “autopilot magic” to “must have” plugins and “instant profits” systems. I can’t tell you how many thousands of dollars I have wasted over the course of 3+ years buying and only sometimes trying myriad IM products only to discard or ignore most of them. I’m sure many of you have similar stories. The only answer to this problem is to just say no and move back to the task at hand. Only buy plugins and other resources when you need them, and only if there is no acceptable free or open-source solution available.

To help you break out of the shiny object syndrome, read your email only at one or two designated times during the workday, and don’t open any offers until after hours, then you can trash them. Don’t buy anything unless you truly need it to move ahead. It’s best to have a separate email address where all offers go and another one for the email you must open and respond to. When tempted otherwise, just put your attention back on the mini task at hand and work on that until it’s done.

Here’s to our mutual marketing success! Be who you are! Believe in yourself and your dream! Act on it! Always rock your style! See you in the winners’ circle.