Stop being an octopus

[laurencewins]

When I first started "internet marketing" I was quite excited about all the ebooks and software programs and ezines and courses and video clips and membership sites that I could join, own, grab, download for FREE.

After a while I discovered that the word FREE isn't all it's cracked up to be. I realised I had spent countless hours downloading, filing, reading and installing all of these freebies. I had so much stuff to read that I was getting confused. I was being bombarded with emails and offers for all these "amazing" OTOs that "only cost $X" if I bought them before the magical clock stopped.

I know other people have had this similar experience of being overwhelmed by information and not knowing where to go and how to stop.

I learned that there is no such thing as FREE. You pay with your time, your money or your email address and if you don't need something, why waste time grabbing it.

I believe that this is an easy trap for newbies to fall into and I hope that some of you will learn form my mistake and don't fall into the same trap.

Focus on what you are doing and only grab what you need, regardless of the "cost" associated with it.

[wtt2000]

So the moral is make a plan, and STICK TO IT! It's very easy to say, but that much harder to do. However most certainly some awesome advice ;)

[laurencewins]

not only make a plan. but stop grabbing everything you see and never use.
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But yes. focus on doing what you need to do and don't get distracted by downloading stuff you will never use.
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[chika138]

thanks for the great piece of advice
though I just started looking into "internet marketing" early last month I guess it's time for me to start focusing and acting accordingly once I settled down in the new country

[ReneeShupe]

I completely agree with this thought. It's so easy to get drawn into the excitement of making money online that you feel you need to absorb every single bit of information that you find.

Not true, be particular in your choices and stick with your plan. I always tell clients that choose a direction, try one new idea at a time and stick with it for a while. Some things take time to develop and you're not going to make the BIG bucks right away. Like any business it's takes dedication, focus and work.

The true success stories work for their success.

[Anton Welter]

This is very true.
There's even a term for it - "Information Overload"

There is so much information out there about making money online that it is very easy to get distracted by jumping from one thing to the next.

I am no exception.
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I actually started to get quite anxious after bombarding by mind with info from several sources.

What worked for me was to:

1. Take a day away from it.
2. Write down one goal I wanted to complete for the week.
3. For that goal, write down a task for the next day.
4. Write down another task for the day after ect.
5. When drifting away from my goal with other info and grand ideas...step back and only focus on that one goal for the week.
6. Complete the goal...and move on to another.

It's actually very simple, but the hardest part is to just trust the fact that focusing on only that one narrow goal for the week will get you there sooner.

Kind of counter intuitive, but it's been proven, and I'm just starting to see how effective it can be.


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Remember: TRUST that doing this will work...do not stray...it will only take longer to get where you want to be.

It's ok to let your mind wander with new ideas, this is a creative endeavor after all...but write it down in a notebook for later, it will not be lost...and you can get back to the weeks goal.

Kindest always,
Anton

[laurencewins]

Very true Anton. Trust and faith are big issues because it can be hard to see that doing one simple thing will help. Yet it is the real truth. Step by step is the way to get anywhere.

[WeedoGroup]

We must of been in the same class Laurence, lol Joke

Your not alone I ran head on into internet marketing joining this joining that
I used to think it was all easy and gave up very quickly with a program and moved on after about a week but just adding it to the rest of the load I had as back a few years ago the internet was more on memberships and MLM and PLR ebooks and stuff like it.

Ebooks nowadays there is to many cheap skates that devalue them straight out of the box so its hard work.

mark my words next time you go to buy a product look in google and dont be surprised you just saved at least 50% straight away. I do it all the time for video collections for my howtovideolearning site.

Take me back a few years and there would not be one thing i did back then that I would do now. so that says it all.

[igorG]

Focus, of course you have heard that before, but how do you do it?

This is what Lee Mcintyre recommended. Write down your plan and then create a process to achieve it, if its a bad process then at least you have something to improve.

With this in hand you now have a clear idea which steps have knowledge and resource gaps. When you get to that step fill the gap and complete the step, all the while monitoring what you are doing and improving your process.

Once you have been through the process a couple of times and proved that it works, if its appropriate, outsource it and build the next process built on the previous success.

This way you will know what you need and can safely ignore all those secrets to whatever, that are obviously no longer secrets

I am as guilty of shiny object syndrome as everyone else, only recenty rediscovered Butterfly marketing on my pc, I think I paid $400 for that!

[eblack88]

Wow! Glad to know I'm not the only one who has succumbed to the lure of all the promises.

The other thing I have a hard time with is knowing when to quit for the day - it seems like there is always one more thing I need to do and it never feels like I quite do enough!

I'm going to try to write down a goal for the day and when that is accomplished - give myself permission to do something else. I'm concerned about burnout.
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[laurencewins]

Burnout is a big factor.
Schedule downtime as well as work time.
Otherwise you will certainly burn out.

[Eveland]

While all of this is true, I think usually telling people this doesn't do much good. Most people have to go through the process, and get burned out and learn this on their own (myself included). It is sort of like a 'right of passage'.

[nashamiki]

All of this is very true. I'm sure most if not all of us are daily getting bombarded with "free" MRRs and PLRs offers from "gurus", some of whom we may not even remember that we have subscribed to. Such nice people giving away all those wonderful and proven to work money-making methods. They are all very tempting, with beautiful layouts and "grab you by the throat" marketing writeups.

Yet it is so difficult to say no and unsubscribe from the list, because at the back of your mind you are always thinking that someday soon one of these guys is going to finally let me have the real deal. So you keep making do with checking your inbox several times a day, only opening messages with catchy subjects, and pretty soon you have 20,000 unread messages!

Anyway, enough about what I used to be. After reading all of the above I have today made a resolution to unsubscribe myself from as many of the useless lists that I seem to be on, and stick to only the very few quality lists (including of course this site).

Cheers to everyone here.

[gowriter]

it's much easier said than done. I love this subject. I spend more time trying to learn about it than trying to make money which is counterproductive. I just find it fascinating.

[Tac5Man]

Thank you so much for this post. I have recently started Internet Marketing and I have been grabbing at everything I see. I would like to stick to one thing, I just don't know which one to stick to
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Any suggestions?

[laurencewins]

Well you need to decide what you want to do. There are so many options and distractions that will only waste your time. Have a read of some of the great threads in here and see if something really appeals to you and then take it from there. That would be my suggestion.
You can always get free information about whatever you decide but don't go cluttering your pc with a ton of stuff you will never use.

[lexxmarzain]

One thing I see a lot is people who come along with great dreams of online riches and jump head long into the 'make money online' niche, without ever considering what is in front of them.

This was probably my biggest mistake, and sure it got me far but I probably spent more than I ever made in the Niche.

People need to find their strengths and play to them.

[laurencewins]

I agree wholeheartedly. I started with different internet marketing schemes and now I work as a writer and also help build websites with a techie friend. I am not rich, nor will I ever be rich, but I make money regularly and I am in control which is great.

[Tac5Man]

I'm not sure what exactly I want to do. But I do have an idea. For practice I am currently working on a referring program. But don't think I can post the link til I have 25 posts
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[laurencewins]

Usually you can post links after 10 posts, unless the rules have changed