Here’s how it works. Write down all the tasks that you need to get done today. Allocate 15 minutes for each task and put them in an order of priority. Set the timer and get to work. That’s it. Seems too easy right? It isn’t. Think about how often you are distracted in the day. How often you distract yourself.
You sit down to work and are suddenly thirsty so you go and get a drink of water. While you are up, you’ll just check the mail. You spend 10 minutes reading the flyers, noting that ground beef is on sale this week and sit back down to work again. Then, your phone buzzes. Someone you know has posted on Facebook. You just check to see who it is and what’s happening. 15 minutes later, after catching up with not just one but all of your friends’ status updates, you are ready to work. The phone rings. And so on and so on.
Not only have you not gotten your task done but you have now essentially wasted 30 – 45 minutes of your day where you will not make any money. Do this several times a day and your business will be in serious trouble. Running your own business is different from a job where timewasting impacts someone else’s bottom line. You don’t get paid for wandering or checking Facebook. So it is time to get focused. And get busy making money.
If you want to learn how to make more money in less time, you need to get specific. Don’t just say you will work on ‘marketing’. Be very specific about what you will complete. For example, ‘write a sales sheet for the new product and put it on website’. Or, ‘make 2 cold calls’. These are the tasks that bring the money in and must get done. Creating just four productive 15 minute intervals for marketing tasks every day will make a substantial impact on your income generation. It will also help you to move through tasks that you don’t fully enjoy. 15 minutes sounds much more manageable than that ‘whole day’ we keep promising for our administration or finance catch up.
Get your drink of water before you sit down. Put your phone in another room or on silent out of your sight. Make sure your desk is clear and tidy so that you’re not looking at all the other things you have ‘to do’. Give yourself the headspace to completely concentrate on the task at hand.
A timer helps you get focused. Setting it will reduce the number of times you look at the clock to see how you are doing in your 15 minute interval (another distraction!). The best thing to do is to invest in a small kitchen timer so that you don’t have to use your phone. However, if your phone is all you’ve got, set the timer and move it away from you.
After every 15 minute interval, get up and have a little walk around. Refresh your water. Check your emails to make sure you aren’t missing anything important. Do this for 5 or 10 minutes and then sit down again for the next task.
The 15 minute rule gets you focused and helps you get things done. In one day, up to 25 tasks could be completed with this approach. That’s 125 per week! With at least 20 of those being marketing tasks (and of course there can be more!), the money will come. And what does this mean for you? Less worry and more time to do the things you enjoy. More money. And more time. Also, make sure to check out our tips on making more money in your business.
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