There’s no doubt that one of the things that excited you about operating your online business was the thought of making money while you sleep. Having free time to spend with your family while - at the same time - generating an income is something almost every person on earth wants. But as you’ve moved further and further into the Internet business realm, you’ve most likely discovered that this is hard work!
Are all those so-called marketing gurus lying? Do they really generate enough money to live on when only working 10 to 20 hours per week? And what’s more... can you?!
Some may be lying, but I’m living proof that you can have it all. What’s the secret? Automation!
Automate what? Everything you possibly can. Why automate? Because the less time you actually have to spend at your business the more time you can spend doing the things you love. Also, the more "hands-off" your business is the more profitable it becomes.
Most of the people who have made it big online have their own products that they deliver electronically. However, if you sell affiliate products, physical products, or even services, there are an unlimited number of ways to automate your daily routine.
Let’s take a few moments to review some ways you can find to automate as much as possible about your business so you can be free to enjoy your life.
ACTION STEP 1
Make a list of those routine chores you do every day. (Answer email, check search engine positioning, review pay-per-click ads, calculate payments, etc., etc.) Everything!
ACTION STEP 2
Next, place a checkmark beside each item on your list that is repetitive. These are items where your actions are exactly the same (or practically the same) each time you do the action.
These are the items in your routine that can most likely be automated.
ACTION STEP 3
Visit some of the free (or cheap) software and script sites to see which ones offer helpful products you can use to automate your day. You can find free software at http://www.download.com. For free java scripts, check out http://javascript.internet.com/. You can also search your favorite search engine for free CGI scripts, DHTML scripts, and more.
ACTION STEP 4
Read your user’s manuals. I know... what a horrible thought! Most of the software user’s manuals now are included on your hard drive. You can actually search the table of contents for topics of interest. You’ll find tons of ways to automate workflow in your user’s manuals.
For instance, did you know you could automatically create a table of contents (TOC) using Word? If you’ve finished writing an ebook or report and need to add a TOC, Word can scan your document - no matter how long it is - and layout the TOC for you. There are also tons of macros you can set up that will automate your workflow. And Word is not the only program that does these neat tricks. You’d be surprised at what you can learn by snooping around in your user’s manuals.
The more you’re able to take your hands off your business, the more time you’ll have to enjoy your life. You’ll find your schedule is freer and your profitability is stronger. It may take some time to initially set everything up so that it works the way you need it to, but just a few short-term sacrifices can make for some pretty powerful long-term gains.
Copyright 2005 Diane Hughes |
