Why I’m the Most Productive Human On This Planet…

Okay, maybe the headline is a little bit of a stretch but the fact is I (along with any other successful entrepreneur) am damn productive!

Let me break it down. Since January I have…

  • Organized and co-hosted a massive 3-day Internet marketing seminar in the US.
  • Designed and tested a new coaching program.
  • Designed, developed and launched an entirely new seminar series in Malaysia & Singapore and by the end of the year I will have personally hosted 12 different events in countries on the other side of the freakin’ planet.
  • I’ve developed and launched an entirely new video training program with well over 100+ hours of video designed to take beginners from zero to building a business on the Internet which also includes custom websites, live webinars every week, etc.
  • I have rebuilt my entire back-end infrastructure using best-of-breed solutions.
  • I continue to develop numerous niche websites and affiliate websites in industries outside of IM!
  • I have launched my Internet Marketing Mastermind group and have hosted 2 live events so far.
  • I have been working with a remote team to develop a killer set of WordPress tools for small businesses which will be launching in early 2012.
  • I have large corporate clients that require my attention on a weekly basis.
  • I spend hours every week researching and testing ‘what’s new’ in the world of IM.
  • I still manage to exercise for at least 4-10 hours per week (I love cycling!)
  • I spend time with my kids, including mountain biking, swimming lessons and hikes.
  • I stick to an almost regular schedule of date nights with my wife. (Sorry about the missed ones sweety!)
  • And yes, I sleep 7-8 hours per night.

I am not telling you this to brag but the fact is: I get a heck of a lot done.

I do NOT have ANY full time employees and when I sold my last company with almost 100 employees I swore I would never be tied down with employees in an office again… but we will leave that topic for another post ????

Now I set my own hours and the only person who is accountable for getting results is me… and although this is one of the benefits of being your own boss it’s also one of the biggest success killers for new entrepreneurs.

The fact is, doing business on the net is full of distraction and it’s getting worse everyday…

A decade ago email was the main ‘productivity killer’… then came chat and then came the dreaded social networks.

But I’ve come up with a system to beat these productivity killers and I am going to share it with you here…

6 Steps To Maximum Productivity For Entrepreneurs

Step #1: Make sure you have a proper goal setting system.

It should include:

  • Top 5 Annual Goals
  • Top 5 Quarterly Goals
  • Top 5 Monthly Goals

The goals should be “SMART” meaning:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Realistic
  • Timely

Now if you make it this far in my process, and set the goals I have outlined above, you will probably increase your productivity slightly but to make it really work you need to also include the following…

Step #2: Sunday Evening Weekly Planning Session:

Every Sunday evening sit down and come up with a list of critical tasks and projects that must be completed in the coming week, if you are going to stay on target and hit your monthly goals.

IMPORTANT: If you wait to do this on Monday morning, then you will probably end up NOT doing it as the”Monday chaos” takes over.

Step #3: Create a “Daily To-Do List” before you do anything else!

Each morning before you check your email or Facebook, you need to make a “To Do List” for the day that contains the most important things you MUST get done, before you get to “Call it a day”. Just use a simple notebook, and then each day you can look at what you’ve accomplished the day before and carry forward anything that is still in progress.

FACT: I have tested literally every goal setting application and program, and nothing works as well as a good old fashioned notebook! (I actually learned this from Brian Tracey a few years ago when he and I were doing a live conference call… he was right).

Step #4: Allocate Time

Once the list is made, allocate 1-2 hours to answer emails, check Facebook, have meetings etc..

Step #5: Focus

After your meetings are done, shut out the world for at least 4-6 hours each day, and focus on getting the stuff that matters done.

No distractions allowed.

Phone off.

Email Off.

Facebook Off.

And when you work from home, the hardest part of carving out this 4-6 hour slot can be family interruptions. You need to make sure your family understands that this is work time, but when you’re done, they will have all of your attention.

STAY FOCUSED

Step #6: When the goals are hit give yourself a reward!

Personally, if I hit all my weekly goals, I may treat myself to an extra long bike ride or some ‘me’ time on the weekend. If I hit all my monthly goals, maybe I will reward myself with a new gadget.

The point is, celebrate the wins… even the small ones ????

The fact is most people…

  • Spend too much time working on stuff that doesn’t really matter.
  • Never get into the ‘productive zone’ because they are constantly distracted every few minutes.
  • Never give themselves the direction and focus needed to really create success.

Then when they don’t make progress, they typically blame it on the ‘idea’ or the ‘market’ or some external force when in reality, they never gave it a fair crack.

There it is. I don’t have any secrets… or large teams of employees ????

That’s simply how I do it.

Time is a finite resource… use it wisely and you will be shocked at how quickly ‘success’ shows up to your party.

Got any productivity tips you want to share?

Post them in the comments section below… I would love to hear them.

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  1. Wondered what became of you! – I agree r with the “no employees” thing. I got rid of all my “real businesses” because of employees – leases and the rest!. Anyway..very interested to see what you come up with (and hear about planned visits to the UK!!!)

  2. How I envy u Derek (in a good way). Your ‘warning’ video that u posted at IBA platform was a good smack in the face for me & serves as a good reminder to all budding (wannabe) entrepreneurs out there. Thanks for this article too.. Good thing that u dun come in costumes and with a mask on 🙂 p/s: sorry for having missed the webinar yesterday for I was dead tired & fell asleep (not intentionally). Have download the recording nonetheless..

  3. Derek thanks for good tips. Can you advise me on something?

    You see, i live in rental apartment and my door in room does not have a lock, so i am distracted by relatives coming in sometimes. This door is also does not get closed well so it remains opened a little.

    I wanted to buy and install a lock with key but my mom says that i am wasting my money since the apartment is not ours.

    What do you think?

    1. I would do whatever you need to do to give yourself a distraction free workspace! If that means installing a lock I would definitely do it… or another option would be to tape a sign on the door that says “Do Not Disturb Unless The Building Is On Fire!” – When I worked in an office and had lots of employees I did that as well to get some ‘focus time’.

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