Home Based Businesses

Copyright (c) 2009 Kathleen Tremblay

One definition of “procrastination” is: “putting off or delaying an action to a later time.” Have you ever found yourself doing that? I think it’s safe to say that most of us learning to implement specific internet marketing strategies, using an affiliate marketing system, or working any number of home based business opportunities have felt like doing anything but work at one time or another.

Let’s say you have just joined the best home based internet business you could find. You already understand all the advantages of working from home, and truly do want to achieve entrepreneurial and home based business success.

You’re ready to go to work, but for some reason, you find yourself stalling. You are procrastinating. You want to “Seize the Day” with your home based business – but… you figure you can “Seize the day tomorrow.”

It could be that you are feeling a little overwhelmed by everything that needs doing when learning new internet marketing strategies or new technologies. That’s certainly understandable.

Unfortunately, every time you procrastinate in your home business you are increasing the odds that you will fall behind, waste time and money, or worst of all – quit. This is where overcoming procrastination in your home business – no matter what business or system you are using – will be essential to your success.

Plain and simple: If you are to achieve success, it is time to learn how to conquer the tendency to procrastinate.

Here is an idea that I hope will help you improve your odds of entrepreneurial and home based business success. This is not a difficult technique, and you may find that it’s fun!

The next time you feel stuck, or feel like “seizing the day tomorrow” grab a file folder and a few sheets of paper. This is your “Procrastination Dissolver” file.

On one of the blank sheets of paper, write down as many ideas as you can that are home business-related activities.

As you brainstorm about the activities for this exercise, you don’t necessarily need to list the most important, high priority activities related to your business. For example, a high priority item in your particular home or internet based business may be “call prospect A, B and C.” But, during a time where you may be procrastinating, that particular activity may be the very one you are avoiding.

So, the activities that come to mind that may be suitable for this list might look a little bit like this:

1) Visit and comment on blogs related to my home based business opportunity.
2) Consider new ideas for upcoming articles or blog entries.
3) Read and comment on an article related to a similar internet or affiliate marketing system.
4) Change a picture on my blog.
5) Investigate new places to advertise.
6) Search online for new internet marketing strategies to promote my home based business opportunity.
7) Review competitors’ pay-per-click campaigns.
Find and list new keywords for my next ad campaign.
9) Read or listen to a motivational book or audio.
10) Find and add new related affiliate marketing system blogs to “Favorites.”

Are you getting the idea?

Ok – at this point in the exercise, grab another blank piece of paper, and label it “Procrastination Conquered!”!” This sheet should have 4 columns. Label the four columns, from left to right, as follows: “Date,” “Time Spent,” “Description of Activity,” and “Noticable Results.”.”

Store these sheets, along with some blank paper for future work in your Procrastination Dissolver folder. The next time you feel stuck or are procrastinating, take out this file, and choose one of the activities you have listed.

Then, work on that activity.

Finally, when you have had enough of that activity, record what you did, when you did it, how much time you spent on it, and any results you may have noticed upon completion.

The result of any given activity may be as simple as, “Got a great idea for a new internet marketing strategy – Have written it down; saved to marketing folder.”

After you complete this exercise, you may find that you are now focused on work, and can move on to another, high priority business activity.

Overcoming procrastination may not always be easy, but it really is critical to your home business or internet marketing success.