Scheduled Downtime

Internet Marketers as a group tend to be hard working individuals, and while the general public still attributes much of the online success factor to a secret recipe, or magic button that these people push whenever they need to make a sale, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Establishing yourself as an expert in a world full of talented marketers can lend itself to some long hours, that can at times turn into days. I know I’ve personally worked more than one 36 hour stretch when inspiration took hold, and I was in “the zone”.

A large part of the tendency of small business owners, and internet marketers alike to overwork themselves, is due to the fact that they have by necessity either become, or are in the process of becoming experts, or at the very least knowledgeable in so many areas of their businesses. It is not uncommon for a small business owner to have skills that range across the board from advertising and marketing, all the way up to Search Engine Optimization, and Web Design.

It’s important to schedule regular downtime in order to not burn out before you get to the finish line or you might not be as excited about things when you finally arrive at your goal. Taking time once in a while to celebrate the successes you have already made, and to give yourself time to regroup, and assess the progress and “track” that your business has taken on is crucial to your ongoing successes.

One of the biggest factors in a business’s success is the consistent application of the strategies that you’ve implemented to get you from point a, to point b while ensuring that you are hitting all your targets and goals. It is no harder to schedule breaks, days off, and even holidays into that same mix.

I often will pre-write my blog posts if I’m going to be away for a day or two and have them scheduled to publish at a set time each day, you could even do this for a week or two if you were so inclined. Another option is to have a blog backup buddy. Someone who watches over your blog responding to comments left, and keeping things running smoothly, and in exchange you do the same for him or her when they are going to be away. It’s almost like two neighbours looking after each other’s houses, plants, and animals while they are away!

When I first left the corporate world in order to work from home I knew that things could go either way. I’d either have so many distractions around me that were much more interesting than work and I’d end up being so unproductive as to kill my business from within. The second (and the one that turned out to be more accurate) was that I’d blur the line between work and home life resulting in not knowing when to quit and go see a movie, or simply to spend time with family and friends.

Life is all about balance, and it’s important to find yours if you’re going to be happy, and successful at the same time.

Here’s to our success!