10 Secrets of a Successful Online Business

It’s back to basics time again and here I will reveal to you the secret foundations s that every online business are built upon. Every successful internet marketer and indeed the “gurus” all follow this 10 step blueprint to the letter and they are laid out here for you, on DavidWalker.tv, for free! If you are just starting out but find you lack direction, then this is a great place to start. Follow these 10 easy steps and see your productivity skyrocket!

1. Create a Tidy Work Environment

I find there is nothing worse than my desk cluttered full on papers, receipts, bills etc. It’s much more calming when everything is filed away neatly and I do not feel surrounded by junk. You should also take the same approach with your PC. Remove any unused desktop icons, files etc, so you just have the bare minimum required – it’s a really calming experience! try it yourself! Create a specific “Business” folder on your PC and put everything you need to run your business on a daily basis in there. Organisation is going to be key to your success!

2. Write a Pledge

Being your own boss is great, but the fact you don’t have somebody breathing down your neck every day can also mean you lose focus. Writing a pledge is one way of keeping yourself accountable and reminds you of what it is you set out to do. Read it to yourself every day before you begin work to help keep your mind and business on track because let’s face it, the internet brings with it a whole host of distractions you don’t need.

3. Plan 90 Days in Advance

You may find this difficult to start with but it is essential you give yourself a series of deadlines to maintain your focus and avoid procrastination. If you set a deadline, you will be able to meet it. If you don’t set yourself any deadlines, tasks which may only take a few hours to complete could be stretched out over weeks, wasting huge amounts of time.

Once you have created a 90 day plan, split it into 3 x 1 monthly plans. Split your 1 monthly plans into 4 x weekly plans and then split these into daily plans. Always plan tomorrow’s tasks today so you don’t wake up, sit at your PC and wonder what on earth you are going to do.

4. Prioritise Your Tasks

When you have set your daily tasks, these should be prioritsed into A, B and C. Your A tasks are the most crucial and those which must be completed on a particular day. B tasks are fairly important and should also be met while C tasks are the least important and should be flexible enough to move to a different day allowing for any unforseen circumstances.

5. Invest in a Countdown Timer

Whether it’s a physical clock that can sit on your desk or a digital timer on your desktop, working against a countdown is vital to your business. If you have a task which should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete, set the countdown and work to the deadline. This will help to keep you focused and prevent you from daydreaming, wasting time surfing the internet or wandering off to get a drink.

6. Work in Block Sessions & Blow Your Competition Away

A mindblowing fact was revealed to me during a recent coaching session. If you work solidly for one hour on a crucial A task using your timer to keep you focused and do this four times per day, you will get more work done in one four hour day than most people will do in a week.

This means, you will get more done in just 12 days than most people will achieve in a an entire year. Just let that sink in for a moment and ask yourself is it any wonder than 99% of people trying to succeed online fail? It’s not because they are not cut out for online business, it’s because they are not getting enough important tasks done.

7. Switch Off Your Distractions

Is it any wonder you cannot get anything done with your inbox constantly open, Skype, MSN, AIM enabling anyone to distract you at a moments notice and a separate browser window logged into Facebook or Twitter all day? This is before you even consider your cell phone and the radio on in the background. It is said that every distraction, e.g. email which arrives, Skype message etc will cost you 11 minutes.

Even just a few distractions every hour will see you get absolutely nothing done and switching them off is a must if you want to get more done in less time. Limit yourself to checking your emails, or updating Facebook and Twitter to just a couple of times per day. The world is not going to stop turning if you don’t know what someone you went to High School 10 years ago had for breakfast until later in the day!

8. Drink Plenty of Water

It is important to keep yourself hydrated while working to maintain your concentration. It is thought that just 2% dehydration can make you up to 20% less effective. Would you be prepared to cut back on the tea and coffee in favour of plain old water if it added 20% extra per year to your bottom line?

9. Keep “Daily Did” Sheets

We have already looked at creating daily task sheets to keep you on track but you should include details of what you actually “did” throughout the day to really make yourself accountable. If you finish your most important tasks, then great, but could you have also finished the lesser tasks as well? Make a note of what you are doing every 15 minutes and review the sheet at the end of each day. You will soon see where your distractions are and you will be able to eliminate them.

10. Keep a Journal

A journal is a great way of keeping a record of your business. You can make a note of what you tried, what worked and what didn’t. You can include your daily task and “did” sheets and over time you should see yourself becoming more productive. Even if you don’t feel you are making progress, you can refer to your journal several weeks or months down the line and you will be surprised at just how far you have come. Also, by keeping notes on what you are doing, you have the basis for new ebooks or reports. Help other people through your own experiences!