I just looked up and its almost midnight. It's been one of those off and on days, but here I sit with a second wind and ignoring the clock. For the next few months the schedule is out the window anyway - the children are out of school for the summer and we're kissing the 5:30am alarms goodbye for awhile. A welcome break I must say. I love flexibility and warm weather.
You might have noticed fewer entries here at ClickNewz this week. I've been very busy behind the scenes analyzing stats, working on website updates and going over my master task list. The summer months can be a little slow for some online niches and I find that to be a great time to work on websites, content and products.
To keep you in the loop, here's a little behind-the-scenes glimpse at what's happening on my side of the monitor...
I am still reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. I'm slow finishing this one. I had a hard time getting into it, but I'm enjoying it more now that I'm halfway through it and then some. To be honest I've been reading it a page or two at a time - the last couple of weeks have been busy. I've picked up a few gems and some great resources though, and I'll post a full review on that soon.
I just reloaded the O/S on my laptop, got the new battery fully charged and realized my wireless card had gone bad (I assume - after much troubleshooting and off-shore tech support)... so ordered a new one.
Decided I should probably upgrade the whole system to Wireless G while I'm at it, but just replaced the B card for now. The only major difference is range anyway and, well, I dont stray far. I'm usually at the coffee shop, the home office... or out of range for a reason.
Let's see... I grabbed a new Google Tee. Kinda geeky, but thats right up my alley. Matches my flannel pajama pants, the perfect work-at-home attire.
And when I havent been shopping online, working on the laptop, reading Ferriss' latest project or analyzing stats... I've been reading Steve Palina's two articles: Confessions of an A-List Blogger and How To Make Money From Your Blog. Sort of a mini-book there. It's around 30 pages when printed - and pretty good reading...
What about you? Are you making transitions with the season change, putting things on auto-pilot for the summer months, or staying on course with your usual routine?
About Lynn Terry
Thanks Lynn,
Have heard a lot about the 4 hour work week. Unfortunately, its not yet available in my local bookstore.
But I did start systemizing my business about 3-4 months back. Writing instructions so that some one else can take over the task is a pain. But its well worth it.
No one tells you this - but the first month of putting things in autopilot is the hardest. You'll end up working longer hours than you've ever before.
I agree with that. When I decided to switch from an 'active business model' to a 'passive business model' it took me around 6 months to make the change and most of that first year to really get things rolling. But it was WELL worth it.
Now when I set up new projects or campaigns, the time is all upfront, but downhill after that. I definitely prefer that over having to be available to my work on a daily basis...
Lynn I read The 4 Hour Workweek after seeing you mention it a couple of weeks ago. It was a bit hard to read, I found his style somewhat hard to follow, but yes the messages about outsourcing were very valuable.
Up until this time I was mostly out TASKING. I decided to completely hand over some aspects of my business to a VA permanently. It's been a nice load off.
I think the book will explode some people's minds as to marketing on the internet and how real it is. Many in the offline world still don't believe that we make money doing what we do.
: )
I share your opinion on the book being a bit of a chew, but at least containing some good resources and thought provoking sections.
Personally, I think the "work smart instead of work hard" mentality will catch on both online and off, and make its way into the corporate business world in as much as the small and home-based businesses.
Heres hoping that "work smart" finally reverses the increasing working time without effecting production. Bought a copy of "The 4 Hour Workweek" and second the comments about it.
Good point - it would certainly be nice to see an increase in efficiency and productivity in the process - I agree.
I dont like the fact that he advocates the idea of manipulating the system or lowering productivity 'on site' by the way. Hmm - I'll go ahead and publish my review this week and drop a link back here. I look forward to the continued discussion on it!