In module one of Alex Jeffrey’s coaching program we focused on “forward to basics”. It was all about planning and organization for your online business. We learned the importance of planning ahead your days, weeks and months. Alex taught us to use the task management tools that he personally uses with his online business.

K.O.T.O.B.O.T

What on earth is K.O.T.O.B.O.T?

KEEP ON TOP OF BEING ON TOP

You shouldn’t just have a plan, but you need to keep on top of your plan. You need to K.O.T.O.B.O.T your online business. Alex originally learned to do this with his own personal finances. Then when he saw the results he realized he could apply this to his online business.  During the first year of incorporating K.O.T.O.B.O.T into his own online business he made $115,000. He created a plan, planned ahead and kept on top of his plan.

Alex says that “An idiot with a plan will always beat a genius without a plan”.

How do you keep on top of your plan? Please leave a comment on what works for you, what doesn’t work or what you plan to do to keep on top of your plan.

A large part of Alex Jeffrey’s first module is about planning. One of my first posts talked a lot about setting your goals and creating your plans. What you want to have done in 90 days, a year, a month, etc.

The next step to that is your daily plans and beyond your daily plans, what is holding you back and keeping you from getting your daily tasks done each day. What are your constraints? You can write lists all day, but if you never accomplish the important things it is worthless.

Everyone has different constraints that are keeping them from building a successful online business. You know what you want to get done, but do you actually do it? Are you making progress? Are you spending your time on the right things?

Alex recommends doing a daily did sheet for 2 weeks. Write down everything that you do during the time you have planned to work on your online business. Not what you want to do, what you actually did.

After two weeks you should be able to see what your biggest constraints are. For some it may be checking email constantly, reading about all the new internet marketing offers, checking your affiliate stats, getting on facebook, spending too much time on twitter or even just surfing the web.

Are you actually doing productive work that will make a difference in your online business?

Once you know what is holding you back you can start working to eliminate those constraints.

What are my constraints? Where do I start…

Day Job Stress

This isn’t actually something I “do” during the time I plan to work on my online business, but it effects the amount of time I put into it. My day time job has been so stressful that I am mentally exhausted when I get home. No matter how much I want to work on my online business in the evenings I have had a really hard time mustering up the brainpower to get anything truly productive done. Some days I leave work so stressed that all I want to do is crash.

As far as eliminating this constraint I’m not 100% sure. I know I need to try to leave work at work and some how rejuvenate myself. If anyone has some advice in this area I would love to hear it! Please leave a comment and let me know. Ultimately, building my online business to the point where I can leave the day job would be the best solution. Of course, most of us don’t have that option at first. It’s something you have to work towards. I need the energy now work on my business after my day job so that someday I can work at home full time.

Facebook, or to be more specific Farmville … and Farm Town

Ok, I know, I’m a nerd, but I like building my farm on Facebook and slightly embarrassed to admit it. I don’t know what it is, but I like planting, harvesting, building my money up and then spending it on fancy benches, haystacks and windmills. And it isn’t just one farm, I have two. Yes, two. You would think one would be enough. It’s a daily commitment too because if you don’t harvest your fields in time they wilt! I know that I waste way too much time on this. The farming madness has got to stop. If anything, I need to commit to not opening it up until I have completed all my online work.

Dixie

Yes, my dog Dixie. This is Dixie on the right. We have a few pets at home, but Dixie, well, she’s pretty high maintenance. I love her to death, but she can be a hand full.

When I get home from work all attention has to be on her. The second I sit down at the computer she starts growling, barking, woofing or any other sound she can think of to get my attention. She’ll bring me her toys for me to throw and then woof until I literally stop what I’m doing and only play with her. I have tried just throwing it while working, but she’s on to me. She doesn’t stop growling until I actually leave the computer. I feel bad because I know she just wants to play, but I can’t “play” all night long, like she seems to think! It’s hard to keep my focus when she’s constantly bringing me her toys.

What I plan to do about it? Well, I think when I get home I need to spend a good chunk of time playing and wear her out before I get on the computer.

I could list more, but I’ll stop there.

So what are your constraints? Make yourself a commitment to write a daily did sheet for two weeks, or one week even. You may not even realize what you spend most of your time on.

Find out what they are, eliminate them and start spending your time on the tasks that will make the most impact on your online business.

The first module in Alex Jeffrey’s coaching program focuses a great deal on planning. If you really want to start a successful online business you need to plan and set your goals. Get it all down on paper and hold yourself accountable.

Every successful person with an online business has well thought out plans and mind maps. They always know exactly what their next 5 tasks are.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”  – Benjamin Franklin

This quote is so true. If you don’t know where you are going and what you are working towards, how do you know where to begin?

My day time job is with a company that teaches time management so you would think that I would have known to plan from the day I started internet marketing. Would you believe I own three daily planners? I think part of my problem in the beginning is that I was so overwhelmed with the business that I had no idea how to create any kind of plan.

So where do you start? What should my plan look like?

This is how Alex Jeffrey’s recommends you plan your online business:

1. Plan your year.
2. Do four 90 day plans.
3. Take your first 90 days and break it into 3 monthly plans.
4. Then take your first month and break it into 4 weekly plans.
5. Then break week 1 into daily tasks.
6. Plan tomorrow.

You always want to plan tomorrow today. Know exactly what you need to do. Know what tasks will bring in the most money and are your most important tasks.

Always be sure you plan in time to plan.

Be sure you don’t rush through your plans. You do want to take time and really think about each plan, what you want to have done and where you want to be. By creating a year, 90 day, monthly, weekly and daily plan it gives you specific deadlines to work towards. Don’t worry about perfection. Planning will come with practice and you can always make adjustments down the road. Just get you plans on paper.

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”  – Plato

Well, I’m off to get my online business plan down on paper.

What do you have in your year plan … ?