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Give it a try—start today.

You can work less and earn more.

You can feel powerful in your work.

We all get the same 24 hours in a day, and now you’ll be maximizing yours.

Dealing With Fatigue and Other Issues

You’re sick and tired… and you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired. It’s hard to wake up everyday and get to work when you aren’t feeling your best. In fact, it seems impossible most days.

It’s not that you’re lazy and you do want to work- you absolutely do. You have big dreams and goals and you will stop at nothing to achieve those goals. You know that means working hard.

Eventually, when you’re feeling better, that is. For now, you’re trying to run through quicksand. Your brain is foggy and your eyes are drooping. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is; you’re exhausted. You’re barely surviving.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. There are steps you can take to feel good and invigorated again. It’s important to pay attention to your health and wellness, for example. It’s also a matter of getting excited about what you’re doing and feeling alive again.

What’s Your Health Like?

Let’s talk about what is perhaps the most obvious issue here. Are you getting enough sleep? Don’t roll your eyes and dismiss this question as being silly or insignificant. Sometimes, the simplest answer is the best and most important one.

When do you go to sleep at night? Do you get a full seven to eight hours of sleep? If you don’t, make that a priority. You’ll feel better and you’ll be a lot more productive.

Sometimes, there are chronic health issues that really make it difficult to be productive. Whether it’s something like chronic pain, depression, or another illness.

There are certainly no easy answers to things like this. You can’t just snap your fingers and feel better. But you can visit your doctor and see what can be done. You can make sure you’re getting enough sleep at night. You can take care of yourself.

Sometimes, when you’re working really hard, taking care of yourself falls by the wayside. You think you should be working, working, working non-stop. How else are you going to succeed? At least, that’s your train of thought. The fact is that you’ll do better and be so much more productive if you do take the time to rest up.

Take breaks, even short naps especially if you’re working from home. Go for a walk. Eat right. Exercise. It’s advice we hear all the time for a variety of problems but we don’t always pay attention to it. But if you want to be more productive in your business and earn more and truly succeed in business, it’s exactly this advice that we need to pay attention to.

Getting More Done By Working Less

Let’s continue on with that thought. Part of the reason you’re so fatigued is likely because you’re working so much. If you’re in the early stages of your business, then you might be studying, reading, and experimenting. If you’ve been in business for a while and haven’t yet found the success you want to find, then you might be spending most of your time, day and night, simply trying to stay afloat.

That’s exhausting. It’s exhausting to always be “on” when it comes to your work. You (and everyone else) need a break. You need some time for some rest and relaxation. That’s one of the main reasons my wife and I purchased our beach condo. You need to get away from the office, clear your head, reconnect with nature, take part in your hobbies, and things of that nature.

You’re not superhuman. As much as you wish you were or as much as you think you must try to be, it’s impossible. We aren’t designed to work day to night, stuck in front of the computer. We need time away from work.

You’ll feel refreshed and revived if you give yourself that time off. You’ll be so much more productive when you do return to your work. Things that used to take you hours upon hours now might take just a short time.

Your body and mind are telling you something if you feel fatigued all the time. Fatigue is death to productivity. So now you have to work with your mind and body to figure out what you need to do to feel revived, refreshed, and powerful when it comes to working each day.

Be Clear about What You’re Doing

Another reason many people feel fatigued and drained while they work is because there’s too much thinking going on. You’re thinking, stewing over decisions, and trying this, that, and the other thing.

It might sound strange that I’m telling you that “thinking” is making you too tired. On the other hand, I absolutely mean it. Thinking and overthinking drains you of productivity. You can’t be high energy and highly productive if you’re always worrying and wondering whether you’re making the right moves.

That’s why it’s so important to be well planned. Plan ahead for everything you do. Know what you’re supposed to be working on in your business, what your goals are, how you’re going to achieve those goals, and what you should wake up and do each day.

Don’t float from one project to the next, never finishing anything at all. Be clear about your path and your purpose. Finish what you start.

You’ll find that your newfound productivity is catching. The more you get done, the easier it will be for you to get even more stuff done. Instead of thinking of yourself as a tired, low-productivity person, you’ll start thinking of yourself as a highly efficient and productive person. The proof will be in the pudding.

It could also be the case that what you’re working on currently isn’t in alignment with your Reason Why and/or your goals. Your subconscious might be pushing back against what you’re doing, without you realizing it.

Sure, there are things you have to do that aren’t the most enjoyable in the world, but if you realize it, and acknowledge that it’s only temporary, you might feel much better mentally during those periods and start being more productive again in order to get them out of the way.

Take Some Time to Fix This Problem

I obviously can’t diagnose your specific problem through this article. What I can do is recommend that you brainstorm and really meditate over your potential problems today.Why are you so tired? Why does the thought of working on your business drain you of energy?

It might be that you honestly need more rest and relaxation. It might be that you have some health problems to attend to and work with. For example, maybe it’s your eyesight. The nonstop sessions staring at your computer monitor aren’t healthy to your eyes and could cause eyestrain, which you don’t notice because you’re used to it, but will make you chronically overtired.

Know your limitations… but also know when you should push yourself.

Most people will need to more clearly define their thoughts and goals. Figure out what you’re working toward and do your thinking and planning ahead of time. It’s easier to feel energetic when you aren’t guessing and struggling each day.

You’ll be able to manage your time better when you have real, specific goals you’re working toward. You’ll be able to manage your time better when you aren’t so darn tired.

Fix this problem and you’ll be so much more productive and successful.

A word of caution– you’ll find yourself in slumps like this again—so rinse and repeat for as long as you need to, to bring your energy and productivity levels up again.

The post Getting More Done In 24 Hours As A Highly Productive Person appeared first on Time Toasters.

Productivity is a huge stumbling block for many people. It seems so simple on paper—work hard every day, get a lot done, and succeed in business.

More often than not, it just doesn’t happen that way. You wake up, start working with great intentions (“I’m REALLY going to get a lot done today!”), get distracted, get discouraged, and ‘punch out’ at the end of the day with very little to show for it.

Rinse and repeat the next day.

It’s not only discouraging; it’s costing you a huge amount of money. Every day that you work at less than optimal levels is a day you’re tossing money out the window.

Don’t feel bad, it’s really hard to work optimally, though. And you’re certainly not alone. Productivity is a huge struggle. It’s especially true in today’s times.

It’s hard to really turn the work off because there’s always one more email you can check, there’s always the thought that you should probably crack your laptop open and do just a little more work. There’s always that notification that a colleague or partner has sent you a text message or a post on Facebook.

The fact that you can never really get away from it all also means you’re probably constantly feeling guilty. That creates a never-ending cycle—you feel like you should be working all the time, so the time you do spend working never feels like it’s enough. That’s depressing and it gets you down. Or you feel like you’ll be able to do it later anyway, so what’s the point?

We haven’t even touched yet on the fact that your to-do list is a mile long. There are so many different things you’re supposed to do for your business but don’t have time to do. There are those projects that seem to drag on forever and prevent you from really getting anything else done.

There are the distractions from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. There’s always something else to pay attention to and that bleeds into your work time. Emails are waiting to be answered and they never stop coming.

Basically, you feel like every workday is a challenge in staying afloat with survival mode activated. Can you make it through? Can you do just enough to make it work?

It’s hard not to be jealous of those people who seem to have it all together. There are some business owners who wake up with a clear idea of what they’re doing every day and they easily get it done.

While you’re stuck working on project #1, they’re finished (and already profiting from) project #10.

What’s the deal? We all get the same 24 hours in a day, so why are some people able to get so much more done than the average person? That’s something we’re going to work on today.

The fact is, no matter how much you feel like your productivity is suffering right now, there are things you can do to fix things. You can get as much done in 24 hours as those super-productive people you admire.

The first thing you should know is that those super-productive people aren’t better, smarter, or more talented than you. They have a productive mindset, a clear idea of their Reason Why, goals, and the steps it will take to achieve their goals. Clarity is a key word here—they know what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and why they’re doing it.

They don’t allow the distractions to take over their life. They probably don’t work all the time, either—they just maximize the time they do spend working.

That’s something you want and that’s something you can achieve, starting today.

What’s Your Current Work Style?

First, take stock of where you are with this right now. What’s your current work style? Are you fairly productive and you’re just looking to improve? Or, does it seem like it’s been forever since you’ve actually completed a project?

Do you tend to get distracted while you work? Are your distractions mostly internal (racing thoughts) or external (dings and notifications from your cell phone and social media)?

Do you have a clear idea of what you’re supposed to be doing and working on every day?

Are you organized and well planned? Do you know why you’re doing the work in the first place?

These are all important questions to answer for yourself. Figure out where your biggest stumbling blocks are in a really honest way and you’ll know what you should focus on to become much more productive.

Developing A Productive Mindset

One thing that sets very productive people apart is that they have a mindset of productivity. It’s their armor against the distractions of the world. They know exactly what they’re doing. They have a solid set of plans and goals and it’s inevitable to them that they’ll achieve those goals.

Do you feel like you’re in control of your own productivity right now? If you don’t, then it’s time to reclaim your power. You’re in control. There’s nothing standing in your way.

The great thing is that you’ll naturally start to develop a better, more productive mindset as you start to apply the things we’re talking about today. That’s because the more productive you are, the more productive you’ll become.

Success is catching—start getting more done and it becomes easier to get even more done.

Mindset is a huge part of this process. Work hard to develop a mindset of success and a mindset of achievement.

Finding Your Reason Why

Here’s a question you really need to answer right up front…

Why are you in business in the first place? I don’t mean the superficial answers people often give like, “I want to earn more money,” or “I want freedom from my job.”

Those answers are fine; I’m not saying that. But I am saying that there’s something deeper that drives you.

There’s something about your life that you want to change or improve. It might be achieving some sort of better, specific future for your family, your children, etc.

It might be a cause you’re passionate about—the reason you feel you’re on this earth in the first place.

There’s no right answer to what your Reason Why is, by the way. It just might take some digging before you come to the answer that’s already in your heart and then you’ll say, “BINGO!”

It’s a lot easier to be more productive when you have a solid Reason Why guiding you. It gives you direction, meaning, and power—all of which can help you become more productive.

Setting Your Goals

Along those same lines, it’s very important to set your goals. What do you want in the short term? What do you want in the long term?

You might have goals for your life and for your business. The things you do each day are moving you toward the goals, and the achievement of those goals will move you positively in the direction of your Reason Why.

The trouble is that many people are unclear on their goals. They want ‘more money’ or something unspecific like that.

It’s time to get specific. How much more money do you want to earn in your business and by when? And again… why?

Give yourself real numbers and real deadlines to achieve.

Write these goals down—that’s another secret of what more productive people do every day.

Breaking It Down

It’s also helpful to break your tasks down. What do you complete in a day? What should you be completing in a day?

Of the things you work on the most, what brings in the most money? What’s worth your time and what’s not worth your time?

Break down your most important and common tasks and try to streamline them. Are there tools that can help you work more quickly? Can you create systems to work more quickly? If so, get them and create them.

The 80/20 Principle

This is one of my favorite secrets of productivity. The 80/20 principle is life changing in the right hands. It can be applied universally. Let’s look at how it affects your business.

As you break things down in your business, you’ll likely find that just 20% of your efforts are leading to 80% of your results.

Put another way, 20% of the things you work on each day in your business are the most profitable and important things, so you should be focusing on those first and foremost.

The other 80% of your tasks and efforts are either much less important and much less profitable or totally unprofitable and completely unimportant.

We’ve talked already about the fact that there’s so much on your plate. It’s no wonder you feel so drained and can’t get anywhere near as much done as you need and want to.

Well, one of the secrets of highly productive people is that they aren’t necessarily working harder and doing more. It’s that they are extremely choosy as to what they work on.

They put their focus on their most important, highest producing tasks.

Start to apply the 80/20 principle for your business. What’s worth working on and what isn’t?

Put your efforts on your more important tasks and you should start to see some results. There will be less on your plate and you’ll be getting more important and profitable things done.

Now, I’m not saying that the less important 80% of the things on your to-do list don’t need to get done, but… I’m saying they shouldn’t be the first things you do every day, and I’m saying that maybe you can delegate them to someone else whose time is perhaps less valuable than yours.

Organizing and Prioritizing

As you start to sift through your most common tasks, start to organize yourself.

What should you work on and when?

Write a business plan for yourself.

Revisit those short and long term goals and focus on an organized plan you’ll follow through with to achieve those goals.

Prioritize activities that earn you money and produce for your business.

Planning Every Day

Highly productive people don’t wake up and start working in a fog of confusion. They know what they’re going to work on every day. Not only that, but they know why and how they’re going to work on those tasks.

Plan your days out ahead of time. It’s so important to make every day count.

Have a to-do list that makes sense and that you can complete in a day.

No matter what, complete your most important and profitable tasks every day, and do them at a time when you have the most energy and enthusiasm.

Your list might have just a few things on it, but you’ll be making incremental progress that adds up to huge things over time.

Focus, simplify, and plan ahead.

Eliminating Distractions

Make sure you eliminate all the distractions you can. The human attention span can only handle so much—especially these days.

Turn your phone off when you’re working on big projects. People can wait, I promise.

Turn social media and email notifications off also. Those things can wait, too.

Get your most important task done first thing in the morning. That way, you’ll have made progress no matter what else happens that day, and at the end of the day, when you ask yourself about what you’ve accomplished, you’ll have an answer that makes you happy and proud.

If you work from home, make sure you have set work hours and that everyone in the household knows not to disturb you during those hours.

Make your work environment conducive to real productivity.

Following Through

Follow through with important projects. Don’t start and stop new projects along the way.

One difference between highly productive, successful people and those who aren’t is that productive people follow through. They complete projects.

It sounds so simple, but it’s so common (especially in online marketing) for people to start and stop projects without finishing a thing. It’s time to stop that sort of activity.

Finish your most profitable activities and projects. Only then should you move on to the next thing.

The post All Get The Same 24 Hours In A Day appeared first on Time Toasters.

What if I told you that you could become twice as productive if only you knew how to tap into something that’s already inside of you? That’s pretty exciting, right? Well, your life’s about to change in a major way—it’s time for you to learn more about the Flow Zone.

We’re going to get into exactly what Flow is and how you can tap into it to do everything in business better. You’ll start to feel more in control of your business, happier with your work, more productive, and less stressed. There are so many incredible benefits that come along with tapping into a state of flow.

First, let’s talk about what this flow state is. I’d like to draw your attention to the fact that you’ve most likely been in a state of flow before. Think back to a time when you were completely immersed in your work.

Everything was running smoothly and you were “in the zone.” Youweren’t distracted, you weren’t thinking about other things, and you felt ultimately happy and productive. You were fully in control. Do you remember it? You probably got a lot more done in that time than you’d gotten done the entire week prior.

Why can’t that happen more often, even most of the time? It can– I’m going to cover exactly how to enter “the zone” whenever you need to so you can be more productive. As you know, the more productive you are, the more profitable you can be. You’ll be able to work smarter, you’ll have higher-quality output, and you’ll be able to earn a lot more money overall.

An Exercise To Start With

Now, I want you to try a little exercise in getting into a state of flow. This exercise should allow you to instantly become more productive. Write down everything you have to do today, both big and small. These are all the tasks you would get done if you were a superhero.

Now, circle the three tasks you deem to be most important to your business. For now, ignore the other tasks. Then, choose the top most important task – again, whether it’s a large task or a small task. Break that task down into its smaller parts if needed.

Figure out exactly what do you need to do to complete this task, and by when? Which tools do you need? How can you make it easier? How can you make it more fun? Consider what your ideal mindset should be as you complete this task.

Close your eyes and visualize yourself moving through this task and following it through to completion. See yourself smiling as you work, happily completing the task faster and more efficiently than you ever have before.

Then, take steps to complete that task without doing anything else. Already, you should feel relaxed and ready to go since you’ve completely broken the task down into its smaller parts. It’s not a monster anymore; it even seems fun. You’ve also fed your mind with the exact visuals it needs to help you produce that ideal environment.

This is just one exercise you can do to encourage your mind to go into a state of flow as you work.

More on How to Get Into a State of Flow

There are certain things you can do to your external environment to facilitate entering into a state of flow. For example, you can set your to-do list ahead of time, break your tasks down into smaller chunks, clearly define your goals, and eliminate distractions.

There are also things you can do to your internal environment to facilitate entering into a state of flow. For example, you can make sure you’re doing work you’re intrinsically motivated to do. You can take steps to eliminate stress and to focus on what’s important in life and business.

You can get into the state of flow by:

• Having clearly defined goals
• Doing work you like to do
• Working on something that’s meaningful
• Challenging yourself… but not so much that you have to stop and think about the next step all the time
• Doing something in line with your natural talents
• Releasing stress before working
• Giving yourself breaks to work fresh
• Eliminating internal distractions
• Eliminating external distractions
• Working when you work best
• Understanding that practice makes perfect
• Enjoying incremental progress and getting immediate feedback
• Developing and using the right skills
• Enjoying what you do
• Doing all of your thinking before you get started working
• Setting a time limit for yourself
• Setting deadlines for yourself
• Moving forward even if it’s hard to get motivated at first
• Allowing yourself to be intense and dedicated to your work
• Allowing yourself to be devoted to your work
• Working until you’re done with a “chunk” of a task
• Being present in the moment
  

What Pulls You Out Of A State Of Flow?

Now that we’ve talked about the conditions that make it easier for you to enter into a state of flow, let’s talk about what pulls you out of that flow or what stops you from entering into it in the first place. We all have bad work habits, but we can take steps to eliminate these habits or conditions.

What I’m going to describe next is what holds you back in business. This is what makes it take longer for you to complete certain projects. This is what makes you feel negative about what you’re doing in business. This is what causes you to feel doubt and uncertainty with every step.

Here are some things to watch for:

• Apathy
• Boredom
• Anxiety
• Distractions
• Poor planning
• Your natural state (some are naturally able to focus more than others)
• Overwhelm
• Level of challenge
• Someone or something
• Self-doubt
• Self-editing

5 Steps To Enter Into A State Of Flow Every Time

Step 1:

The first step is to really plan ahead. Look at your goals for the next six months. Then, break your goals down by month. Then, break those goals down by week. Finally, break this week’s goals down by day. What do you plan to accomplish today? Choose those tasks and get the rest of them out of your mind – all that matters is what’s in the present.

Then, break down each of today’s tasks into their very smallest parts. You can do this in a checklist fashion so every single aspect is planned out. Make sure you get the tools and resources you need to succeed right away before you get started.

Step 2:

The next step is to make sure you’re working at an optimal time. You can do your planning at any time but you can’t do optimal work and enter a flow state at any time. Make sure you eliminate distractions, work when you’re in top form and eliminate every stressor you can.

Step 3:

Next, revisit your very clear goals and objectives. You have your to-do list and your plans right in front of you. But, why are you doing this? Why do you have these tasks set up for today? What are your bigger goals and plans? Why are you intrinsically motivated to follow through with today’s to-do list? Why are you externally motivated to follow through with these tasks for today? Answer these questions for yourself and you’ll be setting yourself up for success and more ready to enter into a flow state when it’s time to start working.

Step 4:

Now, you’re ready to complete the visualization exercise I’ve described above. Close your eyes and see yourself working through those tasks. See how it plays out in the grand scheme of things and how confident you feel when you’ve checked off today’s to do list.

Step 5:

The next step is to keep working without stopping. Everything is set up perfectly for you right now. There’s nothing to worry about and you can work efficiently and expertly.

You can get much more done and you’re ready to enter into a flow state. You can’t force it, but it’s going to happen if you keep working and moving through your tasks without editing yourself, while letting your creativity shine through, and without over thinking it all.

If you’re finding it difficult to follow these five steps to facilitate the flow state, I highly suggest you just keep practicing. The more you practice, the more easily you’ll be able to identify where you’re going wrong. Remember that this isn’t something you can force. This is something you can let happen.

Make “Flow” Part Of Your Life

You have to take action and live action. You have to believe in your ability to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve. You need to practice entering into a state of flow to get more done in less time. You can truly cut your workload in half, feel happier in business, and earn more money at the same time. There’s nothing to stop you and nothing to get in your way.

The post Getting Into the Flow Zone appeared first on Time Toasters.

Have you ever wanted to get rid of everything that’s dragging you down in life and business and only focus on the good stuff? It turns out that’s actually something you should be doing. You should be getting rid of what doesn’t work and grabbing hold of what does work in your business.

You can actually work less and earn more money if you cut the fluff. This isn’t a dream world fantasy; it’s just smart business. There’s no reason at all to keep doing something that isn’t working.

Do you have customers that are draining your time? Focus on the ones that don’t. Do you have tasks in your business that don’t earn much for you but are such a drain on your physical and mental energy? It might be that you don’t need to do those tasks at all. It all comes down to the 80/20 principle.

The 80/20 principle is also known as the Pareto principle. It states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. That means that 80% of the things you’re doing right now are essentially worthless, or at least worth less than you might realize. That’s a depressing statement, but not if you look at it in another way. It means you can drop those time-wasters and focus on the 20% of the producers instead.

By doing this, you’ll do one of two things, or both… you’ll work less and have more time to rest, relax, recharge or enjoy other parts of your life, or you’ll have move time available to scale up your business far beyond what you are able to do now.

This works for everything in business, actually. 20% of your customers are more valuable than gold to you. If you focus more on those customers, and acquire more of that type, your sales will go up dramatically.

If you spend your whole day on 10 tasks, it’s very likely that just 2 of those tasks are the most valuable. Can you eliminate the rest? Not always, but you can get much closer to perfection and higher profits by investigating what’s really working for you as well as what’s not working.

Sometimes, we just do certain things in business because we feel like we have to or should. We don’t stop to ask ourselves if the effort is worth the results. There are times when we’re so sure a certain activity or promotion is really going to produce… but then it falls flat. There are other times when we’re so unsure something’s going to work… but then it takes off like crazy and really surprises us.

I want you to learn how to be more observant to what is and is not working in your business. I don’t want you to feel stuck doing things that aren’t worth it. I want you to be able to tweak what you do in your business so you can work less and earn more. I want you to be able to focus on the top 20% of your activities and efforts that are truly leading to your results.

So, what is the 80/20 principle? It’s something that’s going to change your life, enhance your business, and lead to the fulfillment you’ve been so desperately searching for. We do so much in life and business every day. It’s time to make what you do on a daily basis more efficient and effective so you can get more out of life.

I’m sure you can see the 80/20 principle in action in your own business.

Do 20% of your customers lead to 80% of your headaches? That’s probably the case.

Do 80% of your profits come from a certain type of activity in your business?

Do 20% of the things that go on in your life cause 80% of your stressors? I’d bet on it.

How to Use the 80/20 Principle to Earn More and Work Less

As an entrepreneur, you do a lot in your business so it’s helpful to take stock sometimes. Examine your business and figure out which 20% of your tasks are leading to 80% of your results. Figure out what’s sucking away your energy and what is a reenergizing you. This will help you earn more and work less.

Let’s look at how the 80/20 principle applies to different areas of your business.

The 80/20 Principle for Traffic

As with everything else, 80% of your web and customer traffic results probably come from 20% of your efforts. Customer traffic is so important in any business. If no one knows what you’re selling or what you’re doing, you’re not going to be successful. It doesn’t matter how great what you have to offer is, no one is going to know about it or buy from you.

You’re no doubt doing a lot of things right now to get traffic. If you aren’t, that might be something you need to take a look at as well. If you are in online business, then you might be doing things like buying ads, writing articles, communicating on social media and forums, and so on. But which of these things is really working best for you?

Take a look at what you’re doing right now to get traffic. Make a list, look at the numbers, think about your preferences, and think about the audience you’re trying to attract. What are your lowest value activities when it comes to driving traffic? Cut the bottom ones – maybe it’s just not working for you. For instance, there are certain link building activities that maybe used to work but don’t work at all anymore. Don’t do it just to do it – make sure it’s actually working for you. If you cut the lowest value activities, you’ll have more time and money to spend on the higher value ones that do work.

The 80/20 Principle for Customers

You have customers and that’s a fantastic thing. Your customers are what pay the bills and keep the lights on. But, are all of your customers equal? This is a tricky thing to talk about because of course you want to treat all of your customers well. But you can’t get around the fact that 20% of your customers lead to 80% of your results.

Some of your customers are more valuable than others. When I say more valuable, I don’t mean more valuable as people. What I mean is that their valuable, I mean that their lifetime monetary value as a customer is more than the lowest value customers.

There is also another way to look at this. 20% of your customers lead to 80% of your problems. It’s a simple fact that some of your customers will be more difficult than others. They might have a low monetary value to you but take up much more of your time. What should you do? It’s time to look at how the 80/20 principle can help you earn more, cut the time wasters, and focus more on the higher value customers.

Examine the numbers and figure out which customers have the highest monetary value for you. Figure out which customers have the lowest monetary value for you. This is a little bit different, in that you don’t want to “get rid” of any of your customers unless they’re sucking away your time with no benefit.

After a time, track how you’re doing with your goals. You want to attract more customers and have a higher lifetime value per customer. Constantly tweak and adjust your strategy and move your goals up as you achieve them. You’ll be much more satisfied with the relationships you have with your customers because you’ll have more energy and you’ll be earning more of a profit per customer.

The 80/20 Principle for JV’s

Now, let’s talk about joint ventures and partnerships. In business, you often want to work with others. You can leverage each other to achieve more success. But, some partnerships and joint ventures are more valuable than others. That’s why you need to apply the 80/20 principle when deciding to enter into a new joint venture or partnership, or are considering whether to take more on, or to end one.

You can apply the 80/20 principle to specific joint ventures you have. You can use this to get more out of the agreement. You can also apply the 80/20 principle to ensure you’re taking on the right kind of opportunities in the first place.

Consider all of your partnerships, goals, and all the activities in between. Identify the lowest value activities and cut the bottom ones. Make the middle ones more efficient and strive to have even more profitable agreements. Identify the top most important partnerships and activities and find ways to make them even more efficient and profitable.

The 80/20 Principle for Affiliates

Some of the most successful businesses in the world are always looking for ways to get more affiliates and to help their affiliates become higher producing. This is yet another area of business where you can apply the 80/20 principle.

Take a look at the affiliates you have right now. You’ll no doubt find that 20% of your affiliates are producing 80% of the results. Actually, I’ve found that it’s more like 5% of affiliates produce 95% of the results, but the principle still applies.

It stands to reason that you would focus more on those higher producing affiliates. You can give them more tools, more support, higher commissions, and anything else you can think of to help them become even higher producing.

The first step, though, is to set goals for yourself and for your affiliates. How many affiliates would you like to have? How much, per month, would you like your affiliates to be earning, on average? These goals can help you make plans for how you approach and recruit affiliates and how you treat them once you have them.

The 80/20 Principle for Niches

I work with many online marketers who are in a variety of niches. There are so many great ways to earn money online that it becomes very tempting to build out different niche websites and to try to earn money from as many different groups as possible. If you have a variety of niche websites, products, and efforts in trying to reach people of different niches, it’s time to apply the 80/20 principle so you can be more effective and profitable.

You can probably immediately identify your most profitable niche or niches. But, do you still spend a lot of time on those lower producing niches, hoping they’ll pan out? That might be a mistake, and this is an analysis you need to do.

There’s a tendency to spread yourself too thin when you’re in a variety of niches. Focus yourself and put more of your efforts into what’s already working and you can very quickly grow your profits. Becoming an authority in one or two niches might be better than trying to be active in 10 separate niches and not seeing any results at all. Do this, and you’ll achieve your desired results much more quickly. It’s all about focus, setting goals, and taking the right kind of steps to achieve those goals.

The 80/20 Principle for Products

As a businessperson, you likely have products that you sell. 80% of the results from your products most likely come from just 20% of your products. It’s time to apply the 80/20 principle when it comes to creating products and marketing your products.

Many people make the mistake of trying and trying to make failed products work instead of paying attention to what already works. Sometimes, it doesn’t make any sense to us why one product is more successful than another. But, the market knows what it wants, and you need to squeeze every last drop out of every product you can.

It may be time to release a product that is complementary to your most successful product. Ride that train of success for as long as you can—listen to what the market is telling you. Learn from your mistakes when it comes to selling products but also learn from your successes.

The 80/20 Principle for New Business Ideas

You have to apply the 80/20 principle for any new business idea. There are certain business models that are just always going to be more profitable for you than others. When it comes to implementing a new business idea, it’s hard to figure that out because you don’t have personal data on whether or not it will work for you. However, you can make some pretty solid guesses based on what your passions are and what your skill level is related to that business.

If you only focus on new business ideas and business models that are in alignment with what you want to do and the goals you want to achieve, then you’ll be able to reach success much more quickly. You’ll be able to focus by only doing what’s best for you.

The 80/20 Principle for Business Models

Take a look at your business models and the activities you do within these business models. Identify the 20% of your activities that are leading to 80% of your results. It might be time to drop certain business models that are underperforming and taking up too much of your time.

Examine those business models and activities that are really producing most of your results and scale those up. You always want to scale your winners up and cut your losses on things that just aren’t working. You’ll have more time to spend on activities that are far more valuable for your business.

Think about which of your business models are in line with your passions. If you’re passionate about certain things in your business, you’re much more likely to make an effort with them. You’re also more likely to achieve your goals.

Let the 80/20 Principle Change Your Life

Thinking about how the 80/20 principle applies to your business is going to allow you to work less. You won’t have to work as hard to achieve the same results and better. You’re going to be more efficient and more satisfied as you work because you’re working on the right things.

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