Taming Your To-Do List

The worst thing about to-do lists is they seem to breed every time you look away. Just as you think you're getting somewhere, another task needs to be added. It's downright depressing. You might be forgiven for wondering if there is anyone on earth who actually manages to tick off all the items on a to-do list before the end of the day.

Take heart. It is possible to tame your to-do list - and not by taking a pair of scissors to it to cut it in half. What you need to do is look beyond the list, at the way you handle your time.

Don't worry. This is not just another 'time management' lecture that you've heard a thousand times before. It's a simple, workable approach to taking back a measure of control. By following 4 easy steps, you can introduce more flexibility into your working week - and finally tame that list!

Step 1. Think in Terms of Tasks, Not Hours

In an effort to control the way we use time, most of us allocate a certain number of hours to our 'working week'. If you work outside the home, this may be imposed upon you. If you work from home, you decide your own hours.

Then what happens? In comes the out-of-control 'to do' list. You make a list of all the things you have to do. Then you add more. You try ranking them in order of importance, and the lesser things never get done. Worse, some of the semi-important things keep getting bumped down the list. You work all the hours you have set yourself, and more - but the list just keeps growing.

What to do?

Start thinking in terms of tasks to be done, rather than total hours to be worked. You'll find that some tasks can be grouped under a general 'project' heading. You might end up with two or three projects to be completed. (Leave yourself some time for repetitive everyday tasks - email, customer service etc.)

Step 2. Establish A Pool Of Hours

Now allocate a "pool of hours" to each project. Don't use up all the hours in your working week when you create this pool of hours (or several pools). The whole idea is to build in some flexibility, so you don't feel overwhelmed.

How many hours should you allocate to each project? Naturally this will vary according to the complexity of the tasks. Some projects might take only 3-4 hours. Others might need 15 hours, or 30. Estimate the likely time to completion, based on your previous experience. Then look at your deadlines. If Project #1 is due in two weeks and you estimate it will take 12 hours to complete, allocate 8 hours per week to that project. This gives you a couple of spare hours per week. Always allow yourself a small buffer, so you won't panic if it takes longer than you expected.

Step 3. Start With A Sprint

When you begin each project, start by 'sprinting' through a rough outline. This will get you off to a fast start, and the psychological benefits of having an outline completed quickly can last throughout the entire project. Set a time limit to brainstorm the outline - thirty minutes, an hour, whatever works for you.

Then divide your project outline into chunks and start working on one 'chunk' at a time. Be flexible about how you divide your hours. If you're in the mood and everything's going well, you can use more of your pool of hours for this project in one day. If you're hitting a roadblock and you need to let it 'simmer' for a while, put it away and turn to a different project and start dipping into a different 'pool'.

Step 4. Wrap It Up and Reward Yourself

If you've estimated your time correctly, then you'll usually finish your project on time or with hours left over. This may well be a whole new experience for you! Instead of feeling panicked that you are ticking off an endless list of tasks without ever getting to the bottom of it, you have the satisfaction of completing a project when you planned to. If you have a few leftover hours in your pool, you have a choice - transfer them to another project, or use them as 'bonus time'.

It's a nice feeling to actually have a few hours that you can use to reward yourself instead of diving headfirst into yet another job. You'll find that this is a great motivator to avoid distractions - we all work better with the prospect of a couple of hours free to do something we enjoy.

Bottom line: Become task-oriented rather than time-oriented; work from a pool of hours; start with a sprint, then reward yourself by taking some time out using any leftover hours. You'll enjoy work more - and tame that to-do list in no time!

Could these be the Reasons Your MLM Business is Failing?

Today, many people are interested in obtaining financial freedom. Many also will look at a multi-level marketing (MLM) business as a way to reach their goals. The problem is that about 95% of those who get involved with MLM fail. Let's take a closer look at why many such home-based businesses are set up to fail from the start.

Reason #1: Most opportunities are way too similar. They just try too hard to copy each other. Plus, the products and services are boring. To make matters worse, the marketplace the company is serving isn't growing very quickly. This type of home-based business screams failure.

Reason #2: Many home-based MLM business opportunities force people to do everything by themselves. It's unfortunate, but businesses are loaded with all kinds of headaches and hassles. It's a huge struggle just to keep things going, market, and build a list. There are too many challenges and no help! The end result of this type of opportunity: people will quit!

Reason #3: Most home-based business opportunities will never make their affiliates rich or obtain financial freedom. Scams abound. This is very sad since most people's goal is to develop long-term wealth. The bottom line: people must look for a business that is already making other average people wealthy, and that is easily duplicated. The fact is there are legitimate home-based business opportunities that offer this.

Reason #4: The majority of home-based businesses do not pay much in upfront cash. Unfortunately, many times people are paid in small sums. Low cost products and services are offered with a small percentage profit. To make matters worse, people put in tremendous effort and time only to wait around to get paid. No one should ever get involved with this type of opportunity if they want to succeed.

Reason #5: Many MLM home-based businesses are filled with gaps and missing pieces. There is so much hype. However, when it all dies down and one takes a closer look at what's being offered, they find the work-at-home opportunity is pure fluff and fiction. Basically, the home-based business opportunity is just a good idea that someone is trying. If the opportunity is researched, what usually is discovered is that only the heavy hitters make the money, the company behind it is getting rich, and the products and services being sold are only to the distributors! This would be a horrible type of business to become involved in.

Reason #6 Many MLM home-based business opportunities are very risky. They are filled with problems, pain, and frustration. As a result, business opportunity seekers view them as a risk and don't want to become involved with them. They know starting a business from home has to be right and if they see red flags, they will avoid it. Sometimes, people become so skeptical that they never choose a business at all. They fail to realize the right business opportunity can be found and worked without the headaches.


The truth is, home-based MLM businesses can work. It simply takes time and careful research to choose the right one. Avoid the problems discussed in this article and you will be sure to find the MLM home business for you.

Article Marketing Plus Affiliate Marketing Add-Up to Big Profits

Writing articles is an excellent way to not only build your reputation as an expert in your field but also a good way to build profits into any affiliate program you are promoting. The key is to write an informative article without having it sound like an advertisement.

There are several ways to incorporate your affiliate links in an article submitted for publication. The most common and acceptable way to do this is by including a short bio of yourself as author of the article along with a link to the site of your choice.

This will usually include you expressing yourself as an expert and suggesting that your readers go to a certain site for more information. You can also just tell readers that as an expert you highly recommend this certain product and have used it yourself.

This is called the author resource box and is standard practice with almost all article directories and submission sites. If you are submitting to individual sites make sure to include a disclaimer along with your article that the resource box must be included if the article is to be republished in any blog, ezine or newsletter.

But another, albeit sneakier, way is to write a review of a certain product or service and tell the reader that they can have a look at the product by following the link in the article.

Many article directories will allow up to three such links within each article as long as the article itself is not just a blatant advertisement for said product.

This can work to your benefit as you may join several different affiliate programs within the same niche and do a comparison between them and include your link for each.

Another approach that works great is to weave your affiliate links into your articles by simply being creative with the wording.

By just describing a product or service within your article and using an affiliate link to take your readers to a page as an example that can better describe your points will more likely be accepted and also greatly increase the chances of the readers clicking your them.

Research has proven that the most effective affiliate links are text links. They far exceed banners and flash animations when it comes to click through rates. By adding these links into your articles and distributing them across the web and also using them on your own sites and blogs you will see more clicks and more affiliate sales.