Sometimes it can be a struggle to stay focused and get work done. Good time management becomes even more difficult when you are using the internet to work.

The internet could be considered one of the bigger distractions possible. There are an unlimited number of things to keep pulling your attention in different directions.

I’m sure you have had the experience of going online for “just a minute” only to find yourself happily clicking away, wasting time.

Mix in a lot of projects to do and it can get frustrating getting things accomplished.

I have finally gotten things down to somewhat of a science. It boils down to:

• setting priorities
• being organized
• automating as many things as possible
• deciding when a project isn't worth your time

To-Do's - Its All In The List
Each day before I get to started, I make a priority list of 5 things I must do that day. I make it a point of working on those things to try and finish them.

I always make a point of making goals where something can actually be completed. Even if it is a big project, I break it down and commit myself to finishing one small section of the project.

This is important because it gives a valid sense of accomplishment and limits any frustration of not getting anything done.

I don’t allow myself to wander off onto other things until I have put a solid effort into getting a small task done.

Email

As useful as email can be, it also has the potential to really waste your time. You can read more about my suggestions for managing your email in this article.

Knowing When Its Not Worth Your Time

One of the better lessons I have learned is to know when a project isn't worth my time. Part of this was recognizing that time is one of my most valuable assets. I could be working on a million and one things but some are more beneficial to me than others.

For example, I have really cut back on developing new web sites. Why? My time is being better spent working on more profitable projects that I enjoy more. It was a matter of evaluating what is important for me to attain the goals I am striving for.

With the web design projects, I decided to raise my prices to a point where it is worth my time if someone is still interested. Otherwise I am fine working on other things.

Knowing When My Money Is Worth Someone Else's Time

Sometimes there are projects that I should be doing but my time would be better spent doing other things. This is when I hire out the small jobs.

The most recent example was having to install an elaborate cgi script on a site recently. What started off as a "quick" 20 minute project soon spanned over a few hours as I wrestled with the fine points of getting the script running correctly.

I was kicking myself about an hour into it because I could have had it installed for about $30. The stubborn side kicked in of course and I kept at it.... That $30 would have been well spent and I learned from it.

It is pretty easy these days to find free lance people to do just about any task for a reasonable fee. Usually if you check out any online forums dealing with the problem you have you can get someone to help you.

By taking a look at your priorities each day, you can decide which projects you can and should be working on. Take a moment and decide which ones are worth your time and those which aren't. If it isn't worth your time, is it worth a few dollars for someone else to do it?

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