How to Successfully Use Your Free Time

Everyone likes the prospect of being productive, but what’s a person to do when they actually have free time? It isn’t healthy to work yourself into the ground, so it’s not like you can bury yourself in your work. However, there are plenty of effective ways to successfully use your free time.

In this article, we’ll go over three of the best ways to be productive without spending unnecessary time on work.

Find a Creative Outlet

Physical activity is great and all, but exercising the creative part of your brain is equally as beneficial to you. Many people enjoy spending their free time practicing some sort of art form. Whether it’s writing, drawing, painting, or dancing, you don’t need to be perfect. As long as you feel that creative itch being scratched, you’re in the clear.

Here are some helpful ways to encourage and foster creativity in your life:

?Let your mind wander while expressing your art. Don’t spend the entire time acting rigid and negatively judging your work. Let the ideas flow out of you and worry about the rest later.
?Read a book. Regardless of the genre, find a book that interests you and dive in. There’s no such thing as reading too many books and a book can hardly be considered a waste of time.
?Practice yoga or mindfulness. Yoga and mindfulness practices train the mind and body to be calm and truly listen to your thoughts. Pairing yoga and other mindfulness practices can be combined with another creative outlet to really jumpstart your imagination.

Use Free Time For Self-Improvement Opportunities

You can never go wrong with trying to improve yourself in all aspects of life. Using free time to read inspirational books or attend lectures or seminars is a great way to utilize your time. There may even be accountability groups for these classes and other opportunities where you can meet other likeminded individuals.

Get Outside or Exercise Somewhere

There is a slew of benefits that come from getting outside, regardless of if you’re exercising or not. For starters, the sun is a natural Vitamin D source, which is something many humans have a deficiency in. A simple barefoot walk in a meadow or stream has just as many benefits as a run at the park or in the gym. Spending more time outside gives your overall health a well-rounded boost too.

I’m Not Qualified to Be a Leader

One of the worst parts of working as an entrepreneur is the fact that you will be harder on yourself than anyone else could ever possibly be. If you were working in the corporate world and applying for a job, the human resources department would look over your education, assess your experience, and make a decision about your qualifications and where you would be a good fit within the company.

But as your own boss, you will be relentless in beating yourself up about all of your shortcomings - whether real or perceived. One of the worst determinations that will ultimately cross through your mind is that you don't have what it takes to lead your niche.

You might question your lack of education, a deficiency in experience, and your inability to connect with your audience. The self-doubt that is plaguing you is more harmful to you than any flaws or inadequacies you can list.

If you are going to embark on a career as an online entrepreneur, you must possess the confidence it takes to feel qualified to help others. In order to do that, you need to know what it is your followers expect from you.

First and foremost, regardless of what niche you are in, people want to know that you are willing to help them. They come to you with pain points they need help with. If you can present the solutions to them in the form of courses, tips, and advice, they will be grateful to you regardless of what you have on your resume.

Anyone can lead others. But in order to do that well, you have to be willing to listen. Many entrepreneurs don't understand that all important task. They don't take time to research and understand the needs of their audience.

A well-qualified leader will not only conduct the necessary inquiries to find what's lacking in the marketplace, but they will take time to improve on what's already out there. They will also do it in their own style as opposed to copying others.

If you ever have doubts about yourself as a leader, stop and analyze why you feel less capable in comparison to others. It could be a simple issue to fix, such as gaining a better understanding of your niche.

If it's a confidence issue, then you can remedy the situation by participating in self-esteem boosting activities. These might include positive affirmations, journaling, or even helping others for free until you feel qualified to get paid for your leadership.

Leaders must be fearless, or at least willing to put themselves out there, even when they feel unsure of themselves. There are many times in your career that you will be tempted to compare yourself to others. As long as you give yourself credit for all that you have done, and everything you're striving for, you can present yourself as one of the go-to advisors in your niche.

How to Organize and Plan for Your Successes

Most people wake up in the morning and hope for a successful day, however, a day is only as successful as you make it. You can’t wish and hope for a day to work out exactly as you planned, but you can plan it out to give you the best possible shot at being successful. But how can you achieve this? Read on to find out.

Plan Everything Ahead of Time

Before you lay down to go to bed, tell yourself you’re going to wake up and have a good day. This may seem ridiculous, but if you go to sleep convinced that tomorrow will be a good one then you’re more likely to believe it in the morning. It may also be helpful to plan out your next day if it’s supposed to be a busy one. This way, you’ve got a plan in your head and you can tweak it if necessary.

With this being said, plans don’t always go up to snuff and it wouldn’t be feasible to only expect perfection. Go into your day with an open mind and a laid-back spirit or else you’ll stress yourself out.

Tackle the Big Stuff First

Taking care of larger, more urgent tasks will help you feel more satisfied with your day. This is even more true if you manage to complete them before the afternoon. If you finish the hard stuff before your work day is done, you won’t leave the office feeling stressed out and worried about missing deadlines. I’d definitely call that a successful day.

Keep Track of Time

We aren’t saying to stare at the clock every 10 minutes while you’re working, but it’s helpful to check the time after each task is completed. Doing this will help you get a better idea of whether you’re on schedule, ahead, or behind.

Don’t Put Too Much Pressure on Yourself

You aren’t a superhero and you shouldn’t expect to finish everything on your to-do list every day. As long as you prioritise and take care of time-sensitive tasks, you should feel proud about your daily accomplishments. This is where good time management and planning skills comes into play.

Keeping a meticulous schedule and master to-do list on hand can be helpful for those who don’t like to feel out of control. It may be helpful to only pick 1-3 big items to check off of your to-do list and maybe 3-5 menial tasks to complete after that each day.

I Don't Want to Rely on Others for Help

While there are some people who rely heavily on everyone else to guide them to success, there are also those who feel as if they can't accept help from anyone. More prevalent in this industry are the people who feel entitled to personal assistance from every guru who has ever sold a product.

The ones who have the opposite mindset, often insisting they should be able to do everything on their own, are quieter about their beliefs. This is sometimes to their own detriment.

The fact is, Internet marketing or any online entrepreneurial career is one that often requires you to lean on others for support, information, and strategic advice. If you insist on isolating yourself, you will miss out on many opportunities and cause yourself harm in terms of delaying your success.

Networking online is one of the most important aspects of being a niche leader. Not only does it help increase your earnings when you associate with other marketers who have a list of subscribers, but it also helps you progress in a better mental state.

There's a difference between relying on someone else to carry the entire burden of your business and relying on others to nudge you along the way. Even the top owners have had to seek the assistance of someone else to get the answers they need to move forward.

So how can you embrace the idea of relying on others without allowing it to become a crutch that you look at with shame and humiliation? First, it's important that you learn to absorb information on your own.

That doesn't mean just going through a course, but knowing how to shop smart and conduct research on your own to find the answers that you need. Only after you have exhausted your solo efforts should you then seek out help from another marketer who is busy running their own business.

You don't want to be a nuisance to anyone else because you are constantly flooding their inbox with simple questions that can easily be answered by using Google or YouTube.

Don't forget, you can also use things like forums and social media to put questions out there that you need answers to. This allows people to step up and help as they see fit and as they have time, without feeling like you are burdening them in any way.

How to Build Productive Habits

Building productive habits is an important part of career success. When you form a productive habit, you teach your body to be productive on its own. The more often you practice these behaviors, the more second nature they’ll become. There are several ways a person can build productive habits, but in this article, we’re going to cover the top four.

Don’t Overdo Your To-Do List

When making a daily to-do list, it’s easy to want to write down every little thing you need to accomplish for the day. As tempting as this may be, you’ll be more productive if you cut your list in half and only include the most time-sensitive or biggest tasks. Getting more urgent tasks done before smaller and less important ones will leave you feeling much more accomplished than you would the other way around.

Follow The 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule is a general rule which claims that only 20% of what you accomplish will dictate 80% of your results. If you omit less important work tasks during the workday and focus only on the bigger things, you’ll be much more productive. For example, if you’re currently working on a work project, make a list of everything you need to complete for it. Then, single out the most important steps and complete those first.

Use The Mornings For Self-Reflection

Many productive and successful people swear by morning self-reflection. Waking up before everyone else in your house and reading or journaling is common in the business world. As ridiculous as it may sound, doing this type of self-reflection in the morning is actually proven to be beneficial.

Self-reflection doesn’t have to be formal meditation or journaling, either. You can purchase a guided journal or draw if you prefer to do that. The main thing to remember here is to do something that brings you joy to get you amped for the day.

Get The “Hard Stuff” Done Before Lunch

If you have a day with some pretty hefty tasks ahead of you, try your best to complete them before lunch. This way, you can enjoy the second half of your day and complete more menial tasks. Plus, if you don’t have smaller tasks to complete and you’ve already finished the more urgent stuff, you can take an early day off.

As soul-crushing as some of the hard stuff may be, it’s more rewarding to get it done and out of the way as soon as you can than it is to leave it waiting for you.

I Don't Know Why I Never Succeed

There are some people who are so stuck in their confusion that it causes them to continually fail. These are not people who are confused about strategies or technological tools.

These are individuals who are confused about why they can never achieve their goals. In their eyes and mind, they have followed all of the instructions that they were given. They have done everything others have done, and yet they still sit on the sidelines unable to earn a living online while others have soared right past them.

You can’t figure out why you lack success if you’re unwilling to take a deep dive into your processes and efforts. If you are simply looking on the surface and comparing your journey to others, you won’t see all of the little nuances that make a difference.

The truth is, sometimes you can look at someone else’s journey and not see the small changes that contributed to their success. For example, you may have both invested in the same course and implemented its lessons.

However, the other person may have privately contacted the vendor to ask one or two additional questions that helped clarify something for them. That one small change, which you didn’t know about, could have altered the entire course for them.

You may have gotten started at the same time as someone else in this industry, pursuing a similar niche and business model. While they have started earning money, you are still stuck going nowhere.

You can’t understand why, because on the surface, it seems as if you both did the same things. But unless you look at every single thing they did, you’ll never know why they’re seeing different results.

They may have spent extra time studying strategies such as improved sales conversions. Or, maybe they devoted more hours to content creation than you did. Perhaps they hired an editor for their eBooks and info products and they were better received by the general public than yours have been.

If you are baffled about comparing yourself to someone else, there’s no harm in asking them about their journey. All they can do is say no. But you want to make sure you approach them with specific questions, not generalities.

If, over time, you still can’t figure out why others are succeeding where you are failing, you may want to revisit your choices of niche and business model and pursue a different path where you might have a better shot at competing.

Three Easy Steps to Plan Ahead for Success

The key to success in any situation is to have a solid plan in place. This way, you have specific guidelines you can adhere to to ensure nothing gets missed. Following a well-thought-out plan will all but guarantee success in any setting. In this article, we’ll highlight three crucial steps for planning ahead for success.

1. Make a List of Goals

What are you trying to achieve here? What is the ultimate end goal? These are questions you need to ask yourself when thinking about any type of goal. Once you’ve established the answer here, you should make a physical list of short, medium, and long-term goals.

Having three different timeframes will allow you to celebrate small wins right alongside the big ones. Creating smaller and more easily achievable goals also helps keep you motivated toward the final outcome.

For example, let’s say your ultimate goal is to run the Boston Marathon. This seems like an impossible task, right? However, making short and medium-term goals like running a 5K or running a half marathon, act as baby steps to your end goal.

2. Take Note of Any Possible Scenario and Outcome

When thinking about your end goal, it’s also important to prepare yourself for every possible outcome, no matter how outlandish it seems at the time. Doing this will leave you prepared for any situation and nothing will be able to take you by surprise.

So, what are the possible scenarios for running the Boston Marathon? The two easiest would be that you win first place, or you come in dead last. There are, of course, plenty of other hypothetical situations too but thinking about the best and worst possible outcome will help curb any potential disappointment.

3. Stay Focused on the End Goal

Once you’ve started on your path, it’s important to never lose sight of your end goal. Despite any tough day or week that comes your way, keeping your eyes on the ultimate prize will keep you humble and dedicated to your cause. Plus, the more focused you are on your goal of running in the Boston marathon, the quicker you’ll get there.

Laser focus keeps you motivated and allows you to teach your brain self-discipline. The vest and fastest way to reaching your end goal is through dedication and hard work. Both of which are components of good self-discipline.

I Can’t Keep Up with Technology or Strategies

The idea of becoming an online entrepreneur sounds very enticing until you begin to look at all of the nitty, gritty details. For many people, the constant evolution of technology - along with the strategies involved in succeeding online can be very intimidating.

You may have adopted a defeatist tone in your mind when it comes to believing in whether or not you are capable of handling such fast changes. There are some things you may try to hold onto as long as you can, against your better judgment.

For example, you may continue to use old and outdated tools or strategies just because it's easier than learning something new. But eventually, there will come a day when something either ceases to work, or works against you, forcing the change you didn't want to make.

This might be something as simple as a plugin that you relied on that has quit working properly because it isn't being updated or supported by its creator. Or, it could be a more complicated strategy - such as new search engine optimization rules that have been implemented, which force you to alter your ways of doing things immediately.

Just because you feel lost or intimidated about changes doesn't mean you are incapable of handling them. When it comes to technology, there will always be new and better products that help you achieve your goals.

Along with these items, you will usually find step-by- step, detailed instructions that are shown on YouTube to help you and all of the others who struggle with technology. There are also ways around this situation.

You can either ask the company directly for assistance, or outsource the use of the technology to someone else. There are hundreds of freelancers who will handle technologically advanced tasks for those who either don't want to learn something new, or feel as if they can't.

Strategic changes will be more difficult for you to avoid. There have been many times in the past when a method everyone was using is simply banned or no longer effective. Not only that, but someone may announce a better way of doing things.

If you hold onto your old ways, you will have to sit on the sidelines and watch as all of the competition passes you by. What's the use of even pursuing an entrepreneurial career if you're going to allow that to happen?

Instead, do away with the crippling mindset that has you believing you're not capable of keeping up with changes and prove to yourself once and for all that you are. Even if you are a bit slower than someone else when it comes to implementing these changes, knowing that you're making progress toward it is good enough.

I Don't Have Time to Start a Business

One limiting belief that can sabotage your success, but which is very easy to fix is that you don't have time to start a business. No matter how hectic your schedule currently is, there is usually a way to tighten it up and employ better time management skills so that you can achieve your goals.

Whether you have just 15 minutes a day or a full 40 hours a week to contribute to your online success, you will be able to build a business if you really want to. Most of the business building process consists of learning.

At least when it comes to building the foundation of your business. The actual action task are not that time consuming. For the learning process, you can always absorb information while multitasking.

For example, you can listen to a course about advertising, blogging, or other niche success tips while doing the dishes, taking a bath, running your kids to and from school in carpool, or even exercising.

As far as carrying out the actual action steps that you need to implement after the learning process, you can do that even if you have another full time job on your plate right now.

There are many people who wake up an hour earlier before work to build their business. There are those who give up their lunch hour in order to be able to work on entrepreneurial tasks.

And there are those who come home exhausted after a full day in the corporate world, and still manage to put in a bit of time after work to devote to their own business. It all depends on how bad you want it.

If you are determined to succeed, you will make sure that every available minute of your day is dedicated to your success. You will give up binge watching Netflix shows or getting lost in a good book if it means you can further your success.

Time alone will not guarantee that you start profiting in your business. You have to make sure that the time you free up is spent diligently working on your business. That means you aren't playing around on social media or procrastinating in any other way.

As you begin to grow your success, you'll be able to see where you can tighten up your schedule and make the most of every available minute. You will also be able to set aside funds to outsource or delegate certain tasks to others.

10 Best Habits For Professionals to Have

Being successful in the workplace doesn’t simply come from a good work ethic. There are a variety of habits that professionals have that are critical for success.

1. Schedule-Keeping

Any meeting or event pertaining to work should be diligently scheduled. This way, you always know your schedule and when you have openings for other engagements. Also, having a good schedule helps reduce the risk of procrastination.

2. Task Prioritization

A successful professional also knows how to prioritize their tasks. They can differentiate between more and less important tasks and act accordingly. Although multitasking can sometimes be beneficial, prioritizing tasks means you can take care of important tasks before others.

3. Not Taking Life Too Seriously

Being laid back and more go-with-the-flow leaves a person feeling more relaxed and loose. If you spend all your time as a perfectionist who agonizes over every little detail, you’ll miss the truly beautiful things in life. Success means nothing if you aren’t able to fully live.

4. Planning and Organization

Proper planning and organization is another way successful people combat procrastination. Making a habit to plan out activities and important work functions and write them down helps successful people feel more put together.

5. Self-Accountability

Making a commitment is easy, actually following through with it is the tricky part. Successful people are better at this because they hold themselves accountable. A successful person commits to something only if they know they can follow through.

6. Laser Focus

Beyond a regular focus on a task, successful people are laser-focused. They’re more than attentive when it’s important. If they set their mind to something, they won’t stop until they complete the task.

7. Regular Exercise

To make the most of their waking hours, a successful person will exercise both their mind and their body outside of work. Physical exercise has clear physical benefits to your general wellbeing and it does wonders for your mental health and clarity too.

8. Good Sleeping Habits

In order for the human body to function properly, it’s essential you get adequate sleep each night. The actual amount will vary depending on your age and overall health, but a successful person follows the specific guidelines for their health and lifestyle.

9. Positive Attitudes

People who are considered successful are generally positive people. They’re the friend that always makes you feel good to be around. They don’t dump their problems on you unsolicitedly and they spend much of their time lifting others up.

10. Practicing Gratefulness

Successful people always regularly practice gratefulness. They know where their success comes from and they don’t forget it. Being grateful is important because it keeps a person humble and reminds them where they came from.