We have all done it. The temptation to do other things prior

to working on our marketing or other income producing activities.

Some people can do it in that order and be okay with it. Some

people can do it 9 out of 10 times and be okay until the 10th

time. 

Some end up sitting in front of their PC at the end of the day 

still not having done ANY of their income producing activities

for that day.

Then they are stuck playing catch up all night and losing sleep

or they inherit a  double stack of a to do list for

tomorrow.

 I am JUST as guilty of falling into this trap as everyone else.

You see, usually I have my to do list all done up the night before.

Then I get up in the morning and have breakfast and after that I

jump on my list of income producing activities.

 In case you are not familiar with exactly what IPA

(income producing activities) are, let me give you some examples-

emailing your email lists, advertising links for your business, 

writing blog posts, checking and maintaining a social media presence 

on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, engaging with people that you have

met and are talking about business with via Skype or telephone, 

or on Facebook...

This is not a complete list, but you get the idea.

In working online email marketing is still king. 

Building your list is a MUST.

Engaging with people on your list and sending them

follow up emails and email broadcasts with

relevant, helpful, and useful content is also a MUST.

The other piece of the puzzle is following up and engaging with

people via social media. You must post to your Facebook groups

and your fan pages daily and be active in your niche relevant

forums, blogs etc.

Some days it is easier than others to produce all the related content

 for this. 

Some days everything seems to come out easy.

Some days it just sucks as you stare at your computer screen and

can not find the words.This can happen to everyone, for a variety of

reasons too. 

For some it is the stress of writing, some are pressed for time to just

sit down and get it done before the next thing in their day comes up.

There are other reasons too....

Here is anvuncomfortable truth, but a lot of people online, including

myself, have health issues that can impact their daily business

tasks. I know people that have chronic illnesses that really

really kick their ass sometimes and they are out of commission

for days or weeks. That definitely puts a damper on their marketing

and overall productivity.

I am not looking for sympathy, I am just being real.

 I am just using myself for an example- 

I am a 40 year old guy who  found out when I was 25 years old that

I have low testosterone.

My testosterone levels were 134 nG/dL (nanograms per deciliter).

Normal low is 250 nG/dL and normal high is around 1000.

I was sleeping 12 to 16 hours, had no

energy etc etc. I was power lifing at the time and following my

diet and training to the letter with one of the best trainers in

the business. He could not for the life of him understand why I

was not progressing past a certain point.

 So I wnet and got looked at by my doctor and we tested me for

everything under the sun (so we thought).

After the doc could not seem to find any answers I  researched my 

symptoms myself and it looked like low T. 

I could not believe it because I am 6 foot 2 and at the time I

was 285 pounds and was at the time playing around with 320 pounds

on the bench press, dead lifting 350, squatting 350 and leg pressing 720 for reps. 

So I didn't believ it could be low T but I FELT like it. 

So my doc tested my levels and there it was. 

Neither of us could believe it. So I had

him test my levels two more times to be sure.

It was low T. and I have been on HRT (hormone

replacement therapy )ever since.

 The reason I have low T is because I was a premie. I was born

 2 1/2 months premature, weighed 2 pounds 2 oz, and was not 

expected to live through the night. 

So, basically, since I was “under cooked”, so was my system that,

later in life, would be responsible for producing my testosterone

levels.

I continued training with weights and still do to this

day. I am no longer in my 20s so I train smarter not harder and

am not power lifting. I lift weights for general health and

follow a more fitness/bodybuilding program,But I have to be careful

still not to overdo it in the gym. 

Yesterday was a prime example of me overdoing it and how the day

can get away from you if you don't do your IPA first. 

I am part of an amazing business called NowLifestyle that

is still in pre launch and is in the health and fitness

niche and that is pretty much my only focus at this point.

Whether it is 5 minutes from now, or 5 years from now when you

see me again, I will STILL be working in NowLifestyle. That’s

a fact.

So- one of the parts that is important to me is to be ” a product

of the product” meaning I try to stay as healthy and fit as I can

for two reasons, one is that I am a nurse by trade and I have to

keep fit to help move people who can not move themselves when I

do work as a nurse. I also keep in shape in order to be a leader

in my NowLifestyle business and lead by example, I just mean

being as healthy as I can be for ME personally. 

I certainly do not look like Mr. Olympia, and probably never will,

 But I take my leadership responsibilities seriously and make an effort

to go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week and really watch my diet.

Well that backfired on me yesterday.

 I got up yesterday, spoke

with my business partner Richard on Skype and touched base about

some things. Then I went to the gym and worked out. I had

started a new workout program this week. 

I pushed a little too hard at the gym and, due to my low T- it

TANKED my energy levels.  I got back, was

exhausted, and took a nap, which turned into oversleeping and cut

into my income producing activity time.

So I finally got out of my own way later and sent some

advertisements out, but fell short on sending emails and on

social media engagement. 

So you can see where me not doing my IPA first got me into trouble?

It does me no good to lead by example in my team if I

never get my ads out or engage anyone because I have screwed

myself over physically and sleep through work time. 

 It can happen to anyone really.

We are all only human, and do the best we can with 

what we have to work with. 

One day at a time, one task at a time is all ANY of us can do.

I do have some ways that I was thinking of for me to not have

this type of thing happen to me again. I thought these tips may help you

in your daily efforts to0.

1) Eat before you work. Advertising, marketing, writing content,

and talking with people is always easier when you have a

food in the tank.

2) Always schedule your IPA for when you are fresh. Get these 

done at the beginning of the day before your day has a chance

to get away from you. 

The unexpected does happen. 

Work and family emergencies, health ailment flare

ups, computer glitches all happen at the worst times. So get the

IPA in early, hopefully before any of these get a chance to drop

in on you.

3) When you do write content- emails for your lists-

blog posts etc.... if you are feeling like the words are

coming easy, then pre write some content and have

some for later in the week, month etc.

Having two or three blog posts or follow up emails

written in advance can definitely come in handy when and if the

unexpected does happen. In a pinch,  you can

just copy and paste what you need and press send.

4) Take 10 minute breaks. Up and out of that chair for 10

minutes! Stretch! Get a cup of joe or some water. Make sure to set your

timer for 10 minutes so you don’t get side tracked.

5) Stay the hell off of social media

while working!!! I turn off my Skype and Facebook notifications

and silence my phone when advertising, writing blog posts, and

writing other content.

 It is WAY too easy to see a post and get drawn in to liking,

following, and commenting. Then , before you know it an hour has

gone by and you have gone from posting in that group to watching

cat videos. That slope is SUPER slippery.Hence why I turn it all

off.

 

6) For the reasons as stated in number 5, I save social media

marketing and engagement for last after all content and mailing

of my lists is done. It’s just safer that way .

 

7) Wherever you do what you do online, be sure to have a quiet,

distraction free part of your home that you can do it in.

And be sure everyone knows that x amount of time while you are

working is do not disturb time. Sounds kind of like a dick move,

but it is necessary in the long haul for maximum productivity.

 

In closing, you know your body and mentality better than I ever

will. These above are just examples of what I have been through,

and things I have thought of to prevent myself, and hopefully

others such as yourself, from having these same problems.

Until next we meet-

Don’t Be Afraid, Live Free!

-Seely “The Lion” Clark IV