Time Management Tips Every Publisher Should Follow
People often tend to manage their time by constantly looking at a clock and counting the time they lost looking at the clock, while panicking about the looming deadlines. Constant time pressure is online marketers’ nightmare. However, stalking your Casio is not the best approach. Sticking to the schedule though is a different story. Organizing and structuring your day will save you a lot of time and, amazingly, make you look at it only when you’re done working. Being an online marketer means that you’re plugged in 24/7 spinning the plates, and yet it is necessary to devote your time to the family, friends, and rest. If you’re seeking for the most efficient way to organize your work and get rid of that eye twitch, here is the first tip for you
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Throw out your clock and make time work on you not the other way around (I mean not if it’s expensive or something)
If you want to organize your pile of tasks and observe the time you spend on an individual task or a campaign, you might need a time tracking/management application like Clockodo, Getklok or Chrometa (which sound like clocks but they aren’t, stick with me here). Such applications will be really helpful not only in terms of quitting bad browsing habits or glancing into the gaping abyss of procrastination but also in terms of earned profit per time spent. This way you’ll see if the campaign is worth the time put in. With a huge amount of campaigns to maintain, this next tip will prove very useful
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Study the profit potential of campaigns and make your choice
In the beginning of your publisher career campaign management steps will seem really confusing. Internet marketing world is vast and you will find yourself right at the crossroads of it, with bright neon signs saying “Hottest offers in town” or “Free leads for ladies before 11 PM” as far as eyes can see, but before betting on any horses you should check if they have all the legs intact. There are several ways to simplify this process. Talk to your AM and mark the potential offers, find out how they’re being promoted and get some advice from your fellow affiliates. After some testing, choose the most profitable ones and scale them as hard as you possibly can. Calculate your ROI and get the full picture of how much your time is worth. Many tasks make your time shrink while the wallet doesn’t hear anything about it. Next tip shows a way to save money on post-it notes and extra coffee
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Outsource the minor tasks
Outsourcing is a common approach in most industries. Choose the tasks only you are able to perform the best, all the other tasks can be outsourced. Getting a boy to feed the horses will get your brilliant mind more time to construct an industry-conquering game plan, but if you’ve just started your publisher career, outsourcing might not be the best way to go. However, as time passes and the treasury grows, you will definitely find yourself surfing Freelancer.com or Upwork searching for a decent freelancer. Or driving a flying car if all goes well. Either way, as long as you’re not sure if you need to outsource the minor tasks, don’t go for it. Otherwise, do not hesitate to try. Besides completing tasks and scaling campaigns, there is this really important factor of everyday communication. Tip #4 explains the importance of it
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Stay in touch with your affiliate manager as much as you possibly can
Do not lose your valuable time writing to an affiliate manager. Understand that all matter eventually perishes, see our insignificance on the universal scale and let go of your earthly boundaries. Or make a list of questions and call instead. It’s in your best interest to keep in touch and build a partnership with your AM, they are as motivated to grow your revenue as you are! Communication challenges and manual work are very time consuming, so here is the most important part – you should not put all the time you have into your work. The next tip explains why
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Get your rest, sleep and learn to say NO
Even if you are an 8 feet tall bronze-skinned tireless marketing machine, your health resources are not endless. Learn to stop and give yourself some time to rest. Give yourself average three hours a day of personal time. Make all the personal arrangements you need, talk to your friends, grab a bite, backflip, wear your cap backwards or just take a nice nap. Moreover, it’s really important not to drown in the ocean of promising loud offers. Find your goldmine, set up shop and start prospecting again once you see nuggets coming out of it on the regular. Broaden the amount and variety of offers only if you have an opportunity to manage those. Besides taking personal time and giving yourself a break, there are several bad time-consuming habits you should be aware of. Follow the sixth tip to eliminate those parasites
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Find a way to eliminate distraction
You might find it really helpful sometimes to turn off your phone, shut the blinds and go hard on work. Studies show that nature sounds make it easier to concentrate and simultaneously relax, unless it’s mating season. You can try out myNoise.net or NatureSoundMap. If you’re constantly distracted while working at home, the best choice would be to rent an office and never hear that neighbor drill again. It might cost you a bit, but that will be more than covered by all the money you’ll be making instead of clawing at the wall or fixing that one shelf that’s been hanging loose for a decade. Completing tasks goes first, then goes everyday life. Don’t worry though, the next tip is about hanging out.
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Always stay in touch with fellow affiliates and broaden your contacts
It’s a huge part of the game to keep your contact list long and active. The next guy always knows the next thing and if you don’t find it out you won’t make money off it. In an industry so new and versatile communication is crucial, because swinging a pickaxe when there’s a guy working a drill next to you is at least awkward.
Always remember that your productivity and profitability depends fully on you. After all, each person is unique and only you are able to adjust your schedule the best way possible.