Why To-Do Lists are Key to Entrepreneur Success

Why is focus such a big deal as an online entrepreneur?

What do you to to help you focus on the task at hand?

Have you seen increased productivity as you find ways to focus?

I’ve been in the world of entrepreneurship way before I even knew what the word meant.  As I was doing research a few weeks ago on Aaron Wall and his entrepreneurial background it made me think about my early business endeavors, of which I’ll talk about at another time…FOCUS! 

Focus is so key to the success of your online business.  The hardest thing for me to deal with as an internet mentor and consultant is when a client jumps at every fly in the sky idea.  Granted, we ALL WANT TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE!  That’s a no-brainer!  But the bottom line is, those that focus on small targeted ideas are going to get there much quicker than the “Wal-Mart” approach to starting an online business – selling anything and everything.

Here’s one of the best reminders I read in an article about focus:

23. To-Do List Before Bed

How To Stay Focused: I write down my to do list right before bed. If I don’t, I’ll lie awake going over what I have to do, and worry that I’ll forget something in the morning. Writing it down clears my head, and when I wake up in the morning, the list is ready for me, which motivates me to get started right away.

Well, there is the answer you’ve all been waiting for…

Focus, Focus, Focus!

As an entrepreneur, focus can be one of the biggest challenges we all face.  As I read the article about how to stay focused the concept of creating a nightly To-Do List really hit home.  The above point was the one I decided to implement immediately.

Why To-Do Lists Help Me Succeed

1. Creating a To-Do List is the simple way of creating the dreaded “Business Plan”: to me, “business plans” are just fancy ways to talking about day to day, week to week, month to month and year to year GOALS.  Maybe it’s because I’ve bootstrapped all my online businesses to this point and have never relied on “venture capital”…What are your thoughts on this matter?
2. As I create a To-Do List in the evening, I sleep better:  the worst thing that happens to me at night is when my mind starts spinning with ideas.  I think that’s why I’m a night owl and blog until wee hours of the morning.  As I create a To-Do List, I can write everything down somewhere and be done for the day.  Not only does it help clear my mind, but it also opens my mind to new ideas that I can add to the list in the morning.  Plus, quality sleep can be a key component of productivity the next day.
3. Time management and organization equal increased success: “Small success leads to Big Success!”  If I’m running every which way I generally get very little relevant work done.  Sure, I can check my email 30 times, clean out my junk mail, empty the trash bin, or check my StumbleUpon suggested links, but all that can be done in a short time and not throughout the day.  The more organized I become, the more I get done – it’s that simple.

Questions about Focus

How do you stay focused on the things that are most important for your online business (or do you)?

What strategies do you use to help you stay focused?

Have you tried the suggestion about about creating a To-Do List at night?

How is it working for you?

What else has worked for you?

30 Day Challenge

I am publicly challenging myself and all MollerMarketing readers to a 30 Day Challenge.  The challenge is this:

• I will create a To-Do List every night for the next 30 days.
• The To-Do List will be created before midnight every night.
• I will write this To-Do List in a place where I can either print it off, view it easily, or keep an ongoing record of my results.
• I will monitor my progress and blog about this progress every Friday on or before noon at MollerMarketing.com (this means I will start tomorrow and blog about my initial results on this Friday)

Invitation

I invite all of you to participate in this challenge.  In fact, I’d love a few of you to guest post with me and let us all know how things are going in your quest for better focus as an online entrepreneur.

Stay tune…