The Newsletter - Issue 1In this premiere issue I want to touch upon something that is very important ... and needs to be addressed early in the creation cycle. That's "organization". GETTING ORGANIZED FOR PRODUCT CREATIONOne of the main factors that makes it hard to get your product out into the marketplace is ... lack of focus. I know! I suffer from it myself. Working on a computer, it is far too easy to be distracted by forums, chat, websites, e-mail ..... And, if you're like me, your brain is bombarded by a continual stream of ideas -- products to create, marketing techniques to use, articles to write.To successfully create info products, you have to have a set time for focusing only on your product creation. A PRODUCTIVE NEW YEAR'S DAYOn New Year's Day, I was sitting at my mother-in-law's house, waiting for the traditional Japanese New Year's foods to be displayed. I pulled out a piece of paper and re-drew my daily plan. I believe it's going to lead to some fantastic production this year (in fact, in these first few weeks, it already has).I want to share it with you. I hope you can adapt it to your style ... and turn your Internet business into an info factory -- cranking out money-making products. BREAKING THE DAY INTO ZONESThe first thing I did was break my day into zones. I'm not much of one for watching the clock, but my stomach clock works pretty good ;-)There's EARLY MORNING (from when I get up until the coffee runs out), MORNING (until noon -- or whenever lunch is ready), AFTERNOON (through until it starts getting dark out), and EVENING (which I'm trying to limit to running until 11:00 -- no more late nighters, LOL). EARLY MORNINGThis will be different for everybody, so you have to look at your own performance. I find that early mornings are a total waste for me ... other than doing routine stuff that doesn't take much thinking. So, I spend that time taking care of e-mail, forums, help desks, and other daily chores.When my e-mail, or forum posts, brings me good information -- or a lead to an information product that could hold important info for my business -- I print it out. I don't read it now ... I set it aside for my evening study sessions. MORNINGAfter breakfast, my mind is running a bit better on the caffeine, so it's time to do some work. I have a few days a week where my whole morning is set aside for marketing tasks.Monday morning is always my planning morning -- it's a time to sit back and look at projects. During the week you can get too close to the details and lose the overall perspective. So, take some time each week to take a broad view of the project and make sure it's still on track. This is also when I do some planning for future projects. So, if an idea hits me during other work blocks, I allow myself a maximum of 10 minutes to look at it. Then, I file it for the Monday morning session. A couple of mornings, I only work half the time -- the rest is set aside for the gym. If you're having a hard time thinking of a solution or coming up with a new idea, some time on the treadmill or pumping the weights soon brings the ideas pouring in. I always carry a tiny notebook in my shorts. AFTERNOONThis is my main product creation time. Nothing interrupts me as I roll up my sleeves and create. Since I already took care of outlines for projects during the Monday morning planning session, I can get right into the meat of creation.Depending on the stage of a product, my afternoon will either be spent researching, writing scripts, filming video, or editing. Research carries with it the danger of being sidetracked. As you're getting info for your product, you often run across something interesting that sparks an idea for another product. Since I know that I can pursue this idea in the Monday morning session, I simply take a few minutes to note down my idea, a URL for follow-up, and then I file it. Since I use all my afternoons for product creation, I've set different days for different projects. On those days, I stay away from the other projects - keeping my focus on one task. This really helps production soar. EVENINGI have set aside a few evenings for article writing and the task of submitting them to the directories. I've usually set aside a few choice ideas that cropped up during the day, and I just start writing about one of them. One evening a week, I produce newsletters and e-mail series for my autoresponder.Other evenings -- especially Friday, Saturday, Sunday -- I've set aside to watch a movie, or some funny Japanese TV show, with Rieko. Since I'm a compulsive multi-tasker, this is when I study. To keep up with the fast-moving Internet scene, you need to continually study. I find this quiet time with my wife a perfect time to absorb some new info. Lately, NKH has been running old Bond movies every Sunday night -- goes nicely with Mission: Make Money Online ;-) BUILD YOUR OWN ROUTINEYou'll have to build a routine that suits your lifestyle. The closer it comes to fitting you - the easier it will be to stick to it.Now, take some time out - a couple of hours, even a day - and make a daily plan. The difference it will make in your productivity will amaze you. Have a great week, and I'll see you later, Kevin Riley Mission Leader http://ProductCreationLabs.com PS: For a demo of the latest Product Creation Lab, have a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTBJppVQE1Q
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Kevin Riley