Is Your TV, Computer or Bed Making You Lose Sales?
Ok. You may think I’m nuts, but I’m writing this at 4:45 on a Tuesday morning. I just put three loads of laundry into the washing machine, and I’m now tackling several, SEO writing assignments in addition to this blog.
Don’t hate me because I’m a morning person. I had to train myself to get into this schedule… and have a big cup of coffee on hand…
But I’ve got to tell you, I get a ton of work done before my phone starts ringing and the e-mails start coming in. Plus, I can work with my East Coast clients and the media during their morning hours. With this in mind…
What are you doing early in the morning or late at night?
If you are spending many, unnecessary hours in front of the TV, searching the Web or sleeping, you may want to rethink your schedule.
Just by reducing the amount of time you spend on the couch or in “snoozeville,” you could grow your business by thousands of dollars!
Think about it.
By adding one hour of writing, reading, learning, marketing, or strategic planning to your day, you get an additional 20 hours per month - about 240 hours per year! That’s a total of 10 whole days! (And how much is that to you in dollars per hour?)
That’s a lot of extra time that can give you the competitive edge you need in today’s economy.
… so the next time you decide to crash in front of some meaningless television program, search the Web or hit the “snooze” button one more time, take a moment to think.
By making simple changes to your regular pattern (and having a little more discipline), you can get a lot more accomplished. And while your competitors are “sleeping,” you can spend less time stressing about your business and more time enjoying higher profits and success!
Do you need help getting people to your Web site and building buzz?
Please let me know here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I offer lots of free insights and information to help you succeed! (Plus, you can check out my new book, “Simple Publicity – How to Do Your Own Public Relations to Boost Sales, Awareness and Credibility without Spending a Lot of Money.”)
August 19th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Hmm yeah you’re right, I need to go without sleep! All those hours wasted doing NOTHING!
After that I’ll eliminate eating, and then of course theres that pesky breathing! If I could just divert the energy from my lungs to my blackberry, I could make at least 5 more cold calls a day!
August 19th, 2010 at 6:49 pm
Hi Melanie, thanks for this post. I can imagine you with that big cup of coffee. Its a good practice though to wake up early in the morning and do things ahead of everybody else. I guess this blog is one of the fruits of your discipline. Keep it up! i also hope i can do the same. Thanks again
August 19th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Hi Marian,
Thanks for your note. Yes, my coffee cup is sometimes bigger than usual on some days (Monday)! I’m glad to provide a little bit of inspiration.
Melanie
August 20th, 2010 at 8:13 am
This is SO true! I became an early waker about 2 years ago and there’s no way I’m goin back! lol. I get my kids up for school at 6:30am, so I decided to wake at 5:15. I’ll tell you, just the solitude before the day for everyone else begins is worth it in itself! I have a cup of coffee, do a little meditation and 15 min of yoga. Check my email and blogs and I’ll tell you that time is now priceless. So much so that over summer break, I continued my early rising and it’s even more wonderful when the kids sleep past me for like 4 hours, lol. :o)
August 21st, 2010 at 7:52 am
If you are reading this comment hopefully you are not one of those who slack around when you work from home. Remember, if you are sleeping, somebody else is not and they’re probably going to win. Television. You can watch all you want in the nursing home.
Ken Sundheim
President
KAS Executive Sales Recruiters Los Angeles
August 21st, 2010 at 11:19 am
Glad to hear there are other early risers out there! Ken, love your comment about watching television.
Melanie, Rembrandt Communications, rembrandtwrites.com
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:08 pm
Thanks for the publishing. I have intentionally not watched TV in over 3 years and now my wife tries to get me to watch TV and I will fall to sleep because of the boredom. I am anointed for business and I do not like to say that business is all that I think about but everything that is connected to business development is my focus. Thanks again and hope to hear from you soon.
Kind regards,
Dr. Grove
August 24th, 2010 at 5:30 am
Your information is SO insightful. As a Professional Organizer, I teach this to my clients too. The extra hour in every day totally adds to value of their health and well-being, including their mental health. It puts us into a proper mindset that dictates our day. It is amazing how much more productive you can be when you start your day off just one hour earlier (and not in front of the television or computer or even your games on your telephone). By organizing our time and dedicating the extra hour each day you will see rewards immediately in all aspects of your life and really, you won’t miss the sleep. Plus…what is there of value on television anyway?
August 24th, 2010 at 6:05 am
Thanks for your sharing your insights Linda. Of all the very successful people I know, they are great at time management and get up early!
Melanie (rembrandtwrites.com)
August 24th, 2010 at 6:14 am
And Dr.Grove, thanks for your nice comments. This may inspire a few people out there to take a look at their working habits, make a few healthy changes and reap the rewards.
All the best,
Melanie, rembrandtwrites.com
August 24th, 2010 at 7:30 am
Gosh, because I am answering emails from different time zones, I have always taken advantage of the early morning hours and watch very little TV. . . I also PRAY during those early morning hours. . .
Peggy in Memphis
PrivateSpacers.com
August 27th, 2010 at 7:40 pm
So true. Big cup of coffee is right. Cut the BS and get to work. Now that’s real. Love your articles Melanie.
R
August 30th, 2010 at 7:52 am
Love it Ray!
Melanie
September 1st, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Hi Melanie,
Great article. Simple and straight to the point.
My wife and I built our “internet empire” doing EXACTLY what you describe. We actually canceled our cable tv, invested the money in good stuff to read, and took 2 hours a night and changed our entire lives.
It’s still not and probably will never be the “pie in the sky” bed of roses that so many get rich quick folks promise, and that is okay….
Because what we have is real, simple, and teachable. I can’t imagine what would happen if more couples just took 60 minutes a day and decided to invest them.
It would change our economy and our world.
Have a great day!
Mr Twenty Twenty
Mr Twenty Twenty is that guy who actually changed his name to the number of perfect vision, because getting clear about your life and choosing to live your vision matters.
September 27th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
I always find that I get sooooo much more done when I get up extra early. I just wish I could get myself to do it more often. It’s not easy when you don’t go to sleep at night until 1am because you are so involved in your work you don’t want to stop!
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:34 am
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