This has been an insane week for me with hours I really prefer to avoid and not a lot of sleep. However all of you know when you are self employed you work harder and enjoy it more usually.
Anyway, it occured to me that it would be interesting to compare my schedule now to what my schedule was say, when I first entered the adult business.
When I first reentered the business I was armed with a few basics that some newbies might lack. Prior experience with the adult industry.
I can hear a few people say great you had a head start. Yes, in a way I did I understood some basic concepts but let me tell you the web is a whole other place this time around, than it was say 5 years ago and even more so 10 years back. So, though I understood basics like html. What a freesite is, what a tgp is and even what traffic is and a bit about herding it I had so much to relearn and the business had changed to become way more competitive more innovative and much more technically demanding.
So, I did what the typical newbie does (at least my concept of the typical newbie). I lurked and read and researched. I was quiet for at least a month and even then I asked my questions in pm.
When I thought I had even a tiny grasp I then proceeded to make my first site. Well, let’s say I attempted it. I read and then would try and build. I cossetted that site and I petted it. I got a little bit further each day. I would arrive home from work and check my email. I would check my messages. I would read the boards, all of them. I would then research any ideas that came up on those boards. Man, there are so many avenues to research so many approaches that seem sure fire.
I was a mess. I would after a few hours of reading and then running off hither and yon to research that idea but then I would run into another idea.
Google and I became best friends.
What I must emphasize here is I was spending 7 and 8 hours a day “working” on the net but getting nothing done. NOTHING even my first site was in process. I would build a little bit then I would run into something I did not understand or some “improvement” I wanted to make and BAM…off I would go “researching”.
Oh that was bad and worse were the days when I run into something too interesting to resist! Games you just can’t miss! An article or 10 you just must read! God, the net is a strange place just begging to be explored and every time I stopped (every five minutes) I was drug off in another direction.
I had newbie ADD and knew it. I had nothing to show for a long day on the net and no income because nothing I did got finished.
Better yet when I finally finished that first site instead of building the next I was instead checking my stats and still trying to fix that first one and make it “ego” perfect.
Oh yeah did I mention checking stats? Like a blog with few link trades and nothing much yet would be doing anything. As time passed my time became more productive. I had fewer questions and still lots of plans I was still somewhat distractable but managing better. Still I was extremely disorganized and would spend hours doing nothing productive and calling it research. This could not continue.
So I began a regime. Self imposed but necessary too.
Log on after work check email and check icq. Yes those must be done but no boards none no no no…first the project for the day must be done.
Whatever it was it had to be accomplished. Because I worked outside full time then I would set smaller goals like installing and tweaking a wordpress, and updating all existing blogs.
After those goals for the day were accomplished then I would allow myself an hour yes, an hour on the board as a reward for what I had done.
Checking stats was no longer a problem since I had too much to do and a structure to do it in.
If I remembered to check them once a day then I was doing good sometimes I would forget entirely I was busy and the sales would take care of themselves. They did.
Now when they did well enough for me to become full time it became even more interesting. There I was with a full day in front of me. Oh lord I needed a plan I quickly saw that. I could not fluff out for 8 hours then work for 7 no I needed to be productive.
Those first days were not pretty. I lived on coffee I would spend too much time on youtube just like in the beginning and I wasn’t accomplishing anything like what I thought should be accomplished, though I had far more time.
I hate structure but about then the need for it became apparent. So I instituted a schedule.
Wake up 7 a.m. Put on the coffee grab the dog and off we go for a walk. Yes walks do clear my head!
By the time I am back coffee is done and I am ready for the shower and the dog is happy. This is important the dog can be very nasty when ignored. I once found my entire underwear drawer (the contents) strewn over the entire front yard displaying my very pretty lacy underthings (much chewed) over the front lawn for the enjoyment of passerbys.
So the dog is cared for my computer is warming up as I shower my sister of course will pop her head in my door 7 times before she FINALLY leaves for work. However by 8 am I can sit down and start up.
Emails must be answered then IMs. All group projects are checked ( a calendar I use in cooperation with my partners in our company).
Then begins work nothing else must take precedence. When I finish each segment I allow myself a five minute walk around break and at lunch a peek at the boards.
Morning is for building. Afternoon is for posts and evenings more posts and networking. Yes I do more than chat on ICQ.
Most days I don’t remember to check stats but sometimes I will before bed.
Lunch happens when I begin to starve and remember I am starved.
Dinner may or may not happen but I do take frequent walk breaks. Just getting up and stretching.
Usually there is some humor even a small amount in what I write however I find it lacking in the subject of scheduling. I really offer this for other new persons struggling with Webmaster ADD. Schedule yourself and hate it or don’t and hate yourself and lack of progress.

Peace all

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