I love to plan things. I like to make spreadsheets, outlines, mindmaps. I love research. I love knowing what I have to do to get something done. I like learning new things.
This is my biggest problem.
At some point, you have to take action. It's great to learn new stuff - but if you don't actually set up an auto-responder after researching it, what good is that?
Working on your own - or for yourself can be difficult. You have to find ways to motivate yourself and keep moving forward.
Some days I find myself paralyzed by all of the information that I have taken in. I've made plans for great things - only to never start them because they seem so big.
I've realized that sometimes you can have too much knowledge. At least for me, that's the case. Sometimes it paralyzes me. The things I know best, I learned by doing. I set up my first blog 2 years ago just by jumping in and doing it. I built my first niche site by just getting an idea and setting it up. I built a CafePress shop by just diving in. I came across CafePress - and had my first shop set up about 3 hours later, just because it seemed like a cool idea. I didn't spend a lot of time researching it - just did it.
That also means I've got a lot of projects that didn't pan out. Some flops, some successes.
I've been trying to find a balance between research and learning - and doing.
I know that I work best when I create a list of things to do. For some reason - lists drive me crazy. I can't stand a half-finished list. They motivate me to complete all the tasks on the list.
I've begun writing a list every night before bed. It's my to-do list for the next day. I put 10 things on the list that I would like to get accomplished. They can be writing an article for a certain niche to finding a new niche to begin. It might include 30 minutes of reading material in a forum on list building - or submitting some sites to 10 new directories.
By making a list everyday - I've broken up my large, long term goals into small, manageable daily tasks that will get me there. When I finish a daily list - I feel like I really accomplished something that day. If I do that everyday - it won't take me long to actually realize the grand goals I've set for myself.
Not only that - but by making the list, it lets me manage my time better, so Harper and I can go to the park because I know exactly how much time I'm going to need later to move forward that day.
Have you found yourself unsure of the next step? Make a to do list. Don't be unrealistic about the things you put on it. I try to put things on the list that will take about 30 minutes to accomplish. Obviously some will be bigger projects, and some will be quicker - but I use that as a general guide. Try it out. Do it for a week - you'll be amazed at how much you'll get done.
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What you say is so true. Sometime things gets so overwhelming that I don't know where to begin. I find that just jumping in can start things rolling. That, however, has its drawbacks...without planning, I often finding myself flying things by the seat of my pants. The results are usually never good.
A lot of self-help experts mentioned making a list, like you do. Alas, that is just another thing I have to do. I agree that making list does forces you to organize your thoughts and actions a bit better.