Today I am taking a stand. I will not feel guilty when my fellow classmates like Mark Austin, Joe Trueman and Valerie Davies masterfully manipulate their blogs and increase their traffic. You see, somewhere along the line, I Think, we [the students] have lost site of ourselves. We are addicted to our new internet adventure. I am too! But at what price?

Gary Simpson, Garry Parkes and Dean Holland write about the endless hours they put into their business’. And there are many others slaving away. Do you know what? One of these people will win the $1000.00 prize. Alex Jeffreys is really a brilliant man. His prize money kept many people working and building traffic throughout the holidays.

DO NOT misunderstand me! These very same people would have been working just as hard as they are even without the prize money, but something else happened too. They pushed a lot of the A.J. community through the holiday season where it’s easy to slack off. They blogged all over. They teamed up when other commitments needed to be tended too. They led by example.

I find the complexity and simplicities of this business leaves me with a gaping hole in the front of my face as my mouth hangs there – WIDE open.  I have asked myself time and time again…How do they do it? Sometimes I even ask, Why do they do it?

I must be a little slow because I finally realized what they’ve done.

•  They manage their time.
•  They set priorities.
•  They journal everything.
•  They stay organized.

I’m sure many of them type a mile a minute. Don’t tell anyone, but I actually look at my fingers when I type.

So that’s it. No one is a slave to the internet unless they choose to be. Not one of those heavy hitters is a slave because they get great pleasure from their accomplishments. They accomplish quite a bit because they have a plan, with a schedule and their priorities are set.

My plan may as well be myNew Year’s resolution too! I must face the greatest challenge for me and that is being accountable. I have to actually face my planner head on!

I have been spoiled for so many years. I had no need for a full blown planner. Sure I used a calander to keep track of appointments and important dates to remember, but I haven’t had to block my time precisely. In order to succeed and not feel guilty, I have to write my daily schedule. I need to include things like, how long I can spend on emails, how long can I spend on research or adding something new to my blog. When will I exercise? (Yea, yea, it’s another thing that will be on the New Years list).

For the record: This is really the hardest thing for me. I will have to keep you posted on my progress.

I must write a plan and stick to my plan or I will forever be a SLAVE to the Internet.

I’ll work up my plan over the weekend and get back to you on Monday. Maybe, I’ll even show you what my day will be like. And [students] as far as losing sight of ourselves… Well that’s just me. I was the one who was lost in the NO Plan land.

Garry has done it again with the second edition of the newsletter.

 http://garryparkes.com/videos/get-positioned-for-the-1-million-prize/

Wish me luck,

Mrs Renee Olson