Reader Question: How do you do it?

On a recent post about the ways I’m making money online, Jeflin asked me the following:

Wow, you have several ongoing projects daily. How do you allocate your time?

And do you have days when you just don’t feel like writing?

Time management is one of those things I do struggle with, and some days are worse than others. Sometimes I do get overwhelmed with, “Oh gah… where do I start?” but the bottom line is that I know it needs to get done if I want to get paid… so I just do it.

Just like any other job, if you don’t go in and do your work, you get fired. The bonus in my situation is that I truly LOVE what I do and I also have the freedom to pretty much work on whatever strikes me at the moment. If I’m more interested in writing about music than I am anything else on any given day, then I do a lot of work on the music blog. If I’d rather read and write about personal finance, I do that here. Is it a struggle sometimes to make sure there’s a balance? Yeah, sometimes. But I’m getting better at it.

There are hours or days I don’t want to write anything. In that situation I tend to focus more on design work for clients or myself. If I’m really just itching to get off my duff and go do something, I do it. Because I know that the computer will be there when I get back, and I know that for me, fortunately it’s not something I can be happy staying away from for too long. Maybe it’s the financial motivation (I have a list taped to my computer outlining what’s going to get me however much money each month) or maybe it’s the feeling of accomplishment that I crave. Maybe it’s a combination of those things and much more. Either way, it’s something that’s ingrained in me… I doubt it can be easily learned. If you’re the kind of person who HATES being locked up inside, then you need to get yourself a job that keeps you outside. (For what it’s worth, I can work from anywhere I can get an internet signal… so that helps too.) But if you’re really passionate about making money online, and doing it the right way (with time and effort), then you can definitely learn your own patterns and succeed. (For example, I get downright sleepy around 3pm every day. So I try to get up and off the computer then, and either go do something productive around the house or yes… take a nap.)

It all really boils down to one thing: money. I need it, I want it, and I am willing to put in the time and effort in ways I enjoy to get it. Find your “niche” and you’ll feel the same way, I promise!

Thanks for your questions, Jeflin!