eBay Business Time Management Tip

People often ask me how I get so much done every day. Part of it is developing good work habits, balancing work and personal life, and time management. Although you can’t really manage time (we all only have 24 hours a day), you can make your time more productive. One way I do this is converting idle time to learning time.

If you’re short on time, it can seem impossible to add anything else to your packed schedule – even positive and needed things such as reading helpful books or attending a seminar about time management. But it is possible to make it work – you just need to think creatively.

Take advantage of time that would normally be wasted, such as time that you spend commuting or driving around on errands. If you normally listen to music, you could use this time to listen to audiobooks instead. Or, download a time management book to your iPod – you can buy equipment inexpensively that will play the book through your car speakers.

Even if you aren’t able to focus completely on the book while you’re driving, just having it on in the background will let the information soak in. Listening to those positive influences will help motivate and inspire you.

By integrating inspirational resources into your everyday life, you’ll begin to make the principles and techniques involved second nature. Even though you’ll be listening to these resources in bits and pieces, you’ll also be listening to them multiple times (about 5 times per book is recommended). This will make more of an impact than a single seminar.

Don’t stop with your commute – think about the rest of your daily schedule. There may be other times that you can listen to audio books, such as when you’re working out or cooking dinner. With a little creativity, you can fit informational and time saving books into your daily life – no matter how busy you are.

I have recently started using Audible to download audiobooks to my computer, iPod, and Kindle. I listen to audiobooks sometimes when I am listing, shipping, walking at the park, or at night instead of reading.

Some I have listened to recently:

The Facebook Effect (Free download!)

The Walmart Way – The Inside Story of Success – Don Soderquist

Success and Leadership – Zig Ziglar

Awake the Giant Within – Tony Robbins

Click here to check out Audible’s special offer and start using drive time and idle time as learning time! A few minutes here and there really adds up. For example, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, adds up to 130 hours a year. Why not use that time to listen and learn?

Related articles:

#1 Excuse for Failed Businesses – I Don’t Have Enough Time

How to Work More Efficiently when Selling on eBay

Become a Self-Builder

#1 Excuse for a Failed Business - I Don't Have Enough Time

I am going to give it to you straight here - no sugar coating. So if you aren't up for a reality check , stop reading now. This is going to be harsh - sort of like Lou Gossett, Jr as the drill sergeant in "An Officer and a Gentleman."

I have coached hundreds of clients on how to succeed with online selling, creating passive income streams, and starting a home business. The #1 excuse I hear regarding why clients don't do assignments, and therefore don't succeed:

"I don't have enough time."

This is a classic (lame) excuse and usually comes from the people with the most time to spare. We all have the exact same amount of time in every day, 24 hours. A perceived lack of time is usually lack of something else - discipline, focus, prioritizing, passion, or decision making. When I hear, "I don't have enough time," what that person is saying is, "I don't want this badly enough." The cold hard truth here is:

You will make time for what is important to you.

What do you really want? To make more money? To quit your "regular" job and earn a living on eBay full time? To earn enough money for a down payment on a house? To retire early? Financial freedom? The way you spend your time is how you show value for the important things in your life. Fact:

If you don't spend time on something, you do not value it.

Now, I am not saying you should be glued to your computer 12 hours a day and neglect your family, yourself, or your life. Building a successful business is about making choices. Being an entrepreneur involves many unpaid hours before you start to see results. Are you letting the drama of life get in the way of your focus? Are you spending time on things that will help you reach your goal, or are you frittering time away on activities that are unrelated to reaching your goals? Consider this:

You are where you are today because of choices you have made in your life.

Every choice you have made up to today has shaped your current situation in life. For example, when you are working on your eBay business, and a neighbor comes to the door, do you tell them you are working and can't chat? Do you turn off your phone while you are working, or do you allow the phone to interrupt you? Do your evenings revolve around mindless TV - something that will never help your business grow? Do you jump at any invitation to socialize knowing that your work won't get done?

It is time to stop living in the land of excuses. If you want something badly enough, you will work towards it. You will make time for what is important to you. We all have the same amount of time in a day, what you do with it is your decision.

"Desire is the starting point of all achievement - not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything." ~ Napoleon Hill, author of "Think and Grow Rich."

That's my story, and I am stickin' to it.