Have you ever heard the phrase, “drinking from a fire hose?” Well, that’s what it’s like when you are a new entrepreneur. It even goes for seasoned entrepreneurs.
So much information to take in everyday that sometimes we “roll our eyes back” and just sit there wondering where do “I go next?”
Today we are subject to information Overload.
Information Overload
Not only are you inundated with information and how-to’s, but you are also overwhelmed with everything you want to get done.
On top of that, you have to keep up with all of the latest tools and hot social media platforms. If you are not careful you will end up burnt out or simply drowning in the daily deluge of information.
As a home based business owner, it is even more frustrating since your alone in trying to figure all this out. By the way we have a solution for this, but more on this later.
As you move through your early stage of entrepreneurship, it’s incredibly important that you methodically approach what lies ahead and figure out how to set yourself up for success, without losing your mind.
Focus
As an entrepreneur you can reduce information overload by simply placing binders on and focus on what needs to be done.
If you are easily distracted by shiny objects, you have to implement some level of discipline. Likewise, if you endlessly obsess over organization you will need to relax a bit and be more fluid.
Being an entrepreneur demands you remain flexible yet diligent at the same time. By focusing on your daily routine you can greatly reduce information overload and get more done.
Your senses are assaulted on a daily basis. You are constantly receiving information, much of it useless. But, you continue to ask for more. You browse your phone nonstop and multitask at all times.
Each click of the mouse leads you down another path of information and adds to your never-ending collection of bookmarks. Each podcast gives you 54 more ideas to pursue. Each article you read results in 12 new domain registrations. You are an entrepreneur. It’s in your nature.
In the early stages, you are like a kid in a candy store. You can’t get enough of it.
But if you lack a strategic approach, all will be lost, fragmented, or simply overlooked. Again, you can become quickly overloaded and forget your objective. That is to grow your business.
Here are five ways you can handle the impending information storm.
1.) Have a collection tool — and your head doesn’t count.
Your mind can become so overloaded and confused that you will simply fall back into a lack of Focus.
You need to have a way to collect and organize all of the information you are receiving and generating. Sure you could use a traditional notebook and pen but you should look for a tool that you can access and utilize from any device at any time.
Personal: I interviewed a top Network Marketer and he uses a simple 5×7 spiral notebook that he carries with him everyday. All his notes goes in the notebook. Every night, every week every month he reviews his notes and either highlights the ones he wants to remember or crosses out those that won’t move him forward. To date he have over 20 such note books.
I personally like to use my “tablet.” My tablet is with me everyday so when the mind sees something or I hear something, it goes in the tablet. On the weekend, I go over all my notes and either erase
Information Tool
or move the note to my “Objective” tab. There it stays for action.
By doing this, I keep my focus and not let the “clutter” get in my way.
So each time you come across a remarkable resource, technical tidbit, email, idea or you spawn your next big idea, jot it down in your tool. That tool needs to serve as your central information repository and your best friend.
Documenting everything allows you to revisit and examine it at a later date and lowers your risk of costly data loss.
2.) Organize, you can’t Google everything.
As the information comes in, start to put it into logical buckets. Organize the structure of your tool to store content on related topics aligned to your business components.
Establish folders for Branding, Marketing and Accounting. Create a Tools folder to store all of the resources and tutorials you discover. Have a Content folder for all of your future blog posts. Itemize and categorize each idea you have regardless of where you are or what time of day it is.
Personal: Again, I have recently moved to the tablet as my tool. But before, I took my notebook and divided into: Marketing, Blog Ideas, Resources, Branding and Stuff. In each tab, was my quick notes related to the tab. Stuff was a collection of random thoughts or ideas. I am now setting up my tablet with the same tabs.
Make sure you not only create this organizational system but that you also embrace it and use it religiously for your daily informational needs. Otherwise, you will end up with a massive list of intermingled items which is unmanageable and unsustainable.
As I coach my team, I have seen many of them use “sticky” notes or scraps of paper to write on or a line pad. The problem was that many of the notes either got lost or mixed up and now instead of moving forward, they spend hours looking for that “note.”
If you set up your organizational structure from the beginning, analyzing and acting on the data later will be much more efficient and effective in growing your network marketing business.
Related: 10 Simple Productivity Tips for Organizing Your Work Life
3.) Filter the information you’re exposed to.
Not all of the information you receive is good information, and even some of the good information may not need to be retained.
You have to stay on top of your consumption and organization of data. You can not let it spin out of control to the point where it becomes a useless collection of items. For example, you probably have at least one friend or family member, maybe even you who has hundreds of unread messages in their inbox. That’s just crazy!
If you let the information pile up without organizing it and filtering out the junk, you are doomed to drown.
Discard all the junk today. Place the “important” ones in folders.
Personal: My email system is broken into “labels.” Just as my notebook and now my tablet, I have labels for the same thing. I then go one step further in my labels by adding “Personal, Business, Training, Important. Personal is what it says. All my personal emails goes in this folder. Business as it relates to my home based business goes here. Training from either my MLM Company, mentors or professionals are filed. My Important label is where I go daily to see what I should be acting on. The folder is constantly reviewed and marked with delete or action.
4.) Stay focused — you won’t rule the world right away.
As mentioned above, Focus is so important that for many without this discipline., loose track and become frustrated.
Keeping your focus is a tough one, especially for the budding entrepreneur. There will be information flying at you from all angles. From everywhere. Make sure you focus only on the information that directly benefits what you are working on right now.
If your day is designed to be Marketing…keep on marketing until your done. If you day is calling prospects….keep on calling until your done. If you day has been designed to create a blog or a Facebook ad….keep on with what your doing until it is completed. Stay away from you emails, phone, distractions, TV or any other things that will cause you to loose focus.
Take a break every two hours to handle those distractions. Then back to the task at hand.
If you have no immediate plans of starting a podcast, don’t start collecting articles related to podcasting. This seems straightforward and logical but you’d be surprised. Too many entrepreneurs start collecting information for projects they plan on implementing at an undefined time in the future.
The same for creating a Blog, Facebook Ad, Webinars. Complete only what you are currently working on then and only then do you go to the next task on your daily routine.
Focus on what you are working on in the near term and leave the future projects for future planning.
5.) Clean up after yourself!
When I say Clean up after yourself, I don’t mean what mom said about your room.
What I mean is, don’t let your information repository become a cluttered mess that continues to grow beyond your control. Periodically revisit your tool and clean up the contents.
Get rid of articles or notes that are no longer relevant. Delete the information you no longer need. Just as you spring clean your house, you should also spring clean your tools.
Personal: I have over 6 5×7 note books. As I look over the note books, most of the notes are not relevant any more. I even threw a way one book that was so old that the information was useless and only caused clutter. The advantage of the tablet is that I can “erase” notes or move them to other tabs. This is the reason I started using the tablet and in some cased my smartphone.
Old notes or non-relevant notes will only cause you grief. Get rid of them now and forget them. Start taking more relevant information…act on them and then discard.
Utilizing these five strategies for handling information overload will help you set up a robust collection system that positions your network marketing business or MLM for manageable and coherent growth moving forward.
Here’s to your success,
PS: Home based business owners use the power of tools o get their business growing. Thy also use the power of Attraction Marketing to attract new prospects without rejection. Attraction Marketing is the single most powerful tool you can use to build a great Network Marketing business. Click on the Banner below to get started with a 10-Day Bootcamp.
