Are you fed up with running around in circles, jumping from one opportunity to the next, and at the end of the week, you haven’t got anything done?
You’re not the only one who is struggling with lack of focus. By far, one of the most common problems that beginner marketers face is a lack of focus. While it affects your progress adversely, you aren’t totally to blame.
The ‘make money online’ scene is awash with dodgy vendors, shoddy products that make bold, unsubstantiated claims and persuasive sales copy that’s capable of selling ice to an Eskimo. It’s easy to get distracted by the noise.
In fact, in order to ensure your chances of success, you must have laser-like focus.
You must learn to avoid the ‘shiny objects’ that other marketers will lay before you, and focus on building your business, not theirs.
What Happens When You Lack Focus?
When you lack focus, you’ll be swayed by any dubiously attractive offer that comes your way.
Like they say, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
Just like a lost buoy drifting on a choppy marketing sea, you’ll bob around drifting from one business model to the next… or in a worst-case scenario, from one scam to the next.
You Need To Get Out of The “Learning” Phase & Into The “Doing” Phase
It’s important to understand that the “learning phase” in the beginning is always hardest and you can’t see results right away, which is why you must break through the “learning phase” as soon as possible.
When you’re studying a new business model – understanding the concepts and getting a hang of the process will be an uphill battle. Once you get past this stage, it’s just a matter of iterating and streamlining the process until you see results.
However, if all you do is quit because of some new ‘distraction’ once you’re out (or still in) the learning stage in hopes to start a new business model – you’ll end up back at square one and will have to learn new things all over again. You’ll always be at the ‘hardest stage’ over and over.
Because of this, you’ll lose money and time again and again. You’ll start thinking that the whole ‘online marketing thing’ is a scam.
It’s not. You just lack focus.
FOCUS = Follow One Course Until Success
Below, you’ll find 12 tips to abide by. Practice them daily and you’ll not only increase your focus, but will also find success in your online marketing…
- Choose one business model only
The key to succeeding online will be to choose ONE proven business model and stick with it until you’re making a profit. A few solid, proven business models are:
- Affiliate marketing
- Niche sites
- Kindle publishing
- Dropshipping
- SaaS (Software as a Service)
- Online courses & digital products
- Freelancing
- Ecommerce
- Subscription-based services
So, what makes these business models proven?
Simple. Other marketers are making money with them.
These business models are NOT like the rubbish courses sold by disreputable vendors who mention quick profits with viral apps, push buttons, weird loopholes, etc.
You must choose one proven business model and stick with it. Ideally, the model you pick should align with your natural talents.
If you’re naturally artistic, you may be good at graphic design and could sell graphic templates on Etsy or be a freelance graphic designer.
If you’re a good writer, you could get into Kindle publishing, content marketing, niche sites and so on.
Good at coding and tech stuff?
Create software and sell it.
Do what works for you… and most importantly, choose only one business model and keep going until you succeed.
- Watch your inbox like a hawk
It’s easy to find yourself in a situation where your email inbox is getting battered daily by promotional emails.
You click on a few emails, get sucked into webinars that promise secrets no one else knows – and end up listening to some marketer’s fake rags-to-riches story.
And you end up buying a course that’s not related to what you’re doing.
This happens every single day. The best way to escape this trap is to unsubscribe from all the marketers promoting items not relevant to your business model.
For example, if you’re into affiliate marketing, you have no business getting emails from a 7-figure author who uncovered secret loopholes in Kindle publishing. Let him keep his secrets while you unsubscribe.
The key to success is to feed you focus… and that means starving all distractions. You do NOT need more training, courses, etc. You just need to work on your chosen model.
- YouTube is NOT your friend
Countless marketers lose thousands of hours to YouTube. They’re hooked on tutorials, reviews, motivational stuff and so on.
You only need YouTube if you’re stuck in some area in your business. Then you get on the platform and look for answers. Other than that, it’s best to avoid it as much as you can.
If you wish, you can set aside 2 hours a week to watch informational videos… if you think they might help you. But not more than that.
- Facebook groups once a week
Just like YouTube, Facebook groups can be a major distraction. Generally, the people in Facebook groups are often confused and constantly asking obvious and irrelevant questions.
Success comes from working in silence and solitude. Get away from the noise and the masses. Focus on your craft.
If a product you buy comes with a community (Facebook group), you only need to use it if you have any problems/questions you’d like help with.
At most, spend 20 minutes a week in the group just checking things out… but don’t make it a daily habit. Time is money, and you don’t want to fritter it away on social media.
- Learn by DOING!
This mistake has tripped up so many newbies that it’s probably the biggest dream killer of the lot.
Have you ever wondered why only a fraction of people who get into online marketing succeed while the masses fail?
The answer is simple – the fraction of people takes massive action.
When you purchase a training/course, you do NOT need to watch it in its entirety to take action. What you’ll need to do is watch a bit… then go act on what you were just taught.
You will learn more from doing than watching training videos, reading articles and so on. Real-world experience is the best teacher.
All too often, newbies want to keep learning and learning and taking notes… and learning. After a couple of months of learning, they still feel they don’t know enough to do, and many have forgotten what they learned in the first month.
They have no results other than a pile of notes with scribblings, most of which they can’t remember writing. It’s a vicious cycle that deprives them of achieving the success they crave.
If you approach a course in a step-by-step (learn then act) manner, your ‘modular’ approach to the process will ensure that you’re progressing – and you’ll have something to show for your efforts.
For example, if you’re learning how to build niche sites and you just completed a module on discovering profitable niches, your job will be to find a few niches that you could profit in.
Your job is NOT to move on to the keyword research module (the next one) if you have not taken action on the earlier module yet. You don’t have a niche to do the keyword research. If you try to learn about keywords, you’ll probably forget about the requirements of spotting a profitable niche.
So, strike while the iron is hot… and it’s hottest when you just complete a module. Take this bite-sized action approach and you’ll build your business faster than you ever thought possible.
- Set a weekly goal
This is a straightforward tip. Set a weekly goal for your business. This will help you to focus and you’ll know if you’re on track.
If that means writing 3 blog posts a week, get it done.
Or maybe, your goal is to publish 2 videos to your YouTube channel. Excellent. Do it.
Having a weekly goal and meeting it will keep you focused and you’ll produce actual results.
- How much time do you have?
Trying to build a side hustle can be tiring and time-consuming. If you already have a day job with commitments, you’ll require a lot of self-discipline to spend an hour or two on your business when you get home.
Ideally, you should decide how much time you can afford to spend on your business daily. Consistency is of utmost importance. If all you can afford is an hour a day, that’s fine too – but give it your all during that hour, and do it daily.
Your efforts compounded over time will yield fantastic results. Forget the hype about working 3 hours a week or some other unrealistic claims about making money without work. It’s all hype – lots of foam but no beer.
You must work, and the truth is the more time you spend on your business (focused work), the faster it’ll grow. So do what you can… but set aside some time every single day to work on your business.
- Create a distraction-free workplace
When you’re working, you don’t want the TV or radio close to you. Leave your mobile phone in another room. Use a browser extension to block social media if you find yourself tempted to use it.
When you work, you work. That’s the basic rule of focus. One desk, one chair, one computer and maybe a glass of water, in case you get thirsty. That’s all you need to work. Keep it simple and free of distractions.
- Single-tasking ALL the time
Avoid multi-tasking. This is the surest way to get mediocre results. Focus on your most important work right at the beginning. This may be writing, analyzing your ads, doing research, etc.
Less important tasks such as clearing emails, gratitude journaling, etc. can wait. You’re running a business – and you need to focus on the income-generating activities first.
- Use productivity tools
Pomodoro timers, automation, software like Trello and Evernote are all useful for increasing your productivity and focus. The less mental energy expended on trivial decisions, the more energy you’ll have for work.
So, use these tools wisely, but don’t waste too much time on them. Planning is good… but action is the foundational key to your success.
- Declutter your desktop
A messy desktop can distract you. It doesn’t matter if it’s the desktop screen on your computer, or the desk you actually work on. Once again, less is more.
Only keep what you need and discard what you don’t. Keeping your computer clutter-free will help immensely. Move whatever you don’t need on to an external hard drive.
Once your computer is ‘clear’, only add back what you’ll immediately need for your business. All the other files you can sort out gradually as you go along. Now, your desktop will be neat and what’s right in front of you will be the relevant items you need to get the job done. There’s nothing to distract you.
- Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness in this context, is being aware of what you’re doing when working. Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I doing what’s important?
- Will these actions move the needle in my business?
- Is what I’m doing relevant to the business?
- Do I need to improve on any areas?
- Do I need to learn anything new to grow my business?
Similarly, when faced with a promotional email that sneaks by your filters, instead of being tempted easily and buying it, mindfulness will have you asking yourself, “Do I really need this product for my business or am I being distracted?”
Being mindful is akin to having a vigilant gatekeeper, protecting and directing the flow of your focus.
It’ll give your life purpose. Practice it daily.
Finally…
If you adhere to the 12 tips above, you’ll not only save yourself time, money, and disappointment – but your business will grow gradually and gain momentum. You’ll become a more knowledgeable marketer, and extremely proficient at what you’re doing.
Once your business skyrockets and you have a good understanding of how it all works, then you may focus on a new business model while maintaining the old one. You only add new income streams once you’ve gotten one to work.
That’s how you build a winning business online.
“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” – Alexander Graham Bell
To your success,
Stuart Stirling
