Mikael Rieck is the author of more than hundred articles on topics of how to make money both online and offline. He has been online since 1999 and has always had a passion for money making opportunities and teaching others how to make a profit.
What To Do When Time Is Limited
I am not going to use this post as an excuse for not writing any posts in the last two weeks but rather try to put my point across in the best way I can. I do however admit that I have been feeling a little guilty in those two weeks because I have had several things that I would have liked to share with you. 
Prioritize When You Have To
We all have 24 hours a day so when people say that they “don’t have time” they are actually saying that their priorities are in such a way that the “thing” they don’t have time to do is not as important to them as something else that they have committed themselves to.
There is nothing wrong with prioritizing and I actually feel that it is a vital part of both life and business. We all have a gazillion things that we could do and with only 24 hours a day we can’t do all that (obviously).
If you are running a blog (like me) that isn’t part of your overall business then you will have to make a choice when you have other top priority issues that you must spend time on. Will you neglect your business (not do the article marketing, linkbuilding, product reviews etc.)? Or will you write fewer posts on a blog that is not part of your overall business strategy?
For me the choice is clear and I choose business. It has nothing to do with not wanting to do both. It is merely a choice/priority. What I have seen is that some people will choose differently and take the “easy solution”, which in this case is writing blog posts (could also be to participate in forums or online chats).
Again this is not wrong if you accept that your business will not grow or even decline. If you take the option of doing something that has nothing to do with your business when time is limited and then afterwards complain about your business not growing as fast as you would want it to, you need to wake up and see the truth about why that is.
What About Having Fun?
But we can’t just do business all the time, can we? No we definitely can’t! We will need to have fun from time to time but we must also realize that to get great things (like financial freedom or personal growth) we will have to make other sacrifices. Nothing of value comes without giving a lot back.
There is a way that you can make sure that your business grows even if you are not spending time on it yourself and I talk more about that in my last post called: How To Get The Necessary Done Consistently
The post is about using money as your leverage by buying other people’s time. It has proven to be a huge success for me so far. My online business has never grown at this speed before. So if you have just a little free cash flow I strongly recommend you look into using other people’s time.
Conclusion
So what I am basically saying here is that when I am not posting it is not because I don’t want to but merely because I am prioritizing my business and I recommend that you do too. When you are financially independent you can spend your time on whatever you want but until then you must stay focused towards your ultimate goal.
To Your Success,
Mikael
18 Responses so far
shae from Internet Make Money Online
October 7th, 2009
4:10 am
I do not think that anyone blames you for not posting when you have other stuff going on. Your business is certainly much more important than an unrelated blog.
Time management is a very important skill to have. Knowing how much you can do in a certain amount of time will let you prioritize better.
Personally, when I have some extra time I try to write a couple posts to have just in case something comes up and I cannot do something else. I usually reserve this for the sites that I am really working hard on though, but you have to put more important things ahead of posting on a blog. Your most loyal readers probably already are using a RSS feed or should be, you are not really loosing as much as neglecting something more important could cause you to loose.
I hope that since you have posted, things are not so busy!
shae@Internet Make Money Online´s last blog ..5 Free Resources for Webmasters
Mikael
October 7th, 2009
6:00 am
Hi Shae, thank you for understanding and agreeing
Yes I did find some extra time since something else was canceled and I thought that the time should be used for a blog posts.
Mikael
Ion
October 7th, 2009
10:46 am
Hi Mikael,
Nice to have you back on your blog
I liked when you said about someone who says that he doesn’t have enough time and that means that he simply is not prioritizing that thing. And what I think, most of time they prioritize things like “doing nothing”, spend time on thinking on what they have to do.
Ion
Mikael
October 8th, 2009
8:24 am
Hi Ion,
I think you are right that many people choose to “do nothing”. Now that is also a personal choice and if you choose to watch TV instead of working on yourself and your life, that is okay. But you are leaving out the right to complain about your life not turning out like you want it to.
Mikael
Olivia from Beauty Deals
October 10th, 2009
2:08 pm
Hey Mikael,
You are right that the priorities are different for everyone. You have your business first, that has made you away from your blog for two weeks. Whereas, there are people who do this as a full time profession, so they have there blog as a priority.
I also feel lack of time managing my sites. But I do them as a part time business, it sometimes get real hard to manage the things.
Anyways thanks for this thought provoking post.
Ricky from TV Wall Brackets
October 12th, 2009
10:54 am
I think the problem for many is there is just always so much to do, all the time nowadays! It’s hard to compartmentalise and prioritise when there’s so many distractions in life. But you’re right, the winners amongst us are those that manage to ignore the distractions, refuse to procrastinate and just get on with it!
Mikael
October 12th, 2009
11:10 am
Hi Ricky, welcome to the blog.
You have an interesting point. I honestly don’t know if there is any more to do today than there was 50 years ago. We still have 24 hours a day and we still have to fill them with something, right?
But it is true that we have more options today than ever before. I think it is more a “mental problem” rather than a “options” problem. We are the ones that tell ourselves what we “should” and “should not” do in the 24 hours we have.
Ravi from How to make quick money
October 13th, 2009
1:22 pm
Hey Mikael,
I always believed that doing one thing at a time can make the work more perfect and gives you best relief. You were away from your blog because of your mainstream job, like I do. Sometimes it happens.
But I always noticed a difference that when you get back after from a break, you are full of new energy and new thoughts that compensate the missing period.
Ravi@How to make quick money´s last blog ..5 Tips to Becoming a Better Leader
Mikael
October 13th, 2009
1:29 pm
Hi Ravi,
Well it wasn’t actually my JOB but rather my online business that kept me away. Which is actually a good thing because it means that I am getting more productive things done and that I will then reap the rewards in the form of dollars
Debbie Drummond from Seven Hills real estate
October 14th, 2009
6:26 pm
People always prefer to do multi-tasking, But i think that’s the big problem, because in that way they cannot give priority to single task. Like while working, they are using messengers or talking on the phones. I think that’s the big reason. I remember that famous quote “First thing First”. It’s important to prioritize your important things, then leave other things for later on. I agree with your thoughts that if one have financial independence, he can spend time on anything he wants. But before that hardworking & self organizing is must.
Mikael
October 14th, 2009
7:57 pm
Hi Debbie. I’m glad that you see things the same way and it is very true that people (including me at times) try to do several things simultaneously. And the results are NEVER optimal. When will we learn?
Charles from Las Vegas Real Estate
October 19th, 2009
7:59 pm
If you are very busy most of the time, the only way you’ll ever get anything accomplished is if you prioiritize your work schedule. One of the time management courses I took gave some great advice about this. When you are planning out your tasks and you think you won’t have enough time for the bigger ones, look to find things you can do to help eliminate the bigger task. Accomplish small quick things and the task won’t seem to be an insurmountable as before.
Charles@Las Vegas Real Estate´s last blog ..Time Running Out for the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit
Mikael
October 19th, 2009
8:16 pm
Hi Charles,
I hear what you’re saying but I am not sure I fully agree. First of all I think that you can very well be busy and still get a lot of things done. But I will also agree with you that a plan will definitely help you accomplish a lot more.
As for doing the smaller things or the larger things first/last I think that is a matter of what might work best for the individual. I think that a lot of people would benefit from doing the bigger tasks first and the smaller tasks last and not the other way around. But I am also a firm believer of testing what works for the individual and then going for the best of the two.
Mikael
Charles from Las Vegas Real Estate
October 19th, 2009
9:36 pm
You can be busy and get things done, very true. I agree that what works for one person may not work for someone else. Just like not everyone can handle working out of their house. Some people need to go to an office to get things done.
So I guess the moral of this story is to try a few approaches and pick the one that works best for you.
Charles@Las Vegas Real Estate´s last blog ..Time Running Out for the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit
Mikael
October 19th, 2009
9:45 pm
Very true. I have to admit that I’m one of those that get more done when in an office
ko from San Jose Homes
November 10th, 2009
3:44 am
Hi Mikael,
I teach community college in central Cal, and I can’t agree with you more. Prior to teaching at the college level, I was a high school teacher, vice principal, and principal. When it comes to prioritization, you are right on the money. “WE ALL HAVE 24 HOURS A DAY!” As an instructor, I have heard every excuse under the sun…….. but it still comes down to prioritization. I tell my tardy students (when they start in with the excuses about why they were so late to class)… “well, if I were giving out $1000 dollar bills to everyone on time today, you would have been here wouldn’t you?” …… they sulk and walk away. As you’ve stated, its a “prioritization issue.” Finally…. someone “gets it!”
ko@san jose ca homes for sale´s last blog ..San Jose California Home Forclosures
Mikael
November 10th, 2009
5:41 am
Hi Ko, nice work with the students
BTW, I’ve toned down your use of keywords in your name. 6 words is too much.
Regards,
Mikael
Rachel
January 21st, 2010
12:00 pm
I feel we should always write down our priorities and ultimate goal on a paper and we should focus on priorities that are most important to us. We can refer to it everyday to motivate ourselves to achieve our goals.
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