Often it seems that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get your work done. You are rushed off your feet all day and still you need stay on to complete your day’s work, or else you have to take it home with you. The workload leaves you exhausted and the pressure causes stress.

Fortunately there is a way to alleviate the problem – time management. If you can organize your day and make a schedule that you stick to, you will find that you can do more and go home in a much more relaxed state of mind. Here’s how.

Study your typical day

It may sound dull, but before you can create a time management plan you need to know what you do during the day. You need to keep a diary of all you do during the day and when you do it. Include time spent working on specific tasks, time responding to calls and emails, time at meetings and times when you are having a casual chat. In other words make a complete, accurate record of your day. If you do this for a week or so you will have a very clear picture of how you spend your time.

Create a daily plan

Your typical workday will usually have a number of routine tasks. Allocate a time to them and stick to it. You can create a list and tick tasks off as you complete them. This will make you feel good and save you time worrying about if you have forgotten something. You may even be able to spot areas where you can save more time.

Deadlines

Approaching deadlines can cause panic and stress. If you use a diary, electronic or otherwise, to keep yourself alert to deadlines, you will be able to focus on the most urgent tasks first. A color-coded calendar is a simple yet effective reminder.

Plan your projects

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” How true that statement is. How many times have you written a letter or a report only to throw it in the bin because you didn’t plan it properly? Formulating a plan for even the simplest of tasks will save you time in the long run. And, having a plan will help you avoid those times when you are stuck not knowing how to proceed.

Streamline your communications

It’s quite common for people to get caught up in modern technology and use it because it’s there. You send an email to a colleague in the office down the corridor or to a client and then wait for the reply. All this wastes time. Of course, you might get on with something else while you are waiting, but the task in hand is delayed. Sometimes it is quicker and more efficient just to pick up the telephone or to go along and chat to your colleague. If necessary you can prepare a record for everyone involved later.

Don’t waste time at meetings

Meetings can be great time wasters. People are late, agendas are not clear or don’t get to the people who need them and time is spent on gossip. Participants at meetings must be prepared and focussed, so that meetings are effective and take up the minimum of time.

Good time management will help you to become more productive without the stress. It’s well worth the effort.

This post was written by Steve who has become an expert at time management solutions for large and small businesses. Steve recommends companies such as Randstad who recruit for positions such as receptionist jobs and office vacancies. This site not only posts thousands of jobs but also contains lots of helpful information on the site for both candidates and companies looking for agencies.

When it comes to making money online I like to always stress that there are a million different ways to do it. Whether you are focused on creating web sites, building out a blog, focusing on ad campaigns or media… there is so much to choose from.

One of the fastest growing markets to make money in right now is the mobile market.

Just think about how much mobile had changed in the past few years. It seems like everyone has a smart phone now and the numbers are just increasing more and more each day.

Here are some mind blowing stats you get you going.

• 1.82 billion smartphones are expected worldwide in 2013.
• Every day, more Android phones are activated than babies are born.
• More than 1.5 million apps are available in the Apple and Google stores.
• On average, each smartphone user runs 41 apps.
• More than 60% of the apps in the Apple App store have never been downloaded even once.
• On average people check their phones 150 times per day, which comes out to once every 6.5 minutes.

Now that your head is spinning from some of these figures, it’s time to figure out how you can make money off the mobile world.

Much like the world of online marketing and search advertising, you can place ads on mobile devices through the use of mobile apps and mobile sites. The concept is the same, but the opportunity is massive, as there are still so many people sitting on the sidelines when it comes to mobile marketing.

To help you get started and learn the process, there is a great video course out there that is currently 100% free to watch.

There are over 60 videos in the free course and many of them are short and quick to the point, so you won’t be wasting your time.

The course is run through Udemy.com and is completely free to join and you can watch the course right from your computer, ipad or iphone.

Below you will see a screenshot of the actual video lesson in progress. You can also leave questions and take notes on the right side of the browser as you are watching the videos.

The videos are broken down into the following sections and chapters:

1. Mcmoby 360 Degree Electronic Marketing
2. Introduction to Mobile Marketing
3. Mobile CPA Explained
4. AIrpush
5. Tapit
6. JumpTap
7. Mobile List Building Explained
8. How to Research a Niche For Both Desktop and Mobile
9. How to Promote Your Own Products With Mobile
10. How to Build Your List For Next To Nothing Using Mobile
11. What is SPAM Email?
12. Traditional Email Marketing Explained with Solo Ads
13. List Building With Ad Swaps
14. Mobile SMS List Building
15. MCMoby Marketing Platform Tutorials

All in all, it’s a great course and completely free to access, but only for a limited time.

I talked with Mike Collins, who created the course, and he is only allowing a few hundred more people to sign up for the course for free before they launch on premium paid access.

This is a great course for anyone who is looking to get into mobile, while learning the basics all the way through creating ad campaigns and getting them live on mobile devices around the world.

Be sure to check it out while it’s still free!

Do want to turn your passion into cash?

If you answered YES to that question, then read every sentence in this post. I think it’s high time you begin to make money online, irrespective of the diverse changes the internet is undergoing right now.

Many people who are broke today are so talented, skilled or have a burning desire to achieve a specific feat. It’s only when you pursue your passion that you can discover the purpose by which you were created for in this world.

Have you read stories of self-made millionaires who amassed tremendous wealth by accident? Hmm, I’m yet to find any. You’ll agree with me that getting ahead is not by accident, neither is it by sheer luck.

I know few people that were lucky though, but don’t forget that hard work oftentimes, is what brings you good luck. But that’s not the purpose of writing this post. I want to help you turn your passion into cash in 5 simple steps…

Are you ready to make it work?

1.     Identify a sellable passion

What are you passionate about? The first step in the mix is to identify what you love the most. Do you love dancing, writing, designing, or being creative? You must also enjoy doing the task with every ounce of your being.

But, the passion must be sellable as well. In fact, if your passion is “picking friends up for a party,” I don’t think you’ve a target audience. Do you?

No one should choose a passion for you. But you need to bear in mind that the internet is the ultimate portal to sell your passion. Do people search for what you’re passionate about?

In 2007, I discovered that I had passion for writing. It also happened that thousands of website owners are desperately looking for article writers to help them out.

That was my passion. And as I began to take writing jobs, my love for blog post writing grew even more. Is your passion sellable? See how you can turn passion to cash at no cost.

2.     Set a long-term goal

Making plans for the future is what truly matters. You’ve got to understand that building up your passion and eventually profiting with it, is going to take time.

It’s never a hit-and-run affair. Business owners are decision makers.

Even if you’re struggling to turn your passion into cash, don’t give up too soon. You could still make headway if you stay glued to what motivated you in the first place.

As a passionate writer, there were times in my life when I felt like getting a 9-5 job. (Because I had no clients to pay for my services).

It’s bound to happen when you’re in pursuit of your purpose in life, which usually comes when you embrace your passion. Write a goal of where you’d like to be in the next 3 – 5 years.

Don’t be myopic and conclude that nothing ever works for you. You can make a difference if only you can visualize what the future holds for you, and your business.

Passion needs to mature before it can yield profits. While you’re waiting, nourish your passion by practicing, networking and tracking your success so far.

3.     Start a simple niche blog

The best advice I can give you today is to start a simple niche blog. Oftentimes, people who have identified what they’re good at make the mistake of starting a generic blog. They failed to narrow their niche to suit a special group of prospects.

What do I mean by that? If you look around, you’ll find thousands of blogs with the same type of content. Everyone and their dog are writing about ‘blogging tips, list building, email marketing, make money online’ and the likes.

Don’t make that mistake. You’re unique – and to be able to stand out from the crowd, you need to do spectacular work!

If you’re a graphic designer and want to turn that passion into cash, then start a blog that discusses “logo designs, branding, graphic designs etc.”

Also, write articles on how online entrepreneurs can grow a sustainable business with the help of custom logos, unique headers and professional blog designs.

Register a domain name and get a paid hosting plan. Don’t use free hosting services. Think long term…see next line…

4.     Build up your expertise

Having a simple niche blog is vital. But don’t stop there…

Take it a step further by proving your expertise. Write valuable articles, create videos, record podcasts and interview experts in your niche. Spend quality time optimizing your content, so that Google can send you free organic traffic.

Potential customers who need your services aren’t looking for beginners. Be the go-to expert in your niche.

Give a lot of helpful tips that prospects and blog readers can put to work immediately. The objective of starting a niche blog is to build a ‘tribe.’

You don’t need everyone on your niche blog. You only need the right people who are willing to buy your product, promote your business and support your purpose.

How long does it take to become an expert? Trust me; it could happen in 2 months or less (if you deliver top notch value) to your target audience.

Ideally, write step by step content for beginners in your niche. You’ll gradually earn the trust of your audience. So how do you make the real cash with your passion?

5.     Create and sell a product

It’s easier to make money with your passion when you know the problems of your ideal customers?

Are they looking for e-books to help them learn better? Or do you think they need more automation? Then software would work better.

Fortunately, you can easily research your competitors and spy on them. Find out the type of product they sell most?

If membership sites please your target audience, then make plans to do exactly that. Don’t reinvent the wheel, especially when you’re just starting out.

Better yet, start promoting affiliate products in your niche. Research hot and helpful affiliate offers that pay out decent commission and recommend them to your audience (readers).

Becoming an affiliate marketer is free and you could be making $500 – $2,000 per month from your niche blog, if you work hard. Learn affiliate marketing tactics today and quickly boost your earnings.

Take this home

There you have it, the 5 steps to turn your passion into cash. Don’t be distracted by the many get rich quick schemes out there.

There is no shortcut to wealth, both on and offline. You need to work hard and smart, and have a realistic long-term goal.

What are you passionate about and are you making money with it? Leave a comment below, and let’s talk about it. You’re awesome!

The two words that make shoppers stay up all night and businesses leap for joy… “Black Friday“. The non-holiday that comes once every year, yet still brings the biggest promotions and crazy stories year after year. Black Friday is no longer just for people who want to wake up at midnight for insane savings, thanks to many stores like KMart, Sears, Walmart and others who started their Black Friday promotions as early as 8 PM on Thanksgiving night, while others continued to open through out the night and early morning.

So who were the big winners from this years Black Friday and how did the big name companies fare against each other? SilverPop came out with a nice infographic that details all of the information and breaks down the top retailers among Twitter postings and check-ins.

The Winners…

Here are the top-10 retailers with the most check-ins during Black Friday 2012.

1. Target
2. Walmart
3. Best Buy
4. Macy’s
5. Apple Store
6. Sears
7. Kmart
8. Costco
9. Sam’s Club
10. Walgreens

Starbucks, McDonalds and Target were also at the top of their own list for “Top 10 Businesses with Most Check-Ins“. It’s no surprise to see Starbucks and McDonalds top the list, as everyone was anxious to get their coffee to keep their bodies and minds running through the crazy night and shopping madness!

The Losers…

There really are no losers when it comes to Black Friday, except of course if you are one of the shoppers who was pummeled while trying to get a huge flat screen TV for a few bucks!

However if there are any losers from a marketing stand point, it’s really anyone who hasn’t been taking advantage of the sheer power of Black Friday and the amount of business that is done. This year it was projected that over $60 billion was spent during Black Friday and another $1.5 billion during Cyber Monday. The question is… how much of this mega spending did you benefit from?

Jennine Rexon of Rextopia sent out a mailing to all of her affiliates on how she was able to generate over a million dollars in revenue in just a weeks time thanks to Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions!

Timing is everything. It is imperative that you note seasonal trends to ensure you are promoting the best converting campaigns.  Right now its holiday season.  Last Friday was Black Friday, Monday was Cyber Monday and this week, many sales are continuing.  Take advantage of holiday offers in Rextopia to maximize your earnings!

I run most of the offers in our network, on purpose.  Not to compete with you, but to ensure our offers work for a majority of affiliates and I can give you tips to help you succeed. Please use me as a resource so that you too can have $1 Million weeks.

Holidays and trends in the market place are no brainers for making money. You have a whole year to prepare, and you know there is a ton of money for you to get your hands on. If you missed out on the massive money to be made during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, don’t get down on yourself too much… there is still Christmas and New Years, which are the best times to promote shopping and new year’s resolutions related offers (non-smoking, weight loss).

Start Preparing for Next Year

The best time to prepare for the coming holidays and massive spending of next year is right now. You will never be able to compete with the big names and brands if you start your promotions and week or month before Black Friday and Cyber Monday when they arrive next year. Start planning your blogs, web sites and ad campaigns right now. See what promotions and ad campaigns are working right now, and how you can implement some of the same ideas to make sure you are ready next year.

It’s not just the fourth quarter of the year that brings in all of the money… also look into key holidays and events like Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, Halloween and Back to School shopping. There are many businesses and web sites that wait the whole year for these events to come around to generate all of the income and profits. Will you be ready for next year?

Don’t forget to check out one of my previous posts titled “Holiday Sales Trends and How to Profit from Them“, which goes into some great detail on the money being spent/made during some of these hot holidays and events!

There is a good chance that you already know about Flippa.com and the online marketplace they have for buying and selling web sites. What you might not know is some of the mind blowing numbers behind their web site and how it works. Better yet, lets throw in ten of the top tips for what makes some web sites sell for six or seven figures while other sites continue to only get a few bids and never successfully sell.

Let’s start off by posting some of the crazy numbers behind Flippa and the thousands of users who are active on their site.

• 1,553 Listings Open Now
• 7,325 Bids Last 7 Days
• $544,561 Sales Last 7 Days
• 50% Websites Sold Last 3 Months
• $86,659,268 Sales Overall

As you can see, Flippa has grown into quite the mega company over the past few years… especially as they quickly approach that $100 million in sales target!

So what are the top tips to successful sales on Flippa? Some of these might be obvious, yet people who list their sites on Flippa still don’t take the time to make sure their auction listings are perfect or even take the time to wait for their web site or blog to age and be ready to be sold. Follow these steps and you will see much better results with your Flippa listings.

1. Make Sure Your Website is Making Money
2. Make Sure You Have Google Analytics Data
3. Work on Your Trust Rating
4. List Everything That’s Included in the Sale
5. Provide a Video Walk Through
6. Set a Reasonable BIN Price
7. Don’t Hype Your Description
8. Answer to Every Comment
9. Have a Plausible Reason for Selling
10. Invite Qualified Buyers

Enough of all this fun text already!… check out the killer Flippa Sales Secrets infographic below and be sure to share it with your friends!

Special thanks to Infographic Design Team for creating the infographic for the site. It would be greatly appreciated if you took the time to share this post and infographic with your friends and social networks.

Embed this infographic on your site:

<a href=”http://zacjohnson.com/the-mind-blowing-numbers-behind-flippa/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://zacjohnson.com/blog-images/flippa-infographic.jpg” alt=”Flippa Sales Secrets” width=”750″ border=”0″ /></a><div>Flippa Sales Secrets by <a href=”http://www.zacjohnson.com” target=”_blank”>Zac Johnson</a>