So, let me guess…
When you first started off in this network marketing adventure you were thinking about how you were going to be able to work your business for 2 hours a day, and then go chill out on the beach for the rest of the day with your family right?
Isn’t that what you’re told after all – that you’ll have financial and time freedom like you couldn’t believe?
Well hopefully you’ve got some more financial freedom, but it’s very likely managing your time, while still having something that resembles a life, has proven to be a bit more difficult.
Here’s the thing about this whole concept of time freedom though… in case you’re feeling like you’re never going to be able to get to that point where you’re sipping cocktails on the beach while your bank account is filling up.
I know several people in network marketing besides myself who could actually have this happen. We’re talking about people who have tens of thousands of people in their downline creating wealth for them around the clock. But the funny part is… that even though they/we can do that…it doesn’t happen. The fact is that we all get caught up in the business so much, and end up enjoying it so much, that working on our business is part of the benefit of time freedom.
In other words, we ARE doing exactly what we WANT to do with our time which is building our business! It may sound a little bit weird, but let me back it up with this. Just read this first paragraph from Donald Trump’s best-selling book titled “Trump: The Art of the Deal”. Here’s what Mr. Trump has to say:
“I DON’T do it for the money. I’ve got enough, much more than I’ll ever need. I do it to do it. Deals are my art form. Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals. That’s how I get my kicks.”
Now I’m sure that when he was first starting out in Real Estate he was thinking about sitting in the sand at some of the greatest beaches in the world and letting his real estate earn him a fortune. But he doesn’t!
But don’t think that I’m being insensitive or passive about the fact that this is actually a burden for you. Because sure, there’s a huge difference between having to work your butt off and build a business just to get by and not take a loss – as compared to doing it because now it’s become a passion. I totally understand that.
In fact, it’s why I went to having my own home business in network marketing in the first place.
Before I ventured into network marketing I was actually living what many would consider the “glamorous life” … flying around in jets with rock stars, staying in great hotels, and getting to meet the most famous people in the world! But it wasn’t fun and games… it was WORK! They were enjoying their time while I was working my butt off to keep their estates afloat while they were often spending their money like drunken sailors.
So, I know what it’s like to feel like you’re spinning your wheels when you shouldn’t be. I also know what it’s like to be working extra hours on your home business, while inside your home, and wondering what the heck has gone wrong when you’re not even spending time with your family.
This can be tough to swallow at first but believe me if you’re in a situation where you’re actually working hard on your business, then you’re on the right track. You see it’s those people who never work their butts off, who don’t make it to the point where they could slack off a few days and still make money.
But There Are Some Key Things That You Must Do To Make This Time Bearable and Actually Much More Productive…
First you need to be grateful. Yes, I know this sounds weird but you need to be grateful for the fact that you ARE able to work from home. That the time and technology allow this to happen! You need to take note of the fact that there are many people who work 2 full time jobs… and when I say work I mean stuff like laying bricks, roofing in the hot, hot sun, washing dishes, digging trenches. So as bad as it seems to be stuck trying to figure out how to put a website up, or struggling to dial the last number of a prospect you’re afraid to call, it could be much, much worse.
Next, you need to organize yourself. A great deal of your time could very well be spent on “busy” work that’s actually wasting your productive time. So, make lists of your most important “money making” activities and do mostly those. Set aside a half hour to an hour a day to get the busy work done. Schedule it in, and it won’t infect your other allotted work time.
And last but for sure not least, take time to spend with your family and doing things that you enjoy with them. It’s very easy to get stuck in a working rut and then going to bed feeling bad that you didn’t even ask your spouse or your kids how their day was, or pet the dog – or whatever your family consists of.
If you make time to do these things, those nagging feelings of regret and feeling like you should be doing something else won’t be tugging at your heart strings while you’re trying to work on your business.