Posted by Ray White on August 9, 2010 Comments Off

Every time I see a “free download” link, I chuckle to myself, because I know it really isn’t free. I am going to click the link and be sent to an opt-in form. To get the free download, I have to fill out the form with my name and best email address. Cost in dollars, zero. Cost in time … well I guess I’ll find out after I get the free download and see how many new emails a day I get in my inbox for the trouble.

Once time is “spent,” it’s gone. You can’t get it back. You know the saying, “Time is money.” Time spent opening, sorting, and deleting email is time that could be spent on other things. Things that could make you money. Activities that you could be sharing with your family and friends. Or just plain old “me time” to watch a movie or take a well-deserved nap.

Let’s talk about free traffic exchange accounts. Free advertising is great. It is how most of us start out online. But after we join a few (hundred) exchanges, we get into a bit of a pickle. We find out that we can’t possibly surf all of our exchanges effectively. It’s too time consuming. So then we start picking and choosing, but that cuts down on our exposure. Less exposure could mean less income. Now what?

Just like you budget your money, you also need to budget your time. You want to use your time wisely. Think about how you want to spend your time. Personally, I love surfing traffic exchanges. I like discovering what people are doing with splash page design. But I have other things that I need to do. I have programs to run. I have blogs to write. I have new projects in the works. Then there are my personal obligations to family and friends. Oh yes, sleeping and eating are also on my daily to-do list.

I bet you are in a similar situation. Everyone needs to figure out how to schedule themselves. Here are my suggestions for quick and dirty time management.

• Figure out how much time you have to devote to your online business
• Break down the activities that you do to promote yourself (surfing traffic exchanges, writing to safelists, writing and distributing articles, blogging, forum posting, etc.)
• Don’t forget to figure in time spent on administrative stuff like email and Skype
• Then there’s the educational stuff like conferences and webinars
• Don’t forget time for networking. You never know where your next big opportunity might come from.

You will be shocked when you realize how much you really do for your business. Now comes the hard part. You need to take a hard look at what you do and decide if you are effectively using your time. Where can you cut the time costs of your business? Ask around for time-saving tips from more experienced people. And cut the “free fat”: Track your results and delete the free accounts that aren’t getting you sales or signups. That’s the kind of free that you can’t afford.