Do you work for yourself? Whether you advertise and market websites, products, services, or blogs for clients or if internet marketing is one of the many hats you wear working for yourself, time management is key. Your income levels depend on your ability to not only market a website, product, or service, but do so in a quick and effective matter.

One of the many time management mistakes new businesses make is jumping right into work. Yes, there are benefits to doing this, like getting a head start, but think long-term. Without first developing a plan, you may later find yourself fluster, unorganized, and behind schedule. 

So, how do you avoid this? By taking three easy steps. These three steps are highlighted below for your convenience. Once followed and properly implemented, they can improve your internet marketing skills and produce effective, profitable results.

     1. Think

Thinking, otherwise known as brainstorming, is vital to the success of a new business. Why?  Because you are still learning the trade. You may know that search engine optimization is a great organic way to market a website, but do you know about article directories and the use of bank links? If not, you are missing out on moneymaking opportunities.

For that reason, take the time to think and do a little bit of research. Brainstorm ways to market. Once you have a set of tasks in mind, start to plan your day.

     2. Plan

Many stop planning once they brainstorm. This is a costly mistake. Having a set of tasks in mind for the day is ideal, but it will not help if you have poor time management skills. To get started, create a to-do list or a detailed scheduled. This can be done by hand or with the use of a computer program, such as Microsoft Word or a spreadsheet.

Take the tasks you developed in your above mentioned brainstorming session and put them in order. You may want to start with easy to implement steps, such as posting on related messages boards with a link attached in your signature. You can then move onto more complicated forms of internet marketing, such as writing content that is optimized with keywords for the search engines.

If knowing the tasks you need to complete are not enough, create a detailed schedule. Give yourself specific blocks of time to complete each task. For example, do you belong to a work-at-home forum where you can advertise your eBook in your signature? Create a specific block of time to complete this task, such as 30 minutes from 10:30am until 11am.

     3. Execute

The final step of this 3-step plan is to execute. You might assume this to be the easiest step, but it isn’t. When executing an internet marketing plan or to-do list, many home based workers find themselves distracted. Whether it be reading the news online, continuously checking email, or instant messaging friends and family, distractions are common and easy to fall victim to.

When executing a plan, it is important to stay focused and on task. That is why a detailed schedule is recommended. On your schedule, set aside specific blocks of time for a specific task. If you must, set an alarm clock to warn you when your time is about to expire.

The easiest way to execute a plan without falling victim to distractions is to avoid them. For example, turn the television off in the background, shutoff your instant messaging program, and so forth. When your distractions are eliminated, you will find it easier to execute your daily tasks.

In conclusion, work for yourself is great and your income all depends on your success and your ability to manage your time. This is an amazing and rare opportunity. For that reason, implement the three above mentioned steps to ensure you make money from home, not lose it.