To get everyone up to speed, my project manager resume (PMR) is a micro niche business that I started as an experiment in passive income. In my desperation to get PMR to number 1 in Google I’ve realised through sheer frustration that I only have control over a few things at best and that I just can’t make it appear at number one no matter how much “I” want it.
I want to run
I think it’s about time to harness the true power of passive income by trying to move my focus from “start up” to “run” mode.
Activities like backlinking, writing posts and making small incremental improvements are the only things I can “do” that’s going to have any chance at improving the site and to get more sales. So I’ll refer to these activities as things I do to run the micro business.
By using some sneaky tricks, a “cloud computing” tool and stealing time I can effectively run PMR using only 1 hour of stolen time
Stealing Time
I work in a cubicle, so by default the bulk of day belongs to someone else. Despite this, I’ve discovered pockets of time I can steal. These are:
- Before work
- Coffee breaks
- Lunch
- Transit home
Before Work
I usually get into work 20 – 30 mins before I clock on. This time used to be reserved for reading the news. However now I constructively use this time to review what my competitors are up to. How? I’ve set up key words to watch in Google Alerts and have these delivered to my RSS feed which I review each morning. I then use this information to plan where and what I’ll post next.
Coffee break
Some people smoke, some walk out to coffee shop, some even drive. Instead I use this time to make notes on my smart phone using simplenote. Actually I steal time all throughout the day to jot down notes and write a few sentences when an idea springs to mind. In fact I’ve written this whole blog in simplenote. Simplenote syncs across all my devices and environments, which is mega important, you’ll see why in just a second.
Lunch
While eating lunch I try to use this time to brain storm, research or write articles. I can usually belt out an article in 30 mins.
The Transit home
Here is where the power of simplenote comes in. With this tool I can elaborate on the notes I’ve made during the day, write whole articles, or simply review what crazy ideas I’ve noted during the day, all on the way home.
By adding all this up I usually get an hour of usable time that I effectively stole from the cubicle.
So what’s chunk got to do with it?
I usually find it’s reasonable to dedicate an hour to PMR each night. I know some people struggle to find this time, but sometimes if you want to get something done you just have to find the time. I use this time to research places to promote my site, research places to submit articles and make small changes to the site based on analytics.
Before I started using a timer I used to sit down with the intention of spending an hour and end up spending 4hrs instead. Once I started using a timer a funny thing happened. I started racing the timer and getting more done in an hour than I ever thought possible.
I find I can get an incredible amount of stuff done in just 2 hours a day. Means you’re busy but I guess if you want to “GTD” that’s what you have to do.
Hey, it’s tough out there,
Cheers,
Justin.
