One of the most common questions I get from listeners is this: how do you find time to build an internet business when you already have a full-time job, a family, and a life? The honest answer is that it is not easy. I am a terrible time manager. Ask my wife. She will confirm it enthusiastically.
But I have been doing this part-time internet marketing thing since 2007, and I have figured out some things that actually work. Here are ten tips for making time for your online business when time is your scarcest resource.
1. Choose a Niche You Actually Care About
When it is midnight and you have to choose between sleep and working on your website, the topic had better be something that excites you. If your niche bores you, you will never voluntarily spend your limited free time on it. Choose something profitable and personally engaging. Both matter.
2. Have a Plan and Stick to It
One of the biggest time killers is sitting down at your computer with no idea what to work on. You spend 30 minutes deciding, then another 20 minutes getting distracted by something shiny. Have your three most important tasks identified before you sit down. When your work session starts, you execute. No decisions required.
3. Accomplish Something Every Single Day
This tip has saved my business more than any other. Do something tangible every day, even if it is tiny. Write one paragraph. Research one keyword. Respond to one email. The point is maintaining momentum. Once you let two days slip by without touching your business, the gap grows and the mental resistance to getting back multiplies.
4. Go on an Information Diet
If you are spending hours consuming courses, podcasts, and blog posts that have nothing to do with the specific next step in your business, you are on an information binge. Stop. If you need to write sales copy, only consume content about writing sales copy. Everything else gets ignored until that task is done. Just-in-time learning beats stockpiling knowledge every single time.
5. Find Someone Who Inspires You
When motivation is low, nothing gets you fired up faster than watching someone you respect crushing it. Find your version of that — a podcaster, a blogger, an entrepreneur who energizes you. When you need a boost, go consume their latest content. Let their example fuel your fire.
6. Convert Wasted Time into Work Time
You have more usable time than you think. Commuting? Listen to a targeted podcast. Waiting in line? Outline your next blog post on your phone. Sitting in a doctor's office? Research competitors in your niche. These five and ten minute windows add up to hours over a week.
7. Cut the Television
I love cop shows and spy dramas. But television is one of the biggest time sinks in most people's lives. Keep a log of your TV time for two weeks. The number will surprise you. Cut it by 20 percent and redirect that time to your business. That could be three or four extra hours per week, which is enormous when you are building on the side.
8. Use Technology to Eliminate Friction
Look for tools that speed up your workflow. Voice-to-text dictation if typing is slow. Templates for repetitive tasks. Automation tools for social media posting. Every minute you save on process is a minute you can spend on work that grows your business.
9. Avoid Overly Complex Systems
I have a weakness for believing the next productivity app will solve all my problems. It will not. Take the best principles from whatever system appeals to you — next actions, two-minute rules, weekly reviews — and build something simple that fits your life. Complex systems collapse under the weight of a busy schedule.
10. Start Outsourcing
This scares most people, but it has the biggest potential upside. If you are doing everything yourself, your business is limited to the hours you personally have available. Start small. Post a five-dollar task on Fiverr. Hire someone on Upwork for a specific project. You will spend a few dollars and learn what outsourcing feels like. Once you get comfortable with small tasks, you will start seeing opportunities everywhere to buy back your time.
The Bottom Line on Time Management
You do not need more hours. You need to be more intentional about the hours you have. Pick one tip from this list and implement it this week. Just one. That is how you build momentum, and momentum is everything when you are building an internet business one night at a time.




One of the things I love best about your podcast is the funny comments at the end…actually after the official end. Always makes me chuckle. I found you from Cliff Ravenscraft btw. Keep up the podcasts and great job!
@LourdesWelhaven I love Cliff’s show! I can tell you have good taste in content 😉
@LourdesWelhaven Thanks. I love Cliff Ravenscraft — he is really an awesome guy in so many ways (and has may qualities that I aspire to). Appreciate the comments (and I’ll keep the nuttiness coming just for you). 🙂
@masonworld @jasonvo @LourdesWelhaven Three awesome people talking great things about me? I’m honored. You all three rock! Thanks for the mention!
Mark,
Thanks for having me on the show. Always a pleasure. I’m glad the blanket legacy carries on!
@jasonvo Thanks Jason. It was a real pleasure. I have sure learned a ton from you over the years, and appreciate you teaching and friendship. You are always welcome on my show! Thanks again! Mark
We recently got ready of Directv and it has been so nice! I don’t feel tied to it anymore. We still have Netflix but to me I have so much more control about what I watch and when I watch it. Even with DVR I felt like I had to watch a certain show by a certain time. I have been able to get more work done since we cancelled it.
That new “Embed this tweet” feature from Twitter is pretty darn cool.
The unplugged version of the song is pretty cool, but I still like the original upbeat version.
I just popped over here from Mr. Flynn’s email today. I saw the title of this podcast and hope it’ll help me juggle (a) day job and (b) quality time w/ my wife in the evening (c) enough sleep (d) usual early wake up by 3 yr old twin boys–ca 5:45 and (e) a little exercise somewhere and then, finally, developing a blog that can be a business.
Good tips with video representation as well. With the approach to get ahead with the term, the sequence which makes a significant difference in the approach is what I believe is a proper time management. For a respective time management and approach, I have been using the cloud based hours tracking software from Replicon ( http://www.replicon.com/olp/hours-tracking-software.aspx ) which is hassle free and is featured with the user friendly and calendar based interface that makes it an intuitive tool to work with.