On the TO DO list today...Focus!

This is to all the TE owners out there who look back on the day and ask "Where has my day gone?"

I went out side to water the garden. As I turn on the hose I look over at my car and decide that it needs a wash.

I decided to wash my car. As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the hall table. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the trashcan under the table, and notice that the trashcan is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the trash first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go to my desk where I find the bottle of coke that I had been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I set the coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, we will be looking for the remote, but nobody will remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm bottle of coke sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

(author unknown)

I don't know about you but I'm not that old and still get distracted easily. This can easily happen to us online also. Count how many tabs you have open right now! I have proven my point.

Sometimes it is soooo hard to focus on one thing to completion that I recommend some sort of note taking and check list. Our attention goes to so many things and areas not just online but offline too. The issue is not just to FOCUS but to PRIORITIZE your day.

For me I make sure my promos are all set for my traffic exchanges, Rewards4surfing and MoneymakersXchange....the day before. That the emails are all written. That it is in the Promo calendar. Then everything should fall in line around this. Then there is Facebook and Skype. Great for communication but also great for distractions. I have an A4 note book that I use for my notes and each page is one day. It has the sites I want to surf also for that day too.

I would love to hear from you all how you spend your days online and how you organize yourself. Let's get ORGANIZED so we all don't end up like we are having a wasted day like the above scenario!

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Is Spam Effective Advertising?

If you own a computer and have an internet connection it is likely that you have been spammed! 

Wikipedia.org states:

the term spam is derived from the 1970 Spam sketch of the BBC television comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus. The sketch is set in a cafe where nearly every item on the menu includes Spam canned luncheon meat. As the waiter recites the Spam-filled menu, a chorus of Viking patrons drowns out all conversations with a song repeating "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam... lovely Spam! wonderful Spam!", hence "Spamming" the dialogue.

The Free Dictionary.com explains spam as:

unsolicited e-mail, often of a commercial nature, sent indiscriminately to multiple mailing lists, individuals, or newsgroups; junk e-mail.

In other words, any email or message that you receive that you didn't opt-in to or ask for! In the offline world this would be like commercials being shown during your favourite television show, or "junk mail" in the letter box!  Some examples are, unwanted comments posted to a blog, forum or profile (for example, Facebook) which are not in context to the topic. The most common form of spam is unwanted email advertising, sometimes called "junk email". Some spam is also less obvious and tries to mimic other well known sites and this is called phishing. The object of phishing is to try to get personal information which can lead to fraud. There are also emails claiming to be from you. This is effective at getting your attention!

Spam is an annoyance in our work places and leads to wasted time. It is with mixed blessings that as "spammers" get more clever so do the email filters for email providers. However, this can lead to "false positives" and some providers are too harsh and you don't end up receiving or can't open legitimate emails. 

Commercial email operations are very cheap and cost-effective to the sender. Also, people actually must click on these junk emails for there to be any benefit for the sender. These emails are generally not personalised, sent in bulk and from people you don't know. So why do people click on these? Maybe they have won a lotto, need prescription medication, have an inheritance, want to spend money at an online casino, or someone wants to provide some kinky photos for all to see (wink). Yes, unfortunately people do buy products from these emails and the cycle continues. People new to computers and email sometimes can be naive to these tricks of advertising.

What do you/ should you do? For a start get a good anti-virus as some of these emails can contain unwanted programs that wreak havoc with your computer! Organise your email account so only your wanted emails go into your inbox. All the rest will be put in the "junk" folder. It is still a good idea to browse  your "junk" folder periodically as any new email address will be filtered here until you tell it otherwise. Finally, to answer the question YES spam is effective if people respond to the emails. IGNORE ALL SPAM! It is your clicks they are after. This means their advertising campaigns are successful. Your clicks and even the opening of an email CAN be tracked! 

Finding the time: Managing offline versus online time

If time flies away where does it go to?- Kris Rogers

I am not very good at time management. I missed that lecture at University and failed to read the handout they gave but boy I wish I took notice now. I would guess the information would be about prioritizing your tasks, whether they be daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, if there is such a thing.

My offline time is usually family oriented as I don't have an offline job. I can't sit down for long periods of time because of back issues. So during an ordinary day I combine work around the house with my surfing. I hardly ever sit/stand still for very long. But when I am up and about I generally carry my Ipad tablet with me. Lately, my son has been playing table tennis most nights of the week so I surf and watch him at the same time. Even if I go to an appointment I can surf. Who wants to read tabloid news in the waiting room magazines anyway?

I have a daily "To Do" list which I set up on Google Calendar to keep me focused. I use Traffic Browser when I know I will be at my computer for an extended period of time. Distractions such as Skype, email, Facebook and Twitter sometimes eat into my time but I then focus on my to do list. When I know I am going well with my time, I write a daily blog post to "The Strays" Click Track Profit team that I belong to.
We are currently recruiting so please apply to join us. Most of my priorities revolve around this team and I'm having so much fun making friends with people from all over the world.

A typical day for me would be from midnight EST (my 1:30pm) start the Daily Challenge until my bedtime with the other sites in my to do list surfed also. I usually start the larger tasks ASAP, with the smaller tasks I surf also. For example Sweeva is a small task I complete and surf 10 sites there a day. I have a small lunch break at 1:30pm and get stuck into the challenge and read emails. I may watch a T.V program while I surf. Then the kids come home from school or I pick them up. While I'm waiting for them in the car I use my phone to surf ;) May be only a few pages but I hate wasting time. When the kids are home I can't surf as much because I talk to my kids about their day or I'm just doing a few household chores. I'm teaching the kids to help out a lot more. I'm constantly switching between the computer and house hold tasks. It's a socially quiet part of the day online. So if I have some online project to do I start this also.

Around dinner time I take more offline breaks than online as its mayhem time, or I'm getting ready to go out, but I am generally checking emails, Skype or Facebook. I also check I'm on track in the Promoters contests I have entered for the week and adjust credits as required. While I'm eating dinner I watch some more T.V online and surf on my tablet. Most of my surfing is done in my evening either while watching table tennis or at home when the kids are off to bed. So I get quiet time in the last few hours of the day before bed about midnight or a bit after if my to do list looks neglected. My online friends are usually online at this time so it can be hectic socially. I usually have my tablet with me in bed and surf til the very end....

I'm not a morning person. I'm a sleep in person who requires about 9 hours sleep to keep away the afternoon headache the following day. I get really tired and cranky by mid afternoon if I don't get sleep. Just ask my family! This can lead to me feeling physically ill by late evening. So depending on my bedtime the night before I'm usually up and about about 9am-11am. My kids are old enough to get themselves ready and walk to school which is close by. I check my emails and continue with the days tasks which is usually finishing the Daily Challenge if I feel I can/will do this. Otherwise, if I know I have shopping or an appointment I cut my losses and stay at Tier 4 to finish what I can and do the Strays blog post hopefully before reset at CTP. If I have spare time I do more household/ offline tasks and open a few vaults at CTP.

Time management is more about organizing your online activities,  its not just about the surfing part, to be more efficient. Just like Traffic Browser is a good way to surf, TECommandPost is good for organisation. You can find all those credits/ banners/ commissions in one place. This benefits my promoters contests and promotions I want to do. Being online is something I enjoy. However, remember there are also enjoyable things to do offline as well with family and friends. Enjoy life!

Speaking of special promotions has anyone noticed the new tab above on the header of this blog? Has anyone seen this splash page? http://kreate.me/Jo5 Hmm. Something is a buzz?

Until next time
Kris Rogers

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