What to do next? Time management for starting an internet business

Q. How is starting an internet business similar to cooking?

A. Both pursuits are non-linear.

Tonight, pasta for dinner. You have to start the water boiling for the pasta first, even though cooking the pasta is done last.

Meantime, you’re busy chopping onions and garlic, then sauteing, then washing and chopping tomatoes, zucchini and peppers. Then you set the table and prepare a salad. And throughout the whole process? You’ve got one eye trained on the pot as the water finally begins to boil.

• An experienced cook learns which tasks to begin first, and which steps follow. A neophyte may wind up serving mushy pasta and burnt garlic toast.

Like making a good dinner, cooking up an online business requires multiple tasks that need tending to, often on top of each other. Scheduling which tasks should be done when can be confusing. And that can be stressful.

One way to reduce the stress is to think in terms of short-term, mid-term and long-term goals, or micro, meso, and macro.

Micro: Minutes and Hours

• How you spend the next 15 minutes may determine the rest of your day.

Micro refers to small increments.

Say today is Wednesday, and your aim is to complete two articles for your business web site by Friday. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Turn off your e-mail program if you’re tempted, and concentrate.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. If you procrastinate by checking your e-mail or answering a non-essential call, you may reduce your ability to complete the articles by Friday.

When you work for yourself, one of the obvious challenges is that nobody is breathing down your neck, forcing you to stay on track. You have to be self-regulating. Practice more effective habits. If you’re weak in the area of self-discipline (and many of us are), there are ways to improve.

Meso: Days and weeks

• Break down big goals into actionable steps.

Meso is a prefix meaning middle or intermediate.

Set realistic and attainable daily, weekly and bi-weekly goals. Structuring your days and weeks does more than simply help to build an effective organizational framework. Seeing measurable progress along the way is also good for morale.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Meso goals make it easy for you to see progress toward a long-term desired outcome.

Another benefit to setting and measuring mid-term goals is that you can analyze your course and adjust for the winds of change. If necessary, you can reset your micro goals in order to help reach your intermediate goals more elegantly or effectively.

Macro: Months and years

• Take in the Big Picture.

Macro means large in scope or extent.

This is the place for your mission statement. Like an expert archer aiming a bow and arrow toward a distant target, the macro view takes in the big picture. People who start an internet business often work for months (even years!) before they see a significant ROI. Results vary for everybody, but keep in mind that the work you put in at the beginning can take months to bear fruit.

For example, creating effective links takes time and must be done with care. Writing excellent articles that are original and informative takes time.

For that matter, anything worthwhile usually takes time, including a delectable pasta dish (and don’t forget the tiramisu!). If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well, like our parents used to say.