| I reckon most people waste at least three | | | | I will stop selling downloadable products on |
| minutes every hour, probably a great deal | | | | eBay and process them on CD instead. |
| more. Taking phone calls from sales reps. | | | | All-in-all, that will save at least three |
| selling something you just don't want, for | | | | hours a week, thirty six hours a year!Let me |
| example, creating all eBay listings from | | | | treat you to a few more ways to cut down on |
| scratch rather than using 'fill in the | | | | wasted time and help you spend more time |
| blanks' templates for repeat products, | | | | listing items to sell.TIME SAVING TIPS* Make |
| checking how many of those 100 emails in your | | | | a 'To Do' list at the start of each day. |
| box today are genuine and how many are spam | | | | Divide it into three lots: 'Urgent', |
| or scams, arguing with unreasonable buyers | | | | 'Important', 'Only if Time Allows'. Allot |
| whose sold aim is to ruin your day. And so | | | | each task to the appropriate section and mark |
| much more.Let's say you waste just three | | | | items 1, 2, 3 and so on, ranked most |
| minutes every hour and you work an eight hour | | | | important to least important. Start on |
| day, five day week. Let us see how all that | | | | 'Urgent' items and work your way through |
| wasted time adds up.Three minutes lost each | | | | these, in number sequence, from 1 to however |
| hour is 24 minutes per day, 120 minutes each | | | | many tasks time allow. Don't even consider |
| week. Two hours.Two hours each week is eight | | | | doing 'Important' and 'Only if Time Allows' |
| hours a month (actually more because this | | | | items until all 'Urgent' tasks are |
| figure is based on four weeks - 28 days - | | | | completed.* There is an allowed exception to |
| whereas most months include 30 or 31 | | | | doing all Urgent tasks before commencing less |
| days).Eight hours is an entire working day | | | | important tasks. If Urgent tasks are tiring, |
| lost each month.One working day lost each | | | | and you really are beginning to jade, it's |
| month is 12 working days over the whole | | | | better to focus on less important tasks for a |
| year.MORE THAN TWO WEEKS you lost, just | | | | while rather than make mistakes on Urgent |
| because you did things you should not have | | | | matters.* Make a new 'To Do' list at the |
| done, you failed to create systems to | | | | start of each working day, beginning with all |
| shortcut repetitive tasks, you responded to | | | | outstanding Urgent tasks ranked, again, in |
| emails and phone calls and letters you really | | | | order of importance. Add any earlier |
| should have ignored.Did that surprise you? | | | | 'Important' and 'Only If Time Allows' tasks |
| It certainly surprised me because in reality | | | | that might have gained urgency. You'll be |
| I waste far more than three minutes each | | | | amazed how many tasks you once considered |
| hour, it's more likely ten, or fifteen. | | | | Important, even Urgent, no longer need your |
| Because I daydream a lot (a.k.a. researching | | | | attention, because they're no longer |
| on eBay), I continue replying to difficult | | | | important or they've been resolved |
| people who are never going to buy from me (at | | | | elsewhere.* If the phone isn't an important |
| least I hope they never do), I watch the | | | | feature of your business, put it on answer |
| final few minutes of auction endings like a | | | | and monitor calls as you work. Pick up on |
| hawk to see just how much my listings | | | | important ones, let photocopier salesmen |
| fetch.We must all begin to value time, and | | | | waffle on in the background.* Learn to type |
| remember that time really is money!Let me | | | | faster and therefore list more items each |
| tell you where most of my time is wasted. | | | | day. QWERTY is the formula used by the |
| It's with difficult people, they're the bane | | | | world's fastest typists and it isn't |
| of my life, I get them every day.They email | | | | difficult to learn. Anyone can reach 35 wpm |
| saying: 'Your download page isn't working!!!! | | | | - words per minute - in short time and |
| Get it sorted or I'm leaving negative | | | | knowing how to use the QWERTY system means |
| feedback'.I reply saying: 'The page is fine, | | | | your fingers will never get tangled and |
| perhaps you are using a search engine to find | | | | you'll make fewer mistakes. Ask about |
| the site. I try to keep download pages free | | | | courses at local Adult Training Colleges or |
| from search engine directories to avoid | | | | learn to type online free of charge at or |
| unauthorized access, so important people, | | | | Use Turbo Lister to list items in bulk and |
| like yourself, are the only ones to receive | | | | upload your listings while you're relaxing, |
| my products. Please try the browser instead, | | | | so you'll won't tie up the computer at any |
| that will work'.They reply: 'Don't be | | | | time during working hours. You can download |
| sarcastic with me. I know you don't think | | | | Turbo Lister free from your eBay account. It |
| I'm important, if you did you wouldn't hide | | | | saves lots of time and also allows you to |
| the page. I repeat, get it sorted out or I | | | | create custom templates and so cut time |
| will leave negative feedback'.And so if goes, | | | | normally spent listing items individually.* |
| often for most of the day, until finally I | | | | Add a signature file to your PayPal email |
| refund the payment and the individual goes | | | | address, telling buyers you have received |
| away.That same procedure can take twenty | | | | their payment and that their goods will be |
| minutes out of my day, several times a day, | | | | despatched very soon. This saves a lot of |
| over the week that makes ..... you get the | | | | time normally spent contacting buyers |
| drift I'm sure!So, now that I've analyzed the | | | | individually and no one will ever guess it's |
| problem, just for this article, I'm shocked | | | | coming from an auto-responder and not a real |
| at how much time I'm losing. And from today | | | | person. |