It’s one of the nicest “long” weekends that many people have, at least here in the North East. The weather is typically beautiful as it’s a moderate temperature, very few clouds in the sky, and fall is in the air. Sitting outside is nearly impossible to pass up while you realize “Hey, I don’t have to go to “work” on Monday, Sweet!”. Of course there are those of us who don’t have to go to a job during the week…but you catch my drift, right?

Something that I’ve recently come to think about is how much “work” we put into our business(es). Something I will always stand behind is that we, here in America anyway, “work” too much. The typical 40-hours a week is practically a minimum now-a-days as most corporate america employees work well over 40, sometimes up to 60 hours a week. To me, that’s just insane. Better yet, I don’t even think it’s healthy. Do you think we are meant (by a higher power, or whatever you may believe in) to spend 40, 50 or even 60 hours of our lives each week devoted to “working”? I…really doubt it. Even doctors and scientists have stated that we’re generally killing ourselves.

It’s no surprise when I say stress is a bad thing, right? And how many people are stressed on a daily basis? Unfortunately we’ve turned into a “get more done in less time” society over the past decade, and while it may have helped to grow a lot of companies, it hasn’t done just as much good in people’s lives.

So, as this weekend comes and goes, I hope you take time to relax, get together with family/friends, de-stress, enjoy the good in your life, and think about time-management. Personally, I’ve spent an entire day and a half doing, practically, no “work”. As much as I’ve wanted to be productive there is a need to pause, sit down, and soak in the down-time.

You flip on the TV, skip through a couple channels, you’re bound to land on a reality TV show of some fashion. Between finding the next greatest chef to matching bachelors to bachelorette to wilderness survival…it’s a pretty “real” world. Actually, it’s not necessarily as real as portrayed but what is it that keeps us coming back for more? Why does someone else’s experience draw us to be entertained?

There’s one thing I know for a fact; you’re not getting any younger. Is there really enough value in watching reality TV shows that you spend a few hours (or more) in front of the television? Now of course some of the shows can be informative but the majority? Definitely not worth the time.

Instead, I challenge you to take an hour, grab a book, and read. I’ll be the first to admit that reading is not my thing. Heck, if I could have everything in video or audio form, that would be sweet! Let’s not kid ourselves – somethings are better in text form anyway. But lately I’ve began doing the unthinkable – picking up a book and swallowing up the content. And I must say that I’m actually enjoying it.

You’re probably wondering what exactly it is that I’m reading, right? As this probably isn’t a shocker, I’m not really reading for “fun” per say but instead for motivation, keeping up my drive, staying connected with other entrepreneurs, and trying to remain up-to-speed.  A couple months ago the book I picked up and read through in a couple days was Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk, and you can read my Crush It review if you’re interested in hearing about the book. Currently, I’m reading Rework by the co-founder of 37Signals, Jason Fried, and Partner, David Heinemeier Hansson. Seeing as I’m only about 50 pages into the book thus far there isn’t a whole lot I can share, but what I’ve read up to this point is awesome. For the early entrepreneur, the enthusiastic go-getter, the type of person who loves making this happen and seeing the results, this book is  a perfect fit. Generally speaking it’s a testament to those who are trying to build a product, service, and/or business with little money, a team made up of 1-3 people, and even those who think spending 80 hours a week working is crazy. If you fit any of those molds…get this book and then let me know what you find most interesting.

Spending that extra 2 hours a week, flipping open those pages in a book such as Rework or Crush It can absolutely change your life. It’s not about some grand ole’ plan to determine your path but instead get your off your butt, moving towards what you want to accomplish. Life is short and the TV can certainly be put aside.

Boy has it been a long time since I’ve written a post. I openly admit to my failure of posting regularly; completely my fault. Keeping on top of everything is tough, real tough. In the grand scheme of things it only takes 15 – 30 minutes (sometimes less) to write a post…but it’s really more than just writing something. There needs to be thought, decent grammar (hey, I’m not some professional editor), good flow, etc.. On top of that you really need to get your head in the game – it’s a serious challenge to switch gears entirely sometimes.

Anyway, I didn’t come here to spew excuses or anything of that nature. Lately I’ve been shifting my focus. Internet Marketing is a great industry but my direct path I was looking to tackle is slightly different than originally intended. There’s good reason, and no, I’m not going “away”.

Here’s the exact truth: the potential is endless on the web. You can take a small niche idea and turn it into a very successful business. I’ve seen so many awesome start-up products turn widely successful, and it’s mind-boggling. The thing is, I like to stick my hands into lots of projects; that’s me. If I wrote out a list for you…let’s just say you would think I’m nuts!

The point of this message is to share with you that I’m shifting my overall focus. No longer am I just targeting network and internet marketing projects. My interests are pretty wide and, well, I’m not getting any younger. My friends that know me best would agree that I try to tackle a lot, and honestly that’s the only way I want to go.

You’ll see my blog here shift. My refocus effort isn’t a here today gone tomorrow scenario. Instead, my posts will vary quite a bit. You’ll read more into what I’m doing, what I think, what I’ve experienced, and other related areas. As I thought more about this the past couple weeks there were far more good reasons, and thus…I hope you continue to read.

Lastly, I am going to try very hard to write a post at least four times a month. It may be two posts in a given week – let’s see how this goes.

Thanks for checking in here. Feel free to comment and message me.

Well, it certainly has been a long time, FAR too long, since I wrote anything here…and I really don’t have a good excuse. In order to give some reasoning behind my long absence I’ll say that I’ve been busy, really busy. In fact, it’s been a little overwhelming. I have been working on a number of business projects, both mine, a couple family business projects and client projects.

Now that I have admitted to my lack of posting, I’m determined to get back into it. My goal is to somewhat change this blog/site around a little – improve the direction, content and value it provides. I’ll be posting on many more topics around business, marketing, the internet, technology, etc..

So, hang tight. I realize going so long without posting can turn people away but I’m confident I can win my readers back.

Thanks for sticking around!

First off, Sorry. I’ve been swamped with so many projects, commitment and personal needs that I’ve neglected you, my readers. That leads me to the topic of discussion.

For many years we, humans, have wanted to accomplish things – personal achievements, new goals, business growth, etc.. What leads us to those accomplishments? Is it desire? Is it commitment? Or is it even time? The honest answer is all three plus more! We don’t accomplish things without many (if not all) of those elements even though they may be second nature.

I was thinking the other day to myself, “What drives me to get things done?” and “Why do I do so many things at once?”. The answer is simple, I enjoy it. But there are problems with the way I’ve tried doing it all. My time management is on and off depending on what I’m doing. If I’m on the computer working on a website, I can guarantee you I have MANY windows/tabs open for different websites such as Twitter, Facebook, ListJumper….which may have little or nothing to do with what I’m working on.

Time management is absolutely important. My example is one you shouldn’t follow. Look at the last time I posted a blog….and I could have easily been posting consistently, but didn’t manage my time well.

If you struggle to manage your time, it’s very normal. Instead of watching 1.5 hours of TV, spend only 1 hour watching TV and the other .5 hour writing a blog or catching up on email. During that .5 hour, don’t multi-task – just do one thing! You’ll appreciate what you’re able to get done in that time.

Thanks for coming by and you can certainly look forward to more posts, now.

After thinking about it for a few days, I decided to take a the next step in professionalism. Yes, that sounds a little strange but I wasn’t sure if it was “for me”. Many successful people that I’ve learned from, listen to, watch, and appreciate have done remarkable things in their lives. Getting to a point similar to their successes has always been a goal of mine, but it comes with some required improvements/additions.

Many of those who I’ve learned about have impressed upon me ways of growth. One of the important things I’ve absorbed is creating a name for myself, creating a brand, and building a repore. I’ve decided to build my name into something positive as I know it’s worthwhile and professional.

In my quest for success, I believe that there are people who you can and can’t trust, but in order to reach that certain “success” you’re working for, you need to practice what you preach.