Personal Time Management

You know, it's really hard to fit everything into our overly busy lives. The things we leave undone eat away at us and cause stress - like the dirty hosue that we know we need to clean - if only the cell phone would stop ringing, and there weren't 5000 emails, and your co-worker just got laid off and now you have to do the work of 2 people, and, and, and,

We need to find ways to cut the demands, and work more efficiently.

One of the steps I'm taking is to reduce my blogging down to my main blog at CommonSenseLiving.com You can find a free copy of "Live Your Life by Design Instead of by Accident" with great tips to help you get a grip!

I'll see you over there, OK?

Have a Great Day!

To stay healthy and full of energy>>> You can sign up for free healthy eating tips there.

The Wrong Autoresponder will cost you thousands

Don't make the same mistake I did.

The wrong autoresponder cost me thousands.

Thousands of dollars.

Thousands of subscribers.

I moved my list that was supposed to be 4000 subscribers to
A-Weber. Or at least tried to. They would not touch it. It was
full of spam subscribers and old outdated email addresses.
Total garbage.

How was I to know?

So I start over, which is not a totally bad thing considering
what I had for a list. I couln't understand why my list
never generated any sales, or sign-ups for JVs - I mean,
I had great offers. My list was small by guru standards,
but still, it should be generating something?

According to the gurus - you should be making on average,
$1 per sub per mailing.

Imagine my surprise when I found I had an open rate
of 17. Out of almost 4000, only 17? I knew it was getting
bad, but whew- I didn't know it was that bad!

So here are some things to consider when you choose your
autoresponder -

Go with a reputable provider right off the bat.
Changing over is not only a headache, but like me,
you can lose your whole list.

If the service lets you import thousands of names -
that seems like a great thing, doesn't it? Well- they are
letting every spammer do the same thing. When
you share a service with spammers, your mail
will not get through.

I know, it hurts when emails are unsubscribed when
they bounce- but it has to be. If you try to deliver to a
bunch of non-existant emails - it will look like you are
a spammer and it's the black-list for you.

Track your open rate. If it's really bad, either your
ezine is really terrible, or it's not getting through.
Don't slough this off like I did. BIG mistake.

My best advice-
Just go with a reputable provider like A-Weber right
from the start and follow the rules. You'll be better off
in the long run. They will keep your list clean- and
it will be delivered. Yes, they are strict, but that's
better than not getting through at all.

Thats all for now -

Carole
CommonSenseLiving.com

Managing Business and Home

I've found that most people are having trouble managing all of life's demands in this hectic too much to do world. But many times, it has to do with poor choices when it comes to how you manage your time.

Sure, it's easy to spend a couple of hours reading emails and following links. It seems we're always afraid we're going to miss the next big thing. I get about a thousand "next big thing" emails everyday.

It's easy to sit in front of the TV mindlessly watching whatever comes on.

The first step is to make the dreaded "to-do" list everyday. When you have a plan for what you intend to accomplish each day, you'll be amazed at how much more you'll get done.

Today, I've done 2 loads of laundry, posted articles on 2 of my sites, updated my affiliate articles page, posted on a friend's forum, re-started this blog, and sent in some ads. I'm going to go spend some time with my daughter, make dinner, and later come back to finish that one pesky thing on my list that I've put off all day. I probably won't get it finished, but that's ok. As long as I get it started.

Oh, and I dust on Monday. You can find out more about my system for keeping the house clean without really working at it here >>> Look for me in the June issue of Woman's Day - In the article -"Lazy Person's Guide to Housecleaning". What a claim to fame!

More about how to manage your time coming soon. For now - start using that

to-do list!

Take Care-

Carole

CommonSenseLiving.com