There are many reasons that you may have been attracted to the idea of working online. For many, the allure of being completely free to work when and how they please will be enough. For others, it comes down to the feeling of satisfaction that comes from financial independence.

But for some, it’s the allure of being highly successful. For some, it’s the appeal of being successful, accomplished, powerful and wealthy – of being able to live that hedonistic lifestyle of travel and partying.

In other words, some of us just want to be highly successful in the traditional sense and to get the feeling of reward and power that comes from that success. Internet marketing makes this possible because it gives us a way to earn money that isn’t ‘limited’ by conventional career trajectories.

You have the prestige that comes from being an entrepreneur, and you have the theoretical ability to learn limitless money. You just need a good idea, a little business savvy and the dedication to put in the work. Do all that and you can quickly become highly successful.

You can rub shoulders with bankers, lawyers and other highly successful individuals, enjoying tailored suits and lavish parties – all without putting in the time at the bottom of the heap.

The Problem

But there’s a problem and that is the fact that many of us don’t know how to live this lifestyle. Many of us want that successful lifestyle but we miss the vital steps.

Many of us end up simply working our behinds off at home, not remembering to brush our hair or do our teeth, and then looking completely disheveled whenever we do leave the house.

Working alone is not highly conducive to presenting ourselves well and what many people don’t appreciate is that running a business is a lot of hard work.

Without a boss to motivate you, you can end up falling behind quickly. And then you end up making up for it in the evenings, or by diving straight into work without getting ready for the day first.

This is especially true if you are so driven by being ‘successful’ or wealthy. Kind of ironic!

The Solution

The solution is actually to make sure you leave space in your day for looking after yourself and investing in your look. We all know the saying: dress for the job you want. This is just as true when you work for yourself because dressing well will make you feel more successful and effective.

But knowing that and actually acting on it are two very different things. If you want to spend time on yourself, then you need to ensure you give yourself that time – and more importantly that you give yourself that energy.

That means clocking off at a set time and dedicating some hours in the day to getting dressed and ready.

Develop a morning routine. This will make it easier to ensure you get dressed and ready the same time every day and will ensure you start your day with the right enthusiasm, mood and footing.

How Working Online Will Change You

Lots of articles have been written about the kind of person who becomes a blogger or an SEO, and the ways that you can make yourself better at blogging or running a website.

What is less often discussed, however, is how working online can actually change who you are as a person and influence your personal development.

There are many ways that this can happen and a number of common effects that blogging can have on your personality and your attitudes. Read on to meet the person you might become…

How Jobs Impact On Us

I used to proudly claim that I hadn’t changed because I became a blogger and never bowed down to the man. I have no colleagues as a blogger meaning that there was no one for me to become ‘more alike’, but this in itself can have an effect on you.

And likewise, working from home and earning passive income has probably had some impact on me too. Blogging/optimizing changes you just like any other job, only it changes you differently. Once I was self-aware enough to recognize this, I set about finding out what had changed about me.

Here’s what I came up with…

Care Free

I would say that compared to my other friends, I am more carefree and less restricted. While my friends have to work 9-5 jobs and get very stressed if they stay out too late one night, I can remain flexible and free to work when I choose and where I choose.

If I’m honest, this has also led me to somewhat resent those people who aren’t free to hang out because they have worked the next day. I guess it’s fair to say that I’ve become somewhat detached from the ‘real world’ and regular routine.

Opinionated

Writing online regularly has also made me somewhat opinionated. Sure, I’m opinionated in my views on employment (and self-employment), but I’ve also become very used to expressing myself a lot online and sharing my opinion.

This undoubtedly crosses over into my daily life, as I tend to wax lyrical about pretty much any subject that I get the opportunity to talk about.

Independence and Confidence

You also get a lot of confidence from working online. Once you’ve made money yourself – completely yourself – you realize you’re capable of anything.

This helps you to feel more successful and generally means you get used to ‘being the boss’. And with that comes increased independence too. You don’t rely on anyone, and you have countless projects to pass the time when you are alone.

An Unusual View of Money

In some ways, being an online entrepreneur has made me stricter with my money. The money I’ve earned has been entirely down to my own effort and is a reflection of my success, so I feel more personally affronted when I spend it.

On the other hand, though, I also think of money now very much in terms of overheads and profits. Spending a little money on a friend is just another ‘overhead’ and I can earn it back by working a little extra hard for a while.

These are just some of the ways you change when you become a blogger or a digital marketer. Of course, the precise changes partly depend on who you are to begin with.

Either way, expect to grow and change and to get more from the experience than you necessarily bargain for.

How To Transition To A Full-Time Digital Marketing Job

For many, the idea of earning a living online is what they would consider being ‘the dream’. If you can earn all your income online, then you can work from any environment that you find comfortable, you can stop taking long commutes into work and you can choose your own working hours.

Working online gives you total freedom and flexibility and at the same time, allows you to scale your business to any extent you like.

But the problem is making the leap and transitioning to making money purely online. Most of us will need to spend our days doing our regular 9-5 job, which means we only have a couple of hours in the evening in which to work on our own projects.

What’s more, is that many businesses require some kind of financial investment – an investment that many of us won’t be able to afford – and they require a basic understanding of the web.

So, the question is: how does a busy business person transition to a point where they can make a full-time living online?

Scaling Up

The key is to set out not to quit your day job and start living the internet marketing dream, but instead simply to make a little extra side income. In other words, keep your objectives modest to begin with and that way you can then scale up gradually in order to reach the point where you’re able to give up your day job.

You may not have time in the evenings to create a full-scale business, but you probably do have time to make a few blog posts or to sell a few items of stock. If you keep your business small, then you only need a few hours.

Likewise, you can avoid needing a big investment this way. For example, if you are reselling a product, then you’ll only need to invest in a small amount of inventory to begin with (maybe $100 worth) because you wouldn’t have time to sell more anyway.

Then if those items sell successfully, you simply reinvest the profit back into a bigger order of stock.

Beginning the Transition

This also means that there is no reason to take a big plunge and quit your day job.

There’s no reason to risk losing your income and having nothing to replace it because you’re just doing this as a hobby in the evenings. But trust me – earning an extra $30 a week even can make quite a big difference to your lifestyle and is incredibly rewarding.

Then, if things seem to be going well, you could consider working on the weekend. Or perhaps you could negotiate working a 4-day week. Maybe consider leaving your job and taking part-time work too.

Only as the business starts to grow do you need to consider working less for your current job and that way you can make the transition seamlessly and without needing to take any big, reckless risk!

Power User Tips for Digital Marketers

Being a ‘power user’ is a term that sounds much cooler than it is. Actually, of course, this just means being able to ‘work even quicker on the computer’ which when you think about it isn’t something you’d probably have bragged about back in the playground.

Nevertheless, being a power user means that you can get more done, be more efficient and ultimately earn more and create more in a shorter timeframe – which is pretty cool.

If you’re a digital marketer, then this is especially important. So, read on and learn these power user tips that can help you work faster and smarter.

Use Google Keep

Google Keep is a web app that Google designed with similar note-taking features to Evernote but a less steep learning curve.

The concept is great – allowing you to quickly take a note in your browser then access it from your phone, and in practice, it really is very convenient for accessing your ideas and photos from wherever you are in an intuitive, minimal and quick way.

Use Your Bookmarks

If you aren’t using your bookmarks properly then you are missing out as they can help you to work a lot more quickly online. Bookmarks can let you navigate instantly to the pages you use regularly, and that can include your work e-mail or the collaborative site you use at work.

If you want to prevent yourself from procrastinating so much in the morning, then just make the page you need for work your homepage – that way this will be the first thing you see, and you won’t be tempted to browse Facebook before getting down to it.

Better yet, consider using the Google Chrome app ‘join’ which can be used to send tabs, bookmarks and more directly from a phone to a PC and back again.

Get a Headset

Having a headset for your computer can liberate your hands while you’re talking on the phone or taking notes, and this can be incredibly useful for multitasking.

Use a headset and you can chat with clients while answering e-mails or dictate notes with voice recognition software.

Learn Keyboard Shortcuts

Learning keyboard shortcuts can save you a great deal of time when it comes to getting through large workloads. A few taps of your keys and you can have opened new documents replaced elements and saved and once you get used to doing this it will become almost like breathing.

Have Multiple Monitors

Working with multiple monitors is something that almost every power-user swears by. This way you have more screen real estate for running multiple applications and you won’t find your workspace so crowded.

If you don’t have space for two monitors, then bear in mind you can use television or even an Android tablet as your second screen (the latter of which will probably also impress colleagues).

Another option is to get an ultrawide monitor, and studies suggest that this can increase your productivity by as much as 30%.

Organize Your Folders

If you want to work as quickly and efficiently as possible then it pays to think ahead and to set everything up to be easy. One way to do this is to organize your folders so that everything you need is right at the top and in a logical place where you can find it quickly.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Becoming a Digital Nomad

A digital nomad is someone who works entirely online in order to be able to travel freely wherever they want.

A digital nomad will normally be found wearing just a single backpack with a small laptop or hybrid slate computer slipped in and will spend their time moving from WiFi-providing café to WiFi-providing café in all kinds of sunny countries.

The idea is that they get to travel and see the world while being able to easily fund their movements and not have to worry about getting into major debt. Sounds ideal right?

Well for the right person it is. As long as you can bear to be away from your creature comforts and you don’t need the social stimulation that comes from working in an office, then you can use this as a way to live the kind of life that most people only dream of.

But how do you go about making that leap? Going from an office worker to a digital nomad?

Here’s the process in a simple step-by-step form:

Speak to Your Loved Ones

What stops most people from becoming a digital nomad is not their jobs really, but rather their relationships. If you’re in a romantic partnership now, then you’ll need to talk seriously with your partner about the prospect of you traveling the world.

Hopefully, they will be supportive and recognize it as something you need to do. If not? Then you’ll have to decide what’s most important to you.

Speak to Your Employer

Before you give up your job, you should first ask if there’s any way you can set up a remote-work arrangement. Explain your ambition and your manager may help you to make it a reality with no career-change necessary. If not, you’ll need to try another tactic.

Start Earning

The next thing to do is to start earning some cash off of your own back online. Do this by writing articles for webmasters, by creating web designs or even by providing proofreading services. You can advertise these skills on a webmaster forum or a site like ODesk or even Fiverr.

The aim is to start generating just a little work so that you can start to gain confidence and ‘wean’ yourself off of your ‘main job’. Once you’re earning enough to be confident you can quit – remember you don’t need that much money to do this.

Better yet, consider becoming an internet marketer. By selling affiliate products, PLR products or your own digital products, you can earn money even while you sleep. Or how about becoming a travel blogger and that way turning travel into a financial asset rather than a burden?

The Most Useful Tech For Digital Entrepreneurs

Are you interested in working online? Thinking of becoming a full-time entrepreneur? Then what you need to realize is that your lifestyle is going to change in some big ways.

Simple things like no longer having an office and no longer having colleagues will make a huge difference to the way that you spend your days and your workflow.

And with those changes will come new requirements for your tech. In order to get the most work done, you will need specific hardware to help you get there. You will no longer be able to rely on an office desk being there every morning when you get into work. So, what tech should you invest in?

Here are some important and useful considerations:

A Laptop

Firstly, you will likely want a powerful computer for handling some of the more demanding parts of your work. If all you do is basic SEO, then you can get by with something simple, but if you intend on doing any video editing, etc., then you’ll need something with some more impressive specifications.

Getting a laptop is also a good idea because that way you’ll be able to work from anywhere. The only problem is that getting a computer that is at once highly powerful and highly mobile is not so easily done.

A More Mobile Device

Something I highly recommend to any digital entrepreneur though is that they also invest in an even more mobile device to work on. One of the great things about working online is having the freedom to be able to work from anywhere. Use something like a tiny 7” laptop – and you can slip it in your pocket when you’re done. Another option is to get a folding keyboard for your phone, such as the Microsoft Universal Folding Keyboard.

A Great Phone

You’ll find that you can also actually end up doing an awful lot of work on your phone. Whether you’re chatting with clients and business partners over Slack, or you’re managing your content via the WordPress app – there’s a surprising amount of work that can be done from a phone these days.

Invest in a good one and consider the requirements of a power user: such as a large battery, lots of screen real estate for multitasking, etc.

Kit Bag

You’ll also need the right bag for carrying your stuff around. If you’re going to stay productive, then you’ll need to be able to carry a lot with you and you’ll need to have all of this to hand when you need it.

Some things to keep in your bag should include:

• Power bank for getting an extra charge

• Portable hard drive for extra storage

• Noise-canceling headphones for working on planes and trains

The Best Office for Quick Home Productivity

If you’re a busy person and you’re trying to fit internet marketing into your routine, then you need a place to work.

That means you’ll need a home office. And while this might seem like an unnecessary investment/way to take over your home, the reality is that a great home office will make you more productive and is, therefore, an investment.

Not only that, but it will actually make you feel better working when you’re at home and you may even find you end up looking forward to it!

So, with that in mind, just how do you go about creating a great home office to work in? What are the key things that make a home office ‘great’ to begin with?

Comfort

One of the most important ways to boost your productivity is to ensure you’re comfortable. When you’re not comfortable, your attention will be stolen by that fact and you’ll find it hard to ignore the pain digging into your back and to instead focus on the work.

To overcome this then, you should invest in a good desk chair. More importantly, though, you also need to ensure that said desk chair is at the right height for your desk. I also recommend getting an orthopedic cushion to remove pressure from your coccyx and to provide lumbar support.

Hardware

Also, important of course is the hardware. Depending on the kind of work you’ll be doing, you, of course, need to consider getting a powerful computer. It’s always a good idea in this regard to get something that is more capable than you need, as this will provide the best possible experience while simultaneously ensuring that you are futureproofed against increasing technological demands.

For a digital marketer, you shouldn’t need too much power unless you plan on making videos or 3D models.

Speaking of multiple tasks, getting a large enough screen is also very important. Specifically, consider getting an ultrawide monitor. This will give you lots more ‘screen real estate’ for having multiple programs open and studies suggest that this can, in turn, boost your productivity by up to 30%!

Finally, speaking of accessories, it’s a good idea to consider getting a comfortable keyboard for typing.

Environment

Finally, make sure you create an environment that you want to spend time in and that is conducive to productivity. In particular, some lighting can help to put you in a more productive mindset, while some pictures of things you find inspiring can help to make the office feel a little less like a prison.

Add a potted plant to your desk for anti-stress benefits and consider some home automation through something like an Amazon Echo to save yourself from having to get up to change the heating or turn on the lights.

Top Productivity Hacks for Digital Marketers

Are you struggling to find time to handle your internet marketing? This is a common problem and one that a lot of people struggle with and unfortunately, there is really no ‘shortcut’ to being successful in this regard.

Sure, there are certain strategies you can follow to save time and get things done quicker, but there is no ‘silver bullet’ to guarantee you success. Success will always equal work – and frankly, that is as it should be.

The only thing you can do then is to ensure that you are as focused and productive as possible when you do set out to work. This means avoiding distractions and it means being able to stay in ‘flow’ for as long as possible.

How do you do that? Here are some ‘hacks’ that will help…

Put Music on Loop

Find an album you like that doesn’t have lyrics (so it won’t distract you) and then listen to it on loop. Why? Because the fact that you keep listening to it, means that your brain will eventually become desensitized and thus start to ‘tune it out.’

This works similarly to when your brain stops listening to the ticking of a clock. And by doing that, you can effectively simulate a kind of ‘sensory deprivation’ for your hearing which will keep you more focused on what you’re doing and less distracted by outside sounds. Apparently, this is a trick that Matt Mullenweg of WordPress fame uses!

An alternative is to listen to white noise. These create non-distracting ambient sounds that have been shown to boost productivity!

Have a Hot Mocha, Not Just Coffee

Recent research shows that having a mocha first thing in the morning is actually more effective at boosting productivity than having a coffee alone. This is because the drink provides an ideal combination of caffeine and cocoa.

Caffeine is a stimulant and will elevate the heart rate and increase focus while waking you up. Unfortunately, this can also have the unwanted effect of making you wired and potentially making you feel stressed.

Mocha counteracts this issue because the release of serotonin from the chocolate can ‘take the edge off’. What’s more, is that cocoa contains epicatechin which drives more oxygen to the brain via vasodilation and thereby actually boosts cognition even further!

A similar alternative that is also recommended by productivity gurus is caffeine + l-theanine and you can get this combination by drinking yerba mate green tea.

Leave Something Unfinished

Want to have a more productive day tomorrow and get started with your work right away? Then consider leaving something unfinished until tomorrow.

This might sound counterintuitive, but it’s a great way to ensure you start working quickly when the day begins. The reason for this is that the human brain hates unfinished business.

Thus, if a task is left incomplete, then it is human nature to want to try and complete that task right away. This means that you can skip the usual procrastination and dive straight into your work head first!