The Most Important Reason to Stay Focused on Your Online Business

By Bruce Hoag

I'm going to give you the punchline right now. It's essential that you stay focused on your online business. You can't afford to get distracted. In this article, I'm going to share with you what happened to me when I took my eye off the ball. I hope that you'll learn from my mistakes. I'd hate for you to have to go through it yourself.

This article will be a bit longer than most of the ones I've written, but the most important thing is that you learn from what I have to tell you.

I was reminded of how I'd managed to forget this important lesson while re-reading Pilgrim's Progress, a timeless book written by John Bunyan in the 17th century.

After Christian (the name of the Pilgrim) was dragged out of the Slough of Despond, he walked determinedly up to the Wicket Gate. He knocked several times until Mr Goodwill came out.

Christian was asked to come in, and when he stepped through the Gate, Mr Goodwill pulled him in.

After a brief discussion, Mr Goodwill pointed him to a narrow path. He warned him that there would be places along the route that would tempt him to deviate from that path, stressed the importance of staying on it, and then sent him on his way.

I've been staying with friends for the past few weeks and rather than turn away all that delicious cooking, I've been having some lovely hot puddings and ice cream. Not lots, but enough to revive a bit of a craving for it.

Then earlier this week I went to a pub, where we could access WiFi all day. And among other things, I had a humongous dessert. I really needed a block and tackle to get to the top of the parfait.

I hadn't planned to eat it all, but I had less trouble doing so than I expected. That should have been a warning sign.

By itself, this may not seem that important. But that little activity disrupted the discipline that I had so carefully practiced for most of the previous year, and as a result, it had a profound effect on other things.

Here's what happened.

When I got back to where I was staying, I watched a bit of television, something I rarely do. Then I poked around on the computer for a little while.

It was midnight by the time I went to bed. That meant I slept a little longer than usual. Not late, but just enough so that the following day started a bit later.

It also meant that my mindset in the morning was less disciplined, and so it was harder to get going. Even now, two days later, I'm still trying to get back into my routine.

And so the lesson, I think, it that it's essential to remain disciplined even when it feels like you could let up a bit. That's especially true when others around you, who love and care about you, tell you that you need to take some time off.

You do need to build that time in; but you can't afford to let yourself slide.

Perhaps you can't see how my experience is relevant to your online business.

Trust me. It is.

Two or three days in a working week amount to half of the time that I could have spent on my business. It was a costly mistake.

Whatever you do, don't make it yourself.

By the way, if you would like to learn more about how to have your own online information business, then download my free ebook: Create an Online Information Business

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