It’s no secret I work from Starbucks every morning starting around 8am and going until Noon.
That’s my focused work time. It’s the time I write my blog, send my newsletters, create products and write copy.
During that time it’s no instant messages. No interruptions. And no calls (except from my wife, because I am terrified of her :)
I see a woman at the same Starbucks in Stamford a few times a week and we started chatting recently. She told me she’s writing her first book and when I asked how long she’s been working on it.. she said 2 YEARS. I’m serious – 2 years!
And when I innocently asked “are you almost done?”, she said she has another year to year and a half to go.
I wish I was exaggerating, but I am not. Unfortunately, it’s much more common than you’d imagine.
My goal is to write a new book every year (and, if I didn’t have so many other things going on, I’d probably aim for 2-3 books a year).
So how can I (and most of my students) get SO MUCH done, so quickly?
There are a lot of “secrets” and systems I’ve created and revealed over the years.. and here’s one of them.
THE CALENDAR CRUSHER
If you leave a product (or any project) open-ended with no real deadline, it will never get done. Or if it does get done, it takes much longer than necessary.
The FIRST thing I do when I have an idea for a product (whether it’s a new ebook, event or membership site), is get the LAUNCH date in the calendar.
Now, I have a date to work towards. And when I see that clock ticking, I work my ass off to meet my deadline. And nothing will stop me from meeting that date.
I’ve gone from a product IDEA to a full six-figure launch in 14 days.
I’m talking writing the copy, recruiting affiliates, filming videos, and even CREATING the entire product. In just 14 days (you can ask Jit Uppal, my affiliate manager and he can tell you I’m not exaggerating!).
This is not to brag and tell you how great I am (ok, just a little). It’s to show that when you get it in your calendar, it becomes real and you have something to shoot for.
When you are a true entrepreneur, you don’t have a “boss” telling you to get something done. The manager at Starbucks doesn’t hand me my latte and say “Hey Ryan, are you almost done with Module 7 of the Ryan Lee Method?”.(yes, another very subtle plug).
You have push yourself. Motivate yourself. And give yourself a kick in the ass when you’re not pushing.
If you want to create a really powerful online business, you’ve gotta hustle. And if it means skipping an episode of a cheesy CBS comedy for a night so you can record another module for your product, then you skip the damn show!
So next time you have an idea – don’t sit around for 3 months. And don’t say “ok, I might work on that some day”.
Take out your calendar, write down the day is going live and GET TO WORK.
Yes, it’s a really simple idea, but sometimes it’s the most simple solution that gets the biggest results.
COMMENTS? QUESTIONS?
GET INVOLVED IN OUR COMMUNITY BELOW!
Thank you Ryan, I have my dates written down and I hear you on the wife part. But really, she does give me a lot of support. Keep up the awesome work, You Rock!
Hey Darrell,
That’s great you are getting it in the calendar.
And even though I always give my wife a hard time, she has been my rock for almost 19 years.
Thanks!
Ryan
Quote of the Day “You have push yourself. Motivate yourself. And give yourself a kick in the ass when you’re not pushing.” – Ryan Lee
Thanks brother!
Thanks Billy!
It can be tough to motivate yourself – but with that calendar looming.. it definitely helps.
Ryan
Setting that deadline is the same concept as having a plan. If you don’t know where your going you wont know how to get there. Setting a deadline ensures you are going to make it.
In fact it’s more than just setting a goal, without the deadline, most of us just wont bother doing it.
It’s one of the first things I learnt from the Ryan Lee Method. Gold dust.
Absolutely Quentin.
I’m not sure if it was Jim Rohn that said it, but i love the quote “a dream is a goal with a deadline”.
Gotta have those deadlines!
Ryan
Ryan,
You ignorant slut! Sorry, just couldn’t help the classic SNL reference ;-)
“A GOAL is a dream with a deadline.”
Kisses,
Kerry
Hi Ryan,
Setup a deadline is a basic thing but still useful to remind, thx. By the way do you recommend any free tool/resource to manage deadlines ?
Hey Eric,
I keep it realy simple and use Google Calendar to manage my schedules and deadlines. I look at it everyday and run my business through it.
Simple works :)
Ryan
I hear you on the deadline. One way I recently turned up the heat on that was to create a series of live eclasses with paid attendees. Then I absolutely HAD to have everything done and kickin’, otherwise I’d disappoint customers…and of course based on your recommendations…recorded the eclasses so got the product done superfast….
Andrew,
Great point – I do that all the time.
When it’s live, you ave no choice but to get it done!
Ryan
Great post. And, it’s never just one project… right?
Always 3 or 4 in the pipeline with deadlines and benchmarks!
And, Ryan you probably have more than that!
A buddy of mine is a newspaper/blog reporter. Two deadlines everyday. I am astonished at how much he gets accomplished.
Agree with Quentin. Pure Gold!
Art,
I’ve been known to balance a few projects at once :)
When you want something to get done, ask the busiest person you know!
Ryan
Great post, Ryan. Another “get s**t done” strategy that’s been fantastic in making me more productive is collaborative projects. When you have a co-author/co-creator on board, you become accountable to them, rather than just yourself. Projects with Rigsby, Robertson, Hartman, Reinold, etc. have gone extremely efficiently for this reason.
Hey Eric,
You have been super productive over the years!
Keep on rockin’
Ryan
Hey Ryan,
Ok….I hear ya on the speed.
Q: If aliens came to Earth and stole your list (suscribers) and Will Smith from Men IN Black got carried away and did that white light thing on you so that you wouldn’t remember anything about your success and made you think that you were a brand new beginner internet marketer, how and what steps would you immediately start doing today to start growing your list, i mean a list again (because you wouldn’t remember that you had one) and how long would it take you to start making moolah from the list???
Hey Al,
That’s a very detailed question that can’t always be answered in a blog reply – and it’s something I go over in detail in my Inner Circle and my products :)
Ryan
Thanks Ryan – when you put it like this, it seems simple! As you say, it IS simple if you set a deadline and just get on with it.
Perhaps you could have a word with the manager at Starbucks, if you ever need a bit more of a push…! ;-)
Julia
Hey Julia,
It really is that simple – but people like to complicate things!
And yes, I’ll have a word with the manager here right away :)
Ryan
You are so right, Ryan!
When my business partner and I joined forces just over 2 years ago, we decided we needed to write a book so we could be the guys who “wrote the book” on our topic.
My business partner’s wife is a writer and take weeks on articles (NYTimes, for instance) and still hasn’t published her book. So when I said we needed to get this done right away, my partner said it would take us a year. (That goes along with one of my favorite sayings: You See What You Look For – that was the only horizon he knew.)
I totally disagreed!
To make a long story short: we wrote, published, and took the book to #1 on Amazon.com in under 91 days. Marketing materials, Meetup sessions to get video of our presentations, talks to the local Dan Kennedy (GKIC) chapter for testimonials on Amazon and a podcast recording of my presentation, testimonials from best selling authors (like Brian Tracy, Jeffrey J. Fox, and Dan Kennedy) on the covers, and more.
Setting the deadline (another of my favorite sayings: The Deadline Drives The Deal) is key.
Great post, as always, Ryan.
Say… have you tried the Blond roast at Starbucks? I just had some at our most recently Meetup meeting – smoother (to my palate) than some of their others.
Charlie Seymour Jr
http://ExpertMarketingAcademy.com
Hey Charlie,
Thanks a great story… and congrats on hitting #1 on Amazon!
And believe it or not, I’m not a big coffee drinker. I just have the one latte – and I can’t stand regular coffee :)
Ryan
I hear that!
Great Stuff Ryan!
Thanks for another great post!
The calendar method certainly works to get things moving in the right direction. I like to use it in conjunction with giving myself mini deadlines to get certain parts of the products done by certain days…..it keeps me ticking!
Thanks for sharing buddy!
Chris
Hey Chris,
Great point!
You should always set mini-deadines with each of the steps within the big project.
Ryan
Great post again Ryan! I am almost finished with my book,”The Misdiagnosed Child”, should have it completed by the end of Feb. if not sooner -I’ve been working on it for 2 months now- this is going to be my flagship product to start out with – I’m also working to get my site up -my outsourcer has it now-
One thing I think helps a lot is to visualize having it done and what that will mean to you and feel like being able to say ‘I have a book’ – things like that motivate me- along with having a deadline- I think deadlines are crucial – it makes your subconscious work in your favor and push you – Keep rockin’
Beverly
Thanks Beverly,
Congrats on your upcoming book!
And yes, visualizing it DONE is a big one too – I do that with all my projects.
You rock!
Ryan
P.S. I never told you I love your name Beverly… it was my mom’s name :)
Thanks so much Ryan! This is exactly what I needed today! I’m in the process of researching digital products to create & offer my readers that fill the gap between my coaching services. It’s a little overwhelming with all the ideas I have, but I want to get some great things in place quick! This is the perfect boost for my plans. Thanks again!
I’m glad this helped you Meagan.
So simple – but yet so powerful!
Ryan
Two years and going ? That would drive me insane. Ya know for the past 12 years or so I would write a new hypnosis product “whenever”. Maybe once a month, once a week … Maybe six months would go by without realeasing a new product … But as soon as I decided EVERY DAY I am going to sit down a crank out a new hypnosis script and record it, I’ve managed to do so pretty consistently. I think ive come out with around 60 new sessions in the last 4 or 5 months. It just comes down to your intention. If you set the intention, everything else falls into place. If that lady met a publisher who said, I’ll give you $250k to complete that book next month, I bet she’d be able to move that timeline up just a tad….
Anyway … Really enjoying your emails !
Hey Victoria,
I’m glad you are enjoying my emails.
I couldn’t imagine working on a book for 2 years either )
Congrats on being so consistent – keep it up!
Ryan
Hi Ryan, as always an awesome post! I am just starting my Internet business and this reminder comes right on time! I also like one thing more than anything: Simplify. The simpler the method the better it works! I joined your Inner Circle some days ago and I can’t wait to learn everything! See me on the live webinar tomorrow for sure!
Thanks Ryan. All the best,
Charlotte,
Thanks for your comments.
Yes, SIMPLIFY is such a powerful word – and it’s how I try to run my business and life.
Congrats on joining the IC.. you made a smart decision!
Ryan
A good tip Ryan (or more of a complete strategy really!) – set the end date then reverse engineer it from there. It’s that old chestnut of something expanding to fill whatever time you’ve got.
cheers
Tanya
PS – Any idea if you’ll be doing a replay of your $1k / day webinar at an earlier time. (9 pm Eastern is 2 am UK – and hands up, I do love my sleep!!) (or can you show us the offer page at least ;-)
Hey Tanya,
I love the idea of “reverse engineering”. It just plain works!
I’m doing another live one tonight – I’ll keep you posted on a replay.
Ryan
I can attest to this! John’s got me on a March 1 book deadline and I’ve been working my tail off!
Catherine,
It’s amazing how well it works – isn’t it?
And if we don’t have other people setting our deadlines – they never get done.
Ryan
Great advice about setting deadlines. Love it!
Thanks Ryan!
-Melanie
Hey Ryan…
My Calendar is my life line. Couldn’t agree more!
Here’s another tip for getting some real under the gun motivation. Just bit off more than you can chew. What I mean is if you have something that you’ve been working on and can’t seem to get the motivation or traction to finish it, set up a launch date on your calendar and then sell 5-10 of them! Now you have 5-10 customers who are going to be screaming mad if you don’t deliver on time! This will give you all kinds of motivation to get the project done on time! Then when you do get it done those customers will become your raving fans! You need to be really ballsy to pull this off.
Ted Peterson
http://bit.ly/FreeTrainingCall
Hey Ted,
That will definitely light a fire under your ass.
I’ve sold coaching programs that I haven’t fully created yet – and I ALWAYS deliver them on time :)
Ryan
How right you are…I certainly struggle with this every day. However, I remember when I where finishing my degree at university, something went wrong and I ended up with only 3 month to do a years work…I ended up not sleeping for more than a month, found two friends, who hammered on typewriters for me 24/7…. and I made it…It looked impossible but by the help from friends and a good dose of determination, the job was done in time. You are so, so right…. without a deadline things seems not to get done.
I guess what helped me in this story was that I asked for help from others, realising that I just could do it on my one
Thank you for your insights Ryan
T
Thanks for sharing your story with us.
We all appreciate it!
Keep on rockin’
Ryan
The calendar thing is awesome. Def gonna implement that into my routine.
Hey Mike,
You definitely have to work like that. You’ll see yourself become more productive instantly!
Ryan
Love it!
Simplicity kills! And when ur inspired u better take inspire action because that’s some serious time to do some damage!
What was her book about?
Luis Carrillo
Thanks Luis.
She’s actually working on a fiction book.. some type of mystery.
Ryan
I love it. Simple yet profound. Going to get my calender today and plaster it on the wall so I can see it daily!!!
Dave,
Get it on there, circle that deadline and work hard to get it done on time!
Ryan
Right on Ryan! I think it’s important to note that even if you don’t hit your deadline, the truth is your a lot closer then you would have been if you didn’t have a deadline (call to action). But Having a game plan in place is just as important because if you don’t have the materials to build a house, then no mater how hard you work, you will not meet the deadline.
You are right Travis.
Most of the time you will hit it, but even if you miss – you should be really, really close!
Rock ‘on
Ryan
Just what I needed to hear.
A couple of years ago an Internet marketer provided that lightbulb, you provided the electricity, and Andrew Lock turned it on.
Unfortunately my ‘power supply’ has been intermittent at best.
Two years later I’ve switched ‘it on and off’ and now I feel it’s back on wig a better and more stable supply… Just with what you have written here.
Thanks Ryan.
More power to your elbow.
This post is a great big fat help. I’ll now pay my ‘electricity bill’ and let my light shine.
Very Best Regards
James
James,
It’s time to get your power supply running at 100%.
We are all here to support each other.
Keep rockin’
Ryan
I like that name. Calendar Crusher! Helps stick, thanks Ryan!
Thanks Nick.
I wanted to come up with something that was easy to remember :)
Ryan
Hello Ryan,
I live in England (United Kingdom) and missed your $1k webinar as it was at 1:00am in my country. I know what your going to say… get up and watch it but I’m working so hard on other projects (early morning and late at night) and I missed it!!!
Can you send me a replay link please so I can watch it as I’m really interested in learning how I can generate more money through your great marketing ideas.
Many thanks
Ben Davidson
My main problem is that I often don’t know what to do which is the best. That will work.
I have many ideas. Sometimes I am so excited my idea, but soon I got discouraged by lack of money to do so. The reason is because I am not writer, I can’t write myself. I am not programmer, I can’t get software done.
So all I need to hire someone to do ideas. My number problem is no money to move forward.
any comment?