Removing Noise, Aligning Your Focus, and Changing Your Mind
By Normal Joe | August 27, 2008
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Removing the noise around you online and off
One of the enemies of progress, focus, and goal setting is the various amounts of “noise” that you will encounter. This doesn’t have to be audible noise, but anything that causes interference in your work schedule. One of the main sources of noise online is information. Yep, the very thing that you provide, and 
consume, could be the very things that are holding you back!
My experience has shown me, not just online but off, that too many resources can cloud your progress. When studying for certifications in my off-line career, there are usually specific manuals that pertain to that certification. Problem is, there is a lot of info out there! Now, the rule of thumb is that you always want to prepare with more than one resources, maybe even more than one format. So I would use books, and audio, and video, and practice tests to prepare. But I also realized that when I would gather multiples of these formats, say 5 books, 4 videos, some audios and such….I never really got into any one resource good enough.
The same can be said online. No doubt, there are tons of resources out here for us to look at, but honestly, a lot of people/resources will cover the same information…and you will find yourself spending more time gathering your resources than actually putting them to work. I’ve said it before, and I will continue to preach it, we need to stop spending all our time gathering and planning, and spend more time actually implementing!
Align Your Focus and Change Your Mind
Despite this fact, there are ways you can align your focus so that you can be more effective. To continue with the certification example, to align my focus, I would choose my main resource, maybe two. These I would devour, and everything else becomes supporting documents. Meaning, I will check them out, if I am missing something or need further clarification, but I won’t spend much time with them.
If you apply this to your online info consumption, you will become all the more focused. What this means 
for me, is getting rid of a bunch of crap I had on my hard drive but never used. Sure, it’s nice to look at…yeah, maybe one day I’ll read it! No, it’s much better to remove it from the premises, so I can focus.
That said, I’ve decided to put all my focus for learning, or rather…chose my “main sources” of learning. I will still use supporting documents, but I will NOT try to make each resource I have the main source. I will be using the two educational products in my “Top Tools” page. The first is an ebook, buy an awesome “guru” and friend. ( I say guru for her knowledge and not her character) This ebook lays out pretty much all one would need to know to make it online, and she always gives you free updates.
The second is another awesome resource that covers everything you need to know and gives you actual tools to put these things to work. Keyword research tools, keyword lists, landing pages, all that type of stuff, and honestly, it’s the best membership I’ve been involved in. I won’t give an all out review, this isn’t the time for that. I just want you to know what I’m planning to do to implement the information in this post.
I also plan to put more focus into my various campaigns outside of this site, so yeah…it’s focus time! I want to leave you with an audio that I found very interesting, it talks about having the proper mindset for success, and was really encouraging to me. Some of the same things are talked about with regards to getting things done, taking action, and not just “gathering info”. Checkout this audio from Stephen Pierce titled This Will Change Your Life You can right click to download or click the link to stream it.
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Topics: General Tips, Organization and Productivity |
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20 Responses to “Removing Noise, Aligning Your Focus, and Changing Your Mind”« The Snooze Button and Procrastination | Home | Blog Flipping Gone Wild Contest »
Yes Joe
I agree that forcus is the key component to anyone success online or offline. To try and lose the distractions in everyday life is impossible but you can make the time to have the focus you need to finish certain tasks.
Thanks for the post Joe
Checkout Brunos last blog post..Home Business Ideas - Online Money Making
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Consistancy and persistancy plays a pivotal part in build focus. Stay away from negative elements that distract you…build on your dream
Checkout WebTrafficROIs last blog post..Download the Yahoo Buzz Plugin
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I knew I wasn’t the only one…between spending time with the fam, working the 9 to 5, preping for certs and swimming in the IM sea, time gets a little tight. It takes 25/8/366 for sure!
But damn isn’t it a rush when it’s all said, done and productive! Another great post. Thanks!
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I do agree that the key to everything we do and its’ the easiest to lose is ‘Focus” with a big F. With all the information being pushed our way, we really need to prioritize and filter what kind of ‘noise’ suits our unique situation.
Great article, Joe. Looks like you are building up a bigger community around here by looking at the comments you are getting on each post. Well done, buddy.
Yan
Checkout Yan Shall Blogs last blog post..I’m in the Top 100
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“we need to stop spending all our time gathering and planning, and spend more time actually implementing”
This takes me right back to the 4 Hour Work Week and the concept of information overload. When I first go into blogging and internet marketing I spent sooo much time reading ebooks, listening to audio, watching videos etc… That I didn’t stop to realize that I’ve already gotten what I need from each of these sources, and it was now time to get a white board and start to set a game plan and implement what I already know.
As bloggers and marketers, information is our product but it can also be our worst enemy. It’s so easy to get sidetracked online, and that can seriously kill productivity.
That Stephen Pierce audio is the goods without a doubt. Everyone should take the time and absorb what he’s saying…
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THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I’VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH! As a newbie, I have downloaded enough ebooks and gathered enough data to choke a donkey. I don’t even know where to start. I’ve been so wrapped up in trying to catch up with 1,000,000,000 ways to make money on line and have a successful blog that I fear I’ve started to regress. I’ve even considered scratching my first blog and starting over again because of some stuff that I read. This was a great post and it’s great to learn that I’m not alone.
Talk to you soon
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Hey Joe, just walked in the door bud. Doing my usual checks of blogs I look at daily. This is a great post. Focus in probably the main thing needed to accomplish things in this business. It definitely is tough at times with all the distractions that come with it. It gets worse when you need to start providing support as well. Anyhow, great post bud, I’m happy to see you’ve rounded out a plan for yourself.
Take care,
Davin
Checkout The Davinators last blog post..Are Internet Gurus A**holes?
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As always Joe delivers the goods, this is something I have had to get straightened back out a little overwhelmed but no harm done. Back on track and rockin. Thanks Joe.
Checkout Big Ben Pattons last blog post..Finding My Footing
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@Bruno@Web Host -
We bring a lot of it upon ourselves, if we just get to work instead of thinking this next ebook will make us rich! Most of us have the knowledge to put together a plan to make it happen!
Exactly! You’ll never escape all the distractions of life, but the stuff that you do control, you should try
@WebTrafficROI -
I agree, though it may be hard, staying persistent will definitely pay off in the end
@Bo -
Oh yes Bo, I’m in that club! Bo knows! Remember that campaign with Bo Jackson lol. It is worth it in the end, but I think we prolong our success with the “busy work” we tend to do.
@Yan Shall Blog -
Whasup Yan my man! Yeah, that’s the thing, you have to know what suits you. If you don’t even have a website yet, it’s safe to say a huge traffic course may not be what you need…or a book on setting up a payment processor with your site. Get something that will help with the immediate need…then move on.
@Elijah -
Dude…you so know what I mean! It’s kinda like the drug game (*not that I would know lol) Your product can end-up being your downfall if you don’t manage it properly! Okay…maybe that was a bad analogy, but it’s true. Maybe if we limit ourselves to the products we purchase, until we fully implement the one’s we have? I don’t know man…we gotta figure out something though!
@T Edwards -
T I know all about it dude! I was there, and still get there sometimes. It’s like those old school toys r us shopping sprees, where they gave the kids 60 seconds to run through the store grabbing whatever they could! We have to slow down, focus on what we want to learn, implement that, then add to the toolbox.
@The Davinator@Viral Marketing Strategies -
Thanks Davin, I’m sure your problems are compounded by the many products you produce! Having to support customers, plus product content, plus stay up to date can be…”challenging”
@Big Ben Patton -
Thanks Ben, you already know the deal man. Take a breath, gather your thoughts, and get your focus on!
Checkout Normal Joes last blog post..Removing Noise, Aligning Your Focus, and Changing Your Mind
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Are you running for president?
I’m all for the inspirational pieces, but I wanna see some more Joe!
Nah, solid post in all seriousness. I don’t follow it, but then again I’m probably the best blogger in the world… so it’s not really the same thing.
Checkout The Net Fools last blog post..Increase Your RSS Subscribers By Trimming The Fat - Focus, Focus, Focus!
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I had to learn this a few months ago. I kept talking, reading, and did more talking and reading. Finally, the contest Garry and John Cow did gave me the kick-in-the-pants to get started.
You are also right about the products. I purchased a few as the contest went on and now before buying more I’ve got to put some of them to use.
Just put in the time you have, when you can. Set goals, and keep on working at it. It will happen. I haven’t made thousands, but I’m on the way to hitting the first goal.
Checkout Debt Consolidation Articless last blog post..Kevin Trudeau Reviews — Reviewing Debt Cures
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Joe, solid post. I really enjoyed and need to hear that as others has said. This is all in line with your procrastination post from the other day.
My partner and I realized this a few months ago that we don’t need to learn anything else. That is probably a bad way of putting it, but it is true. More than likely, we already know enough to be successful, but it is tough at times because humans have this innate feeling of inadequacy.
Well, I am going to take this post to heart, prioritize, and make it happen. You are making it happen whether you feel that way or not. The community is getting stronger, it is growing, and I know I am learning a lot in the process.
I’m with Joe!
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I have these chats with other bloggers/internet marketers often. There’s no need to keep consuming everything 100% of the time, because you’re not leaving yourself any time to implement the things you’ve already read.
Personally, I’ve always learned more by taking action. I like to dive right in and screw up to learn if I have to. I find that I actually learn faster that way. Yes, I’ve made mistakes, and screwed up royally in the past, but those are often the best lessons!
Not saying that reading tons of info on a subject isn’t helpful, but before you chase down the latest magic ebook that’s been “UNLEASHED” this week, try to take action on what you learned “last week”. 
Right Joe?
I know you must have some serious stuff comin’ our way, cause there’s been a lot of “focus” talk going on over here!
Cheers!
Jay
Checkout Suite Js last blog post..I Need More Breaks And This Is How I Justify It
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August 28th, 2008 at 9:09 am
@Suite J - You said it all Jay. I was going to comment on T Edwards comment up there but I see you beat me to it.
Read, learn, apply, make mistakes, learn from mistakes, read, learn apply some more!
Your mistakes are your best lessons without doubt. With guidance and time you can eliminate a lot of them…. but the best way to learn is to get hands on with the learning process.
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August 29th, 2008 at 8:08 am
@Between Blogs -
Yep, at least you’ll learn what NOT to do
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@The Net Fool -
Whatup Jim lol, yeah…this doesn’t apply to the world’s greatest blogger man, you can just skim over this one
@Debt Consolidation Articles - Welcome to the site Chris! You’re right man, it’s so easy to get caught up and start feeling overwhelmed. At times, it’s just good to sit back, take a breath, and regroup.
@Freddie -
You know a lot more than you think, and specifically how to use it online is all you need to figure out! I’m watchin you dude, just glad I got to know you before you went all Trump on us lol, keep pressin man, your future online is looking VERY bright.
Man, I really think you have a lot to share and a lot of knowledge/business sense that would help some of us amateurs out
@Suite J -
Jay you hit it man, get in there and do it! That’s how you learn, if you break it then you gotta fix it right? So get it going. It is human nature to want to continue to learn more, so that you minimize the mistakes, but failure is just an opportunity to succeed. Hahaha, I’m not plotting anything man, I just like to mix it up and get motivational a bit, I think it just comes natural and gives the readers a change of pace from the normal ” this is how you do this” type of posts. You know me man, whatever I feel I’ll blog it!
Checkout Normal Joes last blog post..Removing Noise, Aligning Your Focus, and Changing Your Mind
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You’re my inspiration!
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August 30th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Hahahaha, thanks man, I’m glad I could help, you know you can contact me if you even have any questions!
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Focus is so so so important
If you work just 2 hours per day online like I do then you need to be completely focused otherwise you will be wasting your time.
Some people work 10 hours per day online and achieve nothing because they have NO focus
Checkout Ryan McLeans last blog post..Should You Pay For Information Starting Out
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September 1st, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Yep, then they’ll wonder how you passed them up! It’s all about focus man!
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