I think you’ll agree with me when I say that everybody wants to know how to become a millionaire.

Unfortunately, some people just don’t know where to start.

Well, imagine if you could learn how to grow your income in your own way, starting today, that will set you on the right path toward becoming a millionaire…

I’ve put together my very own tips and strategies to help you visualize the road ahead and set goals to make more money. 

Below is my guide on how to become a millionaire.

The Millionaire Mindset

If you want to reach a net worth of $1 million, having the right mindset is everything. 

Before we do anything else, I want to discuss how to lay a strong foundation with your mindset and habits. Everything else will build on top of this.

Patience

Believe me: Making a million dollars doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, the average age of millionaires is 57 years old, which shows that it can easily take three or four decades to build wealth. 

Don’t let this discourage or deter you though! Instead, take this as a golden opportunity to start developing patience.

Practice mindfulness and gratitude at every step along the way. When you focus on being thankful for the goals you’ve reached, you’ll be content with your current situation while still keeping your ultimate goal (millionaire status) in mind.

Determination

Most millionaires are highly determined. Be more determined by eliminating distractions and fully pursuing your goal. 

If your determination starts to slip, go back to the drawing board and remind yourself why you started and why you wanted to reach this goal in the first place.

Focus

Having a focused mindset is similar to determination, yet different. Focus is about single-mindedly pouring all of your energy toward one goal. Determination relates more to motivation and knowing that your specific goal is what you want to achieve. 

Being focused naturally comes after your determination.

People who have a strong sense of focus will be able to accomplish more work in less time. Whether you’re making your millions by running a business, strategically investing, opening a high-yield savings account, or all of the above, you’ll get it done more effectively if you have the ability to focus on what you’re doing.

Flexibility

Not everything is going to go perfectly in the process of becoming a millionaire. In fact, you should expect to hit several bumps along the road.

That’s where flexibility comes in. 

Be willing to pivot and do something different if needed, while remaining focused on your final goal. There isn’t just one road to becoming a millionaire. There are many strategies you can follow to boost your wealth. Know when to let go of control and choose a different path.

Growth

The final piece to having a millionaire mindset is growth. 

When you have a growth-oriented mindset, you won’t settle for being an average millionaire. You won’t settle for the way things are right now. 

Instead, you’ll be motivated to continue growing, doing whatever you have to do to reach your final goal.

How To Become A Millionaire in 9 Steps

Now that you know how to create a millionaire mindset, it’s time to learn how to become a millionaire. Here are nine steps I recommend that can help you get there.

Earn More Money

The most obvious answer to knowing how to become a millionaire is to start earning more money.

There are virtually endless routes you can take to boost your income. You can make more money by:

• Getting the education needed for a higher-paying job
• Setting up a source of passive income 
• Building an investment portfolio
• Taking advantage of compound interest
• Getting a second job
• Starting a small business or side hustle
• Selling your home and downsizing
• Becoming a coach or tutor

We’ll discuss some of these tactics in more detail later. But for now, I want you to get in the habit of w

riting down every idea you can possibly think of that could help you make more money. 

Sometimes, one idea that you have while you are driving along, sitting, reading, watching television, or in a conversation may be the insight that will lead you to the start of your fortune. 

If your goal is to make more money, write down all of your ideas as to how you’ll achieve it.

The rule is, “Catch the idea and write it down.” If you don’t write it down fast, you’ll often lose it. 

So my first tip to become a millionaire: Write down your ideas to earn money so you can act on them.

Set Goals

To be a millionaire, you need to be good at setting goals. Learning how to set attainable goals for your personal finances will help you secure your financial future.

When it comes to setting financial goals, the same general principles apply that are important for all goal-setting strategies. 

First, I recommend setting long-term goals and then breaking those up into short-term goals. Of course, your primary long-term goal is to “become a millionaire.” But there are going to be many other steps along the way. 

Identify milestones such as hitting a net worth of $100,000 or $500,000. Then break those mile markers up into even smaller goals that will ultimately help you get to your end goal.

Make sure these goals have a realistic timeline in light of your current income streams, savings accounts, and financial situation. You want to challenge yourself, but you don’t want them to be completely out of reach.

I also recommend taking regular “time-outs” to reflect on your goals and the obstacles that are holding you back from achieving them. During these times of relaxation, ideas will often pop into your mind that can save you hours, days, and sometimes years of hard work.

Start Investing

Investing is one of the most popular methods to become a millionaire, and for good reason: if you learn how to do it right, it will generate a great fortune. 

The key is to start investing early. Take advantage of compound interest—when you earn interest on both the money you’ve saved and the interest you earn.

One way to invest your money is through retirement accounts, such as a 401(k), Roth IRA, or traditional IRA.

Other options are the stock market, bonds, mutual funds, or even real estate. If you feel unsure of where to start or what’s right for you, talk to a financial advisor to get help.

Use A Magic Wand

You can’t actually wave a magic wand and instantly become a millionaire. If it were that easy, everyone would do it. But you can use something I like to call the “magic wand technique” to visualize your future success.

Imagine you have a magic wand and you can wave it over your current situation or problem. As a result of waving this magic wand, all the obstacles between you and your financial goals are removed.

If your goal is to build a successful business in a particular field, try to project forward three to five years and imagine it’s become your reality.

What would it look like? How big would it be? What kind of people would you be working with? What kind of reputation would you have in the marketplace? What would be your level of sales and profitability? How would you be running this business?

So think, what could you start doing right now to make this future dream a reality?

Use visualization tactics like these to imagine that you’re already a millionaire. This will help further develop the millionaire mindset we talked about earlier. Remember, you become what you think about most of the time. 

Live Below Your Means

Living below your means refers to spending less money than you earn every month. For instance, maybe you earn $8,000 per month, but your housing expenses and other necessary payments cost no more than $6,000. 

This leaves you with $2,000 left over every month to save or invest. And with a little work to cut back on unnecessary expenses, you could get that number down even lower.

Living below your means is a helpful and effective method of saving money and building wealth. Maybe you could ask for a raise at work. But don’t spend the extra chunk of your paycheck on unnecessary things—save or invest it to help reach your goal of becoming a millionaire.

If you’re new to living below your means, budgeting and setting good financial goals will be essential strategies to help you. 

You could also try adding another income stream or downsizing into a smaller home.

Think Like A Millionaire

I’m sharing several tactics in this article that have to do with your mind and your thoughts, and for good reason: This is incredibly important in your journey to become a millionaire.

Self-made millionaires have something in common. They have the habit of thinking in terms of financial independence most of the time. They’re focused on achieving their financial goals, and they think about it often.

This mindset naturally leads to discipline. Self-made millionaires reorganize their financial lives where needed to ensure they reach their goals. 

Financial success does not happen by accident. It takes a very deliberate design. It takes thinking like a millionaire. 

Practice “Mind-Storming”

Perhaps the most powerful method of stimulating creative thinking is called “mind-storming,” or the 20-idea method.

Many people have become wealthy, including me, using this idea. In fact, this technique alone could enable you to gain financial independence.

It’s simple. Take any problem or goal that you have and write it at the top of a sheet of paper in the form of a question. For example, if your goal is to double your income over the next 12 months, then you would write, “How can I double my income over the next 12 months?”

Then discipline yourself to write at least 20 answers to that question. You can write more than 20 answers if you like, but you must write at least 20. They don’t all need to be perfect, just get something on the page.

Mind-storming is an excellent way to continue moving forward if you’re feeling stuck on how to earn more income or advance your financial future.

Save Your Money

When it comes to saving money, there are two keys that will help you become a millionaire more quickly. The first is to start early. And the second is to save for retirement.

Imagine if you were to save $100 per month from the time you started work at the young age of 20 until the time you retired at age 65. You invested that $100 per month in a mutual fund that yielded you an average of 10%. At this rate, you would be worth approximately $1,118,000 by the time you retired.

Chances are, your discipline to continue saving at any age, year in and year out would have such an effect on your character and your personality that you would end up earning far more than 10% per year. 

But don’t be discouraged if you’re further along in life and haven’t started saving yet. There’s no time like the present to begin seriously investing and saving for your future.

Pay Off Your Debt

If you have any debt, pay it off as soon as possible so you can fully focus on working towards becoming a millionaire. There are multiple methods you can use to pay off debt. 

These include…

• The avalanche method. Pay your most expensive debt first. Once it’s paid in full, move on to your other debts, going in order according to which ones are most expensive.
• The snowball method. Start with your smallest balance. After paying it, work up toward the next smallest balance. Keep going until all of your debts are paid.
• Pay your credit card bills more than once a month. This will help you ensure you don’t miss anything you owe.
• Get rid of debt more quickly by paying more than your minimum payment each month.
• See if you can refinance your debt and shorten the length of your loan. However, be aware that this may increase your monthly payments.
• Consolidate multiple debts, rolling them together into just one loan with a lower interest rate.

Finally, this should go without saying, but once you’ve paid off your debt, don’t accumulate any more. Live below your means and budget well. Any time you use a credit card, pay off the balance in full.

Take the Right Road

At some point, most people hit a crossroads in their financial life. 

One road leads in the direction of earning, saving, and accumulating.

The other leads to earning, spending, and getting into debt. 

It’s clear which road will ultimately end up with becoming a millionaire. But the second road sure looks like fun a lot of the time. 

Don’t fall prey to temptation! The second road is much easier. But it will not help you reach your goal. And, there’s good news: You can pivot and choose the right road at any time. It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from, just where you’re going. 

All self-made millionaires take responsibility for their financial life and take the first road. If you want to be a millionaire, you’ll need to do the same. 

Be Disciplined

Commit to the process and stick with it. Becoming a millionaire won’t happen overnight. 

As you set up a stream of passive income, funnel money into your retirement account, and pay off high-interest debt, the most important thing is to remain disciplined.

Sometimes, becoming more disciplined is a matter of identifying harmful habits and replacing them with new ones. Maybe you’re trying to start a business to earn more money, but you’re used to spending your weekends goofing off with friends. 

Introduce new behaviors, such as scheduling blocks of time to work on your product, on Saturdays and Sundays. Sticking to these new habits will help you improve your discipline as you work toward becoming a millionaire.

Once you learn how to set financial goals and stay disciplined enough to achieve them, you won’t have to stop at a million dollars. You’ll be capable of earning your second and third million as well. 

Making the first million is very hard. But the second million is almost inevitable. And that’s good news for you. 

Once you become the type of person who can become a millionaire, that’s something you will never lose. 

How to Become A Millionaire Fast

Looking to speed up the process? Here are some additional tips to help you reach that magic $1M mark as quickly as possible.

Save More Than 20%

Many experts recommend saving 20% of your income. But you can always save more if you’re able. The more money you save, the faster your savings account will reach one million dollars.

If you’re hoping to become a millionaire by a certain age, you can do the math to work out the monthly savings you’d need to tuck away each month to get there in time. If you can’t save that much right now, however, don’t worry! Whatever you can save will benefit you in the future. The important thing is simply to stock away as much of your own money as you can.

Advance Your Career

Consider investing in yourself through continuing education in your career field that will give you the skills and expertise needed to get a raise or a whole new job. 

Depending on your industry, your job title, and your current level of education, this might look like a formal MBA program, a certification, or simply brushing up on your soft skills in the workplace. 

Then you’ll be equipped with what you need to angle for a higher-paying job.

You can also consider starting your own business, as two-thirds of millionaires are self-employed. Think about your skills and experiences up to this point—both in the workplace, and simply in life. 

Your own expertise and personal experiences can guide you as you decide what kind of business to start—either as a side hustle in addition to your job or simply as your new job.

Work With A Professional

A financial advisor can help you see what changes you might need to make in your financial life to become a millionaire more quickly. Depending on your needs and preferences, you could choose to work with:

• Investment advisors
• Certified financial planners
• Financial consultants
• Financial coaches
• investment managers
• Wealth advisors

Each of these professionals has a slightly different specialty that will allow them to hone in on your situation and provide specific advice for your financial planning needs.

Whether you’re feeling confused about investing, retirement, saving, or something else, a financial advisor can help you reach millionaire status more quickly. Look for a financial planner in your area that fits your budget. If you don’t live in a big city and can’t find any prospects close to you, you may also be able to find someone who will conduct remote sessions via phone or video.

Is Being A Millionaire Worth It?

By this point, it’s clear that becoming a millionaire is a lot of hard work. You may have to change your entire lifestyle. And you may be wondering if all this work is really worth it.

I want to tell you that the answer is yes.

When you become a millionaire, you’ll feel less stressed and worried about your financial future. You’ll have the time and freedom to pursue the things that matter most to you. And you’ll be able to buy anything you want or go wherever you want–in addition to helping people who need it.

The benefits of living as a millionaire are 100% worth every moment of hard work you put in to get there. Plus, the process of achieving such an enormous, impressive goal will foster your growth as a person.

If you can put in the hard work necessary to become a millionaire, you can do anything.

Take Action

By following the steps I’ve outlined in this blog post, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a millionaire. It’s hard work, but you can do it. I believe in you!

Remember, one of the most important pillars in your journey is setting good financial goals. If you want to learn how to set better goals, I encourage you to check out my 14-Step Goal-Setting Guide. This free resource includes powerful tips and keys to success that will help you achieve any goal you could imagine.

Download here and learn how to set the right kind of goals to help you become a millionaire–faster than you ever thought possible.

Although money may not be your primary focus in life, you need to have a certain amount of income to care for yourself and a family.

Housing, food, clothing, entertainment, schooling, and other expenses all add up quickly. In many cases, the income you earn from your full-time job won’t be enough to meet all of your family’s needs.

In other cases, this income can meet your most basic needs, but it doesn’t provide you with the extra money you need to save for retirement or pay for a vacation. For many families, this leads to ongoing stress.

When money feels tight, you may start considering other ways to make more money.

Whether you’re just starting out in your career or you’re quickly approaching your retirement years, these 20 money-making ideas could help you bring in extra income and improve your quality of life.

1. Start a Side Business

One solution that could increase your income and earn some extra cash is to start your own business.

It’s important to remember that it can take time for a new business to become successful, so you shouldn’t expect to see a dramatic increase in your income overnight.

Consider these ideas for starting a successful business that you can work on in your spare time.

• Write an ebook
• Establish a catering business
• Sell your skills
• Become an event planner
• Teach a language
• Open a brick-and-mortar
• Become a salesperson

After some time, your side business might replace your full-time job, allowing you to be your own boss as a business owner.

Keep reading, I’ve included more tips on starting your own business in some of the money-making ideas that follow.

2. Ask For A Raise

If your current job isn’t providing you with the income you need to achieve your financial goals, negotiating for a raise is another way to make extra money.

In some cases, an employer may be willing to raise your salary simply because you made the request, especially if you’re a valuable employee who has been with the company for a long time.

Prepare for your negotiation by requesting a meeting with your supervisor, being sensitive to scheduling it during a time of year and day that is not overly busy or stressful for your boss. If possible, coordinate a meeting soon after you’ve accomplished something significant for the team or after a successful performance review.

Gather facts and data that support your request for a raise, and prepare to show how you’re an asset to the company. Research the standard pay rate for your position, experience, and skills so that you can present a reasonable salary adjustment amount.

Consider asking for a raise higher than your bottom line so there’s room to negotiate.

If your employer doesn’t give you the raise you requested, consider looking for another position in your field with better pay. You may also be able to increase your pay by applying for a promotion within the same company.

3. Invest In Real Estate

Although this strategy requires a long-term commitment and some knowledge on the market, investing in real estate can be a great way to add to your net worth.

You may choose to invest in a rental property that provides you with income on a monthly basis, or you may opt for a property that you can remodel and sell for a profit.

Some investors also choose to purchase real estate that they believe will increase in value on its own over time.

Flipping houses is a common way to make money in real estate. It involves buying a home at a low price, fixing it up, and selling it for a higher price.

Buying your own home is also an investment in real estate as its value can appreciate over time, especially if you make improvements to the interior and exterior of your house.

You can also buy a real estate investment trust (REIT), which allows you to invest in real estate stock without buying the real estate itself.

4. Invest In the Stock Market

Investing in stocks is a money-making strategy that can be highly lucrative if used properly and understood correctly.

However, it’s also important to recognize this type of investment to make money can come with risks. If you make the wrong choices or try to move too quickly, you can lose a significant amount of money in stocks.

For this reason, if you choose to invest in the stock market, you should know what you’re investing in, research stocks, or consider working with a qualified investment advisor who can help you minimize risks and maximize profits.

5. Live On a Budget

Many families are spending more than the necessary amount each month simply because they aren’t on an appropriate budget. Take inventory of all of your expenses and eliminate any “extra” expenses that you don’t need.

You can also save money by possibly lowering the cost of some bills that you have or eliminating any subscription bills you don’t use.

For example, you may find that your cell phone bill is much higher than it needs to be or that you’re paying too much for car insurance. Or, you could cancel that Netflix subscription you never use.

Whatever it is, use the extra money to save for your future or to improve your family’s quality of life.

Track your spending for a week or two so you get an idea of what you spend money on and what you can eliminate.

6. Consult A Financial Advisor

Improving your financial situation can be challenging, especially if you aren’t sure where you should start.

A financial advisor can help you examine your income, expenses, and investments carefully so that you can identify the best ways to improve your situation and begin earning and saving more money.

Your financial advisor will also be able to help you decide whether it is worth the time and effort to employ more ambitious money-making strategies, such as investing in real estate or starting your own business on the side.

7. Create Online Courses

You may not realize it, but you’re an expert in something and can teach others what you know. Creating an online course is an excellent way to make money through passive income.

Passive income allows you to put in a one-time effort and make money off of that effort over and over again. When you create an online course, you may spend 40 to 60 hours getting it ready, but once you offer it to the public, you can sell limitless copies of the course for your one-time effort. 

Think about your life experiences, talents, education, training, insights, and job skills. What topics do people come to you for advice on? What are you knowledgeable about? What experiences have you had that others can benefit from?

For example, I have used my experience as a best-selling author to create an online course on how to write a book and become a published author.

I’ve also used my career experience to create numerous online courses on sales training and public speaking.

Or, you may want to focus on personal development topics, such as self-confidence and success principles.

Topics are limitless. Think of your employment, travel, playing a musical instrument, coding, writing, negotiating, leadership skills, interpersonal skills, hobbies, repair, crafts, and so on.

Creating an online course could give you the extra cash you’re looking for. Sell your courses on your own website or take advantage of learning platforms such as Skillshare or Teachable.

8. Use Affiliate Marketing on Your Own Website

Another way to make money online is to create your own website and add links to other products or services. As an affiliate, a company will pay you a commission for any sales, leads, downloads, or clicks that result in someone clicking on the affiliate links on your site. 

The first step is to create a website or blog on a topic you’re interested in, such as business, technology, education, entertainment, finance, and so on. You can also create an email campaign strategy to send direct interest to your audience. 

Next, search for companies that fall into your niche and participate in affiliate marketing. Once you partner with them, which is generally free, they will provide you with affiliate links to add to your site or the campaign you create.

An essential aspect of making money online with affiliate marketing is to create quality articles and other content that readers will want to visit your site for or take direct action on, and then focus on offering value with your affiliate links rather than selling.

9. Watch Videos

You can also start making money online by watching videos in your spare time. This can be a fun way to earn a little extra cash or gift cards that you can use to add to your household income.

Dozens of websites pay people to watch videos from their smartphones, computers, or tablets. 

Look for online rewards sites with a high rating with the Better Business Bureau or on rating sites such as Trustpilot. A few to look into include InboxDollars, MyPoints, and Swagbucks.

These sites partner with companies that pay you to watch video ads for their products or services. Many also offer additional ways to make extra money online, such as playing games, taking surveys, online shopping, searching the web, or signing up for services.

10. Use Survey Sites to Earn Money Online

Similar to getting paid for watching videos, you can also make money online by taking surveys in your free time. Many companies and organizations are interested in how they can improve their services or reach their target audience and will pay you to provide your opinion or other helpful information.

When you work with trusted survey sites, you may earn extra income that typically adds up to a few dollars to a few hundred dollars a month. The amount you earn taking surveys will depend on the spare time you have and the sites you participate in. 

Although taking online surveys is not one of the higher-earning ways to make money, it can be an enjoyable way to add to your bank account while you have a few minutes waiting in line, relaxing, or commuting to work.  

Be sure to look for reliable survey sites. You will generally fill out an information form so the site will know your interests and demographics, and you can begin taking surveys for free. As you complete online surveys, you will earn points that you can redeem for cash or gift cards.

11. Deliver Food, Groceries, and Goods

In our current gig economy, there are increasingly more ways to make money by offering your services, such as delivering food or other purchases. Some people earn good money by signing up as a delivery driver through apps like Uber Eats, Amazon Flex, or DoorDash.

These apps allow you to set up your own schedule and work when you want to. As a delivery person, you might deliver food from a restaurant, drop off an order from a grocery store, or take packages to people’s doorsteps.

The benefits of being a delivery driver to earn extra money include flexible hours, the ability to earn extra cash through tips and bonuses, and quick deposits into your bank account.

This creative way to earn cash requires a low commitment as well, so you can start or stop anytime you want.

12. Set Up an Online Store

Selling your products or services online is another great money-making idea because it exposes you to a worldwide audience. 

If you already have a product or skill that you market, you can easily create an eCommerce store, add a shopping cart capability, and start getting the word out about your site on social media, email, ads, and word of mouth.

If you’re starting from scratch, brainstorm ideas of what you can sell based on what you’re interested in, what items are popular, or where there is a need that has not been met. Determine how to manufacture it, ship it, and if there are any regulations or restrictions you need to be aware of.  

Consider creating passive income product ideas, such as online courses, books, ebooks, music, or stock photography. 

You might also sell products that are already made by connecting with an overseas or domestic supplier or people within your community who create crafts, clothing, seasonal decor, artwork, or other products. 

13. Contribute Regularly to Your Savings Account

While this may be an indirect way to make extra money, building a savings account has many advantages to contributing to your finances.

First, it helps you discipline yourself to live within a budget and avoid overspending. Each time you get paid, put a predetermined percentage of your earnings into your savings account. Financial advisors often recommend saving 20% of your paycheck, using 50% for necessary items, and 30% for discretionary items.

Saving money will also help you stay out of debt, avoiding the interest you would otherwise pay on loans and credit cards. If an emergency arises or you fall short in your earnings, you can pull from your savings instead of putting expenses on a high-interest credit card.

Making and meeting savings goals can open up more opportunities for you as well. You can save for a vacation, a down payment on your own home, a better car, or items that will improve your quality of life.

14. Tutor People Online

If you enjoy teaching others and would like to work from home, consider online tutoring. Online tutoring generally requires at least a high school diploma and often a bachelor’s degree or higher, but it’s possible to tutor people online without these credentials.

Subjects you can offer your tutoring services range from elementary school math to college-level calculus. You might be an online chess coach, teach someone to play the guitar or help a student develop test-taking skills. You could also teach a foreign language, art, or accounting or tutor a law, journalism, or anthropology student.

Determine your talents, skills, and qualifications, and connect with an online tutoring site or offer your services on freelancing websites where you can set your own rates. Online tutoring is in high demand, and you can use it as a way to make money online or as a part-time job.

15. Monetize Your Social Media Accounts

Chances are you have at least one social media account, and with as few as 500 to 1,000 followers, you can begin to make money online with it.

Earning extra income through your social media accounts generally requires you to be engaged with your followers, meaning you respond to their comments and develop a relationship with them in which they trust your opinions, suggestions, advice, or entertainment you offer.

You can then become a paid influencer in which companies will pay you to post about their products or services that would interest the demographics of your following. 

Or, you can use your social media accounts to drive traffic to your website, sell your courses or other digital products, or be an affiliate marketer. 

Some social media platforms also allow you to set up shops and sell merchandise directly from the site, including Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

16. Become a Freelance Writer

Freelance writing is also a high-demand field due to the fact that the world is digitally connected. Most companies globally have a website, and many need writers to create content that will help sell their products or services or provide helpful educational material for customers.

Online writing jobs do not usually require a degree. You should, however, have good writing skills. If you need to improve your skills, consider taking an online writing course.

You can find online writing jobs on various freelancing websites, such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr. Check online job sites as well, such as FlexJobs, LinkedIn, and Indeed.

With an internet connection, a computer or laptop, and writing skills, you can earn money as a part-time job or full-time income.

17. Offer Freelance Services From Home

Along with writing, there are other freelance services you can offer from home, with or without internet access.

For instance, if you know a foreign language, you can offer translation services. Let others know by posting on your social media account, mailing flyers, placing an ad, or using a freelance website.

Get paid for services that do not require an internet connection, such as dog walking, lawn mowing, house sitting, home organization, car repair, handyman services, painting, and other ways to make money that require manual labor.

Capitalize on your photography skills and offer to take pictures and video footage of weddings, special events, and family photos. You can also offer your freelance services as a proofreader, graphic designer, financial advisor, editor, web designer, or app developer.

18. Start a Digital Marketing Business

Digital marketing is any advertising that happens online. I’ve mentioned several types of digital marketing already because it’s so prevalent with millions of people online every day. I myself use a digital marketing agency, Brandetize, to promote my international business. They have helped me build my online sales from $1,200 a month to more than $100,000.

Online marketing channels include social media, websites, email, ebooks, videos, affiliate marketing, and influencer marketing, as well as search engine optimization (SEO), newsletters, blog posts, infographics, and whitepapers.

If you’re savvy with online marketing, consider starting your own business. Offer your services to local businesses and startups and branch out to mid-size and large companies as you gain more experience and exposure.

You might start out as a single-channel digital marketing agency, specializing in one type of marketing or offer multiple or full services. Market your agency by creating a website and portfolio, sending out emails, posting on social media, and even cold calling.

19. Earn Advertising Revenue From YouTube Videos

Everyone loves watching videos, and it has become one of the leading forms of communication, entertainment, education, and advertisement. YouTube is the most used video platform across the globe with 2.1 billion users worldwide that consume over 1 billion hours of videos every day.

With the ability to reach a huge audience, earning through your advertising revenue on YouTube videos is another great money-making idea. 

Create a YouTube channel about something you’re interested in. You can find an audience for just about any topic, including comedy, technology, cooking, music, gaming, education, sports, news, film, crafting, and much more. 

Upload original content regularly by making types of content, such as how-to videos, commentaries, product reviews, interviews, educational content, Q&As, docuseries, reactions, or music videos.

Once you have 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, you can apply to monetize your channel through YouTube’s Partner Program. Once approved, you can place ads on your videos and get paid at an average of $3 to $5 per video view.

While it may be time-consuming at first to build your channel, you can start to make money fast once your channel is monetized.

20. Test Websites and Apps

Website designers, app developers, and business owners are interested in seeing how users experience their sites and application, so they’ll pay people to test them and give their feedback.   

You don’t have to have tech skills to be a website or app tester. You just have to us and share your opinion about its design, function, and usability—pretty easy right? 

The purpose is to help the developer create an app or site that is user-friendly and free of problems so they can make improvements as needed. 

You may be asked to simply download an app, provide screen and audio recordings, or have a conference call to give your feedback. Reputable sites, such as UserTesting, Userlytics, and IntelliZoom may pay $2 to $120 per test, depending on the complexity involved.

To be a website or app tester, you may need to pass a test, which could include checking that you have quality audio and you can give clear, specific, and detailed feedback.

Take Action on These Top Ways to Make More Money

Whether you want to make money online or offline, you can increase the amount in your bank accounts in a variety of ways. As you review this list of creative ways to make money, try the ideas that best suit your interests, needs, and lifestyle.

For more tips on making money and proven business strategies, download my Way to Wealth: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Building a Profitable Business. 

I’ll share with you what the Law of Three is and why it’s essential to your business, the importance of customer satisfaction, and four strategic marketing principles.

One goal that we all have in common is that we all want to make more money in order to achieve financial freedom.

However, only a small percentage of us actually achieve the financial freedom we long for.

We all want to have enough money so that we never have to worry about money again. The only question is, “Are you ready to do it or not?”

The good news is that there are more people achieving financial freedom faster today than ever before.

Through proper financial planning and making it a goal to improve your personal finances, you can become one of them too.

The Formula For Financial Freedom

Financial freedom means you have the ability to live your life without worrying about being tied down by monetary limitations, relying on an emergency fund, or worrying about money in general.

If you’re ready to achieve financial independence and freedom, here is a seven-point formula that you can use to help accumulate wealth, become happier, and achieve financial freedom in the years ahead.

Begin To Think Positively About Money

Part of becoming rich and achieving financial freedom involves thinking positively about money.

Thinking negatively about money is an emotional obstacle that you must eliminate in order to achieve financial freedom.

You must eliminate the thoughts that having more money leads to evil or that money can’t buy you happiness.

When you begin thinking positively about money, you will attract opportunities and open up more doors than you ever thought possible.

Rewrite Your Major Goals For Financial Freedom

Set financial goals for yourself.

Rewrite and review your goals on paper every day and think of how you could accomplish them. This will take you between five and ten minutes.

The very act of writing and rewriting your goals, and thinking about them each morning before you start off, will increase your chances of accomplishing them.

Plan Every Day In Advance

Plan every day in advance. The best time to do this is the night before.

The very act of planning each day, each week, and each month in advance will make you far sharper and more precise at everything you do.

You will find yourself with better focus and a greater sense of self-control and personal power when you work from a list.

When you plan every day in advance you will be better able to control and track your spending habits as well.

Plan how much you have to spend for the week, month, or year and decide where you will be able to save.

From there, put as much as you’ve allocated into a savings account, some into an emergency fund, some aside for normal bills and paying off any student loan debt you may have, and maybe even consider budgeting for investing money in the stock market.

The Principle Of Concentration

Concentrate single-mindedly, every hour of every day, on the most valuable use of your time.

The principle of concentration is absolutely essential to achieving financial freedom.

Virtually everything you do in terms of goal setting and financial planning is aimed at enabling you to determine the one or two things that you should concentrate on more than anything else.

Your ability to develop the habit of concentration will do more to ensure your personal finance success than perhaps any other skill or habit you can acquire.

The things you focus the most on and spend the most time doing should be in direct alignment with your financial goals.

Spend your time focused on what will make you the most money.

Invest In Yourself

Listen to audio programs in your car. The average person spends 500 to 1,000 hours per year behind the wheel.

By turning your car into a university on wheels, you can become one of the most knowledgeable and skilled people in your profession.

Purchase courses on money management, read books on personal finance, and find articles online about money. You may even invest in yourself by investing in the advice of a financial advisor.

Very soon you will have so much knowledge in the area of money that people will come to you for advice.

Ask Yourself These Magic Questions

Ask yourself the two “Magic Questions” after every meeting and every event of importance in your life.

The first question is, “What did I do right?” And the second question is, “What would I do differently, next time?”

By reviewing your performance immediately after every meeting, sales call, and presentation, you will become better and better, faster than you can imagine.

The answers to both of these questions are positive.

By reviewing what you did right and what you would do differently next time, you program into your mind a predisposition to be even better the next time out.

If you take a few minutes and write down everything you did right and everything you would do differently immediately after a call or presentation, you can double and triple the speed at which you learn, grow, and improve your work.

Improving yourself and your quality of work will, in effect, improve the money you make.

Be Generous To Others

The final point is to treat everyone you meet like a million-dollar customer.

Treat every single person, at home and at work, as if they were the most important person in the world.

Since everybody believes that he or she is the most important person in the world, when you treat them as if they were, they appreciate your recognition and acknowledgment more than you can imagine.

It is a proven fact that being a more generous person will help you attract more wealth and become a happier person.

We’ve often heard it said, “money doesn’t buy happiness”.

But, the truth is that:

• Money is essential to happiness.
• Material prosperity predicts life satisfaction,
• And the more economic status we achieve, the more we’ll feel satisfied with our life.

Not only do our measurements of happiness rise as our income rises, but so does our sense of well-being and life satisfaction.

So, by choosing to focus on money goals that motivate you, while also embedding a positive mindset towards money, towards yourself, and life in general, you will help to achieve both increased wealth and happiness.

And when you get there – evidence clearly shows us that being generous with our money makes us happier – and richer!

How To Save Money And Achieve Financial Freedom

Did you know that the decisive factor in the achievement of financial freedom is the development of specific habits?

Well, it is.

In fact, most self-made millionaires have already learned these habits and as the result of practice and repetition, have reached financial freedom.

This is great news!

Why?

Because you can learn to save money and think like self-made millionaires to become financially independent yourself.

Some Tips To Save Money

In this case, which is quite common, I recommend a gradual process of learning to save money where you begin by saving 1% of your income and living on the other 99%.

For example, if you are earning $2000 per month, make a decision today to save $20 per month or $.67 cents per day.

You can then live on the other $1,980. Save money in the long run by opening up a separate bank account, your “financial freedom” account.

Money that goes into this account only flows only one way- inward.

Once you put money into this savings/investment account, you never, ever take it out or spend it for any reason.

It has only one purpose:

To enable you to achieve financial freedom as soon as possible.

Once you have become comfortable living on 99% of your income, increase your monthly savings rate to 2% off the top.

Within one year, you will find yourself living quite comfortably on 10% of your current income.

Continue this process until you are saving 15% and then 20% of your income, off the top.

You will not even notice the difference in your standard of living because it will be so gradual.

But the difference in your financial life will be absolutely extraordinary.

There is an especially special habit that financially successful people learn or develop over time.

It is the habit of responding to incoming money in a particular way.

When we are growing up, we are encouraged to save money from our allowances.

However, as children, we look upon money as a tool with which to buy candy, toys, and other things that make us happy.

As a result, we naturally begin to look upon saving as a punishment, something that hurts us and deprives us of the candy, toys, and enjoyable things we desire.

At an early age, most people begin to associate savings with pain, sacrifice, with loss of pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness.

As adults, this negative habit is manifested in our desire to spend money as soon as we make it.

Many people in their late teens and twenties look upon every paycheck as an opportunity to go out and spend as much money as they can.

This is why it is generally known in the restaurant business that they will be the fullest at the middle and at the end of the month, on paydays.

People very early begin to associate spending with happiness and saving with pain.

Since the basic human motivation is to move away from pain toward pleasure, from discomfort toward comfort, and from dissatisfaction toward satisfaction, most people develop the habit of associating spending with enjoyment and saving with unhappiness.

Using The Law Of Attraction For Financial Freedom

When you begin to save money, and you feel positive and happy about your growing account, these positive emotions imbue that money with a form of energy that begins to attract more money into your life, and into that account.

Old friends will pay you back debts that you had forgotten a long time ago.

You will have opportunities to earn additional amounts of money that had not occurred to you.

You will sell things that you had had for a long time that you thought had no value.

And as you add these amounts to your account, your account will develop even more positive energy, and attract even larger amounts of money.

This is an extraordinary discovery…

I had heard about this concept for many years, but I was always broke and there was never anything I could do about it.

Then, about two years after I got married and started my own business, I ran out of money.

I had been able to buy a house with my lifetime of savings, but now I had to sell the house to get the cash, and then move to a rented house.

At this point, my wife Barbara demanded that I turn over to her $10,000 from the proceeds from the sale of the house.

After some arguing, I gave in. She took the money and deposited it in another bank account which I could not access.

No matter how many financial problems we had in the months ahead, she refused to even consider the possibility of spending that money.

This was her security blanket. The most remarkable thing happened.

From that day forward, we were never broke again. Even though it was the middle of a recession and businesses were going bankrupt all around us, we were never again out of money.

Every week, every month, business came in, the bills were paid, and opportunities opened up and exciting possibilities seemed to be attracted into our lives.

Within a couple of years, we were able to move out of the rented house and buy a beautiful new home in a lovely neighborhood.

Two years later, we were able to buy a home that cost five times as much on a beautiful golf course, overlooking two lakes with the ocean in the distance.

Rewire Your Thinking And Gain Financial Freedom

Your job is to reverse the wiring on this habit.

It is to detach the wires from one set of attitudes and reattach them with a different set of attitudes.

Your job is to begin thinking in terms of pleasure whenever you think of saving and accumulation, and pain whenever you think of spending and getting rid of your money.

The Major Obstacles To Financial Freedom & How To Overcome Them

There are many major mental obstacles that deter financial success.

The most common reason is that some people believe, for whatever reason, that they don’t deserve to be rich.

Now, I know some of you may be asking, why is that?

Some people, including myself, have been raised with a steady drumbeat of destructive criticism.

This has led them to conclude, at an unconscious level, that they don’t deserve to be successful and happy.

Of course, this is untrue.

Yet, this negative way of thinking can lead to destructive financial habits.

These habits can be hard to break.

Change Your Attitude Toward Money

Negative experiences in childhood, which are all too common, can have terrible effects.

For example, when people actually do succeed as a result of hard work, they feel guilty.

These guilt feelings then cause them to do things to get rid of the money, to throw it away.

• They spend it or invest it foolishly.
• They lend it, lose it or give it away.
• They engage in self-sabotage.

It can come in the form of overeating, excessive drinking, drug usage, marital infidelity, and often dramatic personality changes.

To change your results with money, you have to change your attitude toward it.

You have to make a habit of seeing money as something positive.

The fact is that money is very much like a lover. It must be courted and coaxed and flattered and treated with care and attention.

It gravitates toward people who respect it, value it and are capable of doing worthwhile things with it.

It flows through the fingers and flees from people who do not understand it, or who do not take proper care of it.

See Yourself As Deserving Of Money

Sometimes people say that they are not very good with money.

But being good with money is a skill that anyone can learn through practice.

Usually, saying that one is not very good with money is merely an excuse or a rationalization.

The fact is that the person is not very successful or disciplined with money.

The person has not learned how to acquire it or to hold on to it.

The starting point of accumulating money is for you to believe in yourself.

You have an unlimited capacity to obtain all the money that you will ever need.

Look at yourself as a financial success waiting for a place to happen. And see yourself as deserving of all you can acquire.

Money Is Essential To Our Lives

Money is good. Money gives you choices and enables you to live your life the way you want to live it.

Money opens doors for you that would have been closed in its absence.

But just like anything, an obsession can be hurtful.

If a person becomes so preoccupied with money, he may lose sight of the fact that money is merely a tool.

If money becomes something used to acquire happiness, then it becomes a harmful thing.

Money is essential to our lives in society. It is also neutral. It is neither good nor bad.

It is only the way that it is acquired and the uses to which it is put that determines whether it is helpful or hurtful.

Take Action!

Here are two things you can do immediately to put all of these ideas into action:

First, recognize and accept that virtually everyone who has money today at one time was broke and probably broke for a long time.

Then they learned the skills of accumulating money and they are now financially independent.

Whatever they have done, you can probably do as well.

Second, become a student of money from this day forward.

Study it, learn about it and apply the lessons you discover toward your own financial life until you begin to attract more and more money in your direction.

As the end of the year approaches, most sales professionals like you are in a rush to close as many deals as possible and meet their annual or quarterly sales goals.

While your clients are equally busy and getting ready for or are in the midst of the holiday season, you can benefit from the activity and intensity of this time of year to get more end-of-year sales.

To give you the motivation and push you need to hit your quota, here are seven strategies that will pay off and help you end the year strong.

Give Attention to Your Existing Customers

By starting a conversation with your existing customers, you’ll get insights into what their business needs and goals are, which will naturally open the door for sales opportunities.

To start, be upfront with your customers. Ask them what their end-of-year goals are and what their vision is for the upcoming year. Find out what their operating hours will be for the holiday season and end of the year so you can offer enough stock to serve their customers.

Then, go over your list of current customers and determine who you have not heard from for six months or more. Call them to check in and ask how they’ve used your products or services in the past and what they may be using now. Find out what you can provide more of it.

As you look at your list of existing customers, analyze which have made the fewest purchases from you. Do they need to replenish old stock for the upcoming holidays or the new year?

Many customers may be trying to use up their budget by December 31st. If they don’t, they’re facing less money in their budgets next year. Contacting your existing clients at year-end can help your products sell themselves at the price you want.

Update your customers on any new products or services you have to offer and have an open discussion about how you can better serve them. Schedule an in-person meeting to show them your products and demonstrate their functions and benefits.

Open conversations like these can help you increase sales at the end of the year as well as in the year ahead.

Extend Exclusive Offers

Offer your most loyal customers exclusive offers for the end of the year to entice more sales. You might grant them first access to a new product or service or a discount on a large bulk order that will beef up their inventory and give them a fresh start in the new year.

You can also offer limited-time coupons and vouchers, buy-one-get-one-free offers, or a subscription with the first month free.

Exclusive offers can give your products or services a higher perceived value and entice customers to make a purchase.

Inform Customers of Upcoming Price Increases

Let your current customers know about prices that will increase in the new year. Encourage them to boost their inventory now so they can benefit from the current lower prices for a limited time.

Take Advantage of the Holiday Season

The end of the year is full of holidays, so take advantage of them to meet your sales goals. Create gift cards or digital gift certificates for your business that your current and new customers can buy for others to give during the holiday season.

The holidays are the perfect time to send out gift ideas to your email list or create a flyer to present to new prospects. 

When people can easily visualize what you have to offer and have a ready-made solution to their needs, they’re more likely to buy. They may need gift ideas for their customers, business associates, partner companies, or family.

Create End-of-Year Sales

Offer a flash sale or limited-time discounts for Black Friday or Boxing Day. Appeal to your customer base by sending out Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, or Merry Christmas greetings with a discount or free offer in exchange for referrals.

During the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, many companies choose to close down for the end of the year. If you remain open, you have the opportunity to gain more customers by providing products or services your competitors are not offering that week.

If you have a brick-and-mortar store, extend your opening hours to increase Christmas sales revenue. Update the landing page on your website to reflect the holiday season and any special deals you’re promoting.

Prepare for the holiday season as early as July to ensure you have plenty of stock available and your marketing strategy is in place. In the weeks leading to the holiday season, contact your customers and prospects to ensure their inventory is solid as they get ready to launch their holiday sales.

Refine Your Sales Strategy

The end of the year is normally a busy time for everyone, so keep your sales strategy simple in the fourth quarter, especially in the last few weeks.

Complicated deals will be overlooked, or prospects may ask that you wait until next year. Your best strategy at year-end may be your simplest, most straightforward one. Be sure you’re providing value and meeting the specific needs of your customer.

Focus on customer service to encourage repeat sales or sales of related products. For example, if a customer bought a certain product from you, let them know about an additional product or products that can complement their existing purchase.

Don’t Forget to Follow-Up

Send a thank you note to companies that have made purchases from you. Follow up with a call to see how their product is working and if you can offer additional services. Good customer service encourages customer loyalty and can increase sales now as well as in the new year.

If you’re not already using social media marketing, add it to your year-end sales strategy to reach a larger audience and engage with current customers. 

Begin or utilize your current email campaign to alert the people or companies you supply to about current offers, sales, discounts, promotions, or product launches.

Leverage the benefits of Google Ads (formerly called Google Adwords) to increase sales for your business. Google Ads helps you reach your target customers by showing your ads to people who are likely to purchase from you. 

Google’s massive reach can bring in prospects you might otherwise not be able to reach, and it is one of the marketing strategies that allow you to control advertising costs.

Support Your Sales Professionals

Your salespeople are the key to bringing revenue into your company, so seek to increase sales at year-end by boosting morale. You can do this with incentive programs, healthy competition, and employee recognition.

Determine what each person brought in last year and help them set a year-end goal that surpasses their quota. Together, determine a reward that would incentivize the employee, creating a win-win situation for your company and your salespeople.

Rewards ideas for meeting year-end goals include extra time off, a year-end monetary bonus, an all-expenses-paid getaway, or access to free products or services, for example.

You can also create incentive programs to encourage your salespeople to increase sales. 

For example, recognize employees who sell off old inventory, have a high conversion rate, make the first sale of the fourth quarter, get the highest sales within a certain time period like the last week of the year, contact the most prospects, or bring in the highest number of referrals.

Encourage higher sales for next year by holding an end-of-the-year, company-wide party and celebrating the individual efforts of each of your salespeople. Get creative in your recognition, such as best cold caller, most creative closing tactics, best team player, most positive attitude, most improved, and highest sales.

Hold Year End Sales

Year-end sales are particularly effective for prospects who have hesitated in making a purchase throughout the year and may be waiting for deeper discounts or a better deal. Exercise caution with these potential customers as their future expectations will also be lower prices.

One way to avoid this is to provide more value for the same price. For example, you may offer them a higher-tier plan of your service for a certain amount of time if they purchase the basic plan. 

You might also give them a free product or a support service if they purchase a certain item or number of products from your business.

Use year-end sales to build up your customers’ inventory for next year. Create a sense of urgency by letting prospects know you can offer better deals at the beginning of the month than you can at the end of the month.

If you need to liquidate old inventory, wait until the last one or two weeks of the year to advertise a flash sale on your website. Offer deep discounts to get rid of your old products and make room for your new stock.

Be sure to collect customer data and contact information so your year-end sales tactics can generate leads and lead to future sales.

Clean Up Your Pipeline

The last quarter of the year is a good time to look at your prospects list and identify those who will turn into sales and clean out the rest. A large pipeline list can detract your attention away from deals you could be making.

Manage your opportunity pipeline by identifying those prospects you haven’t had much response from for the past three months or more. Reach out and let them know you would like to serve them or their business and ask if they foresee a need for your product or service in the future.

Both a yes and no answer will have value to you. A no will allow you to remove this prospect from your list and free up more time to spend contacting and selling to warmer prospects. 

Typically, you can take them off of your list or make a note to contact them in three or four months if you feel there is a possible deal there.

A yes will open up the conversation for how you can meet their needs and what time frame they expect to make a purchase or spend time meeting with you.

Remember Your Top of Funnel Prospects

While it’s tempting to devote all of your energy in the fourth quarter to make your annual sales quota, do not neglect your regular sales activities that only you can do to set yourself up for a good first quarter in the new year.

While you focus on driving home more deals to cap off your year, remember to generate leads and set up meetings with prospective clients or customers. Continue to create your pipeline list will cold calls, advertising, and other lead-generating tactics.

When Q1 rolls around, you’ll be happy you didn’t focus solely on selling as you will set yourself up to hit the ground running with sales in January.

Learn Closing Techniques to Maximize Your End-of-Year Sales

Use these tips to have your best sales year yet and end the year strong. And remember, the better you plan ahead at the beginning of the year, the easier it will be to earn the money you are aiming for by year-end. 

For even more tips on how to create great sales revenue and close more deals, download my free guide on 23 Closing Techniques.

Do you struggle to be productive and get the work done that will enable you to reach your goals?

Maybe you tend to scroll social media when you should be working. Maybe you’re drowning because you underestimated the scope of a project. Or maybe you aren’t doing much work because you think there’s no need to rush–you have all week, month, or year long to finish.

If these situations sound familiar, you may have fallen prey to Parkinson’s Law.

Coined by a British historian in the 1950s, this law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

Scientific studies have verified this theory. And for you, it means that if you make the costly mistake of allotting too much time for your projects, you’ll never get anything done.

But wait–there’s good news! With some careful planning, you can flip this law on its head and actually leverage the principle for good.

Here, you’ll learn how to use Parkinson’s Law to increase your productivity and happiness, helping you get more done and quickly reach your goals.

Understanding Parkinson’s Law

Before you can start using Parkinson’s Law for good, you need to fully understand what this law is.

What Is Parkinson’s Law?

Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

Essentially, this law means that no matter how much time you’ve allocated for your work, that’s how long your work will take.

For example, if you give yourself a year to write a novel, that’s most likely how long it will take you to write cover to cover. If you give yourself two months, though, chances are you’ll get that book completed a lot faster.

Now, this rule doesn’t always apply. You don’t want to give yourself two weeks to write a full 70,000-word novel and expect to get it done, right? You still want to make sure you’re setting realistic timelines for your goals by using the SMART Goals method.

Instead, Parkinson’s Law should be used to help you improve your productivity by thinking about realistic yet challenging goals. The idea is to set some sort of time limit rather than just leaving all of your goals, plans, and tasks open-ended.

Parkinson’s Law can be a helpful time management tool to help complete tasks on your to-do list and improve your own deadlines.

History of Parkinson’s Law

To get a better understanding of Parkinson’s law, let’s look back at how it came to be.

Parkinson’s Law was first defined by a British historian named Cyril Northcote Parkinson. Parkinson had spent time in the British Civil Service, and in 1955 he wrote an essay in The Economist about what he’d learned. The opening line of the humorous essay read: “It is a commonplace observation that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

Parkinson drew on his personal experience as a British historian for his writing.

In the British Civil Service, he noticed that while the service had fewer ships and fewer personnel, the number of bureaucrats was increasing by 6% per year. He argued that companies that had all their workforce in bureaucracy and none in production would not survive.

How It Works

Now that you have a better understanding of what Parkinson’s law is and how it came to be, let’s dive deeper into how it works.

Parkinson shared an example of what Parkinson’s Law might look like in practice. He wrote about an elderly lady who decided she wanted to write a postcard to mail to her niece. For most of us, this task would probably take a quick fifteen minutes. But because this retired woman had nothing else to do, she gave herself the whole day to write it, and it did, indeed, take her the entire day!

Studies have proved that Parkinson’s Law holds up. In a 1996 study, participants were “accidentally” given either five or fifteen minutes to complete a task that could easily be done in five. The subjects who had more time spent a significantly greater amount of time actually working on the task.

Another study in 1999 had similar results. Subjects were given four sets of photos to examine. Some subjects were told the fourth set of photos was canceled right before they began examining the third set. These people spent more time with the third set of photos.

Parkinson’s Law is more than just a theory. Scientific evidence backs it up. And if you’re struggling to complete your tasks in less time, you may be falling into the negative effects of Parkinson’s law.

Negative Effects of Parkinson’s Law

While Parkinson’s law can have a positive impact on both personal productivity and group productivity, there are some negative aspects of Parkinson’s Law to be aware of.

If you know you have a longer amount of time to complete a certain task, you’re going to be much more likely to procrastinate that task. You’ll drag it out, put it off, or fiddle around to fill the time instead of buckling down to get the work done. You won’t feel as motivated to do the work.

When you have extra time to finish a job, you might also be tempted to make that job more complicated–adding extra bells and whistles that aren’t really needed.

When a task expands, it adds an additional layer of complexity that can require a greater time allotted than originally thought in order to get the new task done, leading to people scrambling as the deadline approaches.

Parkinson’s Law can also increase your costs. The longer it takes you or your team to get something done, the more you’ll have to pay for that time, manpower, and any materials or resources used.

And while more procrastination, time, and money could be pretty detrimental to your projects, it doesn’t have to be this way.

How to Apply Parkinson’s Law to Improve Your Productivity

Now that you are aware of how Parkinson’s Law works and all of its power, you can use it strategically to help get more work done in plenty of time and feel positive about finally accomplishing your goals. Follow these steps to set better deadlines, complete your projects more efficiently, and overcome Parkinson’s Law.

Set Goals and Priorities

The best way to get yourself or somebody else to take action is to set a goal. Explain why this task is important and why it needs to get done. Then create a goal that enables you to get the job done in the time allotted.

For best results, make SMART goals for you and anyone working under you. Here’s a breakdown of how this goal-setting structure works:

• Specific. What do you want to do?
• Measurable. How will you track your progress?
• Achievable. How will you do it?
• Relevant. Is it relevant to your life right now?
• Time-bound. What’s your deadline to finish?

SMART goals are effective because they ensure your goals are tailored to you and your means of success. With a SMART goal, you will be able to track your progress as you work toward completing the goal by a certain deadline.

You may find that you have smaller tasks that need to be done within a larger project or goal. Break up your main goal by making a list of actionable steps. For example, if your goal is to write a book, you might make a list of smaller tasks or steps that reads something like:

1. Create an outline
2. Write the first draft
3. Edit the manuscript
4. Self-publish the book
5. Market and advertise the book

If there are multiple people involved in your project, you’ll also need to clarify their roles and expectations. Make it clear who will be doing what and who is responsible for each part of the task. This will help with people’s tendency to sit back and wait for someone else to take the lead.

Define Project Scope

Do your best to map out project scope before jumping in so you know what you’re getting into. Having a solid idea of your project’s scope will help you know how much time you should allow for a project.

Figure out your project scope by coming up with a singular objective or goal, such as the assets you need to deliver at the end of the project. Then figure out what resources or materials you will need to successfully and smoothly complete the project.

Share your project scope statement with anyone who needs to see it–but make sure it isn’t too set in stone. You might need to adjust things on the fly as you get to work, and that’s okay.

Pre-Plan for Snags

Chances are, you’re going to run into snags or obstacles throughout the course of your project. It’s very rare for a project to run completely perfectly. That’s why it’s important to prepare early for mishaps.

Make a list of any potential obstacles that might derail your progress. Then brainstorm strategies for how you can prevent them–or what you’ll do if they still happen.

If others are involved in the project, encourage them to communicate as often as possible so you’ll have visibility into where things are and whether anything is going wrong.

Create A Timeline

Once you know your project’s scope, you can create a project timeline. Figure out what smaller tasks will be involved in reaching your final objective. Then estimate how much time each of these little tasks will take — we’ll talk more about this in a minute.

It’s also helpful to set milestones along the way so you can tell where you are with the overall project.

In addition to creating an overall project timeline, you should also set better deadlines for yourself each week, day, and hour.

For instance, have you ever tried setting a rule that you can’t do any work on the weekends, or on weekdays after 6 PM? Give it a try! You’ll likely find that the hours of 9-6 every weekday are plenty of time, after all.

You can also try time blocking, scheduling out your day by assigning a certain task to each hour. This might look something like:

• 9:00 A.M.–schedule social media posts
• 10:00 A.M.–write blog post
• 11:00 A.M.–eat lunch and answer emails

You don’t necessarily have to finish each project listed. You can come back to them tomorrow or the next day. But you can make an impressive amount of progress in one good, solid hour of work.

Giving yourself a reasonable timeline will increase your effort and productivity, helping you get more done in less time.

Identify Time-Sucking Activities

To truly overcome the negative side of Parkinson’s Law, you’ll have to learn how to overcome distractions.

Whether you work from home or in an office, some of the most common distractions include:

• Social media
• Emails
• Texts
• Conversation (with coworkers, or with family or roommates if you work from home)
• Meetings
• Snack breaks

In one survey, 58% of participants said they didn’t need social media to do their jobs. Yet they couldn’t make it through the day without pulling up Twitter or Instagram. What’s more, the average employee is interrupted 50-60 times each day!

To figure out which of these distractions apply to you, carefully track your time for a day. Do everything exactly as you normally would–but write down everything you do and how long you do it for. You may be surprised at what percentage of your time is spent on Facebook versus actually doing work.

Once you’ve identified the most tempting time-sucking activities, you can take steps to overcome them. For instance, you may need to:

• Turn off notifications for email and social media
• Ask your housemates to save conversation for your lunch break
• Redefine the amount and length of meetings you’re available for

With distractions aside, you’ll be more productive because you’ll be able to truly focus on a task.

How Do I Know How Much Time to Assign to A Task?

Setting reasonable, time-bound goals to improve productivity makes sense. But what if you don’t know how long a task takes? Maybe you aren’t sure about the work required or whether you’ll need extra time to finish up.

Use the following tips to get an idea of how much time you may want to assign to any given task.

Understand Your Current Time Demands

What other things are requiring your time? This should help you identify how much time you have left to complete another task.

To figure out how much of your time is currently occupied, track your time for a day. Write down everything you do. How much time do you spend working? What about driving, or eating? Do you prioritize family time at night? Do this for 2-3 days in a row in case your schedule is different.

Once you have some data to work with, you’ll be able to get a feel for how long it generally takes you to do certain things. You can also consider what activities you could knock off your list to create additional time. For instance, maybe you spend a little too much time scrolling Facebook. This isn’t mandatory (unless you’re a social media manager) and doesn’t have to happen in your day.

Research

Research how much time it normally takes other people to do certain tasks. This could be a simple Google search, such as, “How long does it take to write a book?” While the answers will most likely be widely varied, it will still help you get a sense of what to expect.

You can also crowdsource, asking others how long it takes them to do a certain thing. Find someone who has a blog and ask them how long it takes to write a blog post. They can help you understand what’s involved in the process.

Compare

Even if you’ve never done a task before, you can still estimate how long it might take by referring to the length it took to complete similar tasks. Maybe you’ve never designed graphics for social media, but you have made a poster or flyer in the past. Think about how long you needed for those previous projects. Then apply that knowledge to what’s on the docket now.

Using Parkinson’s Law For Good

Parkinson’s Law doesn’t have to be all bad. By following these tips, you can leverage this law for good, completing your project requirements in exactly the right amount of time.

If you’re using Parkinson’s Law to improve your sales process, I have another resource for you, too: my Epic Sales Presentation Template. This 12-slide, customizable template helps you create a compelling sales presentation to win your prospects over. It’s an easy way to design a professional template in very little time. Click here to download the template and use it for your own!

When it comes to achieving your personal and business goals, money tends to be a great focus on measuring success. The money mindset is essentially your attitude to cash, so developing a positive mindset about money is crucial for overall success and well-being.

To create a positive mindset around money, you want to rid your mind of all limiting beliefs preventing you from taking action, then start looking at the world through an opportunistic lens to fully achieve abundance in your life.

If you want to discover a positive mindset about money, here are a few actionable steps to getting there.

What is a Positive Money Mindset?

If changing your mindset about money is a priority, first you will want to understand what even is a money mindset. A money mindset is an overriding attitude that you have about your finances.

Your mindset around money drives your financial decisions every day. This can have a huge impact on your ability to achieve your goals. It is vital for success to focus on having a positive money mindset.

While money can be a stressful topic for many, if you change your mindset about money, you tend to make better choices about how to overcome challenges.

The 4 Steps to Develop a Positive Money Mindset

Money and mindset go hand and hand, so understanding it and focusing on ways to view it positively, is crucial for lifelong success.

But, here’s the secret: When you fix your relationship with money, you will transform so many other areas of your life.

Here are four steps that will help you develop a positive money mindset:

Forgive your Financial Mistakes

If you have never missed a credit card payment or bill, you might as well be a financial guru. However, for the vast majority of it is important to forgive your financial mistakes.

The goal is to shift your focus away from shame and make room for better practices and a more positive attitude towards money in the future.

To forgive your financial mistakes, first acknowledge what happened, apologize to yourself, then focus on moving forward. If you start to develop a negative mindset toward money just remember, your financial mistakes are not you. You are independent of your financial mistakes in the past.

Set Financial Goals

Once you have forgiven past financial mistakes, setting financial goals can be a great next step to money mindset mastery. When setting goals, figure out what matters most to you, and put every single thing on the table.

You will want to dive into what goals are within reach, what will take a bit of time, and which ones will need to be a part of your long-term strategy.

Once you have identified these financial goals, apply a SMART goal strategy to make sure the goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.

My SMART Goals Template will help you clarify your goals, focus your efforts, and use your time and resources productively.

Optimize Your Budget for Happiness

Achieving money mindset mastery is no easy feat. But optimizing your budget to include things that make you happy will make it a little easier.
If a gym membership or going out to dinner makes you happy, plan your budget accordingly to include these things. If you do not feel deprived, budgeting will feel less like a chore.

When budgeting, a good rule of thumb is that 50% of your earnings should go towards needs like housing, food, gas, and medicines, 30% to wants like vacations and finally learning how to play an instrument and 20% should be saved. If you’re carrying debt, the 20% may be directed to paying that off first.

Inform Yourself about Money

Finally, if you want to have a positive mindset around money, inform yourself about money. Surround yourself with people who live by those values, read books promoting positive mindsets, and make sure your social media feeds do not promote negativity around money and spending.

Read Books

Your feelings about money directly affect your financial reality. While your parents and other outside influences have ingrained various money

beliefs into your head, the good thing is your thoughts around money can change.

The key is to constantly feed your mind with new and positive content that will teach you how to think of money in a whole new way.

Money mindset books encourage positive money spending habits and budgeting which are imperative to your money mindset training.

Gain Inspiration from Quotes

Surrounding yourself with motivating and informative quotes will help you get in the right money mindset. Search for quotes that make you feel good about yourself and spending and either save them to your phone or computer or print them out to keep around the house.

Follow Successful People

Keep up to date with successful people. Whether this is on social media, through a blog, or trusted news outlets, following successful people will inspire you to greatness.

These individuals do not all need to be public figures either. Challenge yourself to only seek advice from those who have already achieved what you want to achieve.

These people could be family members, coworkers, mentors, or financial influencers. Whatever the case, it’s much easier to follow in the footsteps of someone who’s already successful and emulates a positive money mindset.

Set Goals for a Financially Successful Future

Now that you know how to develop a positive “money mindset”, start implementing these tips for a more successful future. Setting goals now can set you up for financial success in the future. To ensure you set and achieve all your goals effectively, get my SMART goals template. Download my cheat sheet now and you will be on the fast track to success.

As you may know, a lot of people are out of work today. And if you’re not out of work, you probably will be sooner or later. Finding a new job is no walk in the park, but can be made simpler with the right tools and mindset.

Your ability to get the right job, at the right wage, doing the right thing with the right people in the right company, is one of the most important skills you develop as a life skill.

I have shared my tips for finding a new job for thousands of job seekers and job changers. These great ideas will revolutionize your life and business future.

Tips for Finding a New Job

If you want to earn what you are really worth, you have to be in the right job in the first place. Most people should be earning much more than they are today.

This is a challenging time in human history to be out in the job market and working to survive and thrive.

In spite of problems in the economy, there are countless opportunities and possibilities for talented people like you to find or create great jobs and earn more than they ever have before. If you want to be one of them follow these tips.

1. Do your homework

When you are looking for the job you want, you engage in the same activities a sales professional would.

Three activities essential to sales success are prospecting, presenting, and following up.

Your job when looking for a job is to prospect thoroughly and develop the greatest number of leads or potential jobs that you possibly can.

One of the most important keys to success in selling today is what is called pre-call research. Do your homework and find out everything that you possibly can about the individual, the organization, and the industry before you reach out to anyone for the first time.

2. Conduct an Internet Job Search

Finding a job on the internet is a skill you will learn through practice. Start by visiting the most popular sites, like Linkedin and Indeed, where job postings are most commonly advertised.

Search various versions of job titles you are interested in. Job titles for the same type of position, vary from company to company, so you will want to do your research and apply to the appropriate title.

3. Gather Information from Multiple Job Sites

Some internet job sites specialize in one kind of employment. It is also important to pay attention if the site is local or national.

If you are looking to buy a house, you don’t buy the first one you see without looking at other properties. Finding a job is very similar. Do industry research on average salaries and take not of the various job responsibilities that may be asked of you at different companies.

Remember the same job title at two different companies could yield different responsibilities. The more information you preliminarily gather will only benefit you in the long run.

4. Attend Job Career Fairs

Job fairs are held yearly or even more frequently in some areas, which allow you to meet hiring professionals in person. These will likely be advertised in the newspaper, online, or even the radio.

When visiting job fairs, talk to the various employers exhibiting there and find out what they’re looking for today and what they will be looking for in the future.

Even if you’re currently employed, keep sowing seeds everywhere you go so that you can create a rich harvest at employment opportunities in the future. Spending time visiting these now, will be pay off in the future.

5. Look for Active Growing Companies

Keep an eye out for companies in your community that is announcing expansion or increased profitability, like opening a new branch or office, or their profits last year went up dramatically.

These companies are always looking for more good people. Every business owner knows the key to growth is to hire good people. The more good people you can hire, the faster you can grow and the more profits you can make.

Growing companies offer lots of opportunities and will pay well for the right skills, especially if you’re the one who has them.

6. Find New Product Releases

Whenever a company is expanding its products or services there will be job opportunities to sell, distribute, service, and install the product. Additionally, there will be jobs handling administration and details associated with the product.

My suggestion is to create a “watch list” of popular companies in your area or companies you are personally a fan of their products. If you frequently check these companies LinkedIn, career pages, and set up job alerts on third party sites, you will likely find out about the positions before others on the market.

Then, when it comes time for hiring, you will be one step ahead of the competition.

7. Sell Yourself Professionally

The job interview is like a sales call. You are essentially in sales when you are looking for a job. When interviewing, you are going out to sell yourself to someone else and you’re going to charge a lot of money for your product.

The type of job you get and the salary you command will be a measure of how well you have sold yourself at this critical point in your career change.

Many people do not like the idea of selling and do not see themselves as salespeople. Unfortunately, this is the type of attitude that leads to underachievement in life. It leads to being passive rather than active, and feeling inferior rather than feeling powerful.

The fact is that everyone who wants to sell his or her ideas or services to others is a salesperson. The only question is whether or not you’re any good at it.

Create a Plan for Finding a Job

Finding a job can be stressful and overwhelming, but my hope is these tips help you take on the job market with the knowledge and confidence necessary to secure your dream job.

If you need help creating a plan to get you there, my Personal Development Plan Template will help you learn how to think ahead and evaluate your goals effectively. With this template, you will more easily be able to identify areas of opportunity and improve your successes.

Setting financial goals can be a difficult task. It is hard to know where to begin when you don’t know where to start. By following my 5 steps to set achievable financial goals, discover your potential and see your finances grow.

1. Start With Your Core Values

Most people don’t realize that reaching your financial goals starts with your core values.

You must do well in all areas of your life, and determine what it is you believe in and stand for in order to find true financial success.

Your values lie at the very core of everything you are as a human being. The virtues and qualities that you stand for are what constitute the person you have become and will continue becoming.

All improvement in your life, including financial improvement, begins with you clarifying your true values, committing yourself to living consistently with them, and then aligning everything you do with them.

When you align your work and personal life to support your financial goals, you’ll find it much easier to reach them or any goal you set.

2. Align Goals With Your Values

Next, aligning your goals with your values helps you become a living magnet. One of the most powerful principles in the universe is the law of attraction.

The law makes you a living magnet by using your thoughts to create a force field of energy that radiates out from you and attracts back into your life the people and circumstances that are in harmony with those thoughts.

Every person who has achieved financial independence has become wealthy and successful as a result of holding the idea of wealth and success in their mind long enough and hard enough, until they drew into their life the resources they needed to accomplish it.

Your main job is to keep your mind fixed on improving your personal finances and achieving financial independence.

3. Think BIG But Start Small

Now when it comes to setting your financial goals, you want to think BIG but start small or wherever you are.

High achievers always set challenging goals and continually work towards them in everything they do. Self-made millionaires all started with a dream.

And one of their secrets is dreaming big.

You can then practice “back from the future” thinking. You project yourself forward five years — allow yourself to imagine the amount of money you’d like to earn and have in your bank account.

Then, work back from the future to the present. Make a list of the logical steps, in order, that you need to take to get from where you are to where you want to be. Then figure out what big or small action you can take today.

4. Plan it Out

Next, give yourself time to plan it out and accept that your financial goals are long-term strategies. Many people fail to realize this. They instead go through their days, and their money, trusting luck that somehow they will become wealthy.

They buy lottery tickets, gamble, and think about making a killing in the stock market. The fact is that financial success is long-term money.

Those with financial freedom are patient, persistent, and farsighted. They discipline themselves to save and accumulate money over many years.

As a result of this money habit, each year their wealth grows and they usually surpass their financial goals…

…And keep going!

5. Expect the Best

Lastly, when setting your financial goals, expect the best. The law of expectations says that whatever you expect with confidence, positive or negative, becomes your reality.

So, don’t worry about failure, that is negativity that will manifest into your life. If you confidently expect to become wealthy, hold to that belief, and act as if your financial success was inevitable, you will eventually achieve that goal.

Successful people who become rich expect to succeed, in advance.

The wonderful truth about your expectations is that they are completely under your control. You decide for yourself if you want to become rich and how you are going to get there.

Are you making these mistakes when it comes to building your wealth and setting financial goals? Learn what they are from this report.

Financial freedom comes to the person who knows how to save 10% or more of his income throughout his lifetime.

One of the smartest things that you can ever do for yourself is to develop the habit of saving part of your salary, every single paycheck.

Individuals, families and even societies are stable and prosperous to the degree to which they save money. Savings today are what guarantee the security and the possibilities of tomorrow.

How to Accumulate More Wealth

I’d like to share with you strategies you can begin implementing in your life today in order to start accumulating more wealth.

Pay Yourself First

The first corollary of the Law of Saving and becoming a money-saving expert comes from the book The Richest Man in Babylon by George Classon. It is to “Pay yourself first.”

Begin today to save ten percent of your earnings, off the top, and never touch it. This is your fund for long-term financial accumulation and you never use it for any other reason except to assure your financial future.

The remarkable thing is that when you pay yourself first and force yourself to live on the other 90% promoting frugal living, you will soon become accustomed to it.

You are a creature of habit.

When you regularly put away 10% of your earnings, you soon become comfortable living on the other 90%. Many people start by saving 10% of their income and then graduate to saving 15%, 20%, and even more. And their financial lives change dramatically as a result. So will yours.

Take Advantage of Tax-Deferred Savings and Investment Plans

The second corollary of the Law of Saving and becoming a money saving expert says, “Take advantage of tax-deferred savings and investment plans.”

Because of high and even multiple tax rates, money that is saved or invested without being taxed accumulates faster than money that is subject to taxation.

Self-made millionaires, according to Dr. Thomas Stanley’s book “The Millionaire Next Door”, are almost obsessive about accumulating their funds in assets such as real estate, self-owned businesses, and equities that increase in value without triggering tax liabilities.

Invest in company pension and retirement plans, 401(k) plans, Roth IRA’s, Education Investment Accounts, stock option programs and whatever else has been approved by the IRS for long-term financial accumulation.

Make every dollar count!

Save 10% of Your Earnings

First, begin today to put away 10% of your earnings. Set up a special account for this purpose and treat your contributions to this account with the same respect that you do your rent or mortgage payments each month.

Become a Lifelong Learning Student of How to Save Money

Second, become a lifelong student of how to save money. Read the best books, take courses and subscribe to the most helpful magazines. Know what you are doing so you can always make intelligent decisions when you invest your funds.

I’d like to leave you with a thought to share with your friends and followers:

“Financial freedom comes to the person who actively takes control of their finances.”

Now I’d love to hear from you. What are you going to begin doing today to start saving more money for your future? Leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to follow up with you.

Discover the 5 reasons most people don’t become wealthy in my free report. These are the mistakes that keep people from acquiring true wealth.

To learn more about how to invest money, take a look at these practical tips from successful investors.

How much do you know about money?

It’s interesting that most people think about money all the time and don’t know anything about it.

By understanding the history of money you can increase your earning potential by a great deal.

There is a secret to being able to earn more…

The History of Money

At one time, there was no money, there was only bartering. If you caught a fish, you would trade with a person who had cut down a pineapple from a tree.

If you made boats, you would trade with a person who would build your house for you.

Everything was always trading goods for goods. This eventually became really awkward and clumsy, so finally we had to find something that everyone valued.

The solution to bartering eventually became money…

Things like precious stones like gold and silver, or even brass and copper were used as currency for a time. During the early times of the United States, beautiful seashells were also considered to be what is called a “store of value”.

What does this mean for you?

Your Most Valuable Asset

Your most valued financial asset is your earning ability.

Now, where does the money come from?

What happens is you trade your labor (mental, emotional, or physical) for money. And then you take that money and you buy the results of labor of someone else whether it be at the grocery store or the car dealership or the clothing store.

What we do is we trade our labor for money and then we trade that money for the labor of other people.

So if you want to be paid more, promoted faster, or increase your earning ability, you have to increase the value of the work that you do.

The whole subject of inequality is, unfortunately, self-determined. People decide to be unequal to others, especially in earning ability, because they decide to stop learning and growing and becoming better in their field.

Add Value to Everything You Do

The thing about money is that you can have all the money you want and earn it honestly by contributing value to other people.

By doing things for other people that are valuable, important, and help them get the results they want, and they will pay you for.

That is the basis of money.

When you start a business, it’s very similar. When you work for a company, it’s very similar.

But money is merely a method of exchange for the quality and quantity of your work which enables you to buy the quality and quantity of work from others.

I’d like to leave you with a thought to share with your friends and followers:

“If you want to be paid more or promoted faster, you have to increase the value of the work that you do.” @BrianTracy

Now I’d love to hear from you. What ONE thing can you begin doing today that could potentially increase your earning ability in the future? If you want to learn the entrepreneurs guide to building a profitable business, click the button below to download my free Way to Wealth Report.

Watch Video Here

Shareable Quotes About Money