I’m often asked by people what specific things I focus on to help me achieve success in my online endeavors. Emphasis on the word “achieve” here because i’m always striving for success… probably because I don’t feel like i’ve “achieved” all that much.

oh yes this image has relevance. keep reading!

Chances are you probably feel the same way I do. Which is why I chose to write this post. I wanted to quickly share with you the specific keys I focus on that have directly & in-directly benefited me in the past and hopefully will continue to in the near future.

Key #1. Hard Work for Long Hours At a Time

Some people work hard for short periods of time while others work not as hard but for longer periods of time. I’m talking about training yourself to do both. It’s not easy… but it takes so much work to build out web properties which is why I put this at the top of the list. Your ability to work hard and to work hard consistently for long periods of time will directly correlate to your success or failure on the web. It’s really that simple.

Internet marketers are known as people who have the ability to work 24 straight hours or more to get a project done. They don’t always do it, but the ability is there and it is used when needed.

There is an element of sacrifice that is required here. How much are you willing to sacrifice of your own personal time, health etc.? Create your boundaries ahead of time and stick with those.

Key #2. Focusing on Small Wins

This has been a lesson I have learned over the past couple of years. This concept of focusing and achieving small wins, 1 at a time and benefiting from the momentum that is generated in the process.

There’s a tendency for us as humans to want “everything now!” But business doesn’t always work that way. Focus and be aware of each small win. Kind of like Bill Murray’s character in What About Bob? “baby steps.”

I can’t tell you how many projects I have abandoned over the years because they didn’t immediately generate me $5k or $10k a month. Focus on the $10. Then the $50. And so on. Before you know it you’ll be hitting those numbers you originally planned on. But expecting them too fast will discourage you way too fast.

Key #3. A Good Plan Today is Better Than a Perfect Plan Tomorrow

I’ve been lucky to have great leaders around me during my life. Many of these leaders have taught me this concept of “a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” A butchered version of General Patton’s famous quote from WWII.

This couldn’t be more accurate than when it comes to business. How often on the web do we “plan” projects before actually executing on those plans? The plans can be flawless, but without the execution of those plans they will mean nothing to you in terms of real value.

Focus on executing at least once per day. That new website you want to launch. That new blog post you’ve been planning. Etc.

Key #4. Reading RSS Feeds

This one is a little more of a technical/specific key that I focus on, leveraging the power of the blogosphere to learn more in a shorter period of time. Those of you who know me probably are aware of the fact that I subscribe to over 500 blogs via RSS using my Google Reader account. And I read through these feeds DAILY!

The world of business online changes daily. So naturally if you want to succeed you have to keep up with these changes. No better way to do that than with RSS.

Key #5. Application: practice what you learn

It’s not enough to just “learn.” That knowledge won’t do you any good if you don’t put it to work because a) you won’t retain what you learn without application and b) let’s be honest the best way to learn is through experience in doing.

I typically save all of my favorite blog articles each day into a spreadsheet that is neatly organized and categorized for future reference. I then spend an hour each day going back to those articles, re-reading them and immediately putting them to work.

6. Being a Hybrid: Coder + Marketer

There are Marketers and there are coders. Nerds and Jocks. Doers and Talkers. In order to achieve success in Internet Marketing and Internet Business I have found it best to be both. A hybrid if you will. The ability to generate an idea, have the skills to put that idea together technically, and finally the know-how to broadcast it and sell it to real people.

It’s hard to be a hybrid. I’m still desperately trying to learn PHP after all these years. It just doesn’t come easy to me like Marketing does. But the more of a Hybrid I become the more success comes to me which continues to motivate me in this direction.

7. Productivity OCD

You have to be obsessed with productivity. It seems like i’m testing a new productivity method every couple of months or so. Right now i’m leveraging the Pomodoro Technique for maximizing creativity and productivity. There’s a good chance this will change in a few months as my quest for finding optimal productivity continues.

It’s so ridiculously easy to get distracted on the web. Your ability to eliminate all distraction for many hours at a time will prove to be a very valuable skill for you.

8. Automation. Automation. Automation.

This one for me has been very difficult. Finding ways to increase automation while maintaining authenticity. So hard to do with things like Content Marketing, SEO and Social Media. But there’s a reason you can’t work 32 hours each day. It’s because there are only 24. And in order to achieve more you have to do more which is why Automation in this day in age is so critical.

A quick tip: I’ve been using this free tool called IFTT.com which helps you setup all sorts of web based automations. It’s worth checking out.

Conclusion

I must admit that I did not have this list all together when I started working on the web 6 years ago. Rather, this list has built up over time as I have learned through good and painful (mostly painful) experiences. I hope these help you. As I was putting this article together I kept asking myself “why not learn from other’s experiences?” This should be possible right?

One last tidbit that isn’t included in this list because it’s more of a personal attribute is Patience. Lots of it! I started my career with zero patience and it cost me many sleepless nights and worse, it cost me many opportunities. I can name off dozens of websites that had I just kept them running I could be benefiting from them today. Instead I would lose patience because they were not earning me as much as I thought they should so I would walk away from them.

What keys or tactics do you focus on? Have you found any of these not to be helpful?