Get Off Your Butt With the 25-25-50 Rule
November 6th, 2009 by Bob Bly
Are you spending too much time studying and reading about Internet marketing or freelancing – and not enough time actually doing it and getting your business off the ground? Then apply the 25-25-50 rule.
The 25-25-50 rule says that to master a skill or process, and put what you learn into practical action, you must divide your time as follows:
>> No more than 25% of your time is spent studying – i.e., reading books, going to boot camps, attending workshops, listening to tapes in your car.
>> No more than 25% of your time is spent observing – watching what successful people in your field are already doing; e.g., if you want to become a direct mail copywriter, this means reading and analyzing the direct mail you get in your mail box each day.
>> At least 50% of your time is spent actually DOING the thing you are studying and observing – e.g., if you want to sell information products on the Internet, you are creating your first product … designing your Web site … or building your list.
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November 6th, 2009 at 7:33 am
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November 6th, 2009 at 9:31 am
That’s a great rule. There’s so much out there that it is unavoidable that we’re going to not only miss lots of stuff, but lots of great stuff. Too bad - eventually we have to move on and get the job done.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Everything is impossible until it’s possible.
George Washington, the United States first President never got to experience the car, the airplane or internet.
All of the above were considered impossible during his life span.
It took someone making those visions possible inside their own mind, educating themselves on how they could make it real, and then as Bob emphasizes here, getting to work to realize it.
For people who spend all too much time studying it seems to me their underlying problem is fear that business success isn’t possible for them.
It’s the marketers biggest objection to overcome.
And guess what? They’re right. Until they change the movie they’re playing inside their mind from one that scares them to one that excites them… they’ll never make it big.
One resource that comes to mind that has helped me with this challenge is Robert Dilt’s “Conversational Magic” program.
It’s a seminar that revolves entirely around the concept of changing your un-resourceful beliefs.
If you can’t find these rare audios, dig into any of his belief books or programs. They’re the truth.
November 6th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
I had to learn it myself, the hard way: “When in doubt — do SOMETHING.”
Endless hand-wringing over pros and cons and “Do I know enough yet” can cause paralysis, or at least inertia. Some of the clients I’ve worked with knew they needed better marketing, and knew they needed professional writing and strategizing to achieve that goal, but their unwillingness to pull the trigger caused them months of wasted opportunities before they finally summoned the testiscular fortitude to act.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
“The individual who wants to reach the top in business must appreciate the might of the force of habit—and must understand the practices are what create habits.
She must be quick to break those habits that can break her—and hasten to adopt those practices that will become the habits that help her achieve the success she desires.” —J. Paul Getty, modified by Dr. Andrew Linick
As far as splitting time is concerned here’s my answer–short and sweet. For me it’s 15%/15%/70%.
You must invest most of your time every week doing what you do best and (by outsourcing or delegating it) let others do what they do best!
You’ve read that knowledge is power. Not true! The use of knowledge is power. You need to ask the right questions in order to receive the right answers. Think of the acronym ASK as in:
Always
Seeking
Knowledge!
If you have a quick marketing question email me at: (NOTE- how I use ASK here.) Andrew@AskLinick.com. Clever? Innovative? You decide:-)
November 9th, 2009 at 4:36 am
Off to do something. Now!
November 21st, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I tend to agree with Dr. Andrew here.
His 15%/15%/70% shows just one of the advantages Internet Marketing has over the more traditional methods: time, the only thing we can’t buy more of. The time to experiment _while_ doing.
Swhy worry so much about shaking hands? Of course you still do, but in a whole new way.
Training, planning and coaching will still all come into play here, as being more efficient and effective is a must!
John
December 1st, 2009 at 12:21 am
Yes!
I spent way too much time on learning and not implementing at first.
Get out there and do something. Learn from your mistakes. My best Spanish speaking student’s were not necessarily the best students with the best grades. They were the ones that tried and made mistakes and kept going. The ‘A’ student’s were too afraid to make mistakes and said nothing.
January 28th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
[…] “Get Off Your Butt With the 25-25-50 Rule” Bob Bly makes the point that you have to spend at least 50% of your time implementing in […]