Here’s a sure way to increase your income for your memoir business.

Break your quarterly strategy plan into weekly units. What do you need to do this week in order to meet your monthly, quarterly and annual financial goals?

Take these weekly strategic goals and combine them with your weekly and daily “to do” list. A weekly strategic goal might be to revamp a part of your website. A daily “to do” might include answering a specific e-mail or calling the electric company about a bill.

Now, break the work down into do-able units. Every day something will intrude in your schedule [guaranteed!], but you have allotted time for intereruptions. For instance, a potential client whom you are courting will call impromptu and chat forever. By keeping a daily schedule with a slot for interuptions, you will be able to meet these extemporaneous tasks as you meet your strategic plan. If you do not get unexpected tasks, simply move on to another item on your list.

But…

However useful this may be to assuring your bottom line is healthy, it is not the suggestion I am making to you this week.

What I am suggesting is even simpler…

Ask the Right Questions to Increase Your Income

As you work in the office during the day, ask yourself: “Is this the most important task I could be performing to grow my income?”

If it is, continue to do it. If it is not, ask yourself, “What is more important?” Switch to that.

That’s it!

Here are some examples of activities that are not the best use of your time.

1. Most of us get caught in a swirl of activities that end up wasting time. We get one e-mail which sends us to a website and then we navigate to another site and that is a total distraction.

“Is this the most important task I could be performing to grow my income?” No! This is not the best use of your time.

2. The impromptu call from the chatty prospect goes on beyond the time when we have determined she does not have the income to buy our services. She’s interesting enough, but talking to her is not the best use of your time.

“Is this the most important task I could be performing to grow my income?” No! This is not the best use of your time. End the call politely.

3. We spend part of the afternoon exploring a new business venture that a friend mentioned recently. This new venture does not fit into our strategy plan and it is taking time away from the billable editing we had scheduled. Nonetheless, we do a search engine quest for more information.

“Is this the most important task I could be performing to grow my income?” No! This is not likely to be the best use of your time.

How do you develop the habit of asking the right question?

1. When you write something on your list, ask the question, “Is this the best use of my time?”

2. As you decide to do something on your list, ask the question, “Is this still the best use of my time?”

3. Do not choose to do any task without referring to your list. Is it on your list? If not, why should it replace an item on the list? Is this impromptu activity the best use of your time?

4. Set a timer for an arbitrary length of time. When the timer rings, ask the question, “Is what I am doing right now the best use of my time?” (You will often find that you have migrated to something inessential.)

This is not a hobby you are engaged in. It is a business. A business must produce wealth for its owner. You can only increase your income if you are engaged in billable time or in making a sale. Everything else is expense.