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Are You Engaged In “No Rest For The Wicked” Internet Marketing?

At this time of the year with Christmas and New Year’s reducing the number of official work days in December, has your productivity been affected? Especially for those of us who are tethered to our computers, either because we’re:

  • Working
  • Hosting/calling in to a conference call
  • Playing games
  • Watching a movie
  • Going through our business balance sheets
  • Coordinating with our remote operations team

Or some other activity of your own choosing, I have found that I spend about 1.5 to twice as much time in front of my computer as I spend sleeping on my bed every day.

So do the holidays represent a boon or bane to the internet marketing continually building their business (especially during the holiday shopping season).

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Specifically, Do the holidays disrupt your business momentum and do either you and/or your business suffer as a result?

With the 24×7 nature of the internet, it’s inevitable that there’ll be a number of casualties (direct or indirect) are suffered along the rush to be the first and #1, especially in a high stakes game where “Speed can be of the essence. If a blogger is beaten by a millisecond, someone else’s post on the subject will bring in the audience, the links and the bigger share of the ad revenue.”

In the words of TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington: “I haven’t died yet,” although he’s gained 30 pounds in the last year, developed a severe sleep disorder and has mentioned that “At some point, I’ll have a nervous breakdown and be admitted to the hospital, or something else will happen. This is not sustainable”

Affiliate marketers and those of us who own our own products or services may not have the same breakneck “be first to publish” blogger mentality, but still the onset of Christmas shopping and New Year’s resolutions campaigns will force some to go to extreme measures as they’re fighting against the clock.

There’s a saying that there’s “No rest for the wicked”. If that is true, there will be quite a number of marketers going sleepless in Seattle or wherever else they might be.

So is it ultimately having to make a choice between work and taking a break?

Here’s what some marketers had to say:

“On the YES it breaks my business momentum” bandwagon

Michael S Copeland: “Yes it does… Launched a service right before the holidays.. may not do that one again”

David Temple: “Yep, but just have more to do when I get back. Enjoying it for the moment though!”

Miles Baker: “Holidays give me a time to refresh, reflect, and refocus. My momentum slows, but when I come back to work my momentum higher.”

On the “No, Holidays do not disrupt my business momentum” bandwagon

Geno Prussakov: Not for me. It’s definitely hard to balance between the two: biz (especially the urgent needs) and family at this time though.

Deb Carney AKA Loxly: “Holidays revitalize me 🙂 holidays are days when I can work on what I choose to 🙂 (see tweets about my sites, lol)”

JGoode: “no, holidays force me to take a much needed break I’d otherwise rationalize as not necessary – family days do the same”

From my own observation, I tend to take on a couple more projects than I should, so if anything the holidays are a wake up call to shed some of them and focus, focus and focus (as Kelly McCausey mentioned in the previous Friday Podcast).

One resolution I’ll be implementing in the new year is to automate my business more and delegate/outsource more tasks.

In my view, you’re still stuck at the “sole proprietorship” mode of operations, until you build a team. Only then the machine continue running when you’re not there and you’ve built the foundation for a solid business.

Sometimes even the wicked need to rest.

What do you think?

2 comments on Are You Engaged In “No Rest For The Wicked” Internet Marketing?

  1. jgoode
    December 31, 2008 at 1:32 pm (15 years ago)

    As I briefly mentioned, the holidays force me to take a break – and I’m very glad for that. To expand on that thought… I try not to change, divert, expand or otherwise alter a thing remotely close to my main site during the holidays. I work my hardest at the slowest times of the year in preparation for the busiest times… knowing the presses don’t stop, but will hopefully move onword on their own. I focus on enjoying what is around me for inspiration to new designs and thought processes which I can then turn into real content later on.

    There’s something to be said for unproductive yet thought filled time when it comes to really making headway in the big picture.

    Also, because I am the creative type, I can’t spread the creative thinking too thin, or nothing gets any “flair”. So the gift buying, cookie making, party planning, holiday decorating and family fun all sucks up so much of the juice, I’d be using diluted versions of half spent creativity if I tried to work…. it all balances out in the end, and I think I’m a better player in the field for it all.

  2. Andrew Wee
    December 31, 2008 at 1:36 pm (15 years ago)

    Hi Jen,
    In general, I think women are better at this than men.
    By nature, having to deal with kids, a spouse or other stuff bring with it a number of multitasking abilities.

    I sure hope I can get you on my podcast soon to share some of those insights…

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