Sounds confusing? Actually, mind mapping is a lot easier than you might think.

That’s because this technique follows the natural workings of your brain – which associates one word with another word to have a clear picture of the overall idea.

For example, if you say technology, there are several things that will instantly come to your mind. This central theme can branch out to the Internet, gadgets, mobile devices, telecommunications – the list is practically endless.

So mind mapping gives you more leeway when it comes to freedom of expression in the sense that one keyword is not just limited to one sub-topic, but it can branch out to several sub-topics. This will help you easily remember and understand the main concept which is represented by one word.

To have a deeper understanding of the process of mind mapping, take a look at this example:

1.    On a blank sheet of paper, right in the center of the page, write down an idea or a main theme of the topic you want to tackle and circle it.

2.    From this main word, what other words can you associate with it?  Write those words around the circle that you drew in the middle, then from that circle, draw branches or curved arrows surrounding the main theme and connect them all together.

3.    If you can think of other sub-topics under the associated ideas, place more circles around those ideas to represent the sub-topics.

4.    Let all your ideas branch out until you are satisfied with the results and you have exhausted all the possibilities.

The result will be your mind map. Now, isn’t this easier than making copious and detailed notes about the branches of an idea and all the other sub-topics under it?

There are tons of software tools available to help you with your mind maps - Click Here to see the one I use (it's free).  Whether you choose to use mind mapping software or the traditional pen and paper, take the time to really explore using mind maps to fully illustrate your ideas and projects.  You’ll be amazed at how much time you save.

Your accounting system does not need to be complex. As you grow, your best bet is to work with a CPA and a tax attorney to ensure your money is working to your benefit. Initially, however, it is possible to set up a simple system to keep your books.

Disclaimer: I am neither an attorney nor a CPA and assume no liability for your bookkeeping, accounting, and tax filing activities. Translation: do your research and consult a professional when you have questions.

The Super Simple Bookkeeping System:
What you will need:
• A spreadsheet program (Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc, etc.)
• 9x12 envelopes
• Expanding file folder, preferably with 12 monthly tabs

What to do:

1. Set up your spreadsheet (or download one from the Resources page at The Breakthrough Marketer)

A. Create 2 worksheets inside your spreadsheet: one or Income and one for Expenses.

B. On the Income worksheet, set up the following columns:

• Date

• Source

• Product Sales – set up the cells as numeric with 2 decimal places, and set up the last cell in the column to automatically calculate the column total. If you pay your state sales tax on a monthly basis, you might want to break down the Product Sales column to separate out product cost, taxes, shipping, etc. This will automatically total how much sales tax you need to pay for the month.

• Commissions – set up the cells as numeric with 2 decimal places, and set up the last cell in the column to automatically calculate the column total.

• Other Income – set up the cells as numeric with 2 decimal places, and set up the last cell in the column to automatically calculate the column total.

• Total Income – set up the cells as numeric with 2 decimal places, set the fields to automatically compute the sum of Product Sales, Commissions, and Other Income for that row, and set up the last cell in the column to automatically calculate the column total.

C. On the Expenses worksheet, set up the following columns:

• Date

• Description

• Paid With

• Set up columns for each category of product you purchase or expense you regularly pay, for example:

- Product Costs
- Advertising Expenses
- Marketing Supplies
- Marketing Expenses
- Merchant Fees
- Communication Expenses
- Office Supplies
- Fulfillment Services
- Packaging Costs
- Shipping Costs
- Other Expenses

Set up the cells as numeric with 2 decimal places, and set up the last cell in the column to automatically calculate the column total.

• Total Expenses – set up the cells as numeric with 2 decimal places, set the fields to automatically compute the sum of all the expenses in that row, and set up the last cell in the column to automatically calculate the column total.

2. Label your expanding file tabs and envelopes
Label each envelop and each section of your expanding file – one section for each month of the year.

3. At the end of each day, record all transactions
Record all of your income for the day on the Income worksheet. Consider using one row per source, for example all eBay income for the day on one row, all website sales for the day on the next row, etc. Work with it until you find a system that works for you.

Record your expenses for the day on the Expenses worksheet in the correct category, and place any receipts you have in the envelope for the current month. Keep your receipts in date order initially. In the future you might want to separate them by category. Recording your expenses by category will make your tax preparation much easier.

4. On the first day of each month, reconcile your records
Check your figures for the previous month. Pay any taxes due and print the spreadsheets. Keep a printed copy of the spreadsheet in the envelope with all of the receipts for the month. Then simply file that month’s envelope in the expanding file folder, and you’re done.

5. Get the next month’s spreadsheet and envelope ready.

That’s all there is to it. You should be able to keep track of your finances in just a couple of minutes every day.

So how do you manage your time so you can focus on the most productive tasks and move forward in growing your business?

Follow this simple 3-step system.

1. Plan

First and foremost, never think you don’t have enough time to plan. The less time you think you have, the more critical it is for you to make time. Careful planning is the only way to effectively manage your time because it forces you to organize your thoughts and focus on your goals.

Look at your plan as a blueprint for your activities. If you don’t know how to plan your time, here’s a quick little primer:

• List your goals

• For each goal, brainstorm strategies and tactics you can use to reach it

• Weigh the pros and cons of each and set a plan of attack

• Set milestones and deadlines for each task

• Get started! You can modify the plan as the situation warrants

2. Organize

Organization works best when it’s an ongoing practice. That means you shouldn’t spend an entire weekend getting organized and consider it done.

The best way to get organized is to implement a system as you go through your day. When you refer to a piece of paper, file it when you’re finished with it. Create an index of your files so that you can easily find them. Just create file folders as you finish with each item.

Don’t use only your brain to stay organized. Your brain can only retain information for 5-9 topics at one time, and you don’t want to spend your time “trying to remember.”

Make a list of things you need to get done, preferably in some sort of planner system. You can then easily see what tasks can be grouped together so you’re not wasting time jumping from area to area.

3. Delegate

As a business owner, your attention needs to be focused on those activities that generate the most income. That means, if at all possible, you need to find someone else to do all of the other tasks on your to-do list.

Hire someone to take care of chores around the house, cleaning, yard work, washing the car, etc. If your income doesn’t support that, determine what level of income your business will need to generate, and make that your next goal.

Use freelancers or interns to conduct research, package products, update websites, answer phone calls, respond to emails, and other office jobs that don’t require your special touch. Your focus should remain on planning and executing revenue-producing activities.

Most important of all, don’t wait. Get started right now managing your time so you can have a full life and still work toward your goals.

Below are ten of the most commonly automated tasks in the Information Marketing industry.

1. Opt-in list building

Using an online service or your own software program, it’s very easy to allow visitors to your website to sign up for your mailing list and then follow up with them through e-mail. There are also services that allow you to follow up with them through print and via telephone contact. To accomplish it, you set it up in the software, and it automatically handles the contact.

2. Newsletter publication

In addition to your online newsletter that you can send via email, there are many services available that allow you to upload an electronic copy of your print newsletter, and they print and mail it out to your subscribers. This is an incredible time-saver for you.

3. Website sales

Your entire website sales process should be automate so that the visitor can find the sales page, read it, click the order button, complete payment, and then either have access to the product they purchased or information about how they will receive their product. This process should require no interaction from you.

4. Product fulfillment

Once the sales process is complete, your delivery of the material to your client should be automatic. Whether they simply go to a webpage to download or something is shipped to them, your process should be set up for this to happen without you having to package and send each product that’s purchased.

5. Tracking visitors’ interaction with your website

As an Information Marketer, it’s important that you know what visitors are doing on your website so that you can improve your marketing efforts. Think about how powerful it would be to know that 90% of the people who read one particular article place an order. You might want to highlight that article and spread it all over the internet. Find a tool that allows you to view this information in a single location so that you can quickly and easily adjust your marketing.

6. Tracking the effectiveness of you advertising dollars

In addition to being aware of what your website visitors are doing, it’s absolutely essential that you know how much income is being generated by your advertising. If you’re paying for a certain ad to be published, and it’s not generating any sales, you know you need to change or remove that ad.

7. Affiliate management

You must have a tool that keeps track of everyone who signs up for your affiliate program, follows up with them, and credits them correctly for any sign ups or sales they produce.

8. Customer management

In addition to recording your customers’ contact information, your customer management solution should give you the ability to quickly segment your customer list based on buying habits, demographics, psychographics, and main area of interest. Ideally, it will allow you to contact those customers to deliver surveys, additional marketing messages, and gifts. Your customer management software should also automate the operation of your help desk.

9. Website management

Website management tools include things like backing up your sites for disaster recovery purposes, monitoring your site status to notify you if the site goes down, web page creation, content management, and the like. Managing your website should take you the least amount of time of all of your business efforts.

10. Article submission

Article submission software is wonderful, but it takes a long time to set up if your submit to every article directory available. The best way to automate your article submission is to pay someone to do it for you. Short of that, set up the software to submit to the top 3 article directories and get started. Then you can add other directories as time goes on.

Automation can save you days of work each week in completing repeatable tasks that can be handled by software. The trick is finding and implementing the best tools for your business.