If this sounds like you, then this article is for you!



You need to start to categorize your materials. Are they learning materials? Are they materials for product development? Are they coaching?

This really helped me narrow down in terms of what I had and how I could use it. For example, I had learning materials that I had to watch. For example, DVDs, online tutorials, CD Rom videos, seminars, those kinds of things.

I had materials that I had to listen to; MP3s, CDs, streaming audio, pod casts.

Then I had materials that I had to read; newsletters, books, blogs, E-books, articles, course materials.

The reason I started breaking it down is because then you can start to sort your information so that you can consume it in the best possible timeframe.

When I go driving, I can’t grab my online tutorials or my CD Rom videos and watch them while I’m driving. But I can grab my MP3s or my CDs or perhaps my pod casts. I purposely get my material ready so that if I do go driving, I have something that I can listen to in the car.

Or if I’m going to a doctor appointment, I have material that I can either listen to or read while I wait at the doctor’s.

You have to categorize your material and then set yourself up so that you can consume it on an ongoing basis.

For product development, for example. I broke my material down to royalty-free information that I had. Royalty-free might be royalty-free songs, royalty-free pictures, royalty-free icons that you can use on websites. Royalty-free templates. Those types of things.

I also broke it down to resell rights. Private label resell rights. Public domain content. Software that I had.

You know another thing that I also did? I also took an inventory of the content that I had already developed. Man, that was an eye opener. I had all kinds of great content that I had already developed, and I was constantly trying to come up with new ideas. I slapped myself up side the head and said, “Stu! Start utilizing what you’ve already got, dude." Maybe you can relate to that.

Then coaching programs. My goodness. Once I zeroed in on how to get them, everything started to take off for me. But you’ve really got to ask yourself how you can utilize what you’ve already got, and then figure out the best possible way for you to consume it on an ongoing basis.

I broke my materials down to materials that were portable, that I could take with me if I was going somewhere versus materials that were location-restrictive. Meaning, I had to be at my computer or I had to be at home.

For the materials that I had to be at home, I purposely set aside time to consume those materials. Not the material that’s portable or that I can take somewhere else with me. I set aside time to consume my location-restrictive materials. Those are my online tutorials, my DVDs, if you will. My CD Rom videos. Often times it’s my coaching. When I’m speaking with my coaches. I need to be on the phone and I’m a dangerous driver if I’m talking on the phone, so I try to avoid it at all costs.

In summary, it’s very important you categorize your materials and then break it down, whether it’s learning materials, whether it’s materials for product development, or whether it’s materials for coaching.

Then divide it in to portable materials – stuff that you can take with you. If you’re running, if you’re driving, if you’re waiting for something versus materials you have to be at your computer or you have to be at home.

If you follow these underused simple yet effective steps you will be well on your way to getting the most benefit possible from your tools, materials and coaching programs and learning will become exponentially easier.