Time management is one of the most important areas of skill an entrepreneur can develop. While I am capable of some pretty incredible time-management feats, I’ve also proven to myself that I can be a serious slacker/drifter.

In other words I’m not as consistent as I need to be. Hence my recent decision to really work at fine-tuning my time management strategy.

I’ll call this entry “Volume 1″ because I’m sure there will be more to come. Here are a few of my best practices that have helped me become far more effective in my daily work.

A Task List Is A MUST!

This one is fairly obvious, but then I went for a long time without doing it. A daily task list is absolutely necessary for any entrepreneur or businessperson.

We need a short, simple outline of the day’s mission critical objectives as well as any sidenotes of value. This helps us make measurable progress on a daily basis without floundering aimlessly.

I’ve found it best to have only two critical mission items per day, and up to four minor notes. Always try to list your items in order of importance, and always start with the highest priority each day.

And you should always create your daily task list the night before. Setting your list up in advance helps you avoid wasting work time in the morning. You can just hit the first item in your list and go from there.

Question Everything You Do!

Another really helpful tactic is to ask yourself this question when you are considering an item for your task list, or when anything unexpected comes up: “Is this activity productive in terms of moving me towards one of my key goals?”

If an activity will NOT move you toward an important goal it should get the boot. Only spend time doing what matters!

Of course this may require you to go back and set up your core goals. Having clearly defined goals is a must for effective time management because this gives you the foundation for your entire management strategy.

Say NO Often!

It’s not easy at first, but once you get the hang of it you’re going to love it. When you don’t want to do something or don’t see the benefit of an activity you are offered, just say NO!

I’m not telling you to refrain from helping others. I’m just encouraging you to stand up for yourself and your right to use your time for the highest good.

Avoid getting trapped into an obligatory hell of too many commitments.

Increase Your Reading Speed!

Seriously. The ability to read more quickly and effectively will allow you to spend less time on all the content you as a professional must absorb each week.

And you’ll actually find the ability to read faster will enhance brain activity, thus creating the feeling of more energy and sharper focus.

Check out this cool resource to learn more about speed reading.

These quick and easy tips are a good jump on time management. Take action on them and come up with a few of your own winners. I’ll post more on this topic in the near future and certainly I appreciate any tips that are added via comment here.

Gas prices are down. This is good news from one perspective, but there’s definitely a downside as well.

It’s pretty clear the oil companies use these fluctuations to keep the disgruntled consumer base off balance. A likely scenario is for prices to drop for a few months and then hit another major spike that pushes the average per-gallon rate above $4.

I’m not an economist. I’m just making an observation of what seems to be a pretty clear pattern.

I look forward to the near future when we’re off this ridiculous see-saw. And I’m not talking about the minor budgetary inconvenience of higher gas prices; I’m referring to the much bigger issue of our overall energy strategy.

Here’s something interesting to take note of: Now that the price of a gallon of gas has dropped significantly, see for yourself if you’re hearing less water cooler talk about alternative energy. The sad fact is, public opinion on energy policy rises and falls in direct proportion to the current prices at the pumps.

We have to grow past this as a people. It’s time for us to set goals, demand major policy shifts, and see these goals through.

It’s nice to have a break in prices at the pump. But it’s also critical that we stay focused on the need for alternative energy despite the lowering of oil prices.

It will be interesting to see what the next U.S. executive team does in the realm of new initiatives. I feel intuitively that even after the smoke has cleared, no matter who ends up in office, we will definitely see some very real shifts in the current direction of energy policy and practice.

It’s long over due. And the thought of going even another five years without launching one or more major programs is frankly horrifying.

I’d like to see big steps taken in the direction of wind, solar, and even nuclear energies before the end of the current decade. Once we commit there’s no doubt we’ll succeed but enough of this floundering already.

Take a look at California and the policies they’ve put into play in recent years. It’s inspiring to say the least and there’s no reason the rest of the country should settle for less.

I realize big change is not without some friction. Detroit was less than thrilled with many of the initiatives coming out of California because of the impact they had on the automotive industry. But I say better to take a couple on the chin now for the greater good than to keep moving in a direction that has major and destructive implications for the whole of society.

I’ve recently been blowing off some real steam about the somewhat ludicrous “work from home” community of late. Things have jsut reached critical mass after three years of working hard in this sector of the Web.

I’ve made a good living working with amateur Internet marketers but honestly I think some tough love is badly needed in this part of cyberspace. On that note here’s another rant…

There are literally millions of people online who say they want their own “Internet business”. But the truth is most of these individuals are lazy daydreamers who want to win the lottery.

Business and the lottery are two very different things. The Web seems full of people who don’t realize this.

Many people seem hung up on the idea that if they just keep going through the motions, they’ll eventually get the break they’re waiting for. In fact sentiments of “it’s going to happen if I keep trying” are common among wannabe Internet entrepreneurs.

Here’s the thing: Nothing happens for us unless we actively create it.

Another really bizarre phenomenon in the pretend Internet business sector is the huge number of people who have been “working online” for years without ever making their first sale. It’s incredible that such circumstances are accepted as normal.

Consider this:

Have you ever come across a plumber, accountant, dog trainer, landscaper, florist, or restaurant owner who says things like…

“Yeah I’ve been at this for five years and still haven’t made my first sale.”

or…

“I really need this to work out soon before I run out of money.”

Or have you ever heard someone who is about to start a new venture as a commercial cleaner, dentist, real estate investor, or hair stylist say things like…

“There isn’t a lot of work involved is there?”
or…

“Can I do this for two hours a week and still make six figures each year?”

or…

“Will I get my investment back in less than two weeks?”

Statements and questions like these would be considered absurd by any traditional businessperson. And yet such ridiculous sentiments are totally common when talking to people who want their own “Internet business”.

I submit that this kind of mentality (term used loosely) is ludicrous, and closer to the attitude of a lotto card gambling junkie than a real entrepreneur. Anyone who says such things and means them should seriously reconsider this whole “online business” thing.

Too many people seem to be looking for a cookie-cutter system that instantly puts them on track to be wildly successful. Even when offered legitimate coaching services, it’s quite common for people who claim to be Internet marketers to ask things like:

“How fast will I start making money after the coaching is complete?”

and…

“Will I get a refund if I don’t make any money?”

It’s an embarrassment to the whole industry of online commerce that people who claim to be Internet entrepreneurs have this kind of childish attitude about their so-called business. No other business niche breeds so many clueless, lazy, something-for-nothing crackpots.

It may be true that infomercials and manipulative copywriters help perpetuate this kind of get-rich-quick mentality. But the truth is the individual must take responsibility for his or her own expectations and actions.

Any form of business requires creativity, effort, risk, commitment, and time to become profitable. Online ventures are no exception.

Choosing to ignore these words and pursue an Internet marketing business with the something-for-nothing mentality is the fast track to frustration and failure. If you don’t love this business, it will crush you. The world of Internet marketing is no place for the wishy-washy, weak-kneed, or undecided entrepreneur.

Success as an entrepreneur is about being passionate, giving wholly of yourself, busting your ass, falling flat on your face and getting right back up, having a good crying jag from time to time, and reveling in the thrill of complete and total victory at the end of it all. Making real money online doesn’t come with the “I’ll scratch off the blocks and maybe match the icons for the prize” approach.