Get Everything Done

Even though you're not a proponent of digital solutions, iphone apps for instance make a tidy some of money and AF is well suited to this. This would involve having AF go viral as well.

Obviously, you can do a Covey and provide special AF notebooks and other stationary.

Possibly time consuming, but training people to be AF/Dit/time management coaches and having them go out in both the business and personal world.

Speaking at big (corporate) events who pay 5 figures or more.

teaching the government autofocus and being exempt from taxes as a reward

Is there going to be a book that is just about Autofocus? How long would that take before it's published?

Ideas like speed!

Mark

I'll buy your book!

Mark, I do believe you deserve the greatest of pots of money (!!) from your brilliant AF system. *thank you.*

I just want to be clear that this is the question: "How can I make the basic AF system available free of charge, while packaging it in other more value-added ways to make pots of $?

Make AF / AUTOFOCUS into a brand / cool logo and sell all kinds of branded AF merchandise in addition to Peter's great ideas about AF books/ stationery - pens, pencils, highlighters, calendars with tips or quotes maybe from all your books, (perpetual or dated) bags, hats, t-shirts, etc. ( I am using Levenger's CIRCA smaller size and it would be really cool to have a branded AF cover ... I am wanting a little cover/folder with a pen loop or two and some pockets.)

Sell an expanded version as an e-book or on Kindie (I think that's supposed to be pretty fast).

Also .. loved Peter's idea of the iPhone/ ipod Touch app !!

You could publish it, suitably expanded, as a book on lulu.com

Well Mark, that got a lot of quick responses!

I would suspect that, as you once tried to retire, freedom of time is important to you so ideas that leave you with time, yet the ability to get involved and "teach the system" seem an ideal scenario. Branding the system, creating the Covey type system, writing a book, training others all seem to be great ways of achieving the financial side without compromising on the time freedom element.

In addition to the electronic solutions for handhelds, a genuine software option could be a possibility, not as an afterthought or make-do, but tailored specifically and with the ability to link to Outlook or other "recognised" programs. There are a number of smaller but excellent software companies around that may be very willing to partner with you in that production.

I agree with Peter - he has 2 good ideas :

1) web/mobile app which is using AF system and in the same time can also add second part which is about reminders and other things with deadlines not used in AF -> this way it will be possible have all tasks in one place. Part of the system can be free and some extra options with additional fee.

2) nice stationery with perfect number of lines and good pen attached to it , everything with nice logo -> so you have complete AF system to carry with you.

Stationery can have mini version of AF instructions inside the cover - this way it can be nice gift and in the same time good way to spread AF method among friends :)

I would also consider a DVD that explains the working of the system and actual implementation examples of people from different walks of life.

1. You could create an AF franchise or some kind of certified / licensed program to permit others to conduct training sessions / seminars in return for a startup fee or royalties.

2. Similar, you could license to coaches to use as part of their 'toolkit'.

3. Lots of people on the forum have been agonising over whether they should use paper or electronic methods. Design a nice leather or faux leather folder / forms to sell at a vast uplifted price. Or design a piece of 'authorised' software or outlook plugin...

I think the best ideas are:

DVD or downloads of a seminar, so once it is done you can make money passively
Train people to teach the method, ie certified in AF, this is basically more seminars, but if it is "franchised" and extends to corporate training, you can get royalties or up front franchise fees from the efforts of others.
Also, GTD has a pay website, with articles, forums etc. Not that I want to see this since you have been so generous with your time and have done this so far for free, but several people have pay websites and subscriptions.

Update the instructions to include a task "Send Mark Forster $10 via PayPal." People will do it once it stands out, meaning once they really feel the value, this will stand out to them. Or they do it little and often and send you $1 a week. And if they dismiss it, they'll also know the system's working.

The key is to find passive income with relatively low costs on your end.

These things can overlap. Book, seminar, DVD, etc. If people like something and want to learn it, they will pursue it through different media. Website is good too.
But some kind of seminar -- with a demonstration of how a few hours of "autofocused living" really work, could be extremely effective.
Hmm.... "Autofocused Living" -- I can't tell if that's got a ring to it or not, but if you like it Mark, it's yours!

You could also write a series of books that you either co-author or contract out for specific populations (e.g., Autofocus for Students; Autofocus for Moms; Autofocus for the Self-Employed; Autofocus for Homeschoolers). I concur with all the other ideas suggested and would be very interested in teaching this method as a speaker. Giving speakers a steep discount on licensed products and books is a great way to share the wealth. You might want to revamp the website to allow for more encouragement of those using AF. I would like to see a way of sharing number of tasks completed (so that high scorers are listed), tasks most often dismissed, and of connecting with people using AF who have similar work or interests. The writing thread is a great example of the latter.

Mark, we wish you all the best because you've given us yours.

Oooh, another product idea. FlyLady has these clings that stick to everything. Seeing her cartoon likeness on your fridge or washer can motivate you to do household tasks. What if you made a cling that had an AutoFocus logo and said something like, "What page are you on?" Using the "page" concept, you could create your support groups for "people on the same page." Okay, I need to get back to my page. :-)

Building on what Brian wrote above, and others wrote in a different thread, put in a link for donations in your navigation at the top of the site.

In the past, I worked for an ecommerce company. We had a guy who made boatloads of money selling a book along the lines of "Everything You Need to Know About Relationships in 23 Pages or Less." He sold it as an ebook.

Everyone is so busy they don't want to take the time to read a 300+ page book about how to more effectively manage time. A twenty page book at the right price about a time management book that is easy to follow could likely do VERY well. Selling as an ebook means you don't have to worry about shipping and also gets it in the readers' hands much quicker. That is also a short enough book most people wouldn't mind printing it out if they want it as a handy reference.

An alternative... The author of the book Scratch Beginnings gave it away for free right after it was released. Basically anyone interested enough to email him would get a free copy. I guess he thought the book was good enough most people would like it enough to buy it. Not sure how well he did with that. Oh, I need to put reading that book on my list :-)

I also like the idea of creating some software that allows you to implement the AutoFocus system as none of them seem to work quite right. Most of them are focused around some more complicated system - ABC priorities (like the Franklin Covey system) or contexts/tags (GTD apps).

One more thing: If you could partner up with a pen company that makes a pen that would work well for the analog version of your system. There are some pens out there that have multiple ink colors and markers built-in.

Hi Mark, I would support a donation - perhaps it could be invested in training older kids who have difficulty with study and time management related skills (feeling overwhelmed etc. in today's busy world) - Modelling Tony Buzan and his Mind Map Seminars etc.

Personally I would *hate* to see any of your products branded, not that I know you personally but I don't think it's you really. The fact that one can do AF successfully any A4 style Note book is a key strength for me and so unpretentious. No offence intended to other posters.

Mark,

you might like to have a look at
http://oami.europa.eu/CTMOnline/RequestManager/en_SearchBasic

Search for trade mark
005978853 or
005978879

(sorry, a direct link doesn't seem to be possible)

This might give you an almost exhaustive list of 'stuff' (pun intended).
:-)

However, you should probably get your own trade mark first. This could be quite expensive, and 'Autofocus' might even be too generic to qualify. As I'm no IP lawyer, please don't trust my words...

Go through the comments and distill them into FAQs. Package the basic instructions with the FAQs and sell as a low-priced eBook -- while making it clear that instructions are still available on web site at no charge. People who don't want to spend time searching through the comments for their particular question will appreciate having a paid version that includes details, and that they can print out as a pdf.

Do you know the story of Bethlehem Steel's Charles Schwab paying the amount of money he thought a time management system was worth to him? (He paid $25,000, saying it was the most profitable lesson he had learned. Google "$25,000 idea Schwab" if you want to read the story.)

You could ask AF users to Paypal you the amount of money they feel AF has been worth to them. :o)

You could have the 'basics' available on the web site and then the e-book I think an e-book with 'extras' i.e. tips and examples of how different people manage their lives with AF (you could include say their first names if they volunteer to be included).

Mark,

I like all of the ideas presented so far. Very exhaustive.

Firstly, the problem: You can't really "sell" AutoFocus because it is just an idea ... a list of instructions on how to do something. You can sell various implementations of it. This is where the ideas about notebooks, pens, and software come in ... and they all seem good.

The Analog Solution: I agree that short is best. I also agree that less discussion about the whys of it is good. I think that people want RULES. Just give them a very condensed list of rules, much as you did with your first go, but more cleaned up. It has to be clear as crystal so there is NO room for questions or misunderstandings. "Do this than do that and don't ask questions and it will change your life." That is what most people are looking for. (And, BTW, what you are basically already doing that makes AF so good.)

People love gadgets so in this realm I'd be selling stationary and branded products. Make a line of stationary in various form factors, with a flow chart, instructions and pretty colors and motivational quotes and such into a kit with very practical pens, markers, Post-It flags, page markers, whatever. The downside to this is that you are now in the retail business and income is related to time and manpower. I'd probably want to design the product then find someone who is already in that business to implement it for you and just take a royalty for it.

The Digital Solution: This leverages your time better, IMO. Software can be distributed via the Internet and you'd not have to go to the post office ;-) If you were to publish software, I have one bit of advice: Make it SIMPLE. Don't get some kid who is a wizard at World of Warcraft to do it for you ... get a professional who understands BUSINESS. You don't want to end up supporting users who have bugs in all of the "cool" features that they don't need or want anyway ... read "Microsoft" there ;-)

Any software solution should cover EVERYTHING that needs to be done but no more. IOW, it needs to handle a calendar, contacts, an easy to use AF list, and email. This implies that it should run on a smart phone and/or run on a PC linking to Outlook. However, the road to software development can be a rocky one.

Donations: That should really be your first step. It takes nothing more than asking your website guy to put a link up to collect money. You can have that up and running tomorrow! I love the idea of "what is it worth to you". People will often give more than you'd ask for. One thing that might be helpful is to think about putting some kind of metrics into your system. In the first place, it is not a bad productivity idea to know how productive you are. Secondly, it might help you show people how good the system works for them and so how much money they ought to give you ;-) The downside there is that it complicates a simple system. A trade-off to be sure. Maybe a second system for those who want metrics? (Probably the manager types.)

Oh, one other idea you already got but was kind of buried was to focus on applications. "AF for housewives", "AF for IT professionals, "AF for Artists", "AF for retired people", "AF for Musicians" etc. You have a thread where people divulged their professions so you can ask specific questions of persons in each profession about what they needed to change from the basic AF to make it fit well for them and make a separate "product" for each. I.E. a separate notebook kit, a separate software product, etc. You could do things like have some pages of music notation paper for the musicians and unrulled pages for the artists, etc. All kinds of tweaks I can think of.

Anyway, just some ramblings this morning. ;-) I'd examine how Steven Covey and David Allen did it. They is had basically the same problem ... an idea and how to market it. Hell, I'd write them and ask for pointers!

How about this Dilbert-Dogbert-type of solution:

Add a small amendment to the instructions, like "the number of items on a page must always equal the number of non-empty pages in your notebook".
Then sell tons of software, books, videos, and seminars that help people to cope with the problems that arise from this amendment.
:-)

I think we're all fortunate that AF is free.
I am a paying member of various other forums where access to the forums is possible only after a purchase.
I would charge a small lifetime fee for ongoing access to your forum and therefore for support.
After all you do spend your time answering queries and providing support for your system.
Jay

Keep everything as it is - public forums with free access to your public answers. If anyone wants anything bespoke, or a one-to-one answer to something, then make that a billable-by-the-hour event. Kind of "e-coaching". Or even "e-confessional" :-)

Dave

Hi Mark,

A few quick ideas:

wide view:
1. donation buttons in markforster.com. Quick, easy, leverage the experiences and feedback from the Beta test.
2. Write a short book, release as an ebook. Quite quick, build on experiences, add value.
3. Write a short book, publish a limited expanded print edition. Build on the readership of your previous books. Many people like to have a bound printed copy.
4. Create a short, new, higher-level book that knits together the best ideas from AF and its predecessors. Many people arrive via different routes and may be confused as to what to use when. Create some valuable new content. Interesting for you and us!
5. Hold web- or tele-seminars to walk through examples and do Q&A. Easy to set up, scalable.
6. Create a series of podcasts exploring aspects of AF, and charge a Euro for each.
7. Teach AF to other productivity sites and cross-pollenate to new users (e.g. 43 folders).
8. Publicise AF via interviews on other sites/podcasts/journals/newspapers.
9. Create a customised AF stationeryset: workbook, calendar. Maybe include some DIT sheets too?
10. Write or seminar on how to use AF to link more to goals, and how to review progress and enhance the AF experience.
11. A simple Web implementation of AF.
12. An Iphone or similar implementation delivered via Itunes store.
13. Produce a new book which includes many of the interesting ideas that have been in your newsletters over the past few years.
14. Start a competition with a decent prize for the 3 best ideas and get feedback from users, coaching colleagues and other web sites!

Narrow view:
1. Revisit previous companies who you have given seminars in the past.
2. Find new companies and propose a good-value seminar to provide to many employees
3. Provide specialised coaching.

Thanks Mark.

This isn't a new product idea, but how about including stories of people whose lives were changed using AF in your book or newsletter? Testimonials are fine, but I'd be interested to read how people's lives are impacted longer term. You might want to look at www.flylady.net. Her emails and websites describing the system, giving tips, and testimonials are free. However, she has written a book for people who aren't Internet-savvy and has created a range of products that aren't essential to the system, but many people still want. I don't think anyone begrudges her making money from these and the free aspect certainly helped to create her huge following. She has partnered with people whose expertise complements hers and travels around the country doing free seminars with them where they sell gobs of products. I only hope if you go that route that you will come to the US or will permit others to teach here. HTH

Re Autofocus for the Self-employed, for artists, etc ... Please don't forget: "Autofocus for Procrastinators" and "Autofocus for those with Chronic Health Issues" !

Variation on some of the other ideas mentioned: add a *specialized* "donate" button: "Take Mark out for a cup of coffee" - (another variation on the 'little and often' micropayment idea and adds a bit of fun.)

I agree that the donation idea is a good one--this system has helped me out so much I'd be happy to contribute! Later on some short, explanatory PDFs that could be purchased for further instruction. "AutoFocus for Educators," "Autofocus for Knowledge Workers, along with a FAQ one and maybe some for software like "Using AutoFocus with Outlook," "AutoFocus with Lotus Notes," "AutoFocus with online applications," etc. Also short essays from your past work but rewritten for AF: "Little and Often," etc.

You could either collate these into a new book or rewrite Do It Tomorrow since Autofocus seems to be a logical extension of DIT.

Thanks, Mark!

TMI have built a highly successful business out of branded product. Way back in 1989,I spent an intensive couple of days on a TMI Course, despite all the valuable advice I still could not really get the concept to really lift off for me .Since that time each December I have indulged myself by buying the expensive TMI diary update pack, to compliment their perfectly crafted but now somewhat battered A5 leather cover

However, all that is history because at 7,30 am on 5th January 2009 I simply introduced AF as the front end and found to my delight that the whole system positively flies and more importantly is still on course a month on !

So now you have the ultimate solution ,designing the product range should be the easy bit !

Get this made into a mobile phone game. More people carry a mobile phone than carry a pen and paper nowadays. This type of application/?game would be well suited to portable devices such as Blackberry and maybe even NintendoDS. The AutoFocus system has a computer game like addiction. You keep coming back to it and want to keep checking it and improve your to do list score. Also I think the scrolling effects could work well in choosing the most appropiate action. I realise this idea might be a bit fantastic but with the right help ? Thanx for this system Mark I'm finally smashing my to do list. Hope you make loads from it.
10trevor

How about a deal with the Moleskine http://www.moleskine.co.uk/ people; a giant win/win: Think of the copy "Word Famous Leading Authority on Time Management Mark Forster and The the legendary notebook of Van Gogh, Chatwin, Hemingway, Matisse and Céline team up to make the best even better with a new notebook designed around Mark Forsters revolutionary AutoFocus system of task management... and you could publish the AutoFocus system inside the notebook.

... that is my 2 cents ...

I am of course totally unaffiliated with either you or Moleskine...
But I am a satisfied customer of both...

Dennis

Do an on-line poll /survey to discover which of the above services or products your 3,000+ betatesters (and their friends) would be happy to pay for.

Mark,
I agree with others who have said ask for a donation. I'm so happy with the sheer simplicity and ease of use of AutoFocus that I would gladly give you a bit of money.

I believe that you should limit the products you add/create to electronic delivery only - therefore giving you the freedom to keep your own time in check and do what you want, but also giving those who want to use AF the opportunity to get any additional AF support products at no additional charge.

I also think you should let the user community help you develop materials and resources and then find some sort of affiliate's program that would share the revenue from products either they delivered and gave to the community or to products they recommended and reviewed.

I think it would be good to have an online AF user conference at some point in time. Find some sort of online forum site we could use for a day or two, charge a low admission charge, and set up forums by topic area/implementation style.

I also like the concept of an e-book with the system itself along with categorized tips/FAQs.

Thanks so much for AF - I can't tell you how much it has helped me.

The beauty of AF is in its simplicity which lends itself extremely well for iPhone type apps as previously mentioned. Everyone can benefit from AF and everyone is constantly searching for a way to get a better handle on their workload, so the iPhone style 'micro-payment' strategy of such apps would make it a no-brainer once word got out.

Of course, for us dinosaurs, a simple yet slick branded notebook ala Moleskin would also be a hit I would think. Include the instructions in the notebook and keep the notebook
small enough so it's trivial to carry around at all times (and replace as filled frequently).

This may have been stated (I didn't read all the replies) but you can run ads on your blog or get a sponsor(s). Keep blogging and keep the forums going to drive traffic to your site. There are some good blogs out there with lots of help on how to do this (problogger, etc.)

I just found this and oh my gosh - I love this!!! This is what I've been looking for! Thank you so much for sharing!

I also agree with the statements that you can just put a tip jar (paypal link) at the top of your web pages - particularly the one with instructions on how to use your system.

Best wishes for much success for you!

OK, this one's a bit out of left field, but here goes.

How about some sort of "Biggest Loser" style productivity challenge.

Find a number of people fully committed to improving their productivity with AF (but who haven't tried it yet). Decide on some reasonably objective way of measuring productivity.

Then set them onto AF, and track their productivity progress daily. After some set period, work out how much AF has improved each person's productivity, and then decide a winner (or winners).

I know there's some tricky details in there (how does one find the participants, how to measure progress etc), but the sort of testimonials coming out of that process will be invaluable. Plus if you can quantify the improvement AF brings (eg it made every single participant at least 30% more productive), selling whatever you want to sell is going to be that much easier. Depending on how you run the contest, you could make some of the content subscriber only and charge a small fee, too.

I like Kenny D's idea - sell it as an ebook. Include the basic instructions, plus some of Mark's usual excellent discourse elaborating on the principles and the nuances. Maybe include summaries of the some of the more poignant discussions that have arisen in this forum. Put all that in a PDF package of 20-40 pages and you could easily charge $10 or $20 for it. (Sorry, don't know how that translate into GBP).

Also, Mark, I'm really interested in finding out the results of having Autofocus filter all these ideas for you! Not just the final outcome, but how the process has worked for you.

If you added a "store" or "products we like" page to your site, you could become an affiliate for products or services that you really like and would recommend for others ... was especially thinking about this as your web site traffic will continue to grow with the "freely available" AF.

(was just using a timer for a task on my AF list, and was thinking about getting a more *aesthetically pleasing* one -- seeing as it is also a tool I use frequently, and so that brought up this idea as to what other products you know, like and could introduce to your site visitors.)

Ugh, I'm such a contrarian. I'm cringing reading the above ideas by-and-large. "" Make this" or "market that" seems so anti-AF. I mean this in the sense of AF's beautiful simplicity. What is it with our nature (mine included) to take the simple and adorn it?

What I see is that Mark had NOT really invented a darn (tangible) thing. Certainly not a To-Do list. What he has done is created a way of>> thinking about<< the to-do list.

So Mark, you're the kind of guy I want to listen to now. If you can do this with a to-do list, I gotta imagine you can make another leap. AF has increased the worth of your personal stock already!

If you want cash, wait a bit. As word spreads, those obvious things you thought of will spin off all you need. If you want to make a dry-erase board version of a to do list with a 4 color silkscreened logo (I hope no one suggested that already :->) I'd be disappointed personally.

Oh and because you asked, here's my serious suggestion: A bright, small, 5 page (max) pamphlet that teachers can use to instruct kids. Give them a head start on clear thinking! Frankly I'd give that away too...with your name all over it of course.

I agree with Don. Merchandising just for the sake of it seems to be contrary to the whole AF idea/atmosphere. I just did not post my opinions on this before because I did not know how to put it politely. Don has spoken up, so here I am supporting his view.

As far as the alternatives presented are concerned, I think donations would work, and also the pamphlet thing. It would be nice to spread the word outside the internet. The pamphlets could be distributed like the Ubuntu CDs, maybe not completely free of charge, of course. Perhaps people could donate also to cover the costs of those pamphlets (plus Mark's copy rights), so poorer people could get them for a reasonable fee, or no fee at all?

Anyway, the AF notebook idea coupled with the pamplhet printed on it is not really all that bad. Of course AF is about using simple tools, tools anyone can find anywhere (I think I found the perfect, cheap notebook for me already). But the "official AF" notebook could be a good idea to introduce people to AF and to show them what to look for in a notebook and how to work the system... Maybe instructions reinforcing the principles on the first few pages, helping people to follow the processes? After their first "official AF" notebook, they could go on buying it, but they would also know they could just buy any other notebook they feel like. :) Of course, with enough lines on each page. (I learnt it the hard way.)

Anyway, Mark, I hope you can sift through this ideas using AF. :)

I've used lulu.com several times and the quality of book created is very nice. You can sell printed copies and\or ebook versions of whatever you upload.

Using their book calculator, you can see how much it will cost to print the book with whatever options you choose (size, binding, color or BW, number of pages). Then you set the price you want to sell the books for. Lulu takes a cut and you get a check for the rest. Their templates are easy to use, and the best part is they handle all of the fulfillment - take the money\printing\shipping. You get a free webpage where people order the book and can leave comments about it.

Through Lulu, you could have "The AutoFocus Time Management System" book, as well as create actual notebooks ("Life" or "Work" on the cover, 30 lines per page, top corners have a square where the X and circle go to mark completed pages, inspiring quotes in the footer, whatever) to sell.

You can of course buy copies of your own books, and they give discounts for bulk orders, so you can have the book and notebook on hand to sell in person at any of your speaking engagements. Once you've created and uploaded the file, you don't have to do anything else so it's a lovely method of passive income.

Don't know if this is of interest to you, but rather than write a "how to" autofocus book, what about a "why it works" AF book? To me, this system is fascinating, because it's so simple in its description & implementation, but so ingenious in how it works with our minds/brains.

There's lots of potential material:

- integrating the rational & intuitive minds in executive function

- rewards for working on a task, rather than completing the task

- review & planning are seamlessly integrated into the execution process

- the way that you can write tasks at any level of granularity from "build house" to "hammer next nail" on the same list. (This is one of my personal favorites.)

- why it works so well for procrastinators

- sure that you could find lots of interesting research on decision making, attention, motivation, rewards, etc etc to bring to the table.

Noone would need this book to use AF, but I bet lots of people would find it interesting. Think Malcom Gladwell crossed w/ a great time mgmt seminar.

If you don't want to write this book, I think I might!