When you see all of the wonderful gifts being offered by the 12 Days of Christmas special offer program you may feel overwhelmed. But don't worry. If you follow this easy plan, you'll feel like you're in control of the valuable items you're about to receive.

Use this approach to maximize your investment of time.

1. First, create a new 12days folder to hold all of your goodies. You can create it on the desktop or in your My Documents folder. Just remember where you put it. You'll be using it a lot in the next few days!

2. Next print the list of gifts. Just use the File, Print command in your browser. You'll use this list to check off those offers that you have already completed.

3. Now save that same page in your new folder (File, Save as...) You'll use this in the future when you come back to this folder. It makes it easier and faster to find a specific item again.

4. Now you're ready to start picking up your gifts. Follow each link. Some will ask you to fill out a short form before you get to the download page. Go ahead and do that. Then download the gifts into your special 12days folder.

5. Many of the newsletters and special offers will ask you to confirm your email address. Do that as the emails arrive. It only takes a minute.

6. Check your junk mail folder once a day for the next week. If your email service doesn't recognize your new friend's email address, it may put it into the junk folder. So just open and make sure you're not missing anything.

7. Over the next couple of weeks you will receive an increased volume of email. If you don't have time to deal with all of it as it arrives, set up a new folder in your email program and put all of the newsletters into that folder.

8. At least once a day, read one or two of the new subscriptions you're receiving. There is some *great* information in there, so you'll definitely want to take advantage of it.

9. Never be afraid to unsubscribe to a series. We are all short of time. If a series is not relevant to you within the first couple weeks, stop it for now. You can always pick it up later.

10. Communicate with those who offered the 12days gifts. We are all glad to answer questions about our products and services. And we've all been in your shoes - at whatever stage you find yourself. Know that we are fellow travelers and welcome your ideas, comments and suggestions.

My holiday wish for you is that you find exactly the right thing among the "gifts" we're offering through the 12 Days program. Now, enjoy your gifts!

Jeanette S Cates, PhD

Jeanette S. Cates, PhD is the creator of the Online Success System and author of Online Success Tactics: 101 ways to build your small business.

Dr. Cates is a frequent speaker at state and national conferences, with more than 300 presentations to her credit. Her fast-paced, information-packed presentations and her knack for explaining cutting-edge technology in easy-to-understand terms have gained her the reputation of being The Technology Tamer?. She has taken that same experience and applied it to the Internet to become your Online Success Guide.

As the owner of TechTamers she has developed a full line of learning materials, including more than 100 technology-based workshops, ranging from Introduction to eLearning to the 8-hour website. In addition, she has authored numerous tips booklets, special reports, ebooks, and audio albums. In 2001 she launched Tech4Speakers.com, a site dedicated to helping speakers use technology more effectively in their presentations, products, productivity, and online presence.

Jeanette is a Certified Technical Trainer and is conversant with more than 200 software programs. She is also a Robert G. Allen Infopreneur Master Trainer. In that capacity she edits the InfopreneurLibrary.com, an online resource for people who create and sell Information Products. She co-hosts the bi-annual Womens Power Summit and heads WINfopreneurs, the site for Women Infopreneurs.

Dr. Cates holds a PhD in Instructional Design and Technology and an M.Ed. in Adult Education, both from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Trinity University. She is listed in Who?s Who of American Women and is a member of Women in Technology International and the National Speakers Association. Jeanette has been featured in PC World, Computer Shopper, and TechRepublic, among other technology-related publications.

Jeanette has been married for 36 years to Bob Cates, an Internal Auditor. They have three daughters ? Stephanie, Jennifer and Vicki, and are the proud grandparents of J.R., Heather, Megan, and Jaycie.