Out of the Blog, Into the Light

Member Story on Biggerplate.com

Hi!

I thought you’d like to know Biggerplate.com listed me as their latest Member Story. 

If you didn’t know already, I’m an avid mind mapper.  Have been for the last 20 plus years.  Yes, using the plus, don’t need to get into my age – a somewhat sensitive area (chuckle).

The article, Liam, the host of Biggerplate.com, is available for your reading pleasure at:  http://biggerplateblog.blogspot.com/

Below the article, you will find a list of mind maps I’ve contributed on the Biggerplate web site so others can use – this means you as well.  Even if you don’t use MindManager, you can still view the maps. 

If you would like to know more about MindManager, developed by Mindjet, you can receive a free trial, at:  http://www.mindmanager.com/index1.html.  It’s exciting because version 9 is just being released and it has some really cool features, especially in communicating with others.  Yes, there’s a version for Mac users as well.  The price may seem a little steep at first, that’s why you want to use the FREE version to see if this is something you want to invest in.

If you aren’t familiar with what mind maps are or how to learn the process, use Google to research the topic.  There is a lot of information out there and its a fantastic way to beef up your memory.

Another way to keep learning about mind mapping is to subscribe to the Mindjet Blog.  The blog was started a few years back by Michael Deutch, the evangelist for Mindjet.  I worked with Michael last year on a MindManager presentation for CPAs.  Recently, the blog has allowed guest articles.  Their information allows additional perspectives and expert knowledge to help you improve your skills and production in however way you want to use mind maps.

Additionally, if you look over in the category session on this blog, you will see there are some mind maps available not featured on Biggerplate.com.

If you have any questions about mind mapping, or if you want to share your experience with maps, please use the comment section below.  I look forward to reading every one!  And so will others.

 

Technorati Tags: mindmapping,mind map,MindManager,Biggerplate.com,biggerplateblog.blogspot.com,article,about,Catherine Franz,Mindjet blog

Snap Yourself Out Of Negative Thinking

Some years ago I learned a fantastic tip from Alexandria Brown, The E-zine Queen.  Today, I’d like to share this with you. 

Exercise:

Wear a rubber band on one of your wrists.

Whenever you have a negative thought, snap the rubber band.  Then immediately replace the thought with a positive one.

Alexandria said she snapped her band hard.  At first I couldn’t do that.  Then one day I snapped it hard.  And “ouch”.  The pain made it’s point even faster.  Chuckle, I guess pain will do it every time.  Caution, snap the amount that feels right for you.  A small ouch will do.  Something you can feel.

If you find wearing a rubber band somewhat awkward when around others and they want to know “What’s up?”.  Go ahead, tell them what you are doing.  You will be surprised at how many rubber bands go on wrists afterwards.  I’ve shared this exercise with others over the years.  There were many times when one person started the exercise in their office and by the end of the weak there were other individuals wearing the bands.

Technorati Tags: Rubber band exercise,negative to positive thinking,snap yourself into positive thinking,Catherine Franz

Voice Mail Marketing

More people than ever are using their cell phones for business.  The numbers double every year.  It’s easy to set up voice mail box with a message and then forget it, right?  Yes, we all do or have done this.  Why don’t we change the message frequently?  That’s easy to answer…because changing it means we need to be creative and the process takes time.

Would you be more apt to change it frequently if you knew the process would increase your business?  I’m sure your answer would be yes, or it depends on how much?  Or maybe there’s another answer.  The answer differs for each of us.

This isn’t about becoming a used car voice mail salesperson.  This is about informing a caller about an opportunity.  A common opportunity is how and when to reach you that day.  Or when you will be available again. 

There are other opportunities.  An easy one is the opportunity for them to receive a special discount on a product that day or week.  But not month – too long away.  The opportunity could be a persuasive message or an informational message.  It could be a reminder about an upcoming event.  I wrote these spark some possibilities for you.

Are you a sales person?  Would a how-to tip help increase sales?  Make the message a Twitter-type – short, 14 words or less with an action request. 

To make this process more productive, you can write scripts foe each day in one sitting.  You can set up a routine to change the recording before you go to sleep every night for the next day if you normally forget to change it in the morning.

If you are a caterer and you want to get increase the number of prospects to visit your office, tell callers about a “sample” they can receive if they come in that day.  I used quotes around the word sample because it can refer to many things, not just food samples.  Maybe you have an event every month specifically for brides, you can announce that day on the voice mail.

In some business phone systems you can even add a message the caller hears before the line is transferred to an extension.  Maybe your system does this and you don’t even know it does.

If you are a consultant, allow your voice mail to do double-duty by writing 31 days worth of 14-word client stories you can use on your voice mail AND on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. 

In summary:

• Learn how your voice mail system works and how you can change it fast.
• No matter what your role is in life, voice mail is an important communication portal, use it to your advantage.
• Be productive, write the scripts in one sitting.  You only need to do a few months worth and just alternate each month.
• Be creative and imaginative.  Try your idea out and ask for responses.
• Always answer the question, “What’s in it for them?”

Technorati Tags: voice mail marketing,sales,phone message,increase sales

Mindmap Strategy for Getting Endless Referrals

This map is a dashboard map that gets you thinking of all the ways you can get referrals.  The complimentary professionals area can also be called gatekeepers if you prefer.  This list willl probably be different for you.

For those of you who don't know what a dashboard map is...it is a map that is the basics to get you going to customize it for how you want to use it.  For a more detailed definition, I recommend visiting my friend and MindManager's blogging voice, Michael Deutch, blog's article on dashboard mind maps:  http://www.mindjet.com/community/connections/475.  Michael talks about the various types of dashboard mind maps in more detail.

Juice on Writing blog also has a great social media dashboard mind map you may want to check out and use to jump start your social media or take your social media tracking or socializing to a new level.

If you use MindManager software, you can upload this map with a free biggerplate.com account at:  http://www.biggerplate.com/viewmap.asp?id=928&p=searchresults.asp.  You can also review the map at biggerplate.com in PDF without an account.

More Productive Ways To Use Your E-mail Away Message System

Normally you remember to turn on the e-mail away message before you go away for a period of time.  But do you wait to the last minute and put no thought into it?

And even still…do you use the same generic one over and over?

Have you ever thought to use them for sales or promotion?  Or to give instructions on who the person could connect with until you return?

It's time to change your process.

A New Way To Track Your Happiness

I had an interesting ‘thing’ happen to me I’d like to share with you. 

You see, I’m moving this week.  And part of moving is packing.  I was packing my books and found a book that had fallen behind the bookshelves titled, "The Power of You!" by Scott Martineau.

I couldn't put it down and read into the early morning hours.  I found Scott’s concept of how things have changed in society and how it’s affected our happiness interesting to say the least.  When I arrived at Chapter 8, Create Your Dream Life, I became captured. When I read his exercise at the end of this chapter I became excited.

Allow me to share his exercise with you now, plus a few suggestions of mine.  I do encourage you to give the exercise, original and/or suggested changes, a whirl yourself.  Especially if you want to set new goals.

Protect Your Privacy Online

Did you know if you clicked on a banner ad they can tell where you live?

Here’s an update in how you can protect your privacy a little more online…

Yahoo launched a beta version of Ad Interest Manager.  A tool that helps consumers control their online personal data.  Yahoo followed this after Google and AOL set up their managers.

When you set up your account in Yahoo if you haven’t already, you can see a summary of your online activity and decide what data they’ll expose to interest-based advertising served from the Yahoo Ad Network.

Announcement Article on AOL’s/Yahoo’s site

Google Privacy Center  (see Cookie Opt-Out, how Google uses advertising cookies and “opt out” hyperlinks)

 

Technorati Tags: Yahoo Ad Interest Manager,Google ad management,privacy protection

The Disciplined Mind

I’ve been following Dr. Robert Fritz for years.  I became a fan when I first read his book on creativity.  Learning about the stages of creativity provided an understanding about how energy was connected to the three stages.  The first stage of creativity holds the most energy, the second stage almost none, and the third stage – what I call “seeing the light at the end of the tunnel” stage – has half the energy of the first stage.  And I feel its a different kind of energy.  The first stage the energy feels light and easy.  The second, very heavy.  The third, not as heavy, not as light and easy as the first, but manageable.

When this is applied to writing a book, or a project, we always find ourselves in the first stage of creation with lots of gun-ho, we can do it easy energy.  Then when we get to the second stage, zap!  Where did the energy go?  We struggle to get through the project, idea, writing, or whatever it is you’re working towards.  We ask ourselves questions like, “Can I really do this?”  “Is It Worth It?”  “Do I really want to do this?”

The doubt rises because the mind tells us we should have the passion we first had.  And, of course, it’s not there.  Thus, we have to dig deep and find it again.  In small increments we can get it to appear but it’s different.  It feels more like a struggle.  Our mind gets bored and wants to run away and start something else. We either toss the project out, unless, of course, we have an accountability factor (a job) where we can’t, or muster through it.

The second stage of creativity is a killer of things whether you are building a deck on the back of your house or even buying a car.  You can be visiting the home center gathering ideas, making plans, interviewing construction people, saving money, etc. all in the first stage.  And then it’s time to do the work…the serious work.  If someone else is doing it, the energy level isn’t as doomsday.  And you either start or don’t.  The energy seems to fizzle out.  If you are doing the project all alone, the energy disappears.  If we don’t continue our mind can beat us up not continuing.  Even convincing us we’re failures.

We expected the energy level to stay all the same.

Guess what, as I said earlier.  It doesn’t.

Awareness of what is happening helps and it hurts.  If we have started enough projects and ditched them in some way we soon learn to stop starting them because we know the result.  The result based on the previous experiences.

But what if you could get out of this pattern?

Well, here’s where Dr. Robert Fritz can help.  This morning I was reading an article he wrote called, “Mind Games.”  It’s how our mind plays on us when it comes to our past and present and how to get out of the pattern.  He talks about having a disciplined mind and how knowing more about this can help us complete more projects.

Did you even know you can create a more disciplined mind?

What was really interesting is…for the past few weeks every morning I’ve been thumbing through all my old paper writings.  Deciding what to keep, what to toss, etc.  I have so many during a specific time period – about three years – back in 2002-2004.  My mind was all over the place (hint it wasn’t disciplined that’s for sure).  Thus creating a knee high stack of writings.  With the new information I gained this morning I can see how my mind has become more disciplined.  Yes, but it took five years.  After reading what I’m about to share with you, today, I’ve decided I want to increase my mind’s discipline.  As I’m sure you will want as well.

Here’s the next step…

I could go into more on this subject; however, I think Dr. Fritz does it so much better than I could.  This is what I recommend…spend the next 10 minutes reading his article:  Mind Games.  (Note:  I decided to read it three times to make sure I came up with a game plan on what to do next with the information.  You may too!")

Technorati Tags: Mind Games,Robert Fritz,creativity,three stages of creativity,Catherine Franz,blog,clarity,disciplined mind,Out of the Blog,Into The Light

What Is Your Time Worth?

20 years as an accountant and now as a master life and business coach as well as a master copywriter, I’ve learned how you treat your time equals how much you earn.  This applies if you work for someone else, or yourself.  However, it does equate more if you charge or just calculate your service or product development by the hour.

Over the years, I development a simple-to-use but powerful spreadsheet that will show you:

1. when to outsource your work
2. focus on profitable tasks
3. what you need to create in order to meet your goal

For the next 48 hours, I’m offering a BIG discount.

This began 12 noon Eastern on Saturday, November 21 and expires Sunday, November 22, 1 pm.  Then it will return to it’s original $27 value.

Yes, you can create this spreadsheet on your own.  It will only take you a few hours.  But this gets us back to the question of this whole product – how much is your time worth?

This is being offered on the CatherineFranz.com Web site . . .

I'd like to go to this page now

Technorati Tags: What's Your Time Worth?,time calculation tool,hourly rate,tool,calculate,spreadsheet,Excel,product,CatherineFranz.com,Catherine,Franz

Keep Your Attention Focused on the Right Activities

Forms are at the end.

Years back I taught Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”  And even though I knew the system well, I find I need to return regularly to his priority-setting evaluation method.

Fact is, most people who learned this theory found it great stuff to learn yet few ever really sat down and applied the exercise.

Today, I’d like to persuade you to open up some space, take however long is needed, and apply this exercise.  You will find the process rewarding and enlightening.  If you’ve previously completed this exercise, but haven’t in awhile, now is a good time to complete again.

If previous attempts to complete this exercise were unsuccessful, then there is a good chance your inner critic swept it under the carpet with the message “too trivial.”  This message covers a common fear.  As you continue through this process you will learn the answer to your fear.

Enough analyzing for now.  First, I’m going to discuss the exercise.  This could be a review for you.  Next, it’s your turn to apply the exercise to your life, projects, or business now.  Whether you begin with your personal priorities, career or business priorities, it doesn’t matter.  If you are learning this exercise for the first time, allow me to suggest to practice with your personal priorities first.  And since I know how important this is, and how difficult this could be, I’m also attaching a few forms to help you complete the process.

Imprint Onto Your Brain

First, draw a square and divide it into equal quadrants.  Outside the box draw a vertical axis labeled “Importance” and a horizontal axis labeled “Urgency.”  Yes, you’ve seen this before. 

Here’s a visual of what you will be drawing.  It’s important to complete this in your own hand.  This imprints your brain and is a visual learning process.  Just thinking about it will not imprint memory.  Drawing, especially with colored markers, will. 

If your brain’s message chimes in with “this is too easy” or something similar, ask it to step aside and do it anyway.

This next step is one I created that has helped hundreds of others improve the visual imprinting process…

Step 1: Place a number inside a circle in each box.  For instance, the top right, the “More important. More urgent.” box would have a “1” with a circle around it.

The “2” with a circle would be the top left.  The “3” with a circle for the bottom right.  And the “4” with a a circle for the bottom left or “Less important. Less urgent.” box.

After using this circle method several times, your mind will begin seeing the circled number when reviewing a task list not created in this process.  (See #1 below on how to apply this.)

Applying To Your Priorities

Now it’s time to find out if you have been prioritizing well or you need to correct your process.  And you can do this several ways.  Here are the choices:

1.  Print your current computerized task list.  On the printout, one task at a time, place the appropriate circled number next to the task.

2.  There are two attachments.  One is a PDF file and the other a MS Word file.  If you prefer to work on this exercise in writing, print out the PDF file.  If you prefer to type the list, use the MS Word file.

Whichever form you use, continue by placing each task in the box you think it needs to be in.  If your inner critic is chatting away during this process, take a deep breath in between each one to allow it to pass.  Your inner critic has been getting away with convincing you, you didn’t need to do this for so long, it wants to continue having its way.  Take this slow, easy, and love through the chatter.

Here’s where the new awareness may come in…

What If

If everything or the majority of your priorities fall into the top right-hand quadrant, it’s time to get more realistic with what type of priorities you have.  To solve, divide the “More important. More urgent.” category into four quarters and re-plot.  If you’re using the written method, you may want to start with a clean diagram.  If you’re using the Word method, cut and paste and move them to the “get real” box.

If your priority management isn’t great, you will want to complete as many as five or six processes.  Each session will overwrite beliefs and memory just a little more.  Be gentle with yourself during this process.  You’re reprogramming your brain.  This always takes longer than expected.  This is why implementation didn’t fully complete in the past.

If you find you are completing items in “3” box (lower left, “Less important. Less urgent.”) more often, this means you are more concerned with checking-off items as completed rather than focusing on the truly important activities that will progress you forward.  You think you are accomplishing a lot; however, the outcome isn’t working in your favor.

Pay attention to where you’re paying attention.

Clarity in life determines your outcome.  And gaining clarity in life is what “Out of the Blog, Into the Light” is all about.

PDF priorities form Click to open

MS Word Form Need Word to Open

(c) Copyright 2009, Catherine Franz.  All rights reserved.

Technorati Tags: Stephen Covey,The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,setting priorities,article,blog post,time management,tips,techniques,priority setting,Catherine Franz,Out of the Blog,Into the Light blog