Out of the Blog, Into the Light

Keeping Your Readers Connected By Using the Right Pace

Learn seven techniques on how to improve your writing pace.

Available on Catherine’s Professional Nonfiction Writing Blog.

This hyperlink will take you there.

Technorati Tags: nonfiction writing,pace,speed up copy,copywriting,fiction,web writing

Assumptions: They can help you change faster

Since this blog is about obtaining clarity in our lives, I’d like to discuss assumptions today.  Why?  Because I found many of our own assumptions hidden.  Generally because we haven’t thought of asking in those situations.  Yet, when we do consciously ask, we then can begin to change the outcome.

The “free dictionary” defines assumptions as “the act of taking for granted” and “something taken for granted or accepted as true without proof; a supposition; presumption.”  Wikipedia has an improved definition.

Find Clarity in Your Decision Making

It’s important to clarify how to handle the little things so there’s time to focus on the bigger stuff.

Here’s a simple graphic on how I handle education emails.

I read a lot of how-to material every day.  The material arrives through e-mail and RSS subscriptions.

Help a Reporter – Free Publicity

Help a Reporter (HARO) - is an amazing, FREE email newsletter that comes out three times a day. It is broken down by category (e.g. business, health, lifestyle, technology, etc) and its purpose is to put reporters in touch with potential sources.

 

Technorati Tags: free,publicity,help a reporter,HARO

Friday Review System

Adele wrote, after yesterday’s post, and wanted to know what I do on a regular basis to keep my system running smoothly. 

Every week I schedule a Friday review. This works especially well if you have a Monday-Friday work schedule; however, it still works if your work week is different.  Just name your Friday as whatever ending day you have.

Even though I work on Saturdays and Sundays, Friday still works for me.  It’s a day I work ‘on’ my business. I call this my ‘floating day.’  I work towards not scheduling any time commitments.  Since I’m an entrepreneur I may have a little more flexibility, however, many of my executive clients say this works for them effectively as well.  

It all begins . . .

9 am every Friday.  My Outlook alert tells me to open my checklist.  Even after completing this process for years now, and having memorized the list, I still set the alert, and I always open it.  I learned early on when I didn’t, as much as my good intention was, the process didn’t get completed. 

Keeping An Aerial Focus on Your To Do List

A past client called me yesterday and ask if I could help her improve her organizational skills.

Of course I said yes.  Let me share one of the tips with you today.

Let’s get down to business . . . the business of making sales and using lists. 

I’d like to share something on the organizing end that helps me stay focused or gets me back into focus after a time away – like a weekend.  I use this method even though I have a sophisticated sales software.

Its lists . . .

Generally, lists don’t work because most people forget where the lists are. Chuckle.  Okay, been there and done that myself--so many times.

Allow me to present one way to help you with two examples in the sales area.  I also added a few additional suggestions in other ways to use it towards the end of this post. 

Laughter is Good Medicine

Yesterday, I was sitting at my computer and I noticed I couldn’t think any more.  My thoughts felt like they hit a brick wall.  As soon as I noticed this, I felt how heavy and tired my body was.  I knew I had pushed myself too far.  The should monster tried writing it off to just being Friday.  My other selves knew better.

Have you ever had a similar experience?  When you’re brain just said that’s enough . . . let me out at the nearest exit.

This morning I realized I was missing something in my daily routine.  Yes, laughter.

Then I began remembering . . .

. . . remembering how on Friday’s I would quit working around 4 pm, find a movie that made me laugh.

. . . remembering how laughter was in my daily routine.

. . . remembering how it’s been at least 30 days since I last laughed.  (This was hard to believe too.)

I was having fun but I hadn’t laughed.

Then I remembered laughter was on daily success list.  I remembered the list was in my success binder.  After finding the list I realized there were quite a few things I had forgotten to keep up. 

Do you have a daily success list to keep you in emotional balance? 

Even if you have a list, when’s the last time you revisited it or updated it?

Laughter is good medicine.  Sometimes we need to remember to add it to our daily success schedule. 

Don’t wait until you hit a wall like I did.  (I know, not smart, Catherine.)  I get it. 

Resources you may like to visit:
Laughter is the Best Medicine (article)
20 Funniest Newspaper Headlines Ever (laughter)
Laughter Therapy (video)

Technorati Tags: laughter is the best medicine,laugh,emotional balance,EQ,laughter therapy,out of the blog,into the Light,blog,catherine franz

Drawing Tip with the Letter "O"

I’ve been having a great time these past few mornings by learning to draw.

Hmm, I don’t know if it’s really drawing, maybe more like doodling.

Well, anyway, I thought I’d turn you on to what I’ve been doing and maybe you’d want in on the fun too.

Taking Back Your Power

I’m preparing for a presentation coming up soon and doing some research on fear.

Still not sure on the title.  I do know it’s going to be based on Nike’s phrase, “Just Do It.”

In my preparation, I started re-reading the book, “Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway” by Dr. Susan Jeffers.

When I came across chapter 4, “Whether you want it or not…it’s yours” she lists seven ways to take back your power with awareness of your responsibilities.

I was so moved from the list, along with the six exercises (she gives 7 but I thought the 7th was a repeat) on how to complete the process I created a mind map – visual presentation – of what they were for my own use.  And if I know me (chuckle) to give out to my clients and at workshops.

Twitter Strategy Planner

I enjoy Twitter to a degree.

However, there are times when I need to visit quickly or spend time focusing on other things.  Or even when I finally tie back on in the morning and want to review all the night’s information.  This includes taking a day or two off.

In order not to miss something and have more control, I created a mind map to track the information.

Since I use Mind Manager v.8, I can also connect the item with an Outlook task.  I can also hyperlink the URL they’ve attached to jump right to the information quickly.

Honestly, I’ve only been using this map for a few weeks.  Yet, today in several phone calls and in a webinar, I found myself returning to last week’s map to find the source of the information I was sharing and to forward the information by email.