Out of the Blog, Into the Light

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

Are you writing from your head or your heart?

This is the question and answer I explored today on my ProNFwriter blog. 

To read

75 Types of Blog Posts

Completed some research this weekend -- making a list of the types of blog posts. 

These were pulled from all over the Internet plus some of my own. 

Thought you maybe you would like a copy. 

I was shooting for 100.  Came up short.  Help build the list.  Add your type in the comment’s section, and a definition if you have one.  In the next few weeks, I’ll take what you have added and add them to the list and update the list and the PDF file.

Creating Your Online Tone of Voice

Whether we’re writing for our blog, Web site, Internet articles, on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and more, it’s important to know what tone of voice you want to use BEFORE you write.

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

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.

Writing the Autobiographic Voice

by Catherine Franz

Now available on ezinearticles.com    To read

After reading, cast your vote (clear at the bottom of the page).

Technorati Tags: Writing the Autobiographic Voice,writing,article,tip,technique,catherine franz,catherinefranz.com

How to Write a Book in 30 Days

I mentioned in my previous post I was going to adjust the Mind Map on How to Write and Publish a Book in 30 days with a new time line and focus. 

This time line only focusing on the writing portion and removes the publishing phrase until after the 30 days.

This process uses digital recording and transcription for recording the book.  If this isn’t how you want to process your book, then this time frame will not work.

This time frame allows flexibility to balance it with life and not make you go crazy in the writing process.

How to Write Your Book in 30 Days (no publishing) Mind map in PDF (click blue to open)

Technorati Tags: how to write a book in 30 days,timeline,time line,time frame,mind map,Mindjet,writing coach,Catherine Franz

How to Write and Publish a Book in 30 Days

 

 

 

It’s Sunday.  I love Sunday’s because its my fun day.  And one of my fun things to do on Sunday’s is to get some reading and research done. 

Today I was visiting the “Write Anything” blog and came across an article written by Annie who is a guest writer with this same title, “How to Write and Publish a Book in 30 Days."  [I apologize, this was hyperlinked but she removed the article.]

I was reading her timeline calculations and becoming curious.  So I went ahead and created a mind map from the timeline.

When the timeline ended at day 18, I thought that was a long way from 30 days.  I thought something was off.  I shot off an email to the editor at Write Anything about this.

Then I returned to the article and realized, she said “and Publish”.  Well now I’m embarrassed.  I guess day 19-30 is for getting the book published.  Dah, got it now.

I realized she was so down on the possibility of this feat being possible it turned off my brain to the whole story I was suppose to get.

Well Annie I apologize.  I have the whole picture how.

Attached is a PDF file with the mind map for her timeline she writes about in her article.

I think this can be a realistic timeline, however, I guess this is my but.  I think, instead of trying to write and publish in 30 days to instead write the book in 30 days and let the publishing of the book to take the next 15 to 30 days.  Why do you really need to publish it within 30 days anyway?  While it’s off being published you will need to be working on the next 30 day book anyway.  This way you’ll be focused on the next book and not pacing the floor about it being at the publishers and you can get into the prelaunch marketing phrase and creating a good foundation for when the book does appear. 

It’s either this or sitting on a lounge chair in Hawaii sipping fruit drinks getting some sun.  Hmm, that’s sounds even better than writing the next book.

In my next post, since I can only post one PDF file per post, I’ll adjust this timeline to reflect a 30-day writing-only production timeline.  Of course, you can choose any time frame you want.  But, yep there goes my but again.  But its always best to have a fixed time frame.

There you have it, enjoy the map.

        Sorry, time has run out on the free PDF strategy on this.

Technorati Tags: How to write and publish a book in 30 days,writing,publishing,timeline,mind map,mind jet,mind mapping

Writing an Executive Summary for Your Business

You may or may not have written an executive summary for your business. 

You can use this information in your print materials, on the Internet, in presentations and proposals, and more.

The three top reasons people don’t write one are: 

(1) They don’t know how;
(2) They haven’t even heard about it before; and
(3) They have no clue why they should. 

If you’ve already written yours.  Congratulations!  You ahead of the crowd.  Now, if you haven’t look at it in a year or more, then subtract seven of those points.  It’s time for a review and probably update.