I’ve been remiss in my sharing. Back in the day, I’d drop a whole, long laundry list of weekend reading to keep you busy for a while (as if you need my help). Lately however, I’ve been off spending my weekends writing books, jumping in pools and booking speakers and the sharing has been few and far between. Now, I can’t promise to get back to doing this every weekend again, but today, at least, I’d like to share some excellent and thought provoking weekend reading. If you like something you read, please pass it on to someone else!

• Love: How the Essence of a Brand Fuels its Purpose: at The Brandbuilder Blog. It’s all about passion, people.
• Social Media and Letting Off Steam - at Brass Tack Thinking. What she said.
• 7 Ways Social Media Helps with Business Networking - by Chris Garrett – Chris won’t admit it, but he’s a master networker.
• The Blogger Code of Ethics at David Risley – I’m not a fan of social media rules, but manners and etiquette go a long way.
• Does Posting Your Work Online Give Others a Right to Copy? at Plagiarism Today. No. No it doesn’t.
• Bloggers v. Copywriters:  8 Reasons Bloggers Do it Better – at ProBlogger. Having been on both sides of the fence, I can’t really argue with this.
• The 8 Wrong Questions PR Firms are Asking About Social Media at Convince & Convert. #2 is the one I hear the most.

How do you feel about this weekend’s reading? Let us know in the comments.

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

{ View Comments }

So I have form letters on my mind today. I have to notify over 300 people of the same thing and it’s very difficult to personalize 300 letters. Or, rather, it’s not difficult to personalize 300 letters, I just don’t have that kind of time.  I feel kind of hypocritical. Especially because when one of my blogging friends launches a new product or wants me to sell something for them, they send me an email. My line of thinking often goes like this, “Dude. You want me to help launch your new ebook/course/paying thing and you can’t even take the time to jot out a personal note?”

But now, I’m sending out massive amounts of email and I’m not so sure that I hate form letters anymore. In fact, I’m finding them terribly convenient. Still, I’ve been called out a few times recently over the use of a form letter, especially when it comes to people I know pretty well. So if it’s all right with you, I want to offer a few ideas for making form letters personal, especially when you know you’re going to be sending a bunch out to people you know.

• Use names – No excuses. Sending an email that just says “hi!” or worse yet, has no name at all just plain sucks. Form letters are impersonal enough. There’s no need to make it worse by saying, “you’re not even worth the effort it takes to type in a name.”
• Use reference points – My form letters had to do with speaker proposals for BlogWorld. I made sure each speaker’s proposal name was referenced in my note. Most of the letter may be of the formed variety, but at least I made sure the recipient knew the note was intended for him and him only.
• Jot a note for people you know – The first time I sent a form letter to a friend I regretted it. I didn’t put in anything that would indicate I even knew her. As soon as I hit “send” I knew it was the wrong thing to do. From that point on, I made sure to add a couple of lines to the people with whom I was friendly. I didn’t have time to write up a whole new letter, but I did my best to make everyone feel special.

No one wants to receive a form letter. We want news and information tailored especially for us. We want to think the party on the other end knows our name and why we contacted them in the first place. Sometimes, though, there’s no way around it. Sometimes we just have to go with the email blast. I find that by using names, especially first names, and that by being personal with familiar names makes receiving a form letter a little less painful.

Do you send out form letters? How do you make them seem less…well…formy?

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

{ View Comments }

Have you ever been afraid to say or write something because you feel someone will trash you on his blog?  Are you quick to respond to a complaint, without investigating, because the complainer is getting particularly loud on Twitter? The squeaky wheel gets the grease, for sure, but sometimes those wheels aren’t squeaking because they’re in need of something. Sometimes they’re squeaking because they want to see you squirm. Sometimes it’s more a power complex than a need to get something done.

Some people feel that if they’re outspoken and not afraid to take on others online they’ll be regarded as a hero. The problem is, lines are being crossed.  For example, that company you’re calling out on Twitter every 30 seconds? Have you tried calling them first to rectify the situation first, and if you did, what happened? If they tried to work with you and fix the problem, but you still had an issue, did you call them again and let them know? Are you giving them a chance to make it right? Does someone who is willing to work with you really deserve a public place of dishonor?

I think too many people are taking their online presence to mean they have some sort of power over the rest of the world. That they can use a sort of social media blackmail to get what they want and trash anyone they want. I also think the Internet, something that once encouraged free speech, is now discouraging the same. We’re so afraid of damaging our reputation or seeing bad things about us online, that we’re willing to give in to harassment and bullying. Brands are feeling especially vulnerable as they want to embrace bloggers, but don’t want to fall victim to bad publicity if they don’t launch the right kind of campaign or upset a particular group of people.

Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t speak up against things we don’t agree with. Indeed letter writing campaigns, petitions and boycotts worked wonders back in the pre-Internet days (and still work wonders now.). However, like everything, how we get results is all in the delivery. How we want to be seen by our peers is up to us. How we want to be seen by potential clients or employers is up to us. How we want to achieve certain results, is up to us.

Using Your Power for Good

Social media wields a bit of power, for sure. The people who are successful in this profession use their power in a good way and wouldn’t think of saying to anyone, “Hey, I don’t like the way you operate. Do this my way or I’ll expose your past online or publicly trash you until I get my way.” There are ways to discuss unattractive situations without causing damage to yours or another person’s reputation. Use your power for good by:

• Write a review listing pros and cons in a non-threatening manner.
• Discuss a bad situation without pointing fingers, naming names. or making threats
• Launch a public awareness campaign that does more to raise awareness for a cause than it does to pin blame.
• Call to see how to work together to rectify a situation rather than starting a public humiliation campaign.

One thing I noticed is that when I got my rant on every day, people sort of wrote me off as someone who thrived on negativity and drama all the time. So my target of the day was exactly that. When I achieve a sort of balance, people are more likely to take notice when something doesn’t sit well with me. It’s very rare that I’ll call someone or something out, so when I do maybe it’s not written off as a ploy for traffic or comments.

I think there are ways to get our point across without making threats or trying to damage someone’s credibility. Those who use their power for good know how to do this.

Using Your Power for Evil

Most social media professionals don’t threaten to use social media to blackmail, bribe, out, or harass others. We like our jobs and care about our reputations. We know that if we’re constantly seen as online bullies who will write about anyone who disagrees with us or even people we don’t like, we can lose business and take a hit on a reputation. Now, of course, some might think, “Well I don’t give a crap about my reputation. I’m going to write that blog post anyway.” I suppose that’s their prerogative. I wonder though, how much more successful would they be if they took a positive approach.  And by negativity and positivity I’m not talking about honesty v. dishonesty. We can be honest without being angry or abusive.

I’ve seen:

• People who are afraid to comment on a particular topic in a forum or blog because they’re afraid they’ll be called out for something as silly as a typo by others.
• Bloggers who gather up screen shots from a competitor’s early years in order to throw in his face & cause him to lose traffic and credibility.
• Brands who give in to bloggers whether they agree with them or not, simply because they don’t want them to write anything negative.
• Brands who trash entire advertising campaigns because a single blogger threatens to rally up the troops and cause a ruckus.
• Commenters on forums who research other commenters and expose personal details in order to humiliate them

There’s a difference between speaking out on a situation I may not agree with and threatening to cause damage to a person or business. There’s a difference between wanting a positive community but encouraging said community to pile on to any commenter who disagrees. There’s a difference between having a bad experience with a business or brand and seeking results, and launching a very public, very negative campaign.

We shouldn’t be afraid to be ourselves and we shouldn’t be afraid to go about our day without the worry that someone will attack us online.

What to Do if Someone is Threatening You with Social Media Blackmail

If someone threatens to write about you or say unpleasant things because you’re not going to do things his way, you have several recourses:

• Let it happen. You can do damage control later or not, but it might be more of relief to get it over with than to be at someone else’s mercy.
• Go tit for tat. Perhaps you have something on the other person too. But be forewarned, that sort of pettiness does more harm than good.
• Beat them to the punch. So you blogged something years ago and changed your mind and a competitor is threatening to throw it back in your face? Blog about it.  Say “yeah I did this, but so what? That’s not how I am now and everyone who knows me, can see this for what it is.”
• Do it anyway. So you’re releasing a product a competitor or top blogger doesn’t like or approve of. So what? He’s not the only one. If it’s a good product and you have a positive campaign, it will speak for itself.
• Let it go. The negativity isn’t worth it.

Social media yields some extremely powerful tools. It also empowers us to use our voices and create conversations, even about things we don’t particular care for. This can be something amazing, or it can be a disaster. These tools and our voices also can lead to some extremely negative situations.  By all means, use your voice to get results – just remember… a positive voice tends to yield positive results. Threatening someone with public humiliation doesn’t do either party any good.

How will you use your social media power?

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

{ View Comments }

Full disclosure: I’m the Conference Director for the BlogWorld and New Media Expo. Prior to being hired, I was a conference attendee and checked in on several each year for the learning, networking and professional opportunities they provided. I’m not here to sell BlogWorld, but rather to help you make the best choice for your needs. Conferences are expensive, so if you’re shelling out a couple of grand for hotel, airfare and a ticket, be sure it’s an event that’s right for you. Here are some tips for choosing a professional conference to attend.

What is the Conference About?

This is going to sound silly, but if you’re a dentist you don’t want to go to a accountant convention. I enjoy attending geeky conferences, usually having to do with social media, blogging or the interactive. However, the technical end doesn’t interest me so I don’t generally attend techy conferences, even though some of them may be popular with “my crowd.”  As a freelance writer I didn’t attend many journalistic conferences, either. That’s because I wasn’t a journalist, but also because I felt them to be too limiting as I was moving beyond writing into social media.While a journalistic conference would have some value for me, I know a conference focusing on blogging and social media is more suited to my needs. Many of my writing friends find writing or journalism conferences to be extremely beneficial.

Before investing in a conference, learn everything you can about it  to find if it’s the best event for your needs – and only you know what those needs are. Some conferences are attended by 10,000 people or more, while other conferences only accept a couple of hundred. If you’re interested in learning and networking in a less crowded atmosphere, the amount of attendees will make a big difference in your choice.

What is Your Purpose for Attending a Conference?

Some conferences are known more for their party-like atmosphere, while others are serious learning events. Before committing to a conference take some time to list your wants and needs as an attendee, then research the conferences that interest you to see which one will give you the most bang for your buck. My preference is for a conference that will provide learning and networking opportunities. I know others who attend for the parties. I also know one blogger who only buys the trade show passes because he wants to learn about new gadgets and doesn’t care so much for the learning sessions.

If you’re interested in learning, find the conferences with the most session choices, and the classes and speakers that interest you most. If it’s gadgetry you’re after, consumer shows are probably more up your alley. If it’s the parties you’re after, well you’ll want to find the conferences with the most attendees because they usually spawn the most parties. Also, a younger crowd is a party crowd (usually). You might also want to see which conferences appeals to your demographic – including age.

Making Decisions Based on the Recommendations of Others

The best way to learn about a conference is to read past reviews. Read the recommendations of others who are in the same boat and have attended the same conferences you’re considering. Mind you, some people like to jump on the keyword bandwagon and recommend or review conferences simply because it will bring them traffic. You’re probably best taking the advice of someone who actually attends conferences. Read their blog posts, read news reviews, look for videos and reach out to attendees to gauge the pros and cons of each event. Find out if the conferences are worth the money. Did attendees learn something? Did they gain news business? Did they make important contacts? (The answer is “yes” for me, by the way, for every conference I’ve attended.)

Are you considering a conference? What’s keeping you from attending?

Do you attend conferences? How do you choose the best one for you?

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

{ View Comments }

I tried something new this year; I stopped making excuses. Whenever I forgot to do a task or let an email fall through the cracks, I told the truth. I didn’t make up an excuse. In fact, I stopped believing in making excuses. I admitted my screw ups and accepted the responsibility. I apologized and I made amends. And you know what?  It’s helped me grow in both my business and personal life.

I’m not saying any of this in a rah-rah, get off your butt and get motivated sort of way. I’m not much into cheerleading, to be honest. However, I realized that once I started learning from my mistakes, accepted my mistakes, and held myself accountable for my mistakes, I became more successful, and people believed in me more. Not because I swept stuff under the rug or just hoped it would blow over, but because I said, “Yeah, I effed up. I can give you a good excuse why that happened but that’s not going to change anything. So let’s move forward and see how we can rectify the situation. Let’s see what I can do to get you to trust me again.”

Here’s what I learned this year:

• Being positive makes a difference – everything has a bright side. Dwelling on negativity just makes things more negative.
• People don’t trust me when all I do is make excuses. They think I’m a flake.
• Excuses don’t change a thing. They only lead to more explanations and more excuses.
• I’m not a responsible person if I screw up and make excuses as to why something wasn’t done, done right, or done to the best of my ability.

At the beginning of 2010, I took a vow of positivity. Go ahead and laugh if you want, others did.  They call me the “positivity police” or “Polly Perky” and other names, but you know what? That’s all well and good. Because being positive made me look at things in a different manner. Rather than go off on a rant, or get my bitch on, I looked at the positive side of a situation and rectified it. I didn’t get loud. I didn’t freak out all over Twitter. I didn’t complain to everyone in sight. I didn’t make excuses. I changed the situations that didn’t work for me.

Almost every negative situation in my life, is my fault. Most can be written off to lack of concern, lack of attention or lack of caring. As soon as I stopped attributing negativity and mistakes to other people and other situations, I became a much better person.

Now you may not think this applies to you, and that’s fine. And you may think this a bunch of hokey, motivational crap, and that’s fine too. I know that my change of outlook and attitude worked wonders for me, and that’s why I’m sharing. Take it with a grain of salt or take it to heart….you know what works best for you.

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

{ View Comments }

Last week while at BlogHer, one of  the attendees asked my thoughts on growing an offline network. My niche is social media and it’s a given that just about everyone in this space is online. The attendee’s niche is smaller and more focused. Many of the people she needs to reach out to aren’t online or don’t want to spend a lot of time online. It’s another reminder that I take online community building for granted because there are plenty of people who don’t feel like hanging out on Facebook and Twitter and prefer to do their networking face to face.

It’s interesting that some folks in the newer generation aren’t sure how to build their brand or community offline. When I was starting out in business, the only places to have for networking were offline. It’s my preference, to be honest. I enjoy meeting people and talking with them. I like hearing their passion and see the sparkle in their eyes as they talk about what they love to do.

If you spend all your time building relationships online, consider some of these ways to take it to a whole new level. You may find it to be more beneficial – and that you’re spending less time online.

1. Join Local Networking Events

When I first move to the area where I live now, I joined a local newcomer’s professional organization. To be honest, our monthly meetings didn’t include much business. We drank wine and talked about our kids, school and local sports. However, those relationships mattered because eight years later some still call me to consult with me on writing or social media.

You’ll find a variety of social and professional networking groups and events in your area. Some feature regular meetings while others are one off affairs. Some require you to buy a ticket and others are free, sponsored by a local business. Usually they’re held at libraries, hotel conference areas and high schools or colleges. To find professional networking events, look in the “events” section of local newspapers and magazines and community bulletin board.  The Chamber of Commerce and business organizations also hold networking events. Check with their websites to see what is happening in your area. If there’s nothing happening around you, get together with some local business owners and start your own networking event. Maybe that will lead to a great, big, snowball reaction.

2. Meetups and Tweetups

Meetups and Tweetups are kind of different from professional networking events in that they’re not necessarily geared towards generating new business. However, they are a way to meet like-minded people and let them know more about you and what you do. These events are generally more casual than business events as well, but that’s not a bad thing. The purpose of meetups and tweetups is to meet the people who you know from Twitter, blogs and other online communities. Like professional networking events, the people who you meet offline may also follow you online as a result. If you belong to a particular community, there will be announcements for meetups, if not, start your own. Also, join local social networking organizations on Twitter and Facebook. If there are offline events, you’ll receive announcements. For example, I follow New Jersey Social Media on both Twitter and Facebook and if there are events in my area, I’ll receive an alert.

3. Teach a Class

My library offers free learning all the time. When I learned they would be offering classes teaching about the various social media tools for business and networking, I sent them a note asking if I could help. Students include representatives from local businesses who are considering making an investment in a social media campaign and people who just want to learn more about promoting their own stuff.

High schools and colleges also offer continuing education courses and seminars in the evenings. These courses are for people who want to gather more knowledge rather than matriculating students.

Teaching these classes is a good way to network with people who are interested in learning about your area of expertise. It will also establish you as a local authority, which can lead to more business for you. To inquire about classes and seminars, contact the places that hold these events to propose your idea.

4. Public Speaking

Speaking at conferences, business retreats, and other events is another terrific way to help establish authority and build a community both online and off. Start out small – speak at schools, businesses, and local business events. As you book more speaking engagements and gain confidence, you’ll land more prestigious contracts.

5. Attend Conferences

You don’t have to be a speaker to attend a conference. Rather, attend to learn and meet others. Conferences provide a bonanza of opportunities because everyone shares a common interest. The classes and sessions provide a place to learn about the topics that interest you the most, while the hallways and networking events enable you to talk in depth with interesting people. If the conference features a trade show floor, you’ll also learn about the products and services that will help to advance your career. If you attend a conference, you’ll likely come home with a stack of business cards, new Twitter follows and Facebook friends and even some new clients.

6. Write for Print Publications

As a freelance writer, I can tell you that it’s not easy to get published, especially in print. However, it’s easier to find your piece published in a small, local newspaper or county magazine than it is to land an assignment with The New York Times or Newsweek. Local publications are often interested in good content and by writing an informative article or Op-Ed piece, you’re helping them to achieve your goal, and getting your own name out there. If you provide a real educational experience, people will want to find you to learn more, so make sure your bio includes your web address, Twitter handle and other means to contact you.

There are plenty of benefits to building an offline network. Though they’re not online as much as your offline network, these are people who will buy your books, read your articles, and contact you for your consulting services. Just because someone doesn’t spend a lot of time online, doesn’t mean they don’t matter.

How do you build your offline network?

Related Posts:

• Does Social Media Matter to Civilians?
• Shaming Unfollowers: Should We Really Take it So Personally?
• 5 Reasons Why Foursquare Isn’t Dumb
• Re-Visiting Kommein
• Community Management is More than Just Twitter

Tagged as: Community, Community Management, facebook, network, networking, offline network, online community, Twitter

{ View Comments }

• The first blogger I wanted to be like was Darren Rowse. He had a following and he had fame, he had traffic and adoring fans. Plus, Darren was making this blogging thing work.  As a technically challenged blogger, I admired how he seemed to “get” all the little details I couldn’t figure out. None of it seemed over his head.  It wasn’t even the fame factor. Darren’s blog grew, probably even beyond his wildest dreams and I wanted that too.

• The next blogger I wanted to be like was Liz Strauss. She has a way of making me wonder, “now why didn’t I think of that?” She encourages conversation and community and never loses her cool, even with her critics. As someone who types before she thinks, I wanted Liz’s poise and ability to welcome all regardless of who they are and where they come from. I wanted to forget about grudges and anger, and focus my energy on something more useful.

• I also wanted to be like Brian Clark. Though his background is in law and mine is in publishing, he seems to be the one owning a way with words. I want to have people at “hello,” but I don’t have Brian’s talent for a headline. I want to compare life to the unexpected but I’m not creative.

• I remember wishing I could be like Chris Garrett. He’s kind and smart and very funny. He doesn’t beg for attention or demand a following. Despite his reluctance to become a superstar, he has it because he’s genuine and real and it’s easy to admire his qualities.

Over the past decade I’ve observed, wanted, coveted and worked darn hard. I can tell you the most important decision I made about my blogging is to learn from the best, but don’t try to be like them. The most important lesson I learned is to be me. Darren, Liz, Brian and Chris certainly have admirable qualities, but the people who read my stuff? They want to read my stuff. They want me to be me. I think we all have our heroes and inspiration. Indeed, there’s nothing wrong with borrowing the qualities we find attractive in others.

It wasn’t until I learned to be myself that I found true success, though.

Who’d have thought?

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

{ View Comments }

I’m often asked about how or where to learn about social media. Many colleges and universities now have online marketing and social media agendas, however, many of today’s social media professionals are self taught after hanging around online for more than a decade. Still, that doesn’t mean everything comes to us by osmosis. We read and we take advantage of some terrific online learning tools.

I’ve been working on this list of places to find free social media courses online for a couple of weeks now, and I’m happy to tell you it’s finally complete. If you’re interested in learning how to grow your own or someone else’s online presence, you may find some of these useful. Put it together with the list from of a couple of weeks ago of social media tutorials and resources and you’re golden.

1. A Geek’s Guide to Promoting Yourself and Your Online Business in 140 Characters or Less – A free ebook from Geekpreneur.
2. Promote Your Business with Social Networking - A free course, available 24/7 from HP.
3. Facebook 101 - A free course from GCF LearnFree.
4. LinkedIn 101 – Free Course Offered Every Wednesday by LinkedIn
5. Improve Your Personal Networking Skills – Another free course from HP.
6. Develop Your Brand Strategy – A six week email course from About.com.
7. Facebook Marketing An Hour a Day: A free course from the woman who knows Facebook inside and out, Mari Smith
8. EMarketing and Social Networking – A free online course from the Maine Small Business Development Center.
9. Managing the Digital Enterprise – This course comes courtesy of North Carolina State University.
10. Teacher Guide to Creating Interactive Media - One of the many free online courses from the Apple Learning Exchange.
11. Communication Technology & Policy – Open courseware from the University of Queensland.
12. How to Use Facebook – A lesson from Facebook Tutorials.
13. Free Technology for Teachers - Free resources and lesson plans from Free Tech for Teachers.
14. Free Twitter Training Videos at Cash Thinker
15. Free Marketing Class for Women at Marketing Made Easy.
16. Free Twitter Course – From The Tweet Twins.
17. Facebook & Twitter: Getting Started – A Quick Lesson from HP
18. The Beginners Guide to Twitter - For technically challenged people like me! At Michael Hyatt: Leading with Purpose
19. SEO Marketing - A free course from WEB CEO University.
20. Develop Your Brand Strategy - An email course from About.com.
21. Improve Your Personal Networking Skills – Another free course from HP.
22. Free Twitter Course: From WeBuildYourBlog.
23. Free Twitter Internet Marketing Crash Course - From TerryJett.com
24. Free Business Blogging eCourse at Better Business Blogging
25. Free Blogging Course from Simpleology

Also see: 25 Social Media Resources, How To’s and Lessons

Do you know of any free courses or resources to help learn about social media? Please share in the comments.

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

{ View Comments }

There are some days when I feel incredibly unproductive. It’s not even procrastination as much as it’s a very full email box, a child who needs to be driven around all day, or having stuff to do at home. After eight years of working at home, I like to think I have a pretty good rhythm going, but still, there are some days when I can’t get it together simply because my mind is on other things – or because work is the last thing I want to do that day. Add to it summertime and an active eight year old, and it can be a challenge to complete a day’s work.  Here are my favorite tips for not only getting the job done, but doing it well.

1. Office Space

My time is kind of split. During the summer I tend to work from the back deck or kitchen table so I can keep an eye on my son and his friends in the pool. As you can imagine, it can be hard to remain focused amid so many distractions. I find I truly work my best when I’m alone in the tiny office my husband created from a bedroom that’s too small to serve for anything else. As it’s a place only dedicated to work, I’m able to keep the proper mindset. There’s no fridge, no TV and no game console. I have a door I can close to block out sounds of my family going about their day if needed and even lock the door so I’m uninterrupted during phone meetings. (Note: When your eight year old is grounded and looking to push your buttons, this may backfire as he bangs on the door yelling “Emergency!! Emergency!!!”) Really, my most important productivity tip is to have a quiet place to work away from distractions.

If you work in an office with other people, this isn’t as easy because a cube farm isn’t necessarily conducive to a distraction-free work place.  If your place of employment allows you to use noise reduction headsets, it’s probably the best thing you can do to work quietly. Other distractions are much harder to avoid, though.  It’s easy to get up and join a coffee or watercooler chat, but try to schedule your breaks for the same time every day so you’re not tempted to get up every ten minutes to see what’s going on.

2. Schedule Times for Everything

Stay focused by scheduling time for everything. A time for blog posts, a time for email, a time for phone calls, a time for meetings, a time for lunch…you get the picture. Making sure everything is scheduled in your day keeps you from breaking your focus because you want to be sure to fit everything in. It also keeps you from procrastinating. If you know lunch is coming up in an  hour, you’re less likely to get up for a snack. If you know 3:00 is phone call returning time, you’re less likely to break your focus to return a call. If you have email scheduled for first thing in the morning and last thing in the afternoon, you can forget about it for a while as you work on other things. When everything is scheduled, you can focus on one thing at a time.

Another tip: Schedule your least favorite items for first thing in the day. Once you get over that hump everything else is gravy. Use your favorite tasks as a reward for when the unattractive stuff is complete.

3. Make Sure Everyone is Aware of Your Business Hours

If you work at home (like me) lines are crossed. Your neighbors may think it’s a good time to have coffee or your mother may decide that “since you’re home” you can take a long, newsy phone call. You may also find that clients or information seekers are calling at 8:00 a.m. or 9:00 p.m, simply because they know you’re home.  If this is the case, it’s time to set up some (elastic) boundaries. When folks know that you keep certain business hours and they learn that you won’t answer the phone or doorbell at these times, they’re more likely to respect your time in the future and will contact you after working hours. When clients or your employer know that you won’t take business calls or deal with business matters unless it’s within a certain timeframe, they’ll also stop contacting you during “non-business” times. You may notice that the people who are most taken advantage of are the ones who don’t stop and set the ground rules. These are also the same people who have a hard time completing their tasks because they’re taking on so many projects for so many people. Stay focused by being in charge of your schedule.

4. Find Your Quiet Times

Business hours don’t have to be 9 to 5. When I first began working out of my home I worked from 4:00 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. because that’s when my home was quiet and I was most productive. Now I work during school hours or times when my family is busy doing other things. Everyone has a time when they find they’re in the zone, find yours and work during those hours. If you work a traditional 9 to 5 job, there are also the best times to work. In the morning when people are coming into the office and catching up on news and gossip isn’t the ideal time to tackle a project requiring lots of quiet time. Instead use this time to read email, make notes, and return phone calls. Also save these less focused tasks for around 2:30 or 3:00 when most people find they’re distracted and need of caffeine and conversation. Use the quietest times to get your in depth work done, and least focused times for the projects requiring less concentration.

5. Don’t Neglect Your Family

If you’re consumed by work, you’ll resent it and your family will resent it. Family always comes and most clients and employers recognize this. It’s understandable to work occasional late nights to handle deadlines and projects, it’s quite another thing to never be available for your loved ones. When this happens you’ll be unfocused. If arguments and fights ensue because of constant work, you won’t be productive at all as the negativity becomes more distracting.

6. Take Time for You

All work and no play can make for some cranky and tired times. Don’t forget to take date nights or time out with the girls, guys and family. Recreation clears the head and puts you in a better frame of mind to tackle work. Moreover, getting out and seeing new things allows those creative juices to flow. Plus, you don’t feel so guilty about sitting down and working for large blocks of time when you achieve of sense of balance between work, play, recreation and family.

7. Keep Fit

Trust me on this one, staying fit is the best thing for keeping productive. If you stay in shape and stay healthy, you spend less time working out (though you shouldn’t neglect it all together) to get into better shape. Also, healthy foods are powerful for the body, mind and spirit. When you schedule in time to work out ever day and it becomes a routine, you’re not distracted by the “when should I work out, I’m too busy to exercise” dilemma. Stay fit and stay healthy for a healtheir mind. If you are out of shape (like me) you’ll find that going for a walk, run or doing another form of exercise in the morning will help to generate new ideas and clear your head of distractions. Once you’re back at work you’ll find yourself in a positive frame of mind.

You’ll find that productivity doesn’t necessarily have to do with sitting down and working. It also has to do with having a quiet place to work, and the proper mindset. Once you can achieve the right sense of balance between work and everything else, you rid yourself of the unpleasant distractions. Schedule your time accordingly and don’t forget to take time for you. You’ll find you change for the better.

What are some of your tips for staying productive?

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

{ View Comments }