Improved Blog Focus … Helping You to Earn a Living from Your Writing
This morning I was over at skelliewag.org and I came across the post How to Get 1,050 Subscribers in 3 Months. “Wow,” I thought to myself, “1050 subscribers.” “I’d love to have 1050 subscribers!” was my next thought. Anyway, after reading through her post I was convinced to make a few tweeks to this blog.
First, identify your target audience.
Once you work out who you’re writing for you can cut out the topics that aren’t relevant to them. When a visitor feels your articles are consistently tailored to their needs they’ll be much more likely to subscribe.
Another key strategy is to make your target audience obvious. She does it in her header. Innovation. Ideas. Simplicity. For Bloggers, Webmasters and WebWorkers. I’m changing mine. It use to be Personal Development for Writers. After much thought, I’ve changed it to read, Creativity. Productivity. Profitability. Helping You to Earn a Living from Your Writing. I think that better states what I’m trying to accomplish with this blog. The next time you’re reading a blog post see if you can find out who their target audience is.
Third, provide valuable content. Quality is better than quantity. With that said, and keeping my readers in mind, I will ask myself “Is this the most valuable information that I can give to my target audience right now?” If the answer is “No.” I will not post it. To “steal” another idea from Skelliewag, “Don’t write about topics, Write for people.”
I hope this change in attitude and focus on my part will make you a more creative, productive and profitable writer. And, if you’re so inclined, subscribe to my blog.
Until next time…
Keep Writing!
3 Tools for Increasing Your Productivity
With my goals for 2008 set and put into writing, my thoughts have turned to “how do I keep moving forward on all of these outrageous goals for 2008?”
I must confess up front that I’m a good starter of things but not a good finisher. I have great ideas, but poor follow through. Overcoming this character flaw is also a goal of mine. I hereby solemnly swear to follow through to completion on all of the projects that I start. I’ll post frequent updates on how this is working out, so stay tuned.
Anyway, looking around my home office I re-discovered a few tools that, if I would use them to their fullest extent, would help me accomplish the goals that I set for myself. Here are the tools…
Tool Number - 1: 43 Folders
These are actually 43 hanging folders in the top drawer of my filing cabinet, not the website 43folders.com. They are numbered 1-31 and January-December. The numbered folders are for the days of the month and they are filed behind the folder of the current month, in this case January.
When some task comes across my desk or onto my monitor, I quickly review it. And, using one of “Getting Things Done,” author David Allen’s rules, “If it takes less than 2 minutes do it now,” I handle it. If it is something that requires more than 2 minutes, I decide when it has to be completed, open the corresponding folder, insert either a memo or the actual papers and forget about it. When that day arrives, I pull that folder out and do whatever is in it.
Today’s folder, the 15th, has only 4 items in it — a book marketing resource that I want to review, an affiliate program that I’m thinking about promoting, software that needs to be updated and a letter that needs answered. I also received a notice in the mail that one of my domains is due to expire in April, so I’ll file it in March, I don’t want to take any chances of it expiring.
Then I prioritize the items according to my written goals and do them. Nothing gets lost or forgotten. As a folder is emptied it is moved to the next month.
Tool Number - 2: My Journal
I’ve kept notes of some sort for as long as I can remember. Most often on scraps of paper, and even an occasional napkin, all thrown into boxes. Where, as you can imagine, I can never find what I’m looking for.
Several years ago I learned how to keep a journal from one of my mentors, Jim Rohn. My current journal is a red, 8 ¼” x 5 ¼”, hardcovered book with lined pages. In it I record any useful information that I come across during the day. It may be the lyrics from a song, quotes from a book or a blog that I am reading or even my own observations and flashes of “genius.”
To get the most out of your journal you have to do more than just write in it. You need to read and review it. That way, what you’ve recorded becomes part of you and you can put it to use in your day-to-day decisions.
When should you review your journal? That’s a good question. Mr. Rohn advises, and I agree, that you should review each day’s entries at the end of the day. Review each week’s entries at the end of the week. Review each month’s entries at the end of the month. And, you guessed it, each year’s entries at the end of the year. All of this reviewing does take some time, but I think you will find the time invested will return dividends beyond your expectations.
One more thing, I record the date, time and place I’m at with each entry. This helps give the entry meaning when I do my reviews.
Tool Number - 3: Kitchen Timer
My final tool, believe it or not, is a simple digital kitchen timer. I use it to set deadlines on tasks I am performing.
For example, I might give myself 30 minutes to check email, research an idea, read some blog posts or whatever. At the beginning of the task I set the timer and dig in. When the timer goes off, I stop. Without the looming deadline I often get sidetracked and forget about the other things I need to accomplish that day. The next thing I know, it’s time to call it a day. And there are still 4 more things I wanted to accomplish. These self-imposed deadlines are a powerful tool that helps to keep me focused on the task at hand. In a comment on Problogger.net, Millionaire Mommy Next Door agrees that her “favorite productivity tool is a digital kitchen timer … The timer keeps me focused, motivated and targeted on the individual task at hand.” Even self-made millionaires use kitchen timers;-).
Why do I use a digital timer? You can’t believe how loud and distracting the tick-tock, tick-tock of a mechanical timer can be when you are trying to concentrate. Believe me when I say that it can stop you in your tracks.
Well, these are three of the tools I plan on using more throughout the remainder of this year to keep me focused and on track as I work to complete the challenging goals that I have set for myself. If you have a favorite tool, please share it in a comment.
Technorati Tags: Goals | Productivity | Time Management | Writing Tips |
Goals for 2008
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Over the past several days, like many of you, I’ve been evaluating 2007 and thinking about the upcoming new year and how I can make it better than last year.
I’ve always been a fan of S.M.A.R.T. Goals. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for:
Specific - Not “I want to lose weight.” But, “I want to weigh 190 pounds.”
Measurable – “I will write 1000 words per day, 5 days a week.” This is easily measured.
Attainable – This one is tricky. If I know for sure that a goal is “attainable,” I’m not really motivated to attempt it. I think goals should make you stretch. They should challenge you. The possibility of failure is a great motivator. Don’t be afraid to take a risk.
Realistic – This is another tricky one. I like to think that if someone else has accomplished my goal, that I can too. All I have to do is follow in his or her footsteps. Setting a goal that you know you can reach sets you up for procrastination. On the other hand, if you set the bar too high, you might get discouraged and not even begin. For example, if you earned $30,000 last year, it probably wouldn’t be very realistic to set a goal to earn $500,000 this year.
Timely – Your goal should have a deadline. Deadlines are powerful motivators. Don’t believe me? Invite your in-laws over for dinner tonight and see how fast your house gets cleaned! Keep in mind that as you pursue your goals “life happens” and you will have setbacks. Be flexible in setting your deadlines.
In fact, I believe S.M.A.R.T. Goals are such a powerful tool for success, that I’m teaching my children to set them for themselves. I believe it’s a skill that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
One of the most motivating articles I’ve recently read on goal setting is from Christine OKelly over at Self Made Chick entitled How to Achieve Ridiculous Goals. In it she recommends “Don’t Be Wimpy When Setting Goals.” She goes on to explain:
I am convinced, based on some of my experiences, that the size of the goal is almost irrelevant. Whether you set a goal to do $100,000 a year in business or $1 million in business, you are capable of achieving that goal you set if you adamantly [my emphasis] follow some certain action processes.
Is it humanly possible to make $1 million in a year? Of course. So why wouldn’t you be able to do it? If someone can, you certainly can too. It’s just a matter of figuring out a way to do it.
So set challenging goals.
Motivational speaker and author, Tony Robbins points out that two things motivate people: pleasure and pain. Often, we’ll do more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure. In a September 1990, “Success Magazine” article titled, “The Science of Success,” Harvey Cook says that he rewards himself for success and penalizes himself for failure. So, as Self Made Chick adds, “Create Negative Consequences for Failure.”
Without negative consequences it is easier to fail. To put myself on the record,
My 9 Ridiculous Writing Goals for 2008
- 1.) Write and Publish a Cookbook.
2.) Finish the 2 novels that I started in 2007.
“Timeless Promise”
“The 5-Minute Writer”
3.) Successfully complete NaNoWriMo 2008. (That will be 3 novels.)
4.) Write and have a play produced.
5.) Write a Blog post 5 days per week.
6.) Read 1 book per week.
7.) Attend at least 2 writer’s conferences.
8.) Start a local writer’s group.
9.) And, the grand-daddy of them all… Earn $100,000 from my writing.
I will be posting regular updates on my progress.
Before I close, I need your help. I know these are lofty goals and I risk losing your respect if I should fail. But I am having problems coming up with additional negative consequences. What should my negative consequences be if I fail? Let me know in a comment.
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