If you’re a creative type, then you’ve likely encountered a situation where you have a ton of ideas and you keep thinking up new ones, only to eventually get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of them to the degree that you never put any of them into practice. A lack of focus can be a creativity killer!
This isn’t uncommon at all. Many people who let their creativity run unchecked can get overwhelmed when it’s time to sit down and focus. One of the solutions you can try is only allowing yourself a certain amount of time to just be wholly creative.
This allows you to actually make some progress and have something that’s tangible, instead of just having a collection of ideas. Ideas are certainly valuable, but if they’re never implemented and brought to fruition, they become worthless.
Even if the idea you choose doesn’t end up working out, at least you’re getting some practical application out of it, so that you’re not spending all your time just being creative.
The human mind often gets dazed and confused when being presented with too many options. It’s like when you can’t decide what you want at a restaurant, when you’re looking at a really long menu with so many choices.
You can easily evaluate and pick among ten or so items, but when you’re dealing with 30 or 40, you’ll start to quickly lose focus and not be able to make a good choice. It’s important that whatever idea you select to work on, it should be seen through to completion if possible.
If you just work on it a little bit and leave it unfinished, then it’s no better than never starting to begin with. The whole point of focusing on one of your ideas is to actually have something to show for it in the end.
If you have a half-completed project to show, then you really don’t have much at all. Don’t worry that doing this will stifle your creativity.
The thing is that you need to stay focused on whatever it is you are trying to achieve and if you don’t, you’ll simply become frustrated.
Apart from overwhelm, having a poor attention will also affect the way you focus and how productive and creative you are so you definitely need to work on your attention span and that can be a major undertaking in todays modern world where everything is vying for your time and attention!
However, sometimes a poor attention span may actually become a benefit so is not always negative.
Intrigued? Let’s look a little deeper…
Like I said in the previous couple of paragraphs, if you have a short attention span, you’ve probably always considered it to be one of your drawbacks. It makes it difficult for you to focus and it makes working long shifts at work a real pain.
However, it does have its benefits, though they’re mostly going to help you in the long run, not in the short term. A short attention span can help you come up with greater creative ideas over time, allowing you to return to them when you have the time to dedicate to it.
In those times, a short attention span can be detrimental, because it disrupts your focus while you’re trying to actually create something that embodies the ideas you’ve come up with previously.
The workaround here is to have a system set up for quickly logging your ideas that pop into your mind so that you can return to them later, and spend time focusing on the task at hand in the present.
You could use something as simple as a little notepad with a pen. Anytime you’re working and get pulled off track by an idea, quickly jot it down and you can return to it later when you have time.
It’s beneficial to have all of these little ideas stored away, because at some point you might try to brainstorm something to work on, and you might not have anything coming to mind. Then, you can reference your notebook and use one of those little sparks of imagination to fuel a whole new project that you might’ve otherwise forgotten.
By keeping tabs on your overactive imagination like this, you retain all of those smaller sparks of creativity that can blossom into wonderful, big projects – while still working diligently to bring existing ideas to fruition.
Having any kind of focus requires a lot of self-discipline and even if you adopt the jotting technique above you will need to be disciplined to go back and do something with the ideas.
If you want to learn more about how to develop self-discipline, click on the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 😊
As a marketer, are you one of those who has a blog or not?
Some marketers don’t use a blog to build their brand or visibility but rather prefer to use more direct response type marketing techniques and have a website to showcase their products with great sales pages and they constantly send paid traffic to those pages.
Visitors will consume their content, come to think of them as someone they can trust, and will be much more likely to buy from them in future. This takes longer than the direct response marketer but is infinitely cheaper and is a good model for someone just starting out who may have limited capital to put into their business.
It’s the second type of marketer to whom this article is addressed.
I’m constantly amazed at how marketers seem to think free content and paid content are two entirely different things. The fact is your most successful blog posts and newsletter articles can make you more money than many of the products you’ve promoted or created in the past an it is super quick to do this and costs you nothing, so what are you waiting for?
The key is to pay attention to how your content is received.
This works great for building brand awareness across multiple platforms and can indirectly lead to sales.
But now let’s take that strategy and put it on steroids and make it a much more direct way to make sales; after all, you are in business to make money!
So, this content repurposing strategy is designed to specifically make you money from your previous content!
Look back at your posts from the past year and see which ones gained the most attention. Which ones did people comment on and forward to others the most?
For example, a little 200-word FB post that people are engaging with and liking the content is trying to tell you that you’ve struck gold.
If it’s a longer article, maybe a blog post and it gets great feedback, even better.
You might choose to expand that article into a full-blown product and sell it or you could use it as a lead magnet that leads to a high-ticket offer (either yours or an affiliate offer).
And talking of lead magnets…
If you are producing free reports as lead magnets (and you should be using these to grow your email list) these are another potential untapped goldmine.
Take your most successful free reports and turn them into paid coaching programs. If you have 4 or 5 reports covering roughly the same topic, it is really simple to bundle them up and sell as a full-blown product.
The other good thing about using these lead magnets is that you probably have links to offers peppered throughout these reports, so not only can you now profit from previously free material, but you can still profit from readers clicking on the links embedded into the reports.
Answer a customer’s question and then send that answer out to your list and see what happens. Do you get a lot of response? Bam! There’s another product waiting to be made.
This is such a simple way to do direct market research and you will know that the demand is there from your existing audience.
If you’re not sure how something is being received, ask your readers what they thought of it.
Take the most popular topics and expand them or repurpose them into something else. You don’t have to continually come up with new ideas. Instead, figure out which ideas are working and then get most out of those.
And you can also purposely float your idea for a new product by creating a mini version of it as a post and then seeing how people respond.
Do you have 10 ideas for products? Create 10 posts, see which one is the most popular and start working on that product right away.
When creating the posts, if they are long, let’s say 1000 words or more, then offer the reader to download them as a convenient pdf. This is a type of content upgrade and they will need to give you their email address to get the report.
This stuff sounds simple and it is, but it also works so please don’t dismiss this strategy.
And because it is mainly using pre-existing content, you can be up and running in a matter of hours.
If you are just starting out and are building out your first blog, bear this in mind for the future.
And if you want to know the best way to get started with blogging you can check out Rapid Blogging Blueprint, a premium training on creating and monetising a blog the right way.
Or you can simply click on the featured resource below for a free Blogging Fundamentals report; download, read it and take action 😊
Obstacles are something that everyone who has ever lived had had to deal with, so it would be a good idea to learn how to handle obstacles, wouldn’t you agree?
Sadly, many people doubt themselves and their abilities. When it becomes a chronic situation, it can hold people back from getting what they want.
However, confidence will break through the barriers caused by obstacles.
First of all, you need to recognize when an obstacle is holding you back. Sometimes, people make excuses for their situations and pretend that they don’t exist ad this is understandable.
For instance, you could be faced with a family member who has a substance abuse problem. It’s difficult to approach the person and people ignore that a problem exists. They just keep pretending as if the person does not have a problem with the hope that the situation will resolve itself.
The problem is that sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the issue won’t resolve anything, and the person who is suffering may be crying out for help and is actually looking for someone who has the courage to stand up to their addiction.
But, if they know you care and you keep at it to confront the situation, they do hear it deep down, especially if they really are looking to get help.
You do have to be aware that if they don’t really want help, your efforts will not amount to much, unfortunately.
Self-doubt can also cripple you when others don’t have confidence in you.
For instance, if your manager has reasons to doubt your abilities, he is constantly going to be harping on at you about your work. This may cause you to doubt yourself and the situation will continue in a nasty loop.
In such cases, you need to find out why he feels this way and try to work with him to help figure out what you can do to alleviate the situation. Just having this meeting can show your manager you have confidence which could be the catalyst to turn around the situation.
But, once you gain the confidence, you will find there is no stopping you. Dealing with most obstacles will become easier for you which will lead to you succeeding more often.
Many people find that after they get past a certain situation, they wondered why it took them as long as it did. It doesn’t matter, though.
As long as you eventually gain that confidence, you can make happen whatever you need to.
So you know that obstacles are an unfortunate fact of life, but think of this…
Suppose you are given a choice to live a life without any obstacles? Would you take that if it were possible?
You may be tempted to jump at the chance. However, it is highly likely it would not measure up to your expectations.
Several years ago, one television program focused on only good news. It looked for good news in the local community and even in other places. The show did not last because people seem to be more drawn to bad news. This is an unfortunate fact of human nature!
Therefore, subconsciously, we welcome obstacles so that we can figure out how to overcome or solve them.
I realise that may sound counterintuitive, especially when you are faced with an obstacle in your life and are struggling to overcome it, but it is true nonetheless.
Just think about an obstacle course. Why do these even exist? If we weren’t so inclined to solve problems, these never would have become popular. But we still participate in them because of the challenge involved.
When we get past some obstacle, we get a feeling of elation, which increases in proportion to how extreme the obstacle. Getting past the obstacle may be instant or involve some time. It could be mental or physical, or both. It doesn’t matter. Whatever the situation, we welcome the challenge.
This is unfortunate because we all have the capability of solving most situations. Even when the obstacles are dire, people who approach it in a positive manner will have a much greater chance of overcoming them.
What is certain is if you don’t try, you will fail, and that obstacle will become part of you in a negative way. It could destroy your life if you let it.
Obstacles are a part of life and as you have seen from this article, they are necessary for our survival. They may be difficult to come to terms with.
However, when we get to the point of overcoming them, we have tools we can use to make our lives better. This can extend to helping others as well.
So, they aren’t really obstacles at all, but rather chances to grow and improve your abilities and self-confidence.
Reframing obstacles like this can be incredibly powerful and requires the correct mindset.
If you want to find out how to develop a strong mindset, check out the featured resource below where you can get a free report; download, read it and take action 😊
While everyone else has a free e-newsletter or even a paid online newsletter, you might consider going in the opposite direction and having a PRINT newsletter.
You can use a mailing service to print and mail the newsletter for you, making it a hands-off operation once you send them your new issue and updated mailing list.
Formatting the issue is something you can hire out.
Even writing the articles can be outsourced if you don’t want to do it yourself.
But why would you want to do a print newsletter?
You can charge more because it has a higher perceived value than an online newsletter, regardless of your niche.
With a printed newsletter, you are in their mailbox. You’re on their kitchen table. You’re on the coffee table in the living room or the nightstand in the bedroom. You are in your customer’s homes, and while I don’t know all the psychology behind this, I do know that when they can hold your product in their hands, your customers become much more bonded to you than if you’re simply words on a screen.
Refunds are lower or even non-existent. The act of having to mail the newsletter back to you (the publisher) to get a refund is more work than most people are willing to do. And I know of print newsletter publishers who charge anywhere from $47 a month to $299 a month and do not allow refunds once an issue ships.
How do you make money with a printed newsletter?
You can use any one of these methods or a combination.
Of course you can make money by charging for subscriptions. Determine what it costs to print and ship, what it costs to obtain a new customer and how long you expect the average subscriber will stay with you.
Then again, you can also publish and mail your newsletter for free and still make plenty of money, as I’ll cover in a bit.
Since your newsletter will likely go out in an envelope, there’s no reason why you can’t add in some ride-a-longs.
When you build up sufficient subscribers in the right niche, you can make even more money from your ride-a-longs than you do from subscriptions.
Another option is to sell ads inside your newsletter. Again, you’ll want to have a sufficient number of subscribers to make it worthwhile for your advertisers.
It’s even possible to send out your newsletter for free and still make a hefty profit if you do some or all of the following: Target the right readers, charge for ads, charge for ride-a-longs and/or sell your own products via the newsletter.
The added visibility and enhanced credibility a printed newsletter creates will naturally lead to more sales.
And it doesn’t hurt that when your customer is holding your newsletter in their hands, you have no online competition for their attention. Think about selling from a website – you are in direct competition with every other website on the internet for that person’s attention.
You can advertise your products in your newsletter and in your own ride-a-longs. You can also write newsletter articles that make it super easy to recommend your own solution.
Even when promoting a new launch online, who are your subscribers most likely to buy from? The person who sends them a newsletter in the mail each month, that’s who.
You might also create a special inner circle of your paid newsletter subscribers. This inner circle gets special offers and deals your other list members don’t get – just another perk of subscribing.
The enhanced visibility and credibility of a printed newsletter can also result in getting more offers from fellow marketers to do guest posting, be a guest on podcasts and even do profitable joint venture deals.
One printed, paid newsletter publisher I know tells the story of someone subscribing to his newsletter using an alias.
And when you approach others with JV deals, it’s much easier to get a yes when you can say you are the publisher of a newsletter.
Do you perform a service of some type? Coaching perhaps? Consulting? Freelance marketing for non-internet businesses? Whatever it is, you can use your printed newsletter to gain more customers.
Credibility. Knowledge. Trust-worthiness. Being the EXPERT. These are the perceptions your prospects will have of YOU because you are the author of the newsletter they read each month for help, tips, news and advice.
Tell them you’re calling to see how they’re doing and if you can help. They will be flattered. This isn’t a sales call because they know you and like you already.
Know, like and trust. Almost nothing can build that faster than continuous communication of awesome advice in your printed newsletter and an offer to help them. Find out what their current #1 headache is and help them solve it, and you’ll have a client for life.
If you want to know more about increasing conversions in your business, check out the featured resource below to grab a free report which will teach you how to boost your conversion rate. Download, read it, and take action 🙂
Working at home gives people the flexibility to be at home, while still being able to collect a paycheck. But, does working at home automatically make you get more done?
The argument is that it’s less stressful not to have that commute hanging over them.
Being able to spend more time with your family is another benefit people associate with working from home. You can be home when your kids come home from school. You’ll be able to go their afterschool activities such as sports games.
People who work at home learn that it has unintended challenges associated with it. For instance, while it’s nice to be around your family, are they letting you get your work done? Are you spending too much time with your family that is taking away from your responsibilities to your job?
You need to work with your family to set up boundaries. This means you should dedicate a space like an office that you use to work. When you are in the office, your family needs to understand that interruptions are off limits, unless it’s an emergency.
You will also need to handle interruptions by neighbors that may visit. While many of your neighbors will be commuting to work, there are more people working from home today.
This increases the chances that some of your neighbors are working from home as well. It’s tempting when you see them outside, to see what they are up to, etc. It’s okay to do this once in a while, but don’t let it interrupt your job.
You may end up working more hours even when you factor in the lack of commuting. Your boss may be inclined to call you up after work hours and ask you to handle some tasks.
If they do this to all employees, then you may not be able to do much to change that. However, if they are singling you out because you work at home and they believe this gives them permission to call upon you, this may be something you need to handle.
So, as you can see, there are some disadvantages to working from home too. However, if you are working from home, it pays to stick to a routine and be organized and the following tips may help.
Being organized should be a way of life and second nature to you.
These nine tips will help you to stay organized every day with very little effort or fuss.
Start your day by checking your schedule and your to do list.
It may be that you’ve thought of something you need to add.
Prioritize your to do list so that you tackle the important items first.
As well as your to do list you should plan your day.
Don’t forget to include scheduled breaks. Make sure to include time for friends and family.
The F.A.R. Rules are essential for helping you to stay organized. They apply equally to your personal life as your business.
File it – if it’s important and needs to be kept (either in paper or electronic form) then file it immediately.
Act on it – if something needs to have action taken for example, paying a bill or making a call, then do it immediately. Then either file or recycle it.
Recycle it – whether it’s junk mail or papers and items you’ve finished with, recycle it immediately once it’s no longer needed.
At times technology can be a distraction but there are some items that can help you become and stay productive.
You may decide that an app to monitor your health and fitness would be a good idea to keep you on track with your goals.
There are also menu planning apps, scheduling, time and project management, as well as household organization apps.
To be successful with your organization skills you need to track and monitor your progress. What’s working and what’s not?
Be prepared to make changes and adjustments to how you do things.
Just because one method of organizing your closet doesn’t work for you it doesn’t mean that another won’t.
Don’t keep things for the sake of it.
That way you keep your surroundings free from clutter and distractions.
Keep a track of what works for you and keep on doing it.
If something hasn’t been successful then identify what needs to be changed and do it that way the following day.
Just like you started your day, end your day with a five minute review.
Whatever is left should be added to the next day’s list.
Create your to do list for the following day. Include any important tasks that you didn’t complete that day and only important items that need to be done.
Becoming and staying organized doesn’t happen overnight and it does require regular effort. However, you can stay on track by following these nine tips. You can be organized every day with a little planning, time and effort.
If you want more strategies to become more productive check out the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 🙂
