Monthly Archives: November 2009

Happy Thanksgiving from The Productive Pen

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HappyThanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it has such a simple and pure message and intent. It’s not religious, there is no gift-giving requirement, and there is no costume required. All you have to do is take a moment to express your gratitude for all of the blessings that you have received over the course of the year. Gratitude is magical because when you are grateful for what you already have you make space to receive even more.

I love Thanksgiving because I love to cook. It is my opportunity to show those around me just how much I love them be preparing a beautiful, delicious, healthy meal. This year, for the first time in recent memory, I won’t be preparing the meal. I will actually be a guest at a home that I’ve never been to before, so I am looking forward to trying some new foods and making some new friends.

Because this is a time that we express our gratitude, I wanted to take a moment and thank my readers. The Productive Pen blog has grown this year even as my Freelance writing business has taken off. I am thrilled to have a thriving business doing something that I enjoy doing, and I have the priviledge of doing it from my own home office. I am grateful for all of the positive feedback and support that I have received from my readers.

I hope that each of you has a happy and safe Thanksgiving. I hope that you take the time to express your gratitude for all that you have been blessed with.

Here’s a poem that I saw that I wanted to share. Enjoy!

Be Thankful

Thanks for not having
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Thanks for lacking knowledge
Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Thanks for difficult times
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Thanks for limitations
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Thanks for challenges
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Thanks for mistakes made
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Thanks for exhaustion
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
because it means you’ve made the effort.

Thanks for setbacks
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.

Thanks for troubles
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

~ Author Unknown ~

Info Product Creation Tools: How to Make Your Own eBook Covers

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When I embarked on this journey to start creating my own products so that I could begin to start generating some passive income streams, I came up against an obstacle right away. I totally suck at graphic design. I’ve been seeing some very sexy looking, 3-D eBook covers and I wanted my products to have those, but since I’m operating on a shoestring budget here I was determined to find a way to do it myself.

After spending more time than I should have searching, I came across this product called, Create Your Own eBook Covers with Free Software. It sounded intriguing so I took a closer look. This product is basically a step-by-step eBook that walks you through creating your own professional looking eBook covers. It’s literally click here, do this, do that and voila! you’ve got your own eBook cover. The ebook also comes with a series of instructional videos and design templates, so you are literally ready to go as soon as you download the product.

I made a quick video to show you how I created my first eBook cover using one of their templates and following the instructions that came in the package:

A bonus that is included in the product is a series of instructional videos that show you how you can make money by offering this product to your website visitors or email subscribers in the same way that I am sharing this fabulous find with you.

So, to recap, when you purchase the Create Your Own eBook Covers with Free Software product you will receive an eBook that walks you step-by-step through the process of creating your own professional looking eBook cover using software that won’t cost you a dime, ten instructional videos that walk you through all of the steps, a set of design templates, and bonus videos that show three different ways to generate some income with this product.

Given the fact that I successfully used this product and I can attest to the fact that it does what it promises, I recommend it to you to try when you just can’t afford to hire a graphics person to create your eBook covers for you.

Mindful Productivity: Preparing for Outsourcing

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Buddha
I purposefully used the term mindful productivity to distinguish between being insanely busy and being thoughtful and deliberate about the work that I do and the projects that I take on. As a bustling solo-preneur, I wear a lot all of the hats in my company. I am a freelance writer creating website content for several clients, I am a blogger who manages a portfolio of blogs in different niche topics, and I’m also a marketer, an artist, a mom to three daughters and a woman who supports several non-profit causes.

With all of these things on my ‘plate,’ I must be deliberate and mindful about everything that I do. I am quickly approaching the point where I will no longer be able to do everything myself and still maintain this pace. What is the solution? The solution for me is going to be to hire someone so that I can regain some of the time that I spend doing tasks that must be done, but can easily be done by someone other than me. This will free me up to focus my time and talent on my core strengths.

Since I am not quite to the point of being able to hire an assistant, what I have begun to do is to carefully consider every item that gets added to my ‘to-do’ list. After prioritizing the order in which the tasks need to be completed, I mark down whether that is a task that I could hand off to someone else. Then as I do those tasks, I write a quick procedure guide for it if necessary. I may even start recording quick instructional videos to make this process quicker. So, by the time I am in the position to hire someone, I will be able to use the instructions that I have written up to get them started and save me the time of explaining it each time.

My plan is to first hire out the obvious time-sucking chores that don’t require any specialized knowledge such as laundry and housework (some of it). Then I would find a good VA to handle some of the marketing tasks, and website maintenance tasks. As a recovering perfectionist, I will have to learn to let some things go and have confidence in the fact that I don’t have to do it all myself.

So, if you’re a solo-preneur who has almost reached the limit of your capacity, consider the tasks that you do each day and start designating which ones could potentially be outsourced to free up your time and energy for more important tasks. Mindful productivity is all about balancing time–which is your most precious resource–and energy. Do what you love, love what you do and find someone else to do the rest.