A Productive Pen» personal development

How Do You Deal with Subscriber Complaints?

ebourne — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:58:26 +0000

How do you handle subscriber complaints from your email list community? Do you take it in stride as a part of doing business, or does it freak you out a little bit and send you scrambling? I must admit to the latter, but I am learning to grow a thicker skin, get over myself and realize that you can’t please all of the people all of the time, and that making mistakes sometimes is part of being human. In this post, I’d like to explore the idea of handling complaints, and what’s the most fruitful way to resolve an issue and move on with your day so that you don’t end up in a bit of a tizzy as I found myself the other day.

In addition to my RSS feed, my visitors are invited to subscribe to my email update list where I send an email about once a week with updates about what I’m up to in my business, I share things I’m learning, little victories and course corrections as I make them. BTW, this is a double opt-in list, meaning that subscribers first fill in a form with their own email address and then they click on a confirmation message in their inbox to complete the transaction.

So, I was poking around in my Aweber email management account setting up a broadcast message when I saw a bit of orange highlighting around one of the numbers in the stats for one of my email lists. It turns out that was in the ‘complaints’ column. “OMG!” I thought. Someone had complained about one of my emails. My heart started to beat very quickly as I opened the broadcast message in question, and it was typical of the kinds of messages I normally send, and until that particular incident, there have been 0.0% complaints. I was baffled, so I dove into the Aweber knowledge base to research what this was all about and find out what I could do about it.

But I learned that if a subscriber reports your email messages as spam to their ISP, Aweber will automatically delete that subscriber from your list. So, I took a step back and took a breath and realized that you really can’t please everyone all of the time. I will never know what it was in that email that might have pissed that subscriber off to the point that they would report it as spam because that’s a pretty serious complaint and too many of them can cause your ISP to shut you down.

When I looked at the situation I understood that there was really nothing that I could do about it, so there was no point in getting all anxious about it. If a person had complained to me directly, I could have handled it and settled it with them personally and done whatever was required to make it right, learn from it and then move on. But there is no way to address an anonymous complaint, so I decided not to let it get to me.

So, I guess what I’m trying to do here is to share this as a “teachable moment.” When you have a business where you will be dealing with the public, you will have complaints. There is no avoiding it. All you can do is deal with them and move on and not let it freak you out. Establish a policy for how you will handle complaints to make things right with the customer. Discuss the issue with your team, and if it was indeed a mistake that was made, take the opportunity to learn and grow from it.

As far as my email subscriber list goes, I am going to take this opportunity to send a little survey (which I will address in another post) so that I can get a clear idea of what they want to see more of from me, and what I should avoid. This way I can provide the best information possible for my subscribers.

But in the end some people just like to grumble and gripe and they are difficult to please. You can’t lose your confidence or cool when you come across these kinds of people. I say keep your head up and keep on plugging away and offering your very best. Some people will appreciate it, and some will not, but as long as you always put forth your best effort you are a winner.

What is the best email autoresponder? (plentyonyourplate.com)
Why Aweber Is The Best Email Marketing Program Ever! (danlew.com)

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Mindmapping: An Effective Idea Generation Tool for Writers

ebourne — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:00:52 +0000

I was collaborating with a colleague the other day, and I sent him a mind map of some of the ideas that he had asked me to sketch out. Aside from the ideas contained in the mind map, he commented that I was really good at mind mapping. I was surprised at first because I really do them rather unconsciously now, but it occurred to me that this might be another one of my hidden strengths–something I’ve gotten so good at that I’m not aware of it because it comes effortlessly and naturally to me.

Since he identified it as a strength, and since the practice of mind mapping has served me so well since I first learned about it in a college creative writing class, I will share how I use them and how you might try them to see if they don’t help to unlock the hidden gems stored up within your conscious and unconscious mind.

Concepts such as spider web diagrams, and idea sunbursting were already in practice for hundreds of years when author and mind/ brain/ memory expert, Tony Buzan copyrighted the term “mind map” and prescribed a set of rules governing how they should be constructed. Buzan and several others have written books about mind mapping, and I have listed a few in the ‘resources’ section at the end of this article.

As this article des not pretend to e an exhaustive treatise on the topic, it is my intention to share with you how I use mind mapping as a writer to help spark creativity, and generate ideas around the topic that I am writing about at the moment.

When the idea for this article came to me, I scribbled this mind map out quickly on my whiteboard, and then transcribed it to the computer using a free, online mind mapping program called, bubbl.us.

Basically, what I do is get out pens, magic markers, and colored pencils and the biggest piece of paper that I can find and I write the main idea for what I need ideas for in the center of the paper and then I draw a circle around it. Radiating out from the circle are the related ideas and radiating out from those ideas are all of the sub-ideas and tangents that spring to mind as you go along.

Sometimes you might take a related idea and do a mind map that focuses in on that thought or concept going as deep as you like. Can you see how as you write each new word another one springs to mind? I love mind maps because for me they really get my creative juices flowing and my brain cells popping to come up with new ideas to capture.

I like to move quickly when I am making a mind map. I know it seems cumbersome to start on paper and then transcribe the whole thing to the computer, but that’s just my process. Maybe if I had an iPad, with a touch screen that might be a different story. But for now, my mind and my hand work best with pen and paper or marker and white board for capturing ideas in the moment.

OK, so let’s apply this to writing. If you look at the mind map I created for this article you can see that I wrote: “Mind Mapping for Writing” in the center and drew a circle around it. Then I have lines radiating out towards the other related ideas for how mind mapping can help fuel the writing process.

Using the tool of mind mapping can virtually ensure that you will never have writer’s block again. If you get stuck for ideas, whip out a sheet of paper and start doodling a mind map. They are so organic and they free the creative side of your brain to draw connections and even come up with some innovative ideas.

Now, I invite you to try mind mapping the next time you are getting ready to start a writing project. Take a look at the resources below, try some free software, or just get out your colored pens and pencils and create one on paper. But once you try this fabulous little technique you will quickly see how effective it can be for generating ideas for writing.

Resources:

http://www.mindmapsearch.org/

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

http://www.mindmeister.com/

Books:

The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential

By Tony Buzan and Barry Buzan

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10 Life Lessons I’ve Learned from Being a Blogger

ebourne — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:23:38 +0000

I’m participating in the #31DBBB Blogging Challenge, and this post part of the Day #2 assignment. I want to welcome all of my fellow SITS Bloggers and thanks for all of the linky love

The first post of this blog was published originally in January of 2007, but a catastrophic crash in October of 2008 (before I knew about the importance of backing up my database) caused me to lose all of those early posts.

Prior to this blog for my consulting business I had a personal blog that I began in the fall of 1998 (before they were actually even called ‘blogs’). So with 12 years of blogging experience under my belt, I thought I’d write a post about what being a blogger has taught me about life.

1. Don’t write anything you wouldn’t want your parents or your children to see.
In the early days, I didn’t tell my parents that I kept a blog. I felt far more free to write whatever I felt like writing when I was pretty sure that they weren’t reading it. Well, the day eventually came when my dad, bless his heart, discovered my blog one day when he googled me. Thank goodness he didn’t find anything embarrassing, but it might have been a more awkward conversation had I been writing about something that they would not have approved of, or would be embarrassing.

Aside from your parents and off-spring, be mindful that your employer or colleagues might also discover your blog, so be mindful of what you write and publish online.

2. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind.
Your blog provides you with the opportunity to stand up for what you believe in, to take a stand for your beliefs and defend the ideals that you hold dear. There will be people who will agree and there will be people who will disagree with what you have to say, but don’t let that dissuade you from writing from your heart.

3. Be authentic.
One of my favorite quotes on this topic is by Dr. Suess, and he said, “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter won’t mind.” Authenticity totally shines through in everything you write. Don’t try too hard to sound witty, or take on a fake persona. Your individuality is the gift that you offer to the world. Let it shine through.

4. Always publish your best work.
Don’t fall into the trap of waiting until you “get discovered” before you start coming up with fabulous content because it’s the fabulous content that will get you discovered. Write your posts like everyone’s watching. Edit ruthlessly. Find a writing partner to edit and/or proofread for you. Ask for feedback from your readers, and strive to always improve your writing.

5. Having a platform is powerful.
As your blog readership grows you will discover that you are creating a platform for yourself. Your blog is your own media outlet. Don’t squander your chance to put forth your message. Take your blog seriously and others will do the same.

6. Avoid negative posts and bashing or flaming.
Avoid writing scathing posts and railing with negativity about a person or a group. If something has gotten you angry and upset, you might want to take some time and process it and choose the most intelligent course of action rather than firing off a vitriolic post that you may regret sooner than later.

7. It takes a village.
The blogoshpere is a community, so reach out to other bloggers and create relationships. Offer to guest post on your favorite blogs. Link to your blogging buddies from your blog. Be as supportive as you can of other bloggers within your community.

8. Encourage other bloggers.
Be sure to leave positive comments on other blogs. Find something encouraging to say that goes beyond, “great post.” Show that you read the post and write a comment that adds value and builds up the blogger.

9. It takes commitment.
Maintaining a blog is not easy. With all of the other responsibilities in your life, it can be a challenge to commit to writing three to five blog posts each week and managing all of the other tasks inherent with the job. Determine at the outset if you think you can be committed to maintaining the publishing schedule before you begin.

10. Persistence pays off.
In the end persistence definitely pays off. When you have a blog that is getting decent traffic, a steady flow of comments and good reviews you’ve really got something to be proud of. Don’t give up when things get challenging because the only way to fail is to give up.

If you’re a blogger, please feel free to leave a comment that shares a life lesson you’ve learned from blogging.

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How to Beat the Summer Doldrums–Take on a New Challenge

ebourne — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:02:54 +0000

It’s the middle of the summer, it’s blazing hot outside, the kids are out of school and the long, hot days of summer tend to lull us into vacation mode.

Now, if you’re on vacation, by all means chill out, relax and enjoy your down time. But if you are still working towards completing your goals for this quarter or this year, then don’t get sucked down and lose your focus. Snap out of it! (Do I have your attention now?)

A great way to snap out of an unmotivated rut is to start a challenge. Take one of your goals and turn it into a challenge to make it fun to complete it. Recruit some partners or supporters to either join you in taking up the challenge, or to cheer you on and encourage you and hold you accountable to your goals.

Post your goal up on a bulletin board in your workspace where you can see it, and depending on how you are counting progress, make a chart where you can tick off ‘to-do’ items and see your progress.

One of my goals for this year is to improve this blog’s performance. In my business I have been doing quite a few blog setups lately, so lot of my energy has been going towards setting up new blogs for my clients.

I decided it was time to kick this goal into high gear, so I’ve joined the “Secret to Success is Support” womens blogging community as they are taking on Darren Rowse’s ’31 Days to Build a Better Blog’ challenge. Of course I’ll be blogging about my progress here, but if you’d like to join me and the rest of these power blogging women, feel free to do so.

My challenge to you is to create a challenge for yourself. Make it a realistic goal so that you are more likely to accomplish it, but not so easy that it doesn’t get your juices flowing. Where attention goes energy flows, so give your project your consistent attention each day and you will get there.

Keep on coming back here for motivation and encouragement, and feel free to contact me if you’re feeling stuck and need some inspiration or advice.

One of my favorite personal development authors, Anthony Robbins, says that you should never leave the scene of having set a goal without taking an initial step in making it become a reality. Yes writing the goal down is a first step, but what can you do to kick your goal-achievement into high gear despite the ‘lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer?’

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How to Remain Committed to Your Goals When it’s Not Fun Anymore

ebourne — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 05:38:45 +0000

When you have set a goal or stated an intention for something that you plan to manifest or accomplish, there is always a bit of lag time in between the moment that you make your intention or desire known to the Universe, and the moment that your intention is manifested in your experience in the form of matter or a particular circumstance in your life.

You may have heard the old adage, “God helps those who help themselves,” and this is true. You can state your desires but then you must show up and take the necessary action required to manifest it. Now, this is not to say that this must be ‘nose-to-the-grindstone, break out in a sweat kind of action. But you must take whatever step is necessary to manifest your desires–inspired action.

Simply writing down your goals and intentions begins the process of moving something from thought to existence. Taking that inspired action and not giving up is what transforms your visions into reality.

Sometimes when we are already vibrating at a high level and we are in perfect alignment with what we desire it can come very quickly and from quite unexpected sources. However, there will be those occasions when we experience resistance and we are not vibrating at the level of our desires making the lag time a bit longer.

The questions I am posing here are, “How do you hang in there and remain committed to your goals when it’s just not fun anymore? How do you get through the meantime and see your project or your vision through to its completion?”

Well, to begin with, you’ll have to learn to embrace the concept of delayed gratification. The idea that you do what you must do in order to be able to do what you want to do. It’s also the idea that the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. Staying with it and putting in the work not only builds character, but allows you to appreciate what you receive that much more.

One of my favorite spiritual business success coaches, Khama Anku, says, “You don’t have to love every minute of it,” and this is so true. You must be willing to put in the work required that will transform you from who you are today and what you have right now into the person you will become that will be ready to receive what it is that you desire.

You’ve got to keep your eyes on the prize and stay positive. As you create your daily ‘to-do’ lists and mark off your accomplishments no matter how small, understand that this is sacred work that you are doing. You are growing your spirit, and raising your vibration and by doing so expanding the Universe of what is possible.

Nelson Mandela went into prison a hot-blooded, angry, militant young man. The 27 years he spent in prison, many of those years on Robben Island, refined him and prepared and transformed him into the statesman, diplomat and peacemaker that emerged and changed his country and the world.

Exercise discipline and commitment as you work towards your goals. Work your faith. The Book of Romans 4:17 reminds us that we should, “Call those things that be not as though they were.” Speak positively about your life and your circumstances. Believe that you have everything that you need within you already to accomplish everything that you desire. You would not have received the inspiration if you were not also given the means with which to bring it to fruition.

The Universe, in her infinite wisdom, does not give us a magic wand that we can wave to get what we want instantly. Sometimes it’s the process– the in-between time–that refines us and prepares us to walk in the life that we dream of. The only way to get there is to never, never, never give up.

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Focus: A Vital Component of Productivity for the Online Entrepreneur

ebourne — Sun, 30 May 2010 18:22:33 +0000

“We accomplish more by concentration than by fitness; the man that is apparently best suited for a place does not always fill it best. It is the man that concentrates on its every possibility that makes an art of both his work and his life.”
–Theron Q. Dumont

As a writer, blogger and online entrepreneur, I find that one of my biggest challenges is to remain focused. I will candidly share with you the fact that I have both ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and Dyslexia, which is a learning disability related to reading decoding, comprehension and fluency. I was fortunate enough to have an observant mother who noticed my quirky reading and ‘inventive’ writing when I was in Kindergarten, so I was tested and given special resources to help me to overcome these challenges and accommodate my peculiar learning style in the classroom.

Because I have been blessed with the gift of a dyslexic brain, I have been forced to learn how to focus my attention and to constantly course-correct when I get easily distracted. My special learning style has taught me to be very organized in my work. I create lists and spreadsheets for everything to keep all of my concurrent projects on track. Without lists to work from and keep me on task, my ADD brain would go sailing off to find something completely unrelated to occupy herself and I lose valuable time.

With that being said, many of us approach developing and running a business with our own unique set of challenges, but the ability to focus on the task at hand and bring it to a successful conclusion is a skill that can be learned. By the time you have finished reading this blog post, you will have learned some new strategies for improving your focus so that you can increase your productivity regardless of what you are pursuing.

Your time is your most valuable asset. Everyone on earth is given the same amount of time each day. The power is in your hands as to how you will leverage your time to create the things and the life that you desire. The ability to focus on your goals will help you to manifest your desires.

Ask yourself these questions to help sharpen your focus:

What is distracting you from focusing on your daily tasks and goals?

From the moment you wake up in the morning your brain is filled with chatter about a million things. The power of concentration allows you to shut out those distractions that are vying for your attention so that you can focus on the task that you have before you.

Take a look at your work environment and eliminate things that can distract you. For instance, is your desk facing a window? Do you ever find yourself staring out the window when you should be working? Move your desk so that you are facing a wall if the window presents a distraction.

Are you distracted by the Internet when you should be focusing your attention on a particular task? If you are working on a writing project, unplug from the Internet so that you can focus on your work. If you need the Internet for a particular task open just one browser window at a time, work through that task until it complete; check it off your list and then move on to the next task.

What habits are contributing to your lack of focus?

How can you tighten up your overall work and productivity habits? Make a list of everything you must accomplish each day and create daily rituals. Create a morning routine, a framework for a workday routine and an evening routine.

What should you be focusing on?
Every business has basic tasks that must be done to keep in running, and then there is the actual area of expertise that requires attention.

Focus on practicing and honing your area of expertise and get help with the other necessary tasks that can be done by anyone.

How to leverage your time by outsourcing so you can focus on your high value tasks.
Outsourcing or hiring someone outside of your company–typically an independent contractor–is a great way to get those essential tasks such as record keeping, email, marketing and advertising, etc. done for you so that you have more time to focus on your core strengths.

If your business is not bringing in enough money to hire a full-time person, start with hiring out just a specific task and see how much time and energy that frees up for you.

Another option is bartering services. What do you have or do that other people in your network want or need? What can they do for you in return?

All of this leads back to the area of focusing your attention efficiently so that you can accomplish more in less time.

Here are some additional resources that you might want to check out if you want to pursue honing your skills of focus and concentration:

“>The Power of Concentration by Theron Q. Dumont

Find Your Focus Zone: An Effective New Plan to Defeat Distraction and Overload“>Find Your Focus Zone: An Effective New Plan to Defeat Distraction and Overload by Lucy Jo Palladino

Focus and Concentration Collection: Increase Productivity, Improve Performance, Self-Hypnosis, Self-Help, NLP (Unabridged) by Erick Brown

How have you solved the challenge of focus in your business? Feel free to leave a comment with your tips and suggestions for greater productivity and efficiency.

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The Power of Attention

ebourne — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:26:06 +0000

If you have ever had any interest in personal development than you already understand that you are an infinite being with infinite potential and that you create your own reality every day. But there is one thing that directs all of your co-creation and manifestation. This one thing is the seat of your power to achieve and that one thing is your attention.

Your attention is you directing your mind to focus on a particular thing. Your attention is a powerful force because where attention goes energy flows. Part of your evolution as a spiritual being having a human experience is to choose carefully where you focus your attention because whatever you focus your attention on expands.

Attention is a form of currency. When you ‘pay’ attention to something you take it in and it begins to shape your thinking. Advertisers pay dearly to grab just the smallest amount of your attention to try to persuade you to purchase their products. What you have been paying attention to lately will be evident in what has been showing up in your experience.

So, in order to move from where you are to where you would like to be in life, you must be diligent about where you place your attention. Learn to pay attention to what you want and ignore what you don’t want. What do you want more of? Focus your attention on that and feel good about it. As an infinite being it is within your power to do and be and have whatever you desire. But, so many of us get caught in the trap of giving all of our attention to the status quo rather than focusing on making our dreams and intentions a reality.

Here’s how to use your attention to your advantage:

•Your attention directs your powerful, creative energy and life force so use it to your best advantage. Take out that list of goals and dust it off.

•Pick just one thing that if you devoted your attention to it and accomplished it, your life would be closer to what you want it to be.

•Choose an end-date when that goal will be accomplished.

•Open your calendar and schedule in the tasks along with how much time it will take to complete each task on your calendar. If your calendar syncs with your cell phone, program in audible, daily reminders to give your attention to your goal.

•Celebrate when you achieve milestones whether they are major or minor as long as they are moving you forward.

Focus, discipline and diligence are the best weapons against overwhelm and analysis paralysis. Imperfect action is far better than perfect inaction, and failing early on teaches you valuable lessons that you can incorporate as you pick yourself up and keep moving forward. A helpful mnemonic is: FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Successful.

Your consistent, unrelenting attention and action will ensure that you successfully achieve any goal you set for yourself.

The benefits of developing the discipline to focus your attention will begin to show up in all areas of your life. Whether you want to get a better job, start your own business, go back to school and finish your degree or finish a big project around the house, your attention and your action is what will transform your vision and idea into its physical manifestation. So, pay attention!

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The Ultimate Dream Project: A Personal Review

ebourne — Thu, 06 May 2010 15:59:34 +0000

I can quite easily be described as a personal development ‘junkie.’ I discovered self-help books when I was in my late teens. Already a complete perfectionist, I think that my initial motivation for reading all of those books, listening to countless hours of tapes, and watching videos of motivational speakers talk about how great your life can be, was to learn how to be the best person I could be.

But at the heart of it–my basic belief was that I flawed and I was looking to these programs and to religiousness, to somehow ‘fix’ me where I was broken and show me how to be a powerhouse of success and achievement. Somehow, despite having read all of those hundreds of books and following teacher after teacher, my life was not improving, I was still working at a dead-end job that I hated and my relationships were a classic, dysfunctional mess.

Then I met Angela Bear on Facebook. I had been meeting several spiritual teachers and life coaches on Facebook and other places on the Internet. They all had a similar message related to the Law of Attraction and focusing on being positive–wonderful messages, but I was looking for something deeper.

I joined one of Angela’s free calls where she was introducing a private, three session class where a small group could work with her personally to get support for our business or personal issues and questions. What I learned by working with Angela during that class and in the private session I had with her transformed my life in a deeper, more profound way than any other book or course I had participated in.

Angela is an intuitive who reads energy, so she can cut through all of the crap, and tell you exactly what is going on. She does not want to hear your ‘story,’ she simply reads your energy and gives you some powerful questions to work with that help to get to the heart of whatever you perceive to be holding you back. By giving you the tools to eliminate those limiting beliefs that create the proverbial ‘glass ceiling’ on your growth, it gives you a new perspective on the contextual reality that we happen to find ourselves in at this time.

Angela helps you to remember that you are an infinite being with absolutely infinite potential to realize your dreams and goals.

The Ultimate Dream Project is a membership program that Angela has created to provide a place where she can meet and interact with her clients and members can interact with each other to learn and grow and express their infinite potential. As you know, life is not all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes when you are on a path of growth you will meet periods of resistance when you feel blocked and you wonder why you even waste your time trying to grow yourself. When I get into those funky places of resistance, Angela always has a way of snapping me out of it by asking me, “What creation of this energy am I using to validate other people’s realities?”

I cherish working with Angela because she reminds me that there is nothing about me that needs to be ‘fixed.’ I am confident now that I am an infinite being with infinite potential. Now that I have let go of closely examining the wrongness of me, I can put more energy on expanding the Universe, and modeling what she is teaching me and what I am learning for my children.

My business is now thriving, my relationships have been transformed and I feel so much more personal freedom now that I have stopped trying to ‘fix’ myself. I now have the confidence to pursue my dreams and desires because I know that everything I want is on the other side of my fears and limiting beliefs.

So, if you are ready to step away from the need for another ‘hit’ from motivational, self-help gurus who pump you up and get you excited about going for your dreams, but subconsciously, your limiting beliefs are holding up a ‘Stop’ sign on your progress, visit Angela Bear’s website, http://www.ultimatedreamproject.com, and sign up for her email list. You’ll receive a ‘taster packet,’ or what I call little mini-appetizers that will give you a feel for what it’s like to work with Angela.

You are an infinite being and when you are ready embrace the fabulousness of who you are, Angela is eager to support you in your discovery process.

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Freelance Writing: Establish a Morning Routine for a More Productive Work Day

ebourne — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:35:27 +0000

One of the coolest things about being a freelance writer is that you can work pretty much whenever you want to. If you are a morning person, you can get up before the crack of dawn and complete your writing projects early so that you can have the day free to do what you want. Night owls can burn the midnight oil to get projects completed on time. But regardless of your schedule, you might want to consider establishing a morning routine to get your day off to a productive start.

But what makes being a freelance writer cool can also be the most challenging and that is learning to manage our productive time and energy in the most efficient way. I was inspired to write this post when I was listening to Internet Business Mastery, which is one of my favorite podcasts. They were talking about how important it is to establish a healthy morning routine, and to create a sense of order in the way you approach your business.

I was so inspired that I decided to create a morning routine of my own:

• Wake up

• 15-30 minutes meditation

• 15-30 minutes Yoga

• Wake children up

• Prepare breakfast and lunches

• Get dressed

• Supervise girls getting ready for school

• Drive girls to school

• Return home

• Shower & get dressed

• 30 minutes devotional time

• Begin work

When I can stick to this routine I find that my day flows much more smoothly. Now that the weather is warm again there’s a struggle between fitting in my walking time and my devotional time, but if I skip either one I can feel the effect of it pretty quickly, so I find a way to balance the two.

Writing is a creative talent that needs a rested, alert mind in order for the output to be of any usable quality. Getting enough rest, eating a healthy diet and establishing healthy routines can serve to feed your creativity and enhance your productivity.

Your Turn:
Do you have a morning routine? Please feel free to share if you think it helps you to be a better or more productive writer.

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How to Destroy Your Comfort Zone in 2 Easy Steps

ebourne — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:26:21 +0000

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

I have been giving a lot of thought about exactly what it takes to forge ahead despite the adversities that appear in the path to block us from our intended goals. I’ve also been thinking a lot about my comfort zone and about how it is more accurately called a rut. But guess what? The only difference between a rut and a grave are the dimensions.

It occurred to me that the only way to keep moving forward–to keep taking the massive action that leads to massive results–it would become necessary to completely destroy my comfort zone. It would require me to have nothing to fall back on so that I can move ahead fearlessly. It does not, however, mean making brash, foolish mistakes or plunging headlong into disaster for the sake of taking action.

What it does mean is letting go of that infantile urge to procrastinate. The time for pondering, planning, researching, and making priority lists has come to an abrupt end.

“Do,” as our wise friend Yoda said, “. . . or do not. There is no try.” I have a particular fondness for an expression that my mom used once or twice during heated exchanges with my Dad, which is “Sh*t or get off the pot.” Enough said.

So, how do you destroy your comfort zone in 2 easy steps?

Step 1. Do it

Step 2. Keep moving

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” -Anais Nin

I invite you to join me by choosing to embrace the greatness of who you are as you destroy your comfort zone every chance you get.

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A Productive Pen» personal development

How Do You Deal with Subscriber Complaints?

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A Productive Pen» personal development

How Do You Deal with Subscriber Complaints?

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Other posts on this topic. . .

Mindmapping: An Effective Idea Generation Tool for Writers

Other posts on this topic. . .

10 Life Lessons I’ve Learned from Being a Blogger

Other posts on this topic. . .

How to Beat the Summer Doldrums–Take on a New Challenge

Other posts on this topic. . .

How to Remain Committed to Your Goals When it’s Not Fun Anymore

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Focus: A Vital Component of Productivity for the Online Entrepreneur

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The Power of Attention

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The Ultimate Dream Project: A Personal Review

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