Heatwave! According to the forecast, Los Angeles can expect five days of hot, hot, hot weather. Last night I received an email asking Los Angelenos to conserve energy by not using our air conditioners between 3 and 10 pm…the hottest hours of the day!

My plan for the next few days is to get up early to get my work and exercise in before I melt!

By a wide margin, last week’s top clicked Thing was the photo essay about the gorgeous black panther in India. Why am I not surprised???

And, now, 5 Things for you to read...

1. Every time I do assessments around my strengths and values, my top attribute is revealed as “curiosity.” So, it’s natural that this article caught my eye! Why are humans so curious?

2. If you’ve been reading 5 Things for awhile you know I’m super curious about how to prevent cognitive decline, as much as possible. Couch Potato No More: How the Benefits of Exercise Transfer to the Brain

3. Thanks to Ellen Britt, I’ve become a fan of Topo Chico mineral water. There is something about the mineral content that makes it taste better than other mineral waters. But is it actually good for you? Is Fancy Mineral Water Actually Any Better for You Than Tap Water?

4. Ellen Britt and I moved our intermittent fasting newsletter to the Substack platform and the latest edition is now live. We address one of the top questions we get about IF… IF Insider – No. 11 – “Why aren’t I losing weight?” Edition

5. And finally, here’s what I’m reading… Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. I’ve read Into Thin Air and Into the Wild, both of which were riveting. Krakauer’s investigative research and writing style keep me glued to the page. Under the Banner of Heaven, from 2003, is a fascinating account of the history of the Fundamentalist offshoots of the Mormon church.

Your turn…what have you been reading this week? Please let me know in the comments, below. And, feel free to share the post with your friends and colleagues!

Denise
You Guide To Better Visibility on the Web

P.S. The next Get It Done Day Work Sprint is on August 28. Get the details here.

This post was originally published as an email on August 14, 2020

Click here to catch up on previously published 5 Things emails.

Photo by Reinis Birznieks on Unsplash

The post 5 Things for the Curious appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

When I look at the types of articles and books I read, I see what eclectic tastes I have. Personal development, travel, social media marketing, more travel, professional development, food…

Here are 5 things I have been reading and watching this past week

1.  My sister shared an article about the company she works for, GoodWeave International. It’s actually more of a beautiful photo essay about the work they do in India and Nepal. Their mission is to end child labor and improve everything that is related, such as children being educated, fed, being abused and working and living in extremely dangerous conditions.

2.  My dear friend and colleague Dr. Ellen Britt had an article published about her experience with Intermittent Fasting and how it’s transformed her life. Ellen’s story is an inspiration to me. If you’re interested in learning more and would like to join our private (free) Facebook group, click here.

3.  This opinion piece in the New York Times caught my eye this week, on how to get every email returned. The writing advice is excellent.

4.  eMarketer has updated its chart on adult time spent on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. Both Facebook and Snapchat are losing and Instagram is gaining in daily time spent by U.S. adult users. Are you on Instagram? It’s a good bet your audience is! Let’s connect there.

5.  I get a lot of questions about how to use Instagram and particularly how to find the right hashtags to use. I found this video by Sue B. Zimmerman that gives you the rundown in under 5 minutes.

What have you been reading and watching in last week? Please let me know in the comments, below. And, feel free to share the post with your friends and colleagues!

Denise
You Guide To Better Visibility on the Web

This post was originally published as an email on May 31, 2019.

Click here to catch up on previously published 5 Things emails.

Photo by Reinis Birznieks on Unsplash

The post 5 Things…FairTrade, Instagram, Email, and Hashtags appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

I returned from Peru last Saturday night (in May 2019) and have been in catch-up mode this past week. I feel like I’m constantly jumping from one thing to the next as I think of people who I need to get in touch with and projects I need to handle. I do have a task list, yet there’s always something else that comes up that’s not on the list!

I probably need to follow Connie Green’s productivity challenge to get a better handle on my time!

Here are 5 things I have been reading, watching and checking out:

1. If you’re a foodie, then you’ll love this article in Bon Appetit called Where Potatoes Pass From the Ice to the Sun, about having lunch at MIL restaurant outside of Cusco. I read this article two days before leaving for Peru and immediately texted my friend and guide, Silver Ballon to see if he could get our group in for lunch after our 5-day trek. He was successful and we enjoyed an amazing 5-hour, 8-course lunch. You can see some of my pictures here.

2. I didn’t get much reading done while in Peru which means I’m still working my way through The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran for our book club discussion next week in the Marketing Trailblazers Community.

3. You may know that I’ve been practicing Intermittent Fasting for nearly 10 months, inspired by my colleague, Dr. Ellen Britt. If you’re curious, here’s a TEDx talk that does a nice job of laying out the benefits of fasting. I’ve lost 37 lbs and feel fabulous!

4. Video creation and marketing take up a lot of my brain space as it does with my clients: what are the best tools, what platform to use; square vs. portrait vs. landscape video… This announcement from Instagram caught my eye yesterday. They will no longer only require portrait (vertical) videos on IGTV. You can now upload landscape videos as well. If you have a ton of landscape videos (under 10 min) languishing on YouTube, why not give them new life on Instagram TV?

5. And finally, a recommendation for a tool I use a lot: Rev. It’s a transcription service that costs $1 per recorded minute. Transcribing your videos, whether they’re 1 minute or 30 minutes, is a cost-effective way to create repurposed content from audio and video. Whenever I’m interviewed on a podcast or video program, I almost always transcribe the video so I can pull out the best parts to create new blog posts, social media posts, and emails. It’s well worth the investment to save time and energy and create new content. You can get a $10 coupon for Rev here.

What have you been reading in the last few weeks? Please let me know in the comments, below. And, feel free to share the post with your friends and colleagues!

Denise
You Guide To Better Visibility on the Web

This post was originally published as an email on May 24, 2019.

Click here to catch up on previously published 5 Things emails.

Photo by Reinis Birznieks on Unsplash

The post 5 Things…Eating, Fasting, Reading, and Transcribing appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

I’ve been an Amazon customer since 1996. I was living in rural Ontario, Canada and I was thrilled that I could order books online and they would be delivered to my remote mailbox…the mailman had to drive 1 mile down a dirt road to but our mail in the box.

It was a major convenience for us since we were a 45-minute drive from the nearest small town with a small bookstore.

Fast forward to 2019 and I use many of the services provided by Amazon as a Prime member. I thought free 2-day shipping was pretty awesome and now I watch movies, get free Kindle ebooks, and have groceries delivered.

Since I frequently get questions about what products and books I recommend, so I make recommendations on Amazon. And, yes, I’m an affiliate for Amazon so if you do click on one of my links and make a purchase, I will get a small affiliate commission. In no way does that affect the price you pay.

First, to take advantage of Amazon Prime deals, you must be a Prime member. If you’re not already a Prime member you can get a free 30-day trial and take advantage of all the deals. You can always cancel the membership if you don’t like it. Click here to get the free 30-day Prime Membership trial.

I’ve set up what Amazon calls a storefront that includes lists of products I recommend for Marketing Books, Marketing Tools, Travel & Adventure stuff, resources about Intermittent Fasting (I co-host a Facebook group on IF), and Coffee.

Go forth and enjoy! I’ll be watching for deals on some business books that are on my reading list!

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

The post Amazon Prime Deals appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Recently, I embarked on a new adventure. Not to a faraway land, though.

This time it’s about changing my eating habits.

I joined a group, started by Dr. Ellen Britt (read her story here), that is focused on Intermittent Fasting (IF). It’s not a diet but a way of eating that focuses on when you eat instead of what you eat.

The idea is that one eats during a focused period of time – an eating window – and fasts the rest of the time. In the group, we’re also exploring the intersection of body, mind, spirit, and business and the possibilities for affecting transformation.

I started this adventure with a 16:8 schedule: fasting 16 hours and feasting for 8 hours. At the time I’m writing, I’m following a 19:5 schedule of fasting and feasting. It’s amazing at how quickly it has become easy to NOT eat for at least 19 hours and NOT feel hungry or that I need to graze throughout the day.

When it comes to grazing, IF has made me realize how mindlessly I’ve been eating: when I’m bored, happy, sad, frustrated, thinking, need a break from my desk… my default activity is to rummage in the kitchen looking for something satisfying to eat.

Whether or not I’m hungry.

For me, it’s one of the downsides of working at home.

Now, the routine of intermittent fasting has made me much more mindful of what I’m eating. I’ve learned that I don’t need to eat all day and when I do eat, I make it count by eating healthy, delicious and fresh food.

There are many natural connections between what I’m learning about IF and how it relates to entrepreneurship.

For starters, I’ve been asking myself what I’m currently doing in my business that is mindless?

How can I be more mindful of the projects I work on or how I approach my day?

One of the benefits of practicing IF that many, including me, are reporting is a heightened sense of mental clarity. This comes in real handy when developing a program, writing and launching a book, or myriad other things a business owner does throughout the day.

One of the benefits of practicing IF that many people report is a heightened sense of mental clarity. Click to Tweet

On the other hand, like any radical change you make or new idea you want to implement, there is the real possibility of slipping backward a few times before hitting your goal.

Think about it. Do you always reach a goal without hitting some sort of obstacle or temporary set back?

Maybe sometimes, but probably not always.

With the clarity and natural tendency towards mindfulness around eating, I’m now aware of taking a more mindful approach to my business. Though sometimes I find myself slipping into mindless Instagram surfing when I’m feeling mentally fatigued!

Looking at your business, how can you apply mindfulness to your daily routines?

From experience, here’s a path you to help you experiment:

1. Identify your top priority for the day.
2. Why is that “thing” a priority for you?
3. List the steps you need to take to bring your priority to fruition.
4. When you get off track, return to your “why” statement and to your list of steps.
5. Then take action and do one thing to move forward.

This is not complex. It’s merely a tool to keep you focused on your intentions so you can more easily achieve your business goals.

It’s a way of approaching your business with intention rather than mindlessly trying this and that, hoping it will work out. That’s a waste 0f time and energy, IMHO.

With my practice of intermittent fasting, I’m intentional about when and what I eat, more so than ever before. As a result, I’m eating better, saving money, feeling better and have more energy overall.

In my business, I’m not flitting from one activity to another, as much. I hone in on what it is I most want to accomplish and work through it. When I slip and my mind begins to wander, I bring it back to the intention I have for the project I’m working on at that moment.  

The shift is easier now because I am using mindfulness I’m developing through fasting to facilitate the transformation from distraction to focus on my business.

This is an ongoing experiment both personally and professionally. Some days I’m successful and other days I slip. Now, I have an easy system to bring myself back from mindless to mindful.

Got a tip for developing a mindful approach to business? Please share it in the comments!

If you’re an entrepreneur curious about intermittent fasting and how it can enhance your life, you’re welcome to join me in Dr. Ellen Britt’s private Facebook group, Intermittent Fasting for Entrepreneurs. You’ll meet a great group of entrepreneurs who are generous with their support and sharing what’s working and how to get through the inevitable slips and challenges.

For a good read on getting started with Intermittent Fasting, I recommend Dr. Bert Herring’s book, AC: The Power of Appetite Correction. And here are more resources I’m collecting to support my adventure in Intermittent Fasting.  😎 

Photo of bowl in sunlight: Olia Gozha

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