And it doesn’t make sense.

You see, marketing is supposed to be highly pragmatic: It has a lot to do with numbers.

And yet, writing (i.e. creating relevant content) which is all about creativity is one of the most essential parts of marketing.

And that’s where finding focus is what we are all struggling with. And while marketing and SEO are my primary focus, I do blog a lot!

I am easily distracted, tend to multitask and my work suffers for it. In fact, I usually have to download tools that force me to remain focused. Even those are often not enough to keep me from finding ways around them.

The worst part of this is how long it can take me to finish an article that might have only taken a few hours had I just worked on it from the beginning. Because so much of my work involves the internet – my main distraction – it is a hard hurdle to overcome.

This lack of focus has led me to seek out every blogging productivity tool and tip I could find. In the end, I have managed to come up with a small list of things that have helped me fight off my procrastination. Luckily, they seem to also be tips that help many others.

1. Pick The Right Background Noise

This is a big one for me. I love to have music playing in the background, but if I choose the wrong kind it will distract me as badly as anything else. Inevitably, it leads to YouTube searches, playlist creation, and other non-productive activities. Putting together something that helps keep you relaxed and attentive is best. 

Anything instrumental, such as classical or even movie orchestral soundtracks, is great. Studies have shown that lyrics are horrible for focusing on tasks. You can find many great playlists with instrumental music anywhere from YouTube to Soundcloud.

2. Put Things Aside

I will always manage to come across something I want to read. Some might be helpful articles, but writing is not the time to immerse myself in them. This is why I have found great tools like Pocket to be helpful. 

That way you can bookmark it for when you have time, and move on with what you are doing.

3. Remove The Distractions

Sometimes staying focused can be as simple as keeping yourself from looking at anything else. There are tools that will hide other windows and icons, to keep you from looking away from what you are currently working on. 

My favorite is definitely Isolator. Nice and customizable, it gives you several options for hiding any other content on your screen. This includes blacking it out entirely, or only blurring it. This lets you remain visually focused on a single window. There’s also a great simple extension for Google Chrome users.

Probably the most popular way to increase blogging productivity is through a site blocker. These are simple plugins that work by having you fill in the sites that distract you the most, and times when you can or cannot access them. 

They also have an option to block them for a certain amount of time, such as a few hours, so you can work without distraction. StayFocusd and LeechBlock are both great (and free).

There are many more productivity tools helping you to focus on your work and ignore distractions.

4. Make Lists To Follow

Take control of your day and reprioritize your to-do list. 

Place the most daunting task at the top and tackle it head-on. When you’ve completed it – or made as much progress as possible – you’ll feel satisfied and your other tasks for the day will seem like easily surmountable items. 

You’ll feel a weight lifted by getting your big scary item out of the way, and then the rest of your day will fly by as you check everything else off your list. 

Sometimes it helps just to organize a nice list that gives you everything you have to do and the priority in which you have to do it. It can be a simple sticky note on your desktop. Or you can use this checklist which you can download to complete every time you are writing anything or use it digitally by copying it to your Google Drive:

If you tend to type your content directly into WordPress, there’s a way to create a to-do list inside your WordPress dashboard to turn your blog backend into your productivity tool.

5. Use Writing Tools

Tools always make me productive and motivate me to get down to writing. Sometimes all it takes is opening my favorite tool and finding a cool content idea for me to get down to writing.

Text Optimizer is a writing tool that has never failed to turn my productivity mode on: It provides an unlimited list of ideas based on your target search query and then encourages you to keep writing by giving you a list of topics you failed to cover:

Another cool keyword research tactic that works well for writing productivity is called keyword clustering which always helps structure my mind and organize content ideas.

6. Remain Motivated Through Success

Another great idea is to remind yourself of how well you have done at working on what needs to be done. My favorite tool for this is the rather simple Don’tBreakTheChain.

When you meet your goal, you simply sign in and check off the day with a red box on the calendar. The longer you go, the longer the red chain becomes. Very basic, but super effective.

7. Start Something New!

Now, this may seem counterproductive but it has always worked for me. When I feel a burn-out, I start a new project!

It may be a new ebook, a micro-tool that has been at the back of my mind for months, a new micro-site, etc. I love starting something new, even if I don’t have a clear monetization plan yet. Even choosing a new name will get me excited, especially since I discovered Namify which I find truly addictive.

In fact, I feel I have too many domains due to that tool. If you don’t believe me, check out their business names in the Marketing category:

I have to admit that 80% of my projects go nowhere. But those 20% are priceless! I am a big believer that you won’t achieve anything unless you keep trying new things!

Conclusion

Staying on track is possible for even the most easily distracted person. It just takes a bit of willpower and some helpful tools. Try the ones above, and watch how much your focus and your writing productivity improve.

Before you go…what are your favorite blogging productivity tools? Share in the comments with a link (if you have one). Let’s add to the list!

Blog cover image: by Catherine Hughes on Unsplash

The post How to Maximize Your Blogging Productivity appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” ~ Yogi Berra

You’ve probably heard or read Berra’s quote more than once. It sounds funny, and it’s absolutely true.

The last few months I’ve been working with a group who want to trek to Machu Picchu in 2019. They know where they want to go. So it’s simple to create a step by step plan to get them to their desired destination: selecting dates, working with the trekking company to develop an itinerary, booking flights, hotels and all the rest of the cool experiences they’ll have along the way.

Imagine if they had only told me they wanted to hike in Peru. Without any more information, I might have created an adventure tour that included trekking to Huascarán, the highest peak in Peru and definitely more strenuous than getting to Machu Picchu. And, not what they had in mind. 

But without knowing where they want to go, I would have to make assumptions and hope I get it right. Imagine the group’s disappointment when they didn’t end up at Machu Picchu!

The same is true with your business.

If you don’t have a plan for where you want to go, you’ll end up someplace else.

And it might not be what you imagined. It’s likely you’ll fall short of your expectations because there’s no clear path to meet them.

• You want to create an online course, but you don’t have a step by step plan to create, promote and deliver it.
• You want to increase your revenue by 30%, but you have no idea what actions to take to achieve that goal.
• You want to write a book, but you don’t have a marketing plan to implement once it’s published.

To support you in this endeavor, I’m facilitating a 2019 Q1 Planning Workshop designed to help you plot a plan of action for what you want to accomplish in the first 90 days of 2019.

On January 3, the (virtual) Planning Workshop is focused on creating your marketing plan and implementation timeline through March 31, 2019.

The time is now to start preparing for your Q1 programs.

In a small group, you’ll focus on what you want to accomplish in the first quarter of 2019 and the specific action plan to make it happen.

Here are the details:

• We meet on Zoom for 4 hours on Thursday, January 3, 2019, from 8 am to 12 pm Pacific time/ 11 am to 3 pm Eastern time. There will be time for breaks.
• We will look at where you are now in your business, where you want to be on March 31, 2019, and map out the path for you to get there.
• The Q1 Planning Workshop will be a blend of mastermind, facilitated exercises, ideas, advice, and Q&A. You will get worksheets to use throughout the planning process.
• We’ll identify what you need in order to meet your first quarter goals: resources, tools, skills, partners and your timeline of actions.
• My intention is for you to leave the Q1 Planning Workshop with a customized, actionable plan for boosting the visibility of your business, marketing your programs and services, and attracting more opportunities. This is a Get It Done workshop.
• Depending on the size of the group, time may allow for individual attention during Q&A while also enjoying support and wisdom from your posse.
• The session will be recorded so you can reference it when you need to.

January 3, 2019
8 am PT – 12 pm PT / 11 am ET – 3 pm ET

You have two options:

$97 for the 4-hour Workshop: Click here to register

$197 for Workshop + 60-minute private consultation to discuss your plan and get individualized help: Click here to register

This focused time together will set you up with the support, tools, and motivation you need to start your new year on a high note.

Sound good? Pick the option that works best for you and let’s get started!I’ll work with you to map the path to make your 2019 Q1 productive and profitable and look forward to sharing this adventure with you!

Wishing you a happy and peaceful New Year!  😀 

Denise

P.S. If you’d prefer to do a one on one strategic planning day, schedule a 20-minute discovery session and we’ll chat about how we can do that together.

P.P.S. Here’s what Georgia had to say after attending a Strategic Planning workshop in August:

“Just finished Denise’s Strategic Master Plan Think Tank and it was amazing! So much accomplished. I am set until 2019. The handouts alone were worth the admission. And, Denise’s warm, intelligent insights always push my business forward by a magnitude.”

The post Where is your business headed in 2019? 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

The post Can Intermittent Fasting Really Teach You How to Be Mindful in Your Business? appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

I go to conferences and conventions on a semi-regular basis. Sometimes I am a speaker, sometimes an attendee. I make it a priority because it is a fantastic way to increase my networking circle while producing content and even improving my authority. Since attending events I have seen a definite upswing in my resulting profit margin and brand awareness.

Unfortunately, I am not really that good at real-life connections. I was always horrible with physical business cards, rarely remembering faces alongside the dozens of cards I was given. Once I finally began to get the hang of things, half the network I speak to has switched to purely digital connections while the other half have kept things traditional.

When I realized I was missing out on solid business opportunities, I began looking at ways to improve these connections. From there, I began to expand on that idea with my online contacts that I have made in other ways.

When I realized I was missing out on solid business opportunities, I began looking at ways to improve these connections. Click to Tweet

The results have been phenomenal. I am making more beneficial business deals and effective relationships than I ever have before. I have even improved my social and family life by managing to shift it into the rest of my daily routine. It is amazing how much can be accomplished by something as simple as organizing connections and contacts!

How I do it isn’t necessarily the best way for everyone. So here are a few tips for different situations that will give you an edge and let you start enjoying the benefits of those connections.

Keeping Track Of Business Cards

You are going to be doing most of your interactions online, but that doesn’t mean your initial meeting will be via the web. Business cards have always been my bane, as I can never keep track of who is who. By the time I leave a conference I have dozens of the things tucked away in my luggage.

I learned a long time ago that if I didn’t have some identifying information with the card that I wouldn’t remember who I had spoken to, what about, or how we might benefit one another. I used to scribble all that down on the card after getting it, but that was so impractical and tedious that I would often skip the step.

Now I use FullContact, one of several business card scanning apps out there right now. They let you upload the info onto the cloud, or (best of all) connect it with more than 250 other apps, including social media.

Keep and Sync All the Outreach Records All.the.Time

Are you launching an influencer marketing campaign? Hosting a Twitter chat or a webinar? Never skip a single connection you come across.

That’s what I do. It’s a matter of a habit. Any connection matters, so make it a rule to save all of them.

Part of my habit is to find anyone I meet online on Twitter and add them to a Twitter list based on how we met. Discoverly helps me find my email contacts on social media.

On a brand management level, I use a more integrated approach. The app is called Salesmate.

Primarily a sales tool, Salesmate can be a great relationship management platform keeping your (distributed or in-house team) in sync Add all your team members and set up your “Salespipe” for engaging influencers. From there you’ll be able to see, who on your team is the best relationship builder and who is better at developing those relationships rather than making the first contact. Salesmate will also help you save all those contacts in one place, store all the notes and in-team discussions and let you find those connections whenever you need them.

Keeping Track of Contacts Online

As I said before, not everyone is going with business cards these days. For those who are firmly locked into the digital world, or who you have met online, you need some good contact management software.

It is true that Outlook, Gmail, and other platforms have their own. But I have always found those to either be bulky and cumbersome, or woefully inadequate and too basic for the task. Having tried several other apps, I have been similarly underwhelmed.

The one I have been using that I like lately is Evercontact. It is a Chrome plugin that lets you grab contact details from anywhere on the web. You just click the button and it uploads all contact data including name, email, phone number, address and social media profiles from a page. You can then save it to any cloud or CRM that you choose.

The downside is that sometimes some of the info can come up mangled depending on how it has been placed on the page. Or if only some of the info is available you may have to get some of the details yourself. However, I have rarely encountered this problem and for the most part, Evercontact has been a great way to quickly and effectively gather and store relevant contact details.

Keep Track of Details and Relationships

The way I scribbled details on the back of business cards back in the day should tell you a little bit about how I operate. I need some extra details in order to run my day to day more effectively. Especially when it comes to relationship building, thanks to the never-ending sea of people I meet and connect with d regular business interactions.

First things first: Make sure you build new connections through your site. Make sure your on-site contact forms are functional and you encourage to provide additional contact information whenever readers decide to get in touch. There are great WordPress plugins that can help you build advanced contact forms. Many of them (including Gravity forms) integrate with Salesmate allowing you to sync your website contacts with your contact management platform.

Insightly is a great tool because not only does it give you everything you need for relationship building, including outreach and workflow automation, but it is a fully functional CRM platform with contact management built right into things. There are many solid alternatives, so choose one based on your budget.

Alternatively, if you need a full business platform you can also try Cyfe. It is a fantastic tool that lets you build your own widgets to perform any action needed for business management, from contact organization and storage to social media metric insights. Best of all it is free for most features and only $19 a month for their premium service ($14 if you pay annually).

For those who want a really well-rounded option, it might be worth getting both, as they can work together quite well to improve your contact management and boost customer relationships. I have used it myself more on the B2B end, working with others in my industry. Both have been very effective in that regard, so they are definitely adaptable.

One last tool I would mention in this vein is more for communication as a team. A lot of this is useless if you and the others who work with you aren’t on the same page. There are several tools out there but right now I think the best has to be HelpScout.

It creates a little subsection associated with customer emails and lets each person write a note to get a bigger picture. It then takes the relevant pieces from each and crafts a well-worded email back to the customer with all of that information intact. However, if you are using Salesmate, you won’t probably need this.

Have any tools for organizing online connections? Let us know in the comments!

RECOMMENDED READING

How to Use Social Media Marketing for Your Business

The post Here Are 7 Better Ways To Organize Your Online Connections appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Last year I read an article somewhere (forgot to keep a link) by a woman who tracked all the books she read during the year. If I recall correctly, she had read 165 books in 2015! That’s astounding. And, it inspired me to start a spreadsheet to track the books I read in 2016.

I’ve come nowhere close to 165 books… more like 52. My reading list is eclectic. From police thrillers to memoirs. From literary fiction to non-fiction. My tastes are diverse. 

When I was a kid, I read all the time. That was my favorite thing to do and the neighbor kids teased me a lot, calling me a bookworm. At age 6 and 7, I didn’t like that nickname, though it was spot on.

Then, as I spent more and more time working online, I found I read fewer and fewer books. I read all day long on a monitor so I didn’t have the desire to read at the end of the day.

I changed that this year. I watched fewer escapist shows on Netflix and read more. And, I loved returning to my long-time reading habit. 

Reviewing my reading spreadsheet a few days ago, I was reminded of a few business-oriented books that I read and loved. That got me wondering about the best business books others in my networks had read this past year. I asked on Facebook and LinkedIn. I created a survey and sent it to a few people on my email list. [You’re invited to add your fave biz book to the survey at the end of the post.]

And now, I present the list of best business books recommended by your peers, for your consideration… which ones intrigue you… which ones would make good gifts for the entrepreneurs in your life? 

Best Business Books I Recommend

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

I loved this book for the story of a simple tool — the checklist — that Gawande relates. Through research and case studies, Gawande reveals how important checklists are applied to diverse businesses in an attempt to deconstruct complexity, save lives and avoid errors. 

Non Obvious 2017: How to Think Different, Curate Ideas & Predict the Future by Rohit Bhargava

This brand new book quickly became one of my favorites of the year. I’ve known and followed Bhargava’s work for years. His annual Non Obvious trend reports are a fascinating look at what we can expect in the coming years. This year’s book takes his work a step further because Bhargava pulls back the curtain to show us exactly how he discovers and curates the trends most forecasters don’t see. This book is one to read over the holidays so you’re ready to take advantage of deep insights that can impact your business.

Best Business Books Recommended by Biz Owners

In no particular order of importance, the following are business books read and recommended by colleagues and clients. You’ll note that not all the books were published in 2016. That was not the question I asked. Many books offer timeless wisdom and I was curious to know what my colleagues and clients had read in 2016 that they considered the best.

I offer no opinions on these books since there’s only one that I’ve read… Getting Things Done by David Allen … and that was quite awhile ago. However, you’re welcome to share your opinion in the comments, on any of the books you’ve read. 

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown – recommended by 5 people! I put a hold on this one at the library and there’s a long wait.

Sacred Success: A Course in Financial Miracles by Barbara Stanny

Beyond Satisfaction: The Secret to Crafting a Profitable Online Course That Will Change Lives by Breanne Dyck

Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff

Born For This: How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do by Chris Guillebeau

The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage by Daymond John

Get It Done: From Procrastination to Creative Genius in 15 Minutes a Day by Sam Bennett

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay Hendricks

Conscious Capitalism, With a New Preface by the Authors: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business by John Mackey

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

Scaling Lean: Mastering the Key Metrics for Startup Growth by Ash Maurya

The Miracle Morning for Network Marketers: Grow Yourself FIRST to Grow Your Business Fast by Hal Elrod

The Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier

Unleash Possible: A Marketing Playbook That Drives B2B Sales by Samantha Stone

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

Hustle: The Power to Charge Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum by Neil Patel

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation by Tim Brown

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel Pink

The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential by John C. Maxwell

The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness by Jeff Olson

Corporate Sponsorship in 3 Easy Steps: Get Funding from Sponsors Even if You’re Just Getting Started by Linda Hollander

Add Your Favorite Business Book

Want to add your favorite business book to the list? Use the form below.  Periodically I’ll check and add new titles to the list.

Many thanks to the following folks for their contributions to the list: Liana George, Lou Bortone, Lorenda Phillips, Paula Gregorowitcz, Kim Ravida, Jo Guerra, Lisa Douthit, Doug Peterson, Linda Dessau, Yvonne DeVita, Terry Loving, Jeremie Miller, Robin Forster, Bill Irwin, Stephan Hovnanian, Kay Newton, Kay Ross, Shawn Shepard, Judy Rodman, Trudy Von Buskirk, Chris Mattison, Michelle Goodhew, and Dale Susan Edwards. A few others contributed as well but did so anonymously.

Note: All titles are linked to Amazon.com with my affiliate link. The few pennies I earn on a book sale help me sustain my bookworm habit!

The post Best Business Books in 2016 Recommended Just for You appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.