100 Days of Working Out Loud

A manifesto of sorts

Darn it Dargie. The “challenge” that had me follow suit to see if I can get back to effortless writing.

The anatomy of an online course

There’s a lot more that goes in to building an online course than meets the eye. Here’s a quick look inside.

My key to getting stuff done

Of all the productivity techniques out there, there’s one I’m going to follow every day.

Will they like it?

Today it hit me - I’m afraid that people won’t like what I’m writing.

Start each day with joy

It’s easy to get weighed down by bad stuff - both within ourselves and from the world around us. But try this experiment and see what happens.

Speed and quality

Yesterday, I had that sinking feeling that I had missed something crucial. My first instinct was to think “fail”, but a little more thought reminded me of what Barry said about speed.

Doubts (and the geek) show up

How checklists help me get stuff out there without (too many) errors - and deal with doubt.

Is this helping me get where I want to be?

Is what you’re doing right now helping you get where you want to be? A great reminder from my friend Michael that we need to focus on what matters.

Last minute sucks

I hate having to get stuff ready at the last minute. But today is one of those days I have to suck it up. And the two techniques I use to stay out of trouble most of the time.

Finding time to do deep work

I’m struggling to get the right stuff done. So I’m going to try an experiment in “deep work” and see how it works.

Life just happened to me

We can sometimes feel that we’ve not planned our destiny, that life just happened to us. And that’s just fine, and how you can look at taking the ultimate responsibility of running your own business.

Fail

I failed to deliver on a commitment today. But I learnt some valuable lessons - what they are, and how I intend to put them into practice in future.

These glum headlines have to go, eh?

The headlines for these posts are way too glum. They have to go!

Steve’s breads

Steve shows how to bake no-knead bread. He’s one of my heroes, but it’s not just because his breads are so easy (and delicious).

Book review

Donald Rattner’s book “My Creative Space” is a little gem of a book. If you want to design your workspace to spark innovation and stimulate ideas, I can recommend this.

Inbox Zero

I love an empty email inbox - it seems to signal that I’m on top of everything. But lately there have been some persistent emails stuck in there.

Systems are only as good as how much you use them

I love my systems (yes, I’m a geek and I love it). But one of my systems has not been working well - and it took this article for me to figure out why.

If I get good at it, will I get to like it?

I don’t like washing dishes - or doing admin. But if I get really good at it, will I get to enjoy it?

The heart-money quadrants

Two simple exercises to help you prioritize and design your life.

A stubbed toe and business pains

Stub your toe and it hurts - we immediately know we shouldn’t do that again. But business pains don’t show up as quickly - and our responses have to learnt.

What I know about marketing #1

One the next few days (and as I think of more) I’m going to talk about the things in marketing I’ve learnt are really important. The first is the two big categories of marketing.

What I know about marketing #2

Where should you market? Each channel to market is different, and because we can’t market on all of them we have to choose our channels to market carefully. Fortunately, there’s a formula for that.

What I know about marketing #3

Once we know which channels to market are the most effective for us, we need to decide what we’re going to do on each channel. There’s another little formula for that, too. And there’s the world’s simplest marketing plan.

Time blocking

Time blocking is a great technique to make progress even when you’re building your business on the side. But you have to respect these meetings you booked with yourself.

What I know about marketing #4

Once you know where you’re going to market, you have to decide what you’re going to talk about. Here’s where to start.

What I’ve learnt from publishing daily so far

Just over 3 weeks in - and I’ve learnt some valuable lessons.

Make someone’s day

Sometimes all it takes to make good stuff happen is a word of encouragement.

Too many notes!

If you’re thinking of creating something, don’t dump all your knowledge out there and try to organize it. Here’s a better way to start.

Can you plan more to work less?

Every time we switch from one task to another, we have to reorient ourselves before start getting productive. We can reduce the number of switches, but will it also help to plan more?

How much planning is enough?

In yesterday’s post I looked at the idea of planning more to get stuff done faster. But how much planning is enough? The answer is just a little - but it’s not just about the planning.

Wait, what? Digital real estate flipping?

If people think your business idea is stupid, ignore them. People make a living from the most unexpected things.

You have to be in charge

We’re the experts in what we do, so we have to show up as experts and take the lead when a client engages our services. If we don’t, we lose our authority to make a difference.

Time thieves

There are three categories of “time thieves”. Here’s what they are, and how we can cope with them better.

Back on the horse

Each of us have a different way of responding to failure. But the important thing is to get back on that horse, because that’s where you learn to ride.

Technology traps

We can waste a lot of time on the details we think are important. But most of the time, we don’t have to be the best - we just have to be good enough.

Thank you

A little thank you is easy to do and doesn’t take much - but sometimes it can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

Teachers and mentors come and go

Teachers, mentors and friends come for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When the time comes, you will know that you need to move on.

What I know about marketing #5

Hype sells more than realism. But I don’t like hype - here are my five ground rules for marketing.

Two fundamental truths of marketing and sales

Make these two fundamentals of marketing and sales part of your mindset, and your stress levels will go way down.

It’s not just about the bragging rights

Sometimes we just don’t feel like doing something. But if we really want to get where we want to be, we have to do it anyway.

It’s OK to wake up grumpy, but…

When I wake up grumpy, I tend to take it out on those closest to me. But it’s not them - it’s all inside my head, and here’s how I find I can best deal with it.

You need to know about no code

The no code movement is making it easier to build business applications, but it’s not without its drawbacks.

Working with people #1

Motivating people starts with understanding what the top motivators are. Surprisingly, money isn’t on the list.

Get off social media

The benefits of social media are being drowned by the adverse effects it has on your mental health. You will be pleasantly surprised how your anxiety levels drop once you’re off it.

Long-term debt

To get long-term benefits from something requires that we apply a lot of discipline over a long period of time. Routine is our friend.

Complexity theory

My theory that complexity is a function of three variables, and how this can be applied to business.

When a project goes wrong

Here are some guidelines for how to handle a project gone south, starting with the idea that we don’t learn when things go well.

Overwhelmed getting back into creator mode

Getting back into a project that you haven’t touched for a while can be really challenging. Here’s how I’m dealing with my sense of overwhelm.

Dealing with the 2nd part of overwhelm

With the big picture out of my head, I can zoom into the next lesson in my course and decide what to focus on now. Again, getting it out of your head is the key to dealing with overwhelm.

Half way through the challenge

I’m half way through the challenge. Time for a little retrospective and some insights.

A letter to my doctor

Some people, like doctors, only see us at our worst. Saying thank you is the least we can do.

Do we really have to market in lots of places?

Just how many channels to market do we have to use for our marketing to be effective? Perhaps the answer lies not in how many, but how good we are at each.

Hidey holes for cats

Sometimes it’s the small details that make a huge difference. Like showing we care.

How many of you are reading this?

How many of you get this series? And how many read the posts. And some lessons for myself.

Take time out to go faster

Sometimes we’re just too hard on ourselves. The irony is that taking time out helps us go faster.

Working with people #2 (Values)

Values drive who we hire - and how we behave. But don’t settle for the usual suspects of honesty and integrity. Those are just permission to play.

The art of deconstruction in practice

How I used the art of deconstruction to create the lead magnet for the Email Marketing course.

How not to start a website

Sometimes pretty can get in the way of function. I ran into this trap recently designing my new website.

Blindspotting

Being aware of our own blind spots is the first step in fixing the things we would find most abhorrent in others.

Emojipedia

In business, we can use visual models to overcome the barriers to effective communication.

Making progress on big projects

Keeping track and making progress on big projects can be tough - especially if they drag on. Here are the top three techniques I use to keep going.

The four reasons they don’t buy

Here are the four most common reasons people don’t buy your stuff. And how to get around the objections.

Don’t sell too soon

If you ask someone to marry you on a first date, you’re in for a lot of heartache - whether they accept or not. Here are some more reasons you don’t want to sell too soon.

Why you need to read widely

Your first 50 words determine whether someone’s going to read your article—or not. But how do you generate those words, and do they need to be related to your article?

We need those bumps in the road

This is the second article in a row that talks about writing. Even if you don’t write for a living (or do content marketing), I hope these will help you in your written communications.

What happens when you share your expertise?

You can share your knowledge freely. Almost always it pays back, in a good way.

Which website builder should you use?

Over the next few days, a look at the tools we use in our businesses. In this post, which website builder should you choose?

Which email marketing service provider should you use?

You need to stay in contact with your leads, clients and past clients. The best way to do that is with email, and the easiest way to email them is with an email marketing service provider.

The secret to effective communications

Communicating change or bad news often goes wrong. Here’s why, and a better way to communicate effectively.

The problem with to-do lists

To-do lists are great. But relying on them for the wrong reasons can paint a false picture.

Is your lead magnet causing more harm than good?

A lead magnet is like a first date. You have to dress up and put your most charming self on display. But way too many lead magnets don’t result in second dates.

Why Do Headlines Fail?

There are more skills I need to master to get my content marketing where I want it to be. One of them is headlines.

Still struggling with overwhelm?

If you’re still struggling with overwhelm, you may have to go back to the “why” all those things are rattling around in your head in the first place.

Why do we fail at most of our goals?

When we look back at our lives, our successes seem to be mostly about being in the right place at the right time, and not the result of meticulous goal setting and execution. How can we use this to get better at setting goals—and achieving them?

Wrapping up on goals (for now)

Is there a recipe for setting goals and actually achieving them? We know what doesn’t work, and that gives us a recipe for what can work.

What onboarding should look like

I’ve just had the most delightful onboarding experience. Here’s how it went.

What happens inside a product launch sequence?

Ever wondered what goes on in the launch sequence for online product sales? Here’s a peek under the hood.

A change is as good as a holiday

I’ve had to rearrange my office to start using a new computer. The process has given me a fresh start and renewed energy.

Working with people #3

Company culture is probably the single most determining factor of a business’ success. You have to be careful how you lead, because you are the culture.

Working on your business

Business review and planning is a critical part of business success. But how do you do it when you’re on your own?

Slack

In my efforts to be the most productive person in the world, I tried time blocking every minute of every day. Here’s what one of the world’s most respected management consultants has to say about this.

What I know about marketing #6

A quick reminder of the fundamentals of my kind of marketing. Be different, be consistent, and always provide value.

How to get great testimonials (and make it easy to get them)

Need testimonials? Or want to give a great one? Here’s a quick guideline

Consistency + Value = a tough act to follow?

Is consistency + value a tough act to follow? The answer is yes and no—here’s why

The one trick that will make writing easier

There’s one trick that makes writing easier—and better. Start with an outline, then focus on one bullet at a time.

Why don’t people follow up?

You will waste a lot of time (and money) on generating leads if you don’t follow up. It’s so easy, why do so few people actually follow up?

What do you do when inspiration strikes?

Capturing your brilliant ideas starts with having the tools ready to capture those ideas.

Passive income isn’t so much

Passive income is almost never truly passive. There’s always work to be done to market it. And a recommendation on how to get started.

Where do those expressions come from?

We use some expressions that are just not in common use in other parts of the world. Here are three I use, and a cautionary note.

How do you fill a workshop?

I’m using this post to get clear on the last recipe for my upcoming Email Marketing course. Here’s how it works.

The art of the finish

To reach our goals, we have to have a plan. But that plan is no good if it’s filed away somewhere. You have to have it visible to remind yourself of what’s important.

We don’t learn when things are going well

The upside of when things go wrong is that you’re an expert in the making.

Mental marathon fatigue

When something takes too long to achieve, it can become a barrier rather than a goal. That’s when we hit mental marathon fatigue; so what can we do about it?

Small dominoes, big dominoes

The most effective productivity technique I’ve ever learnt has some deep roots.

Persuasive writing

Persuasive writing is one technique you can use to create more engaging content. But how do we learn persuasive writing when we have so much else to do?

A momentary lapse of sanity

A momentary lapse of sanity led me to chase shiny stuff—but it was only for a moment.

Clean your inbox!

My favourite soap box topic. Here’s how to get to inbox zero every day.

Getting to be just good enough

How do you build expertise when you don’t have a lot of resources? Here’s how I do it.

The biggest mistake I made in designing my business

In retrospect, I made a big mistake designing my business. Here’s what it is, and what I would have done differently.

End of the challenge

End of the challenge—thanks for following along! Lessons learnt, the usual gratuitous statistics and some thoughts on what comes next.