While You Wait

Scott Ginsberg has a great post
on what you can do
while waiting for…
… a job offer
… that big opportunity
… success.

As a project gal,
I often forget that some folks
don’t have a zillion possible projects
on the back burner.

That’s pretty darn dangerous
in the era of disappearing jobs.
The most common excuse
I hear for being a one revenue woman
is lack of time.

That’s why
I like to keep my ongoing projects
as flexible time-wise as possible
(the writing is one example).
When I have time
(i.e. time other people use watching tv),
I work on them.
If a bigger opportunity comes along
(and big opportunities DO come along),
I shelf them.

If you are a one revenue gal,
consider adding a mini-project.

Make One Person Happy

My cousin is visiting my home city
for the first time ever
this week.
(That’s pretty damn exciting,
to be part of a first ever)

I don’t know this cousin very well.
I had no idea what she wanted to do.
I gave her a list of possibilities
but all I heard was
‘whatever you want to do.’

So that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.
If I’m going to do something,
I figure I’ll, at least, make one person happy,
even if that person is myself.
We’ve been visiting the sites
I want to see.

Often, that’s the way
it also is with new product development.
In the absence of other insights,
we test the products
WE would like to see.

Make one person happy today
with each of your decisions.
(And yes, you count as a person)

Juggling Projects Vs Multitasking

Jan Yager has the best explanation
I’ve read
on the difference between juggling multiple projects
(something most successful people do well)
and multitasking.

“I have observed
that successful individuals,
whether in the business world
or the creative worlds of writing or arts,
are able to switch back and forth
between projects.
Now this is different from multitasking,
where the tendency is
to try to do several projects
at the same time.
As I point out in my book Work Less, Do More,
in the chapter on multitasking,
what you really want to do is
what’s been called selective attention.
Most of us have to juggle,
one, two, five, 10, or even 20 projects
over whatever time period
it takes to finish those projects.
But — and this is a very important “but” —
the selective attention part is
that when you are working on a specific project
— when you have shifted from project A to project B —
you are completely focused on one project.”

I don’t multitask.
I find it doesn’t work for me.
When I do multiple things at the same time,
I do a shit job on each thing.

I DO juggle multiple projects
(any successful author or project manager
has to learn this skill)
but when I switch to a new task/project,
I switch completely.

Multitasking isn’t needed for success
but do learn how to manage multiple projects.

Drake And Listening

I love the video for
Drake’s Find Your Love.

The old ‘mentor’,
a man with the hero’s best interest at heart,
a knowledge of the community,
and vast experience,
tells the hero to leave
the drug dealer’s girl alone.

The mentor lays out
argument after argument.
The hero clearly isn’t listening.
As Drake states
‘you hear
but you don’t listen.’
Eventually the mentor stops talking
and the hero gets himself killed.

The best advice
is wasted if you don’t listen to it.
Heed or don’t heed advice
but, at the very least,
listen to it.
(So you can kick your own ass
for having ignored it later)

Spies Within Each Account

Heavy Hitter Sales Blog
has a great post
on the Seven Deadly Sins Of Salespeople.

His deadliest is
ignorance.
“Ignorance is the deadliest sin.
If you do not have a spy
within an account
who is telling you
what is happening in closed-door meetings,
defending you when you are not around,
and disseminating propaganda on your behalf,
you will most certainly lose.”

These spies are precious resources
and must be nurtured
whether you currently have their account
or not.

They are also
NOT duly appreciated by
the company you work for.
They are seldom acknowledged
as even existing.
You will get grief
if you expense money nurturing them.

But they are
what differentiates
successful salespeople from unsuccessful salespeople.

Spend the time and cash on them,
even if it is your own time
and your own cash.
They are a wise investment.

Published
Categorized as Sales

Try Something Different

A few weeks back,
I talked about
how I had signed up
to do a piece of writing
I had no experience with.

I have since submitted that story
to my editor.
My editor loves it.
She loves it so much
that she has suggested I write the sequel
BEFORE seeing the numbers
on this first story.

This was the story
I considered bailing on
because it was too different for me.
Now it could possibly be a career maker.

It is okay to be afraid
to try something different.
I was afraid.
It pushed me to work harder
and to get advice
and to deliver my A-Game.

It is not okay
to let this fear stop you.
Try something different.

Stop Discussing And Get Doing

A buddy of mine
has been drafting up her plan
to take over the world.
It is a solid plan.
She’s already had some success with it.

The problem is…
she’s continuing
to ask opinions on this solid plan.
Every opinion she receives
either has a tweak
or is negative.
That’s normal.
Not many people
will say “Woo hoo!
Your plan is perfect!”

So she tweaks
or she hesitates
and it is eating into her doing time,
delaying her ultimate success.

When you are satisfied
with your plan,
WORK it.
That is…
work your plan,
not work on your plan.

Learn How You Learn

Many romance writers
glow over how great attending conferences are.
They talk about attending
a dozen workshops
and learning so much from each one.

I know, however,
that this would do nothing for me.
I learn by doing.
When I sit in a workshop,
I schedule time after that workshop
to implement the lessons.
If I don’t implement the lessons,
I don’t learn.

So attending a dozen workshops,
one after another,
would be useless.

To be successful,
the first lesson you need to learn
is HOW you learn.
Do you have to do?
Do you learn by listening?
Do you have to see the lessons?

Once you’ve figured that out,
THEN find sources of information
presented in your preferred method.
It will save aggravation
and time.

Work Hard, Be Happy

I’ve been feeling quite lazy lately.
I’ve been writing,
meeting my 10,000 word a week quota,
but I have to force myself to work.

Turns out…
being lazy is natural
but busy people are happier.

Results of a study done by
Christopher Hsee
shows that
we’re happier when we’re busy
yet human nature encourages us
to be lazy.

So if happiness is your goal
(and if it isn’t your goal,
why isn’t it?)
then fight human nature
and work your ass off.

Excuse me as I get back
to my word count goal…

Mind Your Own Business

I wrote a post earlier this week
about concentrating
on the step you’re taking.

You should also concentrate
on your own business.
Yes, you should be aware
of what competitors are doing
and what suppliers are doing
and other industry stuff
but at a high level
and regarding important stuff.
The bulk of your time
should be spent on your own business.

I have a writer friend
who helps everyone else out
with their stories.
She’s great at helping others out.
She’s also a great writer.
The problem is…
she never works on her OWN writing.

Work on your own business first.