Tag: how to

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The “Shoulds” and “Shouldn’ts” of COVID-19

Right now I’m hearing a lot of shoulds and shouldn’ts circulating about how to act, respond, or work during this pandemic. “Now is the time to do all the things you didn’t have the time to do!” “Move your business online!” “Use Zoom for all the things you need!” “Contact every client you’ve ever worked with and pitch to them!”

I get it. I want someone to tell me all of those things too. I want a leader to help me navigate this crisis. Some suggestions have wisdom to them and some do not, but the important piece I think is determining which is which. Glennon Doyle says, “As Kathleen Norris reminds us, the Greek root of the word crisis is ‘to sift,’ as in, to shake out the excesses and leave only what’s important. That’s what crises do. They shake things up until we are forced to hold on to only what matters most.”

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That certainly rings true for me right now. I’m learning what’s important to me and what’s not. But more than that, I’m learning about my inner compass. I’m easily swayed by other people and also susceptible to suggestions. If someone tells me the best way to grow my business is to beat down 10 doors, I’ll beat down 10 doors. If someone else tells me the best way to grow my business is to let the doors open for me, to offer everything up to the universe, I’ll offer everything up to the universe.

I’m like a ping pong ball batted around a table. Every few minutes I’m changing my mind about what to do, about what makes sense. I’m letting other people lead and become the authority for, well, everything. The reality is almost none of us were alive the last time this sort of thing happened with the Spanish flu. And furthermore, technology back in 1918 was vastly different than it is now so we’re truly navigating something brand new. No one knows what they’re doing. Not really. The best any of us can say is, “This worked for me and it might work for you.” But who wants to say that? Don’t we all want to seem put together or authoritative? That people should come to us for the answer?

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Through this crisis I am indeed learning to sift, but I’m not sifting what I anticipated. Instead I’m filtering through the noise. I’m wading through the 10 million advice columns people are churning out. Don’t get me wrong, I think advice columns are useful and I’ve written a few myself, but often what’s missing is choice. You get to choose what’s best for you and nobody else knows what that is. Sometimes even I don’t know what’s best for me, but that’s what I’m figuring out.

What’s best for me one minute might be resting. The next it could be answering all of my emails. Or going for a walk. Or writing an article about the shoulds and shouldn’ts of COVID-19. In this time of uncertainty and chaos, perhaps the best thing we can do is become our own authority. To ask ourselves what’s best for us and remember we don’t have to do everything other people tell us we “should.” I’m not a fan of the word “should” and I try my best not to use it. Instead I say “could.” I could reach out to all my old clients. I could wash all my dishes right now. There are many things I could do but what do I want to do? What feels best to my soul? And that I think is the best possible use of my time. And maybe yours too. I’m not sure – I’ll let you decide.

Do you need writing help? Are you underwater with transitioning to a virtual presence? I’m available for quick-turnaround assignments. Reach out to me. I’m here.

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How to Keep Content Coming

As an Oakland, CA freelance content writer, I do a LOT of writing. A LOT. I write for myself, I write for clients, and I write for fun! How do I consistently come up with things to write about, which as I mentioned in a previous post, is crucial for success? Magic! Just kidding.

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The reality is there are days when everyone, myself included, feel uninspired. A day when we’ve encountered the dreaded writer’s block. Nobody can be switched “on” all the time because we’re not robots. Heck, there are also days when robots aren’t working properly! My phone is like a robot and sometimes it acts glitchy. So. Cut yourself some slack if you’re in that writer’s block space. AND there are still ways to maintain consistency regarding your creative content. Read on for my tips on how to keep content coming.

Recycle Content

That’s right – recycle your content! Some things you’ve written are timeless and can be used over and over again. In journalism, we call stories like those evergreens because like evergreen trees, they are constantly fresh. There’s no worry the story will become stale because it’s not breaking news. In your business, certain articles will always be relevant. For instance, if you’re a doctor, there will never be a time a blog about cures for the common cold will be passé. People always want to know how to treat their cold from the comfort of their home. Maybe you tweak a few things to make the blog more relevant, but for the most part, the content can stay the same.

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I remember the first time I started recycling old blogs and wondered if people would judge me or think I was trying to pull a fast one. The reality is, most people don’t pay much attention to anyone other than themselves. They likely won’t notice if you recycle content because they don’t remember your content as well as you do. And if they do, so what? People like to get reminders about things they learned before.

Also, if your content is from more than a year ago, you’ll have signed new customers or clients in that time period and that means for some people, your content really will be fresh. It may seem like it’s cheating to reuse something you’ve written before, but take it from me, it’s not cheating, it’s smart.

Get Silly

You know how you get creative juices flowing? By being silly. Ever notice how silliness and creativity go hand in hand? That’s because they’re both synonyms for playful. Play requires trying new things without judgment, like dancing around in your apartment or drawing a terrible picture. The act of doing something silly will get your juices flowing. Once you laugh, it releases tension, and doing something silly is a great icebreaker.

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As for me, when I really don’t want to write something but I have to (hi deadlines!), I start typing over and over on the page: “I don’t want to write this. This is stupid and terrible and I hate it” and then I just keep going. There’s something magical about putting your fingers to the keyboard. The very act of typing can put me in the mood and then suddenly the act of writing isn’t so hard anymore.

Also, closely related to the topic of silliness, is movement. Research from Stanford demonstrates movement is crucial for creativity. So the next time you’re stuck, dance around, go for a walk, or do something physical (maybe even silly!) to get your brain grooving again.

Be the Conduit

Sometimes I get twisted up with, well, everything, thinking I’m in charge, that creativity comes from me alone, that I have to do everything, etc. The reality is we’re all conduits or channels for creativity. Creativity moves through us like a river. It’s up to us to be open to the flow and get out of the way. There’s always more creativity when we open up to something greater than ourselves. I’m sure you’ve seen that uber-popular Ted talk from Elizabeth Gilbert on the subject.

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At the same time, creativity can strike anywhere: like the shower. But that’s not the best place to write, on account of being wet and all. In that situation, keeping a list is helpful. You jot down the idea you had in the shower, and then it acts as a bookmark that you can pick up later.

Open Your Ears

What are the people around you talking about? What questions are they asking? Those questions reveal pain points that perhaps you know the answer to and can write about. This goes for you as well – what do you want to know? If you’re curious about what makes an SEO-worthy blogpost, google it! And then write about it. If you need help with something, chances are someone else does too. I’m running into exactly this issue as an Oakland, CA freelance content writer. A client of mine wanted to know the difference between Wix and Squarespace so I researched it and then wrote a blog for him about it. His curiosity lead to a blog topic and to another because now I’m writing a blog about the difference between Wix and WordPress! One idea can launch another if you’re paying attention and following your curiosity.

What are your favorite ways to keep your content flowing? Tell me in the comments below. And if you need help maintaining content on your blog, get in touch. I’m happy to help. Lastly, did you like this post? If so, share it with your friends and family.

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5 Tips to Create Consistency

5 Tips to Create Consistency

In my post from last week, I wrote about why consistency is crucial. Consistency breeds success for all the reasons I’ve already mentioned. So how do you do it? How do you become more consistent? What follows are five tips culled from business maven Marie Forleo.

1.) Keep the why in your eye

If you don’t know why you’re doing something, you’ll likely stop doing it. If there’s not a compelling goal, if there’s not juice behind your actions, they’ll fizzle out. For instance, if you’re hoping to achieve peace by using meditation, you’ll keep meditating because peace is appealing. If it’s something to do because everyone else is doing it, well, it’s likely meditation will fall off your radar. It’s the same thing in business. Why are you doing what you’re doing? The “why” will act like a propeller and help you to fly.

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2.) Pick your poison

Oftentimes when a person gets excited, they want to do too many things at once. Upon learning about a new diet, they’ll read all the books, make all the recipes, and then get overwhelmed and stop. If you truly want results and are thinking long term, go slow. Don’t change your whole life all at once. Perhaps add in a new recipe a week and then once you’ve mastered it, try a new one. And then another one. And then … For your business, if you know you want to incorporate more social media, pick one platform like Instagram or Facebook, and devote your attention to it instead of trying them all at once.

3.) Schedule it

Plan around your priorities. Build your life around your priorities instead of trying to squeeze them in. If you know every Thursday at 6 p.m. you go to the gym for a Zumba class, you’re more likely to stick with it instead of saying, “One day this week I’ll go to Zumba.” It’s easy for “one day” to become “no day.” As a freelance content writer, I have specific days that I write my blogs. I build my day and my life around it. If I’m going out of town, I’ll write a blog in advance because it’s just that important to me and has become a part of my routine.

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4.) Hop over the feeling hurdle

After you’ve done something long enough, there will come a time when a part of you says, “I don’t feeeeeeel like it.” Sometimes it’s important to honor that voice and say, “OK. We won’t do X.” But sometimes, like parents say to children, “I know sweetie, but do it anyway.” Discipline requires doing things even when we don’t feel like it, because we know it’s good for us. And also if you keep your eye on the why (tip one), it will be easier to hop over the hurdle of “I don’t wanna.”

5.) Try again

It’s easy to get discouraged when we don’t honor our commitments. When we say, “I’m going to blog every Sunday” and then don’t. Or try to stop smoking and find ourselves with a cigarette in hand. This is usually when people fall into a shame spiral (“I’m not good enough.” “What’s wrong with me?” “I can’t do it”) and then quit.

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Quitting is totally allowed. Sometimes it’s the best decision a person can make for themselves. But you know what else is allowed? Trying again. Trying as many times as you need until you get your desired outcome. I’m sure there is a rare gymnast who sticks the landing after learning a new routine, but more often than not, the person falls and tries again. Falls and tries again. Until one day, the landing sticks. And all that falling, or some might even say failing, is worth it.

How do you stay consistent? Let me know in the comments below. And if you liked this post, share it with your friends. As always, if you need help maintaining a consistent blog presence, give me a shout. As a freelance content writer, this is my area of expertise.