As many of you know, I do not do sponsored posts nor do I use affiliate links or make money in any other way by promoting the work of others. When I do so it’s because I trust the person, respect their work, and truly believe that my clients and readers will benefit from what they have to share.
Colleen M. Story and Donna Cook are two of those people. I’ve had the honor of sharing the stage with them and learning from them. They are professionals for whom I go out of my way to hear speak, so I’m delighted to share this guest post by Colleen and a special offer to attend their upcoming Writer CEO workshop.
Cristen
Writers today are cutting their own paths through the publishing industry. They’re not only writing, editing, and producing their work, but marketing, selling, and building platforms to draw readers their way.
But ask any writer—it’s not easy going back and forth from creative individual to business CEO. Though each position requires different skills and approaches, each demands the best you have to offer.
To help boost your productivity and performance no matter which hat you’re wearing, keep these three tips in mind.
There are many times when you have to motivate yourself to act when you don’t really feel like it—to write when you’d rather nap, or to create a book launch plan when you’d rather go through a root canal.
That means you need to know how to motivate yourself. Are you driven by achievement, connection, independence, influence, or something else? Knowing the answer will help you tailor your motivations so they work best for you.
Someone motivated by achievement, for example, will be inspired by a potential contest win, whereas someone motivated by connection would be more moved by reader feedback.
What arouses you to action even on a bad day? Find that out, and then ruthlessly use it to keep yourself working hard toward your goals.
The one thing a writer/businessperson needs more than anything else is energy. The second your energy flags, your willpower goes with it, and just like that you’re done accomplishing for the day.
Your job as a writer CEO is two-fold:
1. Know when your natural energy rhythms are at their highest, and regularly tackle your hardest jobs at those times, and
2. do everything possible to increase your daily energy.
As for #2, all of the following will help:
· Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Keep all technological gadgets out of the bedroom, including cell phones, tablets, computers, and televisions—they emit blue light that interfere with sleep.
· Eat a healthy diet, and always stop eating just before you feel full. (The brain needs 20 minutes before registering how much you’ve eaten.) The lighter you are, the more energy you’ll have.
· Exercise most every day. If you’re tired, it’s often because you’re not exercising enough.
· Do something that makes you happy each day—it gives you energy.
· Schedule in daily stress-relieving activities. Good options include walking, journaling, meditation, time with pets, going out with friends and loved ones, spending time in nature, crafting, or anything that helps you relax.
· Make building your author platform fun! How to do that? Find your unique niche. (Read more about that in Writer Get Noticed!)
As authorpreneurs, we usually have no shortage of ideas for new stories to write, new projects to create, new marketing techniques to try, and new websites to build. You may have an idea file that’s full to bursting, or maybe your desktop is peppered with the beginnings of projects you just haven’t finished yet.
But as long as those projects remain unfinished, you may as well not have thought of them at all. What matters to your career are your finished projects, not the new ones you just know are going to propel you to new heights.
"No one has a problem with the first mile of a journey,” writes Julien Smith in The Flinch. “But it isn't the start that matters. It's the finish line."
Starting projects is fun. Finishing them is often difficult, and darned hard work. If you can finish your projects, you’ll stand out from the crowd, and be much more likely to reach your writing and business goals.
(We’ll talk more about how to finish the projects you start at the Writer CEO conference. Details below!)
As an authorpreneur, your future is entirely in your hands, which means you must learn how to be your own best manager. You have no boss looking over your shoulder, except the one in the mirror. Teach that person how to get the best out of you, and you can’t help but succeed.
Exclusive special for readers of Cristen Iris’s blog: For a limited time, when you sign up at the early-bird price (only $59 for a full-day workshop), you’ll receive a free bonus package from instructors Donna Cook and Colleen M. Story:
1. 3 Ways to Make Your Author Platform More Effective
2. Three Surprising but Powerful Strategies to Level Up Your Business
3. One voucher good for a FREE one-on-one 30-minute session with Donna, and a FREE platform assessment with Colleen after the conference.
For more information or to sign up now and get your free bonus package, see the Writer CEO workshop page.
Post Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash
