What is Holding You Back?

Want to know what’s really holding you back from achieving your goals? Clutter.

I’m not talking about piles of paper on your desk or stacks of business cards you never got around to organizing — although that can be a problem, too. In this case, though, we’re talking about the clutter in your head. You know, that endless list of things that scrolls through your mind continually, and that distracts you just when you’re trying to focus.

That’s the kind of clutter that’s really holding you back, and we all have it. But the good news is, it’s easier to clean up than those piles of paper are. And the way we’re going to do it is with a brain dump.

Here’s how it works:

1. Set aside 30 to 60 minutes of uninterrupted time. It’s important that you have a quiet place with no distractions—either internal or external—to derail the process, so plan a time when the kids are at school and you don’t have clients calling you. 
2. Grab your list-writing tool of choice. This can be digital or physical, so whether you prefer Evernote, a Moleskine notebook, or a stack of index cards, it’s entirely up to you. Make sure you have pencils and/or pens, too. 
3. Just write. Make a big list of everything that’s on your mind, from getting the dog groomed to building a new website. Whatever you’re keeping on that big to-do list in your head goes in your brain dump. No task is too big or too small, but don’t worry about the details yet. Rather than listing all the subjects you want to blog about, simply write “Create a blog editorial calendar.” 
4. Organize. Once you’ve got everything out of your head and down on paper, it’s time to bring some order to the chaos. Reorganize your list according to project, then order your projects by priority, and finally order the tasks within your projects in their logical order. Fill in the blanks where necessary. 
5. Transfer to a trusted system. Your brain dump will do you no good at all if you still feel the need to keep stuff in your head, so this step is critical to your success. Whether your to-do lists are on paper or electronic, you must transfer your newly organized brain dump into a system you trust and use. I use Evernote and Wunderlist. Use whatever system works best for you.

Finally, it’s time to get to work. And if you find yourself struggling again or not getting things done, that means it’s time to schedule another brain dump. Doing so regularly will help you continue to move forward toward your goals and get the work done.

Q&A: "I'm Overwhelmed With All The Resources I Got From BeAResumeWriter.com"

Today's blog post answers a reader question!

Q. I do appreciate all the work you do and the information is awesome, just overwhelming getting so many emails from one membership (BeAResumeWriter.com). Can you give me some thoughts on how I can manage this? Are all the information you send domiciled on the website?

A. First thing: Don't be overwhelmed! :-)

You don't have to take advantage of all the information! But I can help with the "remembering that it is there when I need it" part of things! I recommend that you create three folders on your hard drive: BARW Special Reports, BARW PAMs, BARW Learning.

Each month, when you get the notification of your special report, save it to the BARW Special Reports folder. If you have time, read the report when you get it (assuming it's a topic you're interested in at the time). Most of the special reports will take you 10-15 minutes to read.  I find that some of my reports are ones that resume writers like to "come back to" when they have a need. For example, if you're not ready to incorporate passive income into your resume writing business (selling information products, affiliate marketing, etc.), just save them to your computer and then when you are ready, you'll have them there. 

When you get each month's Pass-Along Materials content, save it to the BARW PAMs folder. But these are more "actionable" items. These are designed to be something you can put to work for you to help your clients, so I recommend doing something with them right away. Yes, this is done-for-you content that you can put your name on and either give away to clients/prospects/the public or sell!

http://www.bearesumewriter.com/WhatarePAMs

It can be as simple as writing a blog post using the content, or pulling out 3-7 tips and scheduling them as social media content (I use Hootsuite to do this -- the free level account allows you to connect up to 5 social media profiles and schedule content in advance). OR, if it's a topic guide (like September's PAM on conducting a confidential job search), you can take 10 minutes and turn in into a short report to help your clients, or customize it more and turn it into something you sell (creative passive income for your business!).

Here's a video I made that will show you how:

http://youtu.be/pgniLgIH8SE 

The PAMs are literally things that I use every day with my clients. They're great for giving stuck/lost/confused clients a little extra boost in an area where they might need help. So if you take 15 minutes to personalize them and get them ready to use when you first get them, they'll be a resource you can use over and over again.

As for the BARW Learning folder, that's where you can download the teleseminar recordings and transcripts, and back issues of the Resume Writers' Digest newsletter to listen to and/or read whenever you have extra time. Some resume writers put the MP3s on their iPods and listen to them when they're in the car, or exercising. Or print out the transcripts or back issues and put them in the bathroom or on your bedside table. Or keep a couple in the car for when you're waiting for someone, or going to an appointment where you'll have to wait.

Like I said, though, don't be overwhelmed! Each month, there are only 2 things you need to do something with -- the Special Report and Pass-Along Materials -- the rest of the stuff will stay in the Bronze membership section for you to access at any time (as long as your Bronze membership is active). And you don't actually have to DO anything with them ... just download them to your computer for later, if that's all you have time for!

How to Keep People Interested In Your Website

Sometimes it can take prospects more than one visit to your website before they decide to become a client. But how can you get them engaged in your website (that is, how can you get them to come back?)

Here are six strategies to implement on your website to keep people interested — and coming back!

#1  Blog.  Blog comments are a way for people to be interactive on your website. Of course, you'll have to offer regular and valuable content and youíll want to inspire conversation. This can be done by asking a question, stirring the pot with a little controversy, or by offering valuable content people feel compelled to thank you for and comment on.

#2  Let them promote you! Digg, Twitter and other sites let readers, fans, and prospects promote your posts and content. Use "social share" buttons on your website that make it easy for visitors to do this.

#3  Sponsor contests or sweepstakes.  There is nothing more fun than winning something and people love to enter contests. Whether it's a sweepstakes where the item is won via a drawing or a contest where skills are required, winning is fun and a great way to get people involved.

#4  Surveys/polls. Ask your visitors for their opinion. People love to share their opinion and voice their concerns, interests, and challenges. Get them involved by posting surveys and/or polls. (You can also use the information that you learn from the surveys to design additional services and information products to serve jobseekers!)

#5  Ask for feedback.  Want to know what your prospect's most pressing concerns are? What they need, want, hope for and desire? Ask them.  It's a great way to research your target audience and a great way to stimulate a little website interactivity.

#6 Question of the day/week/month.  If you blog, posting a regular question of the day, week or month is a valuable way to connect with your audience. Your audience is able to communicate what they need, you gain valuable insight, and you boost interactivity. It's a win-win-win! (This is also something you can do on your Facebook page.)

Interactivity is a fantastic way to build trust with prospective clients so they become customers. Loyal customers and prospects boost awareness, word of mouth communication, and your bottom line.  Implement a few of these interactivity-boosting strategies today!

12 Ways to Increase Visibility and Market Your Business Services

I'm always looking for opportunities to learn — especially marketing strategies for career industry professionals — so I was happy to see that Debra Ann Matthews was presenting a teleseminar for the National Resume Writer's Association (NRWA).

Debra Ann shared "12 Ways to Increase Visibility and Market Your Business Services." (Usually, the NRWA allows you to purchase the recording/handout after the call — but the link to do that wasn't yet up by the time I posted this.)

While some of the strategies will already be familiar to experienced resume writers, she shared a couple of surprising tips.

For example, #8: Share who you are with your colleagues.
Did you know that other resume writers can be a GREAT source of clients for you? But that's only possible if they know who you are, and who you serve.

"You must understand what you have that is valuable." via @Letmewriteit4u on her @TheNRWA teleseminar.
— Bridget Weide Brooks (@RWDigest) October 24, 2014

Debra Ann is also a strong believer in using public relations/media relations to increase your profile, attract the attention of prospective clients, and justify your value to clients. Like me, she advocates using strategies like article writing, podcasting, radio and television interviews, sending news releases, and subscribing to services like Help A Reporter Out (HARO) to take advantage of media opportunities.