“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” — Richard Bach
How would you describe what you do without using the title of your job?
It’s a thought-provoking question I came across on Twitter and people’s responses make me think it’s something worth considering.
Now, on to this week’s ideas…
1. WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A WRITER
“Writers are explorers. We know where our words come from. But don’t always know how to find them.”
Dear writers, this one’s for you.
In this post I share some thoughts about what it means to be a writer including why writers are explorers, messengers, and inventors.
RELATED: What writers actually do when they write.
2. THE BEST WAY TO LEARN ANYTHING
“A lot of people tend to use complicated vocabulary and jargon to mask when they don’t understand something. The problem is we only fool ourselves because we don’t know that we don’t understand.”
I hear people mention the Feynman Technique often, but don’t think I ever quite knew what it was until reading this post.
Shane Parrish breaks it down and explains why it’s the best way to learn anything.
The technique involves four steps including to teach a concept to a toddler, review, organize and simplify.
(On a side note, the best way to learn how to use social media to accomplish your goals is to get my “secret” social media tips emails!)
RELATED: How to get better at learning.
3. HOW TO STOP GETTING JUNK MAIL
“If you contribute once a year to a charitable organization, ask them to send you only one donation request per year.”
These days it seems the only physical mail I get is junk mail, but there may be a way to change that.
Eco-Cycle explains how to stop getting junk mail including ways to stop getting credit card solicitations, get off direct marketing lists, and opt out of unwanted phone books and catalogs.
RELATED: 10 creative ways to declutter your home.
4. FOUR WAYS TO CONVINCE YOUR BOSS TO SAY YES
“People fear loss more than they desire benefit. And this greatly influences the way they choose between options (aka: prospects). This means people will overweigh even the smallest opportunities for loss.”
You know that thing you need to convince your boss to do? Here’s how to make it happen.
Jordan Loftis shares four ways to convince your boss to say yes based on science including to align the change with team goals, leverage loss aversion, and ask big, then small.
RELATED: How to convince the unconvinced.
5. THE BEST WAYS TO GROW YOUR AUDIENCE AND BOOST YOUR BUSINESS
“It’s always dangerous to say, ‘I need more followers, I need better social media.’ No, you don’t. You need more customers. Or more awareness of your product. Don’t get lost in the digital tools.”
If you want to hear/watch me chat for an hour about what I think are the keys to audience growth and using social media to grow your business, here’s your chance.
Vinay Koshy interviewed me recently and we had a great conversation about the best ways to grow your audience and boost your business that touches on everything from things I’ve learned in my work with clients, to the mistakes businesses and creators too often make when it comes to social media.
Our conversation is part of the Influence and Conversion Summit, but I requested that my conversation be made available for you to watch for free.
There’s a ton of other great interviews available in the Summit and you can check them out here.
RELATED: Read this before you hire a social media expert.
6. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DEALING WITH STRESS AT EVERY AGE
“Every life stage brings its own pressures, from worrying about exams to juggling the needs of family. Here are the best coping tactics for each generation.”
While the things that stress us out and how we deal with them are unique to each of us, it turns out there are common patterns based on your age.
Paula Cocozza interviewed several experts to compile this guide to dealing with stress at every age which includes a breakdown of the triggers, signs, and recommended coping mechanisms for everybody from babies to senior citizens.
RELATED: How to prevent pressure from turning into stress.
7. THREE SMALL CHANGES LEADERS CAN MAKE TO CREATE HUGE PERFORMANCE LEAPS
“To kick things off, send out a calendar invite to your team titled ‘Distraction free hour.’”
Forget productivity, let’s talk about microproductivity.
Dr Amantha Imber suggests three small changes leaders can make to improve productivity in their organizations including to ask your team to adjust their schedules to work in their most productive times, allocate one distraction-free hour a day, and batch meetings.
RELATED: How to become more productive by focusing on just one habit.
8. 10 WELLNESS TIPS FROM DAVID LYNCH
“A failure is a big, big sadness and a horror. But there’s nowhere to go but up. So it’s a freedom, as a result of failure — a huge euphoric freedom. There’s no way you can lose more, you can only gain.”
David Lynch’s work has always given people plenty to think about, so it’s no surprise his life advice does the same.
Oliver Lunn has compiled 10 wellness tips from David Lynch including to dig beneath the surface of things, stop trying to make sense of every little thing, and stay curious.
RELATED: David Lynch on where great ideas come from.
9. HOW TO RAISE KIDS TO BE GOOD WITH MONEY
“The power of feeling buyer’s remorse at a young age can provide a powerful antidote to impulse buying as an adult.”
Kids learn a lot about money from watching how their parents deal with it, but there are other things you can do beyond relying on them to learn from your example.
Erin Lowry shares seven strategies to raise kids to be good with money including to give them hands-on experience, allow them to make a stupid purchase, and explain modern financial tools.
RELATED: The psychology of money.
10. FIVE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR DAY 5X BETTER THAN IT IS RIGHT NOW
“It’s important to have a long-term mindset and develop positive habits over time, but not all life improvement requires a lifetime to unlock.”
Want to improve your day? Read this now.
It’s a post in which I suggest five ways to make your day 5x better than it is right now including to do one thing you regret not doing yesterday, one thing to pleasantly surprise somebody, and one selfish thing.
RELATED: How to have a great day tomorrow.
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WHERE I FOUND THIS STUFF
I got some of this week’s ideas from Tina Roth Eisenberg, DO Lectures, and Thomas Oppong — they’re awesome and worth checking out.
Image via Caroline Hernandez.