possible topics

All The Things I’ve Stopped (Part 3 of 9)

things that i've stoppedFor the third part in this series, I'm going to evaluate my 50 blog post topics list. I wrote this list so I wouldn't get stuck with writer's block and stop blogging. I didn't like the blog post ideas that I was coming up with just so I could get a post up, so I decided to ensure I wasn't wasting time coming up with a good idea. The list of topics took me a few hours to put together, and in the end I only did 15 of those topics. I also ended up doing the 15 easiest topics first, leaving the tougher topics for, well, perhaps never.

The Tougher Topics Would Have Taken More Time than I Had

Many of the tougher topics (particularly the questions about current affairs) would have required a ton of preliminary research, and once I sat down to write the post, it would've taken me about two hours to write it. Add that to the research time, and tackling one of these tougher topics would've taken between four and six hours of my time. That's time that I could've made room for if I made the blog post a priority, but I couldn't make it that kind of a priority over paying clients.

I wasn't going to do a sloppy job of tackling these topics either. Here's a David Cameron article that I wrote in September 2013, an example of what I would like to do when answering one of these questions. Sure, I could answer a similar question with only two reasons instead of three, or I could include three reasons but cite fewer sources throughout the article, but the David Cameron article is a great article. Not to toot my own horn, but I did a great job in answering the question. If I'm not going to commit to that level of quality, then I'm not going to start the blog post or find an easier way to do the blog post. The David Cameron article is simply how those current affairs questions should be tackled.

Going Back to Making It a Priority

In the first two parts of this series, I've discussed stopping ventures because I lost interest or because I found a better option. This time, I stopped completing this list because I felt I had more important priorities besides taking the time to write on the tougher topics. This blog (for now) is simply for fun and I can't let it get in the way of paying work. Well, I could let it get in the way of paying work, but I wouldn't be earning enough to pay my bills. I also didn't want to spend so much time on just one blog post, because if I did commit four to six hours to write one post, then I would've had to reduce the number of times I published in a week. Back when I was doing those posts, I was publishing about every other day (and I'm currently working to come back to that frequency). Tackling these tougher topics would've meant publishing only about once or twice a week, perhaps even less frequently. That's just no good for blog. At least I don't think that's good for a blog.

Perhaps I'll be able to tackle some of the tougher topics in the future if I plan accordingly. I would probably need to give myself about a month's leeway, and if I do that, then I would need to choose topic that would still be timely in a month or two. That's not too hard, considering that some current issues can go on for months.

Creating a Wiki, or Sticking with a Blog?

creating a wikiMany months ago, I came across wikis for several of my favorite video games, only to find that there really weren't any wikis about current affairs or business topics. A couple have been started, covering things such as green politics, politics in Canada, and business in general, but none of the wikis look taken care of or look like they've been updated recently. It seems like there are many different tools out there that you can use to start a wiki, and the right tool depends on why you want the wiki and who will be using it. MediaWiki is what Wikipedia uses, but I like Wikia because you can start right away (or take over an old one) and it looks a bit more intuitive in how to use it and what you need to do. I really like the idea of creating a wiki, but for a topics like business and politics, it seems like you might be better off buying a whole bunch of books or starting a blog and then covering anything and everything possible. Although, buying books can be expensive (even if you buy only ebooks, it still adds up) and taking the blog route seems very similar to the wiki.

Difference Between Wiki and Blog

WIkipedia points out that the major difference between a blog and a wiki (I know Wikipedia isn't really a reputable source, but who better to source on this topic than the inventor of the wiki?) is that "the content is created without any defined owner or leader, and wikis have little implicit structure, allowing structure to emerge according to the needs of the users." This makes sense once a wiki is established and has a ton of readers and contributors, but any wiki that's starting out would need to have a leader and some structure, right? If no one is leading the way to start the wiki, to get a few articles up, and to tell people about the wiki, then how does anyone expect the wiki to get started and to get to a point of self-sustainability? Someone needs to be the start and the face of the new wiki until there's enough people involved to add new content, to edit existing content, and to make sure the wiki isn't trolled or that someone doesn't add an irrelevant article.

I Might Just Stick with the Blog

I don't like that wikis have a lack of leadership and structure. I understand that those are needed to make them work, and that those criteria have worked for them. But, I wouldn't want them a part of my wiki, and if they aren't a part of the wiki then it's not really a wiki. After all, the main reason I'm pursuing this is to build identity capital and to build my personal brand as someone who is well-versed in current events and politics. A wiki can't do that since it's meant to be a community as much as it is a communal resource. The wiki also only works that way if it's for a specific group of people, such as a non-profit group or a company. Then, I can attribute the wiki idea to myself as something that I contributed to a larger group (and that someone in the larger group could corroborate). Yes, I want the blog to benefit someone besides myself, but I'd also like to build a brand with it and make it the obvious go-to resource on current events, or world news, or business, or something like that. Still deciding because I'm still thinking about the brand name, mantra, positioning statement etc.

But, prepare for, yet again, a change in tone and topic (and A LOT more on this blog).

The Next Few Posts are Pre-Scheduled for My Convenience

scheduling blog postsI do leave for Las Vegas tomorrow morning, so while I'm out-of-town, I've scheduled some posts for the next few days. I don't want to worry about posting while I'm visiting family and playing poker, so I've posted some articles that I've written for previous clients a year or two ago. Might as well, right? These clients aren't using the content (at least not anymore, as a few of them have closed up shop) and some of it is great content. Although I'm not going to include these pieces into my portfolio, some of them are still relevant and could be valuable to a few people. So, I've scheduled a few posts, and will return to extemporaneous blogging on the 10th. Or, the scheduled posts will at least stop by the 10th, as I won't guarantee I will post something next Thursday.

The Topics Might Be a Bit Off

When choosing which posts to schedule, I went with articles that were written well, that were still relevant today, and that were about something that my current audience would find interesting. An article about Facebook Places doesn't mean anything today, and I wasn't a big fan of this article I did offering tips for an effective websites (it might be worth doing over and publishing somewhere too). So, with the exception of one article, the blog posts scheduled all have something to do with the Internet or technology. When I first started freelancing and blogging for money, technology was a niche. It still is, but it's much more strongly considered a business topic than previously. I don't write about the latest iPhone rumors, or computer code, or how certain technologies work. I more cover technology as how it relates to business and how business owners and professionals can use it.  You know, the practical stuff. Hey, it's what I got.

What to Expect After My Trip

Well, I'll probably do at least one post about the trip, probably discussing my poker escapades and what I want my future to hold for poker. After I get that out-of-the-way, I do need to tackle several other posts I've started and haven't finished. These include my list of things I suck at, what I would do if I were the CEO of AOL, my list of empowering songs, and my wrap up of what I've learned in U.S. history. I have made progress on this venture, but finding the answers in a book is a little tougher than I anticipated. I don't want to look up every single thing online, but I am looking up more online than I wanted to, as I don't want to do borrow several books just to answer those questions.

Once I finish those blog posts that I've started, I can get to those on my list of 50 blog post ideas that I haven't started yet, primarily those questions regarding politics and international affairs. Since I'll be at my office more often, I will have more consistent access to a printer and can spend time doing research. It will help if I get that file cabinet that I said I would get a few months ago, and it looks like I would be able to get it by the end of November. I do have one last payment to a vendor this month, so I will have that money in November if I can't do it this month. I do need to work on my niche and keeping up with it. I also need to work on blogging in general. I think it's best that I consider myself similar to a musician, who is always going out to find gigs and to build an audience. I should do that but with words.

50 Topics to Write about for the Next 50 Posts

100 blog post ideasMy brain has been mush for several weeks, putting this blog in jeopardy and any other chance I have to build a substantial, professional, worthwhile online presence that could lead to something better down the road. I need to stop dragging my heels when I'm staring at the blank screen, have my mind together, and get to writing. After all, I've written several posts about blog post ideas, such as this one, this one, and this one (all taken from one piece of lead generation content, if you wondered why many of the ideas were similar). Therefore, I'm preparing ahead of time by coming up with 50 topics to write about for the next 50 posts. Of course, if something cool came up that's worth writing about in between post one and post 50, I'll write about that. This isn't meant to be a restrictive list. It's meant to help me stop wasting time, to stop thinking that I don't have anything to write about, and to prevent myself from spending six hours on a blog post. It shouldn't take me six hours to write a blog post, unless I do extensive research prior to the post. Hopefully, this list won't take me six hours to put together, but here are my 50 topics:

  1. How I Would Fix Gender Pricing
  2. X Empowering Songs for Kicking Ass and Taking Names
  3. If I Were the CEO of AOL, What Would I Do to Make It Relevant Again?
  4. Should India impose mandatory death sentences on those convicted of rape?
  5. X Job Hunting Statistics You Wish You Knew Six Months Ago
  6. Embracing Being a Night Owl
  7. Why I'd Love to Run a Food Bank
  8. 15 Things I Am Horrible at Doing, and Why
  9. Will You Be My Accountability Buddy?
  10. My To-Learn List
  11. What I Learned About X
  12. Why I'm Going to Start Taking People Out to Coffee
  13. Why It's Important for Me to Excel at Poker
  14. Why I Love Poker
  15. How I Can Be a Better Half the Sky Ambassador
  16. Why Blogging is Crucial to Your Personal Online Reputation
  17. What I Would Do if I Won the Main Event of Poker
  18. What reforms should be made to U.S. surveillance efforts?
  19. Will the newly signed student loan rate legislation make higher education more affordable?
  20. Does Bill Gates have the right ideas to reform American education?
  21. Should there be an increase in the federal minimum wage?
  22. What should Russia do with Edward Snowden after his one year asylum expires?
  23. Are European governments too lax in their protection of the Roma?
  24. Is time running out for the Israelis to make a suitable peace with the Palestinians?
  25. Has Venezuela’s international profile taken a serious hit since the death of Hugo Chavez?
  26. Why is South Africa supporting Robert Mugabe?
  27. Is an Egyptian government led by its military better for the West than a government led by the Muslim Brotherhood?
  28. Is nuclear power the key to China’s economic future?
  29. Are Afghanistan’s security forces strong enough to contain the Taliban?
  30. Would a government shutdown over funding Obamacare hurt the GOP in the 2014 midterms?
  31. How can President Obama get his economic agenda through Congress?
  32. Why You Should Hire Me to Write Your Content
  33. Why You Should Hire Me to Manage Your Social Media
  34. Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex Is Destroying America Review
  35. Collision 2012: Obama Vs. Romney and the Future of Elections in America Review
  36. Act of Congress: How America’s Essential Institution Works, and How It Doesn’t Review
  37. X Things I Could Do to Come Out of My Comfort Zone
  38. Will attempts to unionize America’s fast food industry succeed?
  39. Is America’s housing market on the road to recovery?
  40. How should the Brazilian government deal with rising illegal immigration?
  41. Will recent revelations about radiation at the Fukushima nuclear plant doom attempts at reviving nuclear power in Japan?
  42. Do European governments need to take stronger actions against neo-Nazi movements?
  43. Will the release of Hosni Mubarak make Egypt’s interim government extremely unpopular?
  44. Is America’s housing market on the road to recovery?
  45. Will privacy rights be a major issue in the 2014 midterm elections?
  46. Is America winning the fight against obesity?
  47. How can the U.S. make itself less dependent on foreign oil?
  48. The First Few Steps to Creating a Wiki
  49. X Video Games I Want to Play Next
  50. What I Need to Be Able to Play Skyrim

Small Change in Plans

change in plansI know I've changed my plans, like, 550 times (545 of those times were plans that were never started), but this is the 550th time that I am changing my plans regarding this blog. I can't guarantee this is the last time I'm changing my plans, but that's what's happening. My former business coach wouldn't be too happy with this, and would probably tell me to commit to something during our next coaching session. Not only is that not a bad idea, but I do think I ought to schedule a lunch with her in the near future.

Questions Will Be Posted on the International Political Forum

I just secured a new writing gig with International Political Forum, a news and commentary website for politically engaged young people, and I will be posting the answers to those questions there instead of here. I'll be starting this coming week. I think it's a better platform for that type of content, and I think my pieces will be able to attract more traffic on a site like this one. I also like that there isn't much time constraint here, so I don't have to pitch the old questions each one. If one is still relevant, then I can still write about it. One of the nice things about It also frees up my personal blog to be a bit more, well, personal. Sorry if this disappoints a few people.

I Prefer Keeping This Blog Personal

At first, I didn't like the idea of turning this blog into an online diary, since online diaries are so 2001. I wasn't sure if such content was what I wanted for my online reputation and identity capital. However, I do miss having something that's just mine and is there for me to write what I want. Since I write for a living, I am writing for someone else, even if I get to choose the topic or if there isn't much criteria in what needs to be written. There's always a standard to meet, an audience to consider, and other goals to shoot for, depending on the writing project. None of that has to apply to this blog, which is nice to have every once in a while (but don't get me wrong, as I'm probably not going to start using profanity or to cover inappropriate topics). It's nice to be able to write for myself regularly, as it does make me more motivated to write for others. Also, it is easier to write everyday if that's the case with this blog. I really don't need something else that requires a ton of work and forethought.

When it comes down to it, this blog should be fun. Writing should be fun. In the case of this blog and the questions articles, I think this change in plans makes both a little more fun. I'm excited already.

What to Expect

Since summer is almost over, I will be putting together my fall reading list and tallying what I've completed with my summer reading list. I have an idea of what's going to be on that fall reading list, so I am thrilled to put it together and to read more good books. That's what I know I will be covering in the next few days. I'll also write about many of the topics that I covered in previous posts i.e. poker, my cat, my business, eating healthier, video games, political issues etc. Should be fun.

This Week's Questions Absolutely Suck

the questions are questionableIt's probably a little fortuitous that I didn't answer any questions from last week because this week's questions are absolutely abysmal. Some of the US questions are out of left field, the international questions are somewhat interesting, but incredibly difficult to tackle if you don't know anything about what's going on. Which I don't, so I should start using the free printer at work to print out articles. My parents won't like that idea, but I assure, the office is cool with it.

This Week's Possible Questions

I actually left all 20 here to show the weirdness I'm refusing to work with here. I'm probably not going to pick any for this blog, but I might do one or two for the Amnesty International St. Louis blog. Therefore, I don't think it's worth it to spend any time narrowing the list down. Since I'm working on getting that file cabinet, I think I'll spend more time doing research and preparing myself to do this weekly (or more often). I have yet to make good on my word. I'll probably stick with the questions I wanted to answer last week. The nice thing about these questions is that, for the most part, they are relevant past their initial week.

  1. If not Hillary, then who? (I'm presuming for presidential nominee in 2016, but the question is phrased rather vaguely.)
  2. Will attempts to unionize America’s fast food industry succeed?
  3. Has Obamacare’s implementation been a disaster?
  4. Will leaks about NSA surveillance activities lead to significant revisions of government anti-terrorism powers?
  5. How should the U.S. respond to allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria?
  6. Is America’s housing market on the road to recovery?
  7. Will the Playstation 4 have a more successful release than the XBox One? (I mean, really? What does this have to do with domestic policy? Does anyone care besides gamers and industry analysts?)
  8. How can Steve Lonegan defeat Cory Booker? (Too localized for my tastes.)
  9. Will Texas’s redistricting plan pass constitutional muster?
  10. Does Chelsea Manning have a constitutional right to hormone therapy while in military custody? (No, because the Constitution doesn't say anything about this. Not sure what to say or argue here. I don't think there's much on the issue from this angle).
  11. What should the Russian government do in light of new reports of chemical weapons usage in Syria?
  12. Will the release of Hosni Mubarak make Egypt’s interim government extremely unpopular?
  13. What can missile defense planners learn from Israel’s Iron Dome?
  14. How can the UN’s MONUSCO mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo improve its effectiveness?
  15. Will recent revelations about radiation at the Fukushima nuclear plant doom attempts at reviving nuclear power in Japan?
  16. Do European governments need to take stronger actions against neo-Nazi movements?
  17. Why is economic growth in India slowing down? (My initial gut instinct says that it's either one or two big reasons, or many little reasons. The latter would make this question hard to answer.)
  18. Should Ukraine sign a customs agreement with the European Union or Russia?
  19. How should the Brazilian government deal with rising illegal immigration?
  20. Would consolidation improve European banking? (Consolidation of what? Would research tell me?)

 

Goals, Updates, and What I'm Capable Of

goals for this weekMy parents say I shouldn't be so negative on this blog, referring to my previous post on how I'm so horrible at this new niche (and considering that I haven't written a single post this week, I'm still very horrible). However, I say that it's important to be open and to be honest about these things. Besides, if I put my mistakes and shortcomings into writing and admit them to the world, then I can acknowledge them and fix them. If I just go one pretending they don't exist, then I'm probably not going to do anything about them.

Goal for this Week: Do One Post, Just One Post

Apparently, two was much too ambitious for me. I couldn't discipline myself to do the research. I also got busy and distracted, although I was way more distracted than busy. Below are the 10 possible topics that I might do for my one post (since these are rather engaging and interesting topics, I might actually do more than one like I'm supposed to. Some of these actually sound fun.)

  1. Will Cristina Fernández de Kirchner succeed in amending the Argentinian constitution so that she can run for a third term?
  2. What reforms are needed to the Mexican judicial system?
  3. Should India avoid an upcoming meeting with Pakistan due to the recent violence in Kashmir?
  4. What changes should Hassan Rohani make to Iran’s nuclear program?
  5. What role should the European Union play in the Gibraltar dispute?
  6. Is America winning the fight against obesity?
  7. If you were the chief executive of AOL, what would you do to make it relevant again?
  8. How can the U.S. make itself less dependent on foreign oil?
  9. Is the GOP’s refusal to participate in CNN and NBC 2016 presidential primary debates justified?
  10. Will privacy rights be a major issue in the 2014 midterm elections?

I'm So Close to My File Cabinet!

My main goal for my inferno of productivity is to accrue 300 points so that I can get a file cabinet! I ended the previous week with 271 points, and after tallying this week's points, I have 322 points. This means I can finally get that file cabinet! I am excited since I've need a file cabinet so badly, and never got around to getting one. Now, all I have to do is redeem those points and get one. I took a quick look online and there's nothing that I really like. I'd really like a wooden file cabinet to match my a little bit, but perhaps I'll settle on a metal one because they are cheaper.

Once I achieved my goal, I said that I would evaluate my inferno of productivity to see if it really worked at boosting my productivity and to make a decision as to whether or not to continue the game. I think I will continue it because it's a record of what I accomplished each day as well as a fun way to work toward rewards and to give myself those rewards. Also, by assigning points, I can prevent myself from overindulging on these rewards One of my prizes is eating out, and eating out is much less appealing when it means I have to give up points and it means one more week until I can get that file cabinet, or that haircut, or whatever it is I want.

It's also a good way to ensure that I purchase things that I've been intending to purchase for a while, such as that file cabinet. It's really easy to forget those things and to work around the problem (the problem with the file cabinet being my papers and files are in piles on the floor, unattended and dusty). For my next goal/reward, I want a haircut. I badly need a haircut, as my hair is way too long. It gets in the way when I sleep at night.

Speaking of sleep, I should go do that.

About that Niche

choosing a niche I still haven't chosen a new niche for this blog yet, although I have given it some thought. There are a few ideas in my head that I'm mulling over, trying to figure out which one would be the most interesting and enjoyable to pursue while needing a reasonable amount of work. I don't want this to take away from my digital content work, but I do want it to contribute to my personal branding and expertise in a substantial way.

I Could Do the Blogging Case Study Again

I could, and I have thought about it. My only issue with it is that I feel like I would still have to choose a niche, so it doesn't remedy the problem I currently have. Without a niche, I would trouble ranking for keywords (kind of tough to have keywords to rank for without a niche) and I would have trouble determining how many visitors came from search engines (because I don't have a good grasp of the keywords). It might not be a bad idea to combine the two, choosing a niche that doesn't have a strong business blogging presence and needs some barrier busting, but perhaps we'll do that if the niche works. I don't want to limit myself to a niche that would work with the blogging case study. Although, if I did do this, I don't think I'll blog every day. That's too much for me.

I'm Leaning Toward Identity Theft and Credit Repair/Scores/Reports

My identity theft protection client just reduced my workload by two-thirds. I'm okay with that, since I wasn't too fond with their business blogging methodology anyway. I've been writing for them for about two years now, so I've developed a wealth of knowledge in this arena. It's information that's badly needed in today's society, as how identities are stolen is constantly changing. Credit reports and scores and one of the few ways we can find out about identity theft, but our credit reports and scores aren't always accurate and can be used against us if we don't know what's on them. Also, things like scams, malware, phishing etc. also jeopardize our identity theft risk.

I'm Also Considering Something to do with Activism or Political Issues

It was my maternal health critique that went viral, even though all I did was critique the book reviews of a book I was reading about maternal health. They were misrepresenting the facts and the issue.

The point is that I think I could do well in this arena, even though I do think I have to choose a specific issue or a specific format. I've considering answering U.S. and international extemporaneous questions, since I know there is an audience for that type of analysis (and I would have wished to have such analysis when I was doing speech and debate). This niche also allows me to cover a broader array of topics. The hard part with this would be the workload. I would have to spend the time doing the research and sourcing my arguments. It would also be hard to choose only a couple of questions each week, when 20 new ones are introduced each week.

I could also do an overall advocacy or a consumer advocacy blog, where I'm covering the news while primarily introducing materials to help people to take action and to advocate for their rights or for certain things to happen. I'm thinking something similar to the business idea that my business coach and I drew up a few months ago (not sure if it would a been a good business because I'm not sure if you can sell this sort of thing. You also can't appeal to everyone, so you'd have to choose to narrow your market substantially, which isn't good). It fulfills a huge need, and I know I would absolutely love doing this work. I also have the experience and expertise to back it up.

What to do? I still need to think about it. This helps a lot though.

Where Has the Time Gone? This is Ridiculous

where did the time goI have not blogged in a really long time! I promised that I was going to blog while I was in Las Vegas, and after Las Vegas, and I got sidetracked and I didn't do any of that. That was almost two months ago, and so much has transpired over that time. Essentially, what's happened is that I lost money playing poker, I got really busy with the business, now the business doesn't have a lot of money, so I think I need to rethink my life or something. Actually, I probably need to rethink a lot of things. Except the poker, as I'm slowly making my money back online.

Blogging Case Study

Obviously, this is out the window. I've long past the deadline at the end of the quarter to evaluate where I've come with the blogging. I've probably lost most of the ground I made in the first 70 days or so of the year. I also need to come up with a whole new list of blog post ideas and a brand new goal for this blog and all that other good stuff. I could just shoot for turning this thing into a business and becoming famous online or something, but then I feel that's what every blogger shoots for.

Oh no, I need to think about this like how technology evangelist Ramon Ray does. I am a publisher, although I'm not quite sure what I publish yet. That goes with the figuring out blog topics, new blog goal, maybe something else to study. I don't know. While I am at it, I should come up with a cool title, like how Ramon Ray is the "technology evangelist." I don't know what I am yet.

Saving the World Mission is Still Here, Though

Besides the fact that everything else has gone to garbage, I am now the St. Louis Community Ambassador for the Half the Sky Movement. The movement is based off the book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (which is a great book that everyone should buy/borrow and read), and is about ending oppression for women and girls worldwide. I think I'm going to be devoting some content to that, promoting documentary screenings (the book was then turned into an AMAZING PBS documentary, which you should watch after you read the book) and thinking of other awesome initiatives to do to encourage action and to end oppression. This falls right into line with the 'saving the world' mission, which was cornerstone to this whole blogging thing. Can't forget about saving the world! What's the point of life if you are not going to save the world?

So, What's Next?

Good question, after two months of my life has gone by so very fast. So very, very fast. I do have to plan my first Half the Sky screening, which is planned for June 6 at 5:30 p.m. It is going to be about economic empowerment, but that's all I know so I need to work on that. I also want to do a business blogging class, which I think would be valuable to potential customers. I think I could charge $15 for entry or something. I do need to make changes to the services that I offer with Stirring Media, since I think I need to change direction with the business. I might need to revert back to freelance writing, or focus my services a bit more on just a few verticals or something. Not sure yet. I'm going to work on the new service pages, take a way a few services that no one wants, and see how much of a difference that makes.

I am Awesome. Here's How

i am awesomeI like doing these birthday/personality/astrological sign/Chinese sign things because I find them to be so accurate of who I am. When they are so accurate, as is the photo on the left, I am reminded of how awesome I am and how much I can accomplish. I have other goals for the year, both business and personal goals, of which I shall share tomorrow so I have something to write about. In the meantime, I am awesome and will do great things. Because I said so. Here's how I am awesome, in case you've failed to notice.

I've Gotten So Much Done Today

On Linda Formichelli's blog, The Renegade Writer, she discussed in a post that instead of a "To Do List", you should create a "What I've Done List" at the end of the day. The latter is more rewarding and less daunting, while illustrating that you've probably accomplished more during the day than you realized. I wish I could find the exact post, but I've done so much today! Here is my "What I've Done List" for today:

  • Sent three marketing emails
  • Emailed a client to arrange a meeting to plan blog post ideas for the next few weeks
  • Exchanged with another client about guest posting and increasing workload
  • Secured a new customer!
  • Exchanged with a potential client on how our arrangement would work
  • Shared current business success on the business Facebook page
  • Completed four blog posts for four separate clients
  • Bought chocolate and taquitos
  • Made pizzadillas for lunch (quesadillas with pizza toppings)
  • Made soup for dinner (from a soup mix and not a can)
  • Scheduled a meeting for this Saturday
  • Scheduled tasks for next week
  • Revised a Twitter background for a client
  • Watched the latest episode of Sharktank (which is much more productive than you realize)
  • Played a poker sit-n-go and took second, after coming back from two big blinds!

Did I mention I was awesome? Did I also mention that I woke up at 11 a.m. and still got all this done? I grant that this also means I will be up until 2 a.m., but that just adds to my awesomeness.

And There are Plenty More Awesome Things to Do!

I could always do more, because doing awesome things is an awesome, and if we put our minds to it (with some coffee or really rich dark chocolate) we can always do more awesome things and come up with more awesome things to do. Now, comes that "To-Do List":

  • Create and schedule tweets for next week for me and my clients
  • Create Friday's blog post for Amnesty St. Louis about our newest book club reading
  • Send that contract for my new customer
  • Play More Poker
  • Exercise
  • Apply to More Gigs
  • Work on One of those Lead Generation Offers that I've Started and Have Yet to Finish
  • Renew my library books
  • Come up with blog post idea for next week for another client

Oh Yeah... About Those Topics

Still haven't made much progress on those, although I have gone through the notebook of interesting topics and picked out what I wanted to cover. I essentially chose the good stuff that remotely relates to saving the world. However, I still need to get to five for each, and I need to get those all scheduled in the editorial calendar. Actually, all my editorial calendars require work. Perhaps I will get this done tonight, since I can't play the Wii because my fiance is playing poker. He wishes not to have distractions when he's playing poker. Although I am sad that I cannot play SoulCalibur Legends, it's probably better that I spend time getting work done. I will do that now.