I've started to compile a list of cool planners that I've found this year that you might like for your business. If you have another planner you love, let me know in the comments and I'll add it.

Here you go…

Leonie Dawson's “Create your Shining Business and Life” Planners

I love this planner, and it works really well to plan out not only what next year will look like for your business, and also what you want your life to look like too.

It's definitely a bit woo-woo. A few of my friends got it last year and went “what the heck, Nik?” lol! But, like I said, it's awesome if you want to do a lot of visualization and planning for 2016 – and especially if you're creative and want to have a keepsake to look back on at the end of the year when you go “LOOK AT HOW I ROCKED IT! I'M AWESOME!!!”

Here's my planner in the airport last year as I was working through it during a layover:

This gets a big recommendation from me. The whole system is broken down into weekly, monthly and annual planning and I recommend you work through it with your business coach.

-> Check out the uber-popular Business & Life planners here.

Natalie Collins “Biz Plan Book 2016 Edition”

I'm hearing really good things about this planner. Personally I haven't ordered it yet (but I will be), so I can't tell you too much about it, but I do know Natalie well and she's awesome-sauce, so I expect this is, too.

-> Check out The Biz Plan Book on Amazon

Awesome FREE Blog Planner with Calendar.

Every year, my friend, Lynette Chandler, puts together a big blogging calendar for the entire year. It’s the best blogging calendar that I’ve seen and I’ve printed mine out to put in a binder.

See?  This is a picture I took of the 2011 planning calendar.

You may not be able to tell from my poor photography skills, but there are boxes for all kinds of planning each week –

1. Your own blog posts

2. Guest blog posts

3. What you plan to send to your lists

4. Promotions

So, guess what? The 2016 version is ready to rock and roll — and it's FREE

Grab it here: FREE 2016 Printable Weekly Calendar

Here’s a sample page that I took a screenshot of so you can how nice it is.

This page shows how to use this year’s blog calendar.

And, here’s a sample page from this year showing what the printable planning calendar part looks like.

Here’s that link again:

FREE 2016 Printable Weekly Calendar

Your Very Own Planner that YOU Can Sell? Yep. “Planning your Best Year Ever”.

If you want to have your OWN planner that you can create a coaching program around and sell, we've got that covered for you at CoachGlue.com.

You get the planner in .doc format right away and then you can dig in, add to it, and turn it into a planner that you use when working with clients, create a coaching program around it, and/or sell it from your own website.

How do you make it your own?

• Get a new cover (you can do that on Fiverr)
• Change the colors
• Add an “About you” page
• Infuse some YOU into it. Your stories. Your examples.
• Add a few more exercises
• Insert a few book recommendations (Might I recommend this one?)
• Include a call to action at the end

Voila! You have a totally unique planner that you can use to grow your business.

-> Grab this “Done for Your Business” planner. 

What did I miss?

But what other planners do YOU love? Do tell. I'm excited to hear about them.

Warmly,
Nicole

PS. If you want to grow your list, be sure to watch this free webinar about using LeadPages effectively.

Most of us started our online businesses to change lives and earn a living, NOT to spend hours in frustration setting up webinars, learning how to update WordPress, getting stuck trying to set up your email lists, editing videos (yuck), or answering help desk emails and filtering spam.

I don't know about you but there is nothing more frustrating to me than wasting time and feeling stupid doing things that are outside of my main focus.

That's where I encourage you to let other people shine.

Yes, other people LOVE doing that stuff. So, why flail in your weaker areas instead of spending your time doing the things that bring you from Average to AWESOME?!

Plus, it costs money to struggle. If you need to get a buy button on your page so you can make sales, don't spend a day trying to do it. That's a day of lost sales, when someone else could have spent 5 minutes and had it working.

Yes. Hand those tasks off to the Virtual Assistants who LOVE to do that stuff, so YOU are free to reach your highest income goals.

But… that's where it gets tricky. You find a great VA and then get stuck.

* You have to figure out what you want them to do, because you aren't quite sure yourself!

* You feel like you're flying by the seat of your pants – and paying for it!

Well, that USED to be the problem, but now that problem is solved.

Done-for-You Outsourcing Plans make it easy.

My friend, Melissa Ingold, has created marketing plans that you can hand to your Virtual Assistant and say “do this please” – and they have a fail-proof path to follow. OR if you're a VA, get these and you will have instant income streams. (Hint hint)

So your Virtual Assistant can MAKE you money!

You can see everything you can get here, but DON'T buy here:
CLICK HERE for the Overview (< –BUT DON'T BUY HERE)

Instead, grab an entire year's worth of marketing plans here and save BIG (get early bird pricing for only a few days): ==> CLICK HERE TO SAVE BIG.

If you've ever said this:

“If only I could just hand a marketing plan over to someone and they'd just DO what I wanted them to do instead of trying to explain it – especially when I don't even understand it myself.”

Then I recommend that you get this: CLICK HERE TO SAVE BIG ON OUTSOURCING PLANS.

Please weigh in on your #1 struggle with outsourcing. I've been doing it a long time and would love to do a Q&A series for you.

Warmly and with Big Hugs,
Nicole Dean

PS. If all this talk about getting paid to go work online is appealing to you, then this is the place YOU want to be:  Click to Learn More about Becoming a Virtual Assistant

Every year, my friend, Lynette Chandler, puts together a big blogging calendar for the entire year. It’s the best blogging calendar that I’ve seen and I’ve printed mine out to put in a binder.

See? This is a picture I took of the 2011 planning calendar.

You may not be able to tell from my poor photography skills, but there are boxes for all kinds of planning each week –

1. Your own blog posts

2. Guest blog posts

3. What you plan to send to your lists

4. Promotions

So, guess what I've got for you today? The 2015 version which is better than ever.

The best part? It’s free.  Just grab it and go.

Grab it here: FREE 2015 Printable Weekly Calendar

Here's a sample page that I took a screenshot of so you can how nice it is.

This page shows how to use this year's blog calendar.

And, here's a sample page from this year showing what the printable planning calendar part looks like.

Here's that link again:

FREE 2015 Printable Weekly Calendar

When you get to that page, click the download link. A box will pop up asking you to share the calendar on FB or Twitter. Once you do, the zip file will open.

If you don't want to share until after you look at it, or run into problems, just click on the “I already shared” link and the download will begin. (Just don't forget to spread the word later.)

I hope it helps you plan for a great year!

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

PS. Speaking of blogging, if you get stuck coming up with topics and writing, use these articles as drafts and never have writer's block again: http://www.easyplr.com

This week, I have Debbie O'Grady, with me.

The audio recording of our interview is in this blog post. Just look for the “play” button and listen. It’s free! Also, be sure to check out all of the resources listed below.

If you’re not familiar with Debbie yet, learn more here:

My clients call me “The Queen of Accountability” because I help them get focused, get more done and make more money!

I work with coaches who want to add accountability to their existing program and I also work with Individuals who know accountability can help them accomplish their goals.

Find Debbie on the web at “The Queen of Accountability“.

Step 1: Check out these Essential Tools and Resources for Online Business Success Mentioned in this Show:

All links will open in a new window and not interfere while you're listening to the audio.

• Beachpreneurs Ladies Only Mastermind Retreat – Where Debbie and I got to know each other better.

Tools Debbie mentioned during this call:

• Dropbox
• Google Calendar
• WordPress
• Web Hosting:  Debbie uses HostGator. I use them, plus I recommend MomWebs.com (for newbies especially) or LiquidWebs (for big users).
• TimeTrade
• For Password Management: Debbie uses Roboform. (I useLastPass)

A few of Debbie's key points:

• Hire a Coach. (Here's How to Find and Hire a Business Coach.)
• Have an Accountability Coach.  Your friends are not the best people to hire to do this. You can book a time to talk with Debbie at GetOnTrackConversation.com
• Attend Live Events. (I recommend NAMS as a great place to start.)

Step 2: Listen to the Interview.

Be sure to listen to the entire interview.

Step 3: Learn More from Debbie

Head over here to check out…

• Revenue Recharge
•  GetOnTrackConversation.com

Step 4: Share the Love.

If you liked this interview, don't keep it to yourself. Share the link with some friends. (Pretty please.)

Step 5: Make Sure you Don't Miss a Thing.

Either sign up for my blog updates over there –>

Or grab my feed on iTunes so you can get lots more free interviews just like this one. (Please leave a glowing review while you're at it.)

Step 6: Get a free link on my blog

Please post your comments below after you listen to the interview. Show Debbie the love so I can continue to get great guests like her.

Plus, of course, you can include your URL and your Twitter ID in the appropriate fields when you comment, as always.

Thanks again for being part of my business and my day. I'm looking forward to hearing what you learned and will apply from this interview.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Would you Like to Start a Podcast like Mine and Have Cool People on your Show? If you can make a telephone call, you can have a podcast, too: Click here -> How to Start a Podcast

ONE MORE THING!!! Grab this free audio from Debbie to learn more about Accountability.

During this hangout, we asked them each to talk about what being a beachprenuer meant to them (it's not always about the beach) and to share a tip for living that lifestyle.

Enjoy the replay here:

Are you ready to join us at the beach?

You'll find all the details here:
http://www.beachpreneurs.com/conference/

You'll meet the following AMAZING people:

• Kelly McCausey
• Me.
• Bob “The Teacher” Jenkins
• Rachel Martin
• Debbie O'Grady
• Tracy Roberts
• Leslie Truex
• Tony Laidig
• Paul Taubman
• Natalie Collins

Yes, you CAN Join us at the Beach!

You'll find all the details here:
http://www.beachpreneurs.com/conference/

I hope to see you there!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. If you're not sure yet…

Be sure to Like Beachpreneurs on Facebook! and select “maybe” on our event page too here: See who’s coming in September.

This week I asked our panel of experts…

“What is your most productive time of day?

How do you optimize and plan for that?”

I think you'll find the responses interesting.

Lou Bortone of Video in a Day says:

I'm a night owl and usually get a second or third wind at 11pm. By then the kids and dogs have finally settled in, the house is quiet, and I can hunker down for a couple of hours of productive time. I set aside the late shift for creative work like copywriting or video editing – stuff that requires the focus I don't usually have during the day. (Did I mention that I have the attention span of a gnat?)

Terry Dean of My Marketing Coach says:

My most productive time of day is late morning before lunch – usually 9 to 12 AM.

Since I'm an early riser, I will usually handle client emails before this. Then I'll exercise, eat breakfast, and get ready.

Then depending on the day, usually I spend that entire 3 hour period writing on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Tuesday and Wednesdays I do phone clients.

Any ‘routine' activities are usually done in the afternoon.

Everyone always seems to tell you not to do email first in the morning, but that all depends on your energy levels. I find email works well for me first thing and then run my most creative periods a little bit later in the morning.

You need to find a system that works for you personally, and then flow with it instead of forcing yourself into someone else's model.

Kevin Riley of  Blogpreneur Training says:

I find myself most productive at either mid-morning or late night. When I want to take advantage of this productive time, I do one of the following:

Walk away from my computers and go somewhere quiet to write. This may be my kitchen floor, on the roof of our building, or on a train to one of my favourite hiking spots.

Hop on the computer at my studio (the only Windows computer I have – exiled from my Mac-only office, but loaded with my old MX Flash software) and draw the character drawings I need for my new videos.

Do whatever is on my ToDo list.

Rachel Rofe of How To Get Every Book You Write Onto The First Page Of Kindle says:

I am definitely best in the mornings. I love working from 7am to 12pm.

Some of the ways I optimize are:

– I aim to go to bed before 10pm so when I wake up, I feel rested and ready to go.

– I have my to-do list written out the night before so that I can hit the ground running when I get to my computer.

– I aim to have healthy and nourishing breakfast foods on hand so there's no wasted time thinking about what to eat.

– I don't schedule any phone calls or interviews during that time.

– I do my best not to check email in that period.

– I schedule all of my hardest tasks from 7-12, and do the hardest one first, while I have the most juice.

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts Podcast says:

My productive times are split. I'm highly functional between ten in the morning and two or three in the afternoon, then I'm back in action after eight at night. In between I may nap or run errands, read and poke around websites ‘for fun'.

I've found it important to embrace the flow of my focus. If I try to push through and work in the afternoon, the work product is not going to be great.

There are exceptions. Sometimes a project is so exciting I can't turn away from it no matter what the clock says. Follow your bliss I say!

Tiffany Lambert of Work Life Balance says:

For me, I have a split level of productivity.

I am most productive on menial tasks in the morning, having coffee, checking email, checking sales stats, etc.

I am more creative and productive with products in the evening.

So I go with the flow on that. I work early and then break for lunch and sanity and then get back to work in the evenings for fun stuff I enjoy doing, like working on my Kindle fiction.

Shannon Cherry of Learn How I Get *Paid* to Attend Events says:

I'm a morning person… I always have been. So I work on my most creative tasks in the morning (the ones that need a lot of thought). I plan my week very carefully to optimize my time. Things like social media posting are automated so I only pop on while waiting for the school bus or another time when I am doing something else.

People ask me all the time how I get so much done in my business working only 15 hours a week. It all comes down to this: I choose to make the hours I work as productive as possible. I've created a video with some tips on how to be more productive:

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

I am so NOT a morning person that it's not even funny. But, I've always been that way and love being a night owl.

That said, my optimal working time is between 10am-6pm. Of course, I don't work that straight through though. I come and go from my computer depending on other obligations: kids, puppies, husband, appointments, eating, and overall energy level.

This means that I schedule all interviews between 10 am-3 pm. That works best for me hitting my peak brain time, without conflicting with family time. I've made the mistake of recording interviews in the morning and WOWZA. I had major word soup. Just not a great idea.

I also know that I work really well in bursts so I'm ok with that. However, the bursts are usually determined by me, and not the people around me. If I have interruptions while I'm actively trying to focus, I am not as productive.

What do I mean exactly?

Well, I got on the computer this morning around 10 am, and worked a bit on CoachGlue.com stuff. Now it's noonish and I just took at shower and came to sit down and finish this post. When it's done, I'll reward myself by getting out of my office and checking in on the kids or seeing if some laundry needs to be moved, or checking the mail. Then I'll head back to write my email and get it scheduled, too. I may take a few minutes to check in with Facebook or catch up with texts/calls on my phone, take a bathroom break, get a big glass of water, and  head back to my desk for my next big task – or I may call it a day and work on stuff around the house that's more important.

That works really well for me – and my family can usually handle not interrupting me during those spurts.

What does NOT work, as I mentioned, is constant interruptions.

Thankfully my kiddos are old enough to know that I'll pop out of my office in a bit, after my interview, or my writing spurt is done and they'll leave me to work.  Whatever they need, they can usually get on their own, and things like their friends asking to come over can wait 20 minutes. But, that also means that I choose to ignore my phone while in a work burst unless it's a “911” text from a family member or close friend. They know I'll ignore phone calls while I'm working, but if there's an emergency, to text me “911” and I”ll call them back immediately. That's for instances where it's time sensitive and they feel I need to know right away. Everything else can usually wait and can't come ahead of me making a living.

I used to try to sit here in front of the computer and work all day, but I found that I wasn't nearly as productive as when I work in those focused bursts. I've given myself permission to come and go from my office, as needed, rather than forcing myself to sit here so I felt “busy”. Busy and productive are not the same things – especially when running a business.

So, I sprint, recover, sprint, recover, and sprint again. It's what works best for me.

What if I'm working on a BIG project?

Well, when I wrote my book, or when I created larger courses, I break them down into “single sitting' pieces. If I know all I need to do is knock out one chapter or one module or one webinar and then I can go to lunch with my hubby, I can do that. To sit and say “finish this book” – yeah, that's not going to happen.

I hope this has been helpful. Now comment, share, and then do a money task so you can do something fun to reward yourself.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Recommended Resource:

The Unstoppable Productivity Software Can Help You to Quit Spinning Your Wheels and Double Your Productivity!

When you use Unstoppable Productivity, there’s no complicated time-management ‘system’ you need to learn or remember. The goal behind our software is simple: To give you a way to visually structure your day in a way that you feel absolutely compelled to focus, take action, and get things done, once and for all!

In addition to being built around a system designed to motivate you to take more action, the interface helps you get absolutely clear about your day, allowing you to easily visualize your time and accomplishments at-a-glance.

Here’s How This Software Can Help You:

• Plan Your Day In Less Than 30 Seconds – Unstoppable Productivity comes pre-loaded with dozens of common tasks, and you can add as many of your own as you want. With all your tasks readily available, you’ll have your day planned in no time!

• Discover Where Your Time Is Going – At the click of a button, Unstoppable Productivity will go to work generating a report about all the actions you’ve completed, helping you quickly see how and where you’re time is really being spent

• See Your Day With More Clarity Than Ever Before – Instead of your day being some blurry, abstract ‘thing’ of stuff you need to do, Unstoppable Productivity uses various graphical elements to help you actually visualize it, making it more real and more achievable to you

• Feel A Stronger Sense Of Accomplishment – As you finish tasks using Unstoppable Productivity, the interface will provide you with visual feedback of their completion, giving you even more momentum to continue moving forward

• It’s Your Full-Time Coach – Unstoppable Productivity is a very lightweight application, meaning it takes up very little of your computers’ resources so you can use it all day every day knowing it’s not standing in the way of getting other things done on your computer

• Plenty Of Room, Even For Your Busiest Days – With the ability to display up to 12 timers at once, from 5 minutes to 3 hours each, you’ll always have plenty of flexibility to manage and plan even your busiest days

• Spend More Time Using It, And Less Time Learning How To Use It – With an intuitive, simple interface, mastering its use usually takes less than 3 minutes!

Click here to
Get More Productive!

PS. Remember, if you want me to keep getting awesome smart peeps to answer questions here, go check out their stuff.

• Lou Bortone – Video in a Day
• Terry Dean – My Marketing Coach
• Kevin Riley –  Blogpreneur Training
• Rachel Rofe – How To Get Never Have a Bad Day Again
• Kelly McCausey – Solo Smarts Podcast
• Tiffany Dow – Work Life Balance
• Shannon Cherry – Learn How I Get *Paid* to Attend Events

This video is part of our Sticky List Profits training where we give you some ideas to use our Done-for-You content from CoachGlue.  I hope you enjoy it!

In this video, my business partner, Melissa Ingold, talks about how you can leverage the content we've created for you at CoachGlue.com in your own business, which makes putting together your free list building giveaway easy and super fast!

Resources Mentioned (or Additional Training): CoachGlue.com

• Book Cover Pro Software
• 50 Things Your Website Needs to Attract More Clients
• 100 Things Every Business Must Do to Succeed Online
• Easy Webinars: 30 Days to a Big List, Instant Stardom, and Huge Profits
• How to Write Your Book in 30 Days (Bonus! 10 Extra Worksheets)
• Using 1ShoppingCart to Boost Your Business
• Using InstantTeleseminar
• Step-by-Step Guide to Using GoToWebinar

If you would like more videos about List Building, including the following topics, sign up at Sticky List Profits.

You'll discover..

Module #1: Getting Started and Growing Your Targeted List

The Basics:

• Why your list is important, which tools to use, and definitions

Choosing what to offer your readers to sign up.  What to use as your List Bait to get people to sign up for your lists?

• Best Strategies for Coming Up with Your Winning Idea

Ways to make it simpler for you.

Module #2: What Your List is Begging You to Mail Them

What to Send?

Module #3: List Engagement & Selling for Increased Profits

Learning how to sell more while still building a relationship with your audience.

Module #4: Setting Yourself Up for Long-Term Growth & Maximizing Your Profits

How to Schedule/Plan your Mailings?

Setting up Squeeze Pages.

Growing your Lists to Grow your Business

Again, you can check that out here:  
Sticky List Profits

Have a beautiful day. YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

This week I asked our panel of experts…

“How do you get your mojo back when it's flown the coop?”

I think you'll find the responses interesting.

Terry Dean of My Marketing Coach says:

I’ve lost my mojo multiple times over the years.

Here are 3 ways I’ve attacked it head on… and got my mojo back when it all feels lost.

#1 – Take a Break

Often it’s the day-to-day activities and the overwhelm that sucks the life out of you.

You’re so dug into the projects you’re working on that you don’t feel you can come up for air.

The best thing to do when you’re in that situation is to take a break. Stop staring at the problem. Get out and do something fun.

It could be as short as a few hours out of the office to watch a movie or go to lunch. Or it could be a weekend trip… or even an entire month break from your business.

Step out of the stress and the day-to-day activities. Look at the problem from a different situation and remind yourself what it is you love about what you do.

That leads us to the second part…

#2 – Focus on your Vision

During your break, take time out to look at your plan. What is your long-term vision?

Too many internet marketers are running their business by the seat of their pants. You’re overwhelmed because you’re taking on a whole bunch of activities that aren’t essential to your vision.

Eliminate all the unnecessary activities you added simply because they sounded like good ideas at the time.

Automate as many day-to-day activities as possible.

Delegate everything that’s outside your expertise or below your ‘pay grade.’

Where do you want to be in your business 12 months from today? Once you’ve written that down in detail, work backwards from there to what you want to accomplish in the next 90 days.

Then create a weekly and daily growth plan to take another baby step toward your vision every day.

#3 – Join a Passionate Mastermind Group or Find a Mentor

Enthusiasm is contagious.

And online marketing can be a lonely business if you allow yourself to be isolated.

Find others who are passionate about what they do. Share ideas. Grow together.

Hold each other accountable.

Avoid the complainers! Don’t keep participating in any forum, group, or club where it quickly becomes a pity party of how hard it is out there.

Some people have a ‘recession mindset’ while business is booming all around them.

Either find a mastermind group or connect with a mentor proven to help others move forward.

Lou Bortone of Video in a Day says:

How do you get your mojo back when it's flown the coop?

I ‘recharge my batteries' by attending (or speaking at) industry events and conferences. Despite being an introvert, I love the camaraderie that comes from events like NAMS, where we get to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Of course, the shenanigans that often happen after the sessions are the most fun and really help to restore my mojo when I've been running on empty!

Lain Ehmann of Crafting Your Business, Step-by-Step says:

For some reason, people think they have to “feel it” to be productive. I think the difference between a professional and a hobbyist is that the professional shows up whether their mojo is in the house or not. Just think of Celine Dion – do you think she tells her sold-out crowds in Vegas, “Nope, sorry. Just not feeling it tonight.” Emotions are a transitory thing. Some days I feel like sitting down to work, and some days I feel like curling up under my covers and reading junky novels. If I give in to the latter too often, I'll be in big trouble!

That being said, I can get burnt out at times. After a big event, I need to give myself time to physically recover and to reconnect with my family, who have been surviving on mac ‘n' cheese for the past week. A day or two of down time can re-charge my batteries and get me ready for the next big project.

I also can get zapped if I'm spending too much time doing the tasks and projects best left to someone else (like customer service). If I'm feeling blah day after day for an extended period of time, usually this is the reason; I've been doing soul-sucking work, rather than soul-fulfilling work. Then I have to realign my task list to better reflect the projects I'm excited about.

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts Podcast says:

Sometimes I lose my mojo and sometimes I lose my vision… both have a similar effect on me. I grind to a halt and feel stuck.

When I lose my mojo for business, when it all feels like it's been said or done before, I seek to spend time with newcomers. They see everything with fresh eyes and ask great questions. This lights a fire under me and before I know it, my mojo is burning brightly again.

Ideas for getting in touch with Newcomers:

1. Volunteer to be interviewed by a new blogger or podcaster.
2. Spend time answering questions on Forums and Facebook Groups.
3. Take on a Mentee or Intern
4. Offer an Open Phones Day. Here's How: Open Phone Lines Training

When I have mojo but lack vision on where to go next, I seek to spend time with successful contemporaries. They shine a light on my potential and make me realize I'm bonkers to not live up to it. With a little brainstorming and planning, my forward vision gets a jumpstart and I'm off and running again.

Ways to connect with Contemporaries:

1. Go to Live Events like Exposure and Profit or NAMS
2. Join a Mastermind Group. Example.
3. Start a Podcast, maybe even try the Round Table Format. Example. List Building Roundtable
4. Attend a Business Retreat like Beachpreneurs.com

We call get stuck now and then, but we don't have to stay there!

Kristen Eckstein of Free Book Promo says:

It happens to all of us. I lost my mojo. Writer’s block was in full force. And my deadline was less than 24 hours.

I did get it done (about 10,000 words), and Author’s Quick Guide to Having a Successful Book Signing was released on time. WOO-HOO! So how did I do it? How did I get my writing mojo back?

• Accountability—My coach issued this challenge to me, and she checked in to see how my progress was going. That lit a little fire under my behind…
• Mastermind—I’m part of a small mastermind group and we had our bi-weekly check-in meeting Wednesday morning. Telling them what I was up to helped renew the spark of excitement I had when the project was brand new two weeks before.
• Left-Brained Activities—Some might call it procrastination, but during my “off kilter” time I played in the kitchen with raw food recipes (and ate a LOT of chocolate), put together office furniture, ran errands, worked out and pretty much did everythingexcept write.
• Right-Brained Activities—When I felt my mojo start to return, I fostered it by playing with LEGOs, playing with my cat and playing with food (a left- and right-brained activity).
• Chocolate—I ate a LOT of chocolate! Raw cacao has energy and creativity-boosting properties, so I ate a ton of it. 

The fact is, all writers, entrepreneurs, artists—well, pretty much everyone who’s ever embarked on a large project like writing a book—loses their mojo once in a while. No one can say when your mojo leaves, how or when it will return. Mine hit suddenly around 9pm on Wednesday night, after a full day of the above activities. Having a coach hold me accountable was huge. She’s pushing me to go further than I think I can, and celebrating when I surprise myself. My mastermind group does a similar thing and offers support with like-minded people. And combining left- and right-brained activities opens the neurological pathways between the two hemispheres. Of course, my personal opinion is chocolate is what really did it. 

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

When my mojo flies the coop, I chase it down and tackle it in a few different ways and drag it back, even if it's kicking and screaming.

Yes, it happens to ALL of us. Like my friends above, I've been in this business a long time for TEN years (since 2004) and I've definitely had my on and off periods of time.

My friends touched on many of the things that I was going to mention, so I'll come at it from another angle.

1. Avoid loss of mojo in the first place. Have a vision and understand that what you do impacts other people. If your #1 goal in business is to profile AND make the web and the world a better place, then by not running your business, you aren't making the web and the world better. Right?

2. Take your vitamins. Seriously – good vitamins can really affect your entire mood, energy levels, and overall outlook on life, the universe and everything.  I keep mine sitting on my desk, so that I remember to take them every day. I notice that when I forget, I fade.

3.  Have people dependent on you. I have my team (assistants, customer support, writers, designers, etc), business partners, my family, my coaching clients, and even my dogs dependent upon my success. I don't have the luxury of crawling into bed too long before I have to get my butt up and get busy getting things done.

4. Allow for the down times and don't beat yourself up when they happen. Forgive yourself as you would forgive others. Don't get into a spiral of “I suck… ” because it doesn't help you to get back on your feet.

5. Keep track of your progress. With my coaching clients, I always recommend they create a spreadsheet or notebook of “Where I am Now” so they can track their progress. Otherwise, if growth is slow and steady, you may not realize that you're moving forward unless you have a way to look back. It's kind of like with weight loss. If you haven't seen someone in a year, and they've been losing 1-2 lbs per month, they may not realize how different they look, but you sure will.

6. Have some happy reminders near your desk. I have cards and printouts by my desk from people who have taken the time to send me words of love. These are from past coaching clients, friends whose lives I've touched through my work, and colleagues. I pick those up and reread them from time to time when I need a boost.

7. Most importantly – have some recurring income streams in place. When my mojo runs off – I have enough passive income streams and recurring revenue streams in place that I don't have to panic. I can take a break and not freak out about it. It's ok and that's a great feeling for me. I hope you have some in place as well. If not – please listen to the free audio on the top of this page to learn why it's so important to me that you start adding income streams today. Passive Income & Recurring Income Training

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. If all of the above fails, write a blog post about getting your mojo back and then you'll talk yourself into getting your stuff done. Busted.

I love learning from her as she's a rock star in the Copywriting and SEO world and her clients get results from her work.

So, I'll hand this post over to the awesomely amazing Karon Thackston.

3 Secrets for Writing Your Next Sales Page in Half the Time

By Karon Thackston

“I just sit staring at the blank screen like a deer in the headlights.”

“I get confused about everything that has to be included.”

“I end up with a stack of notes and have no idea how to use them.”

These are just a few of the responses I got after asking the question, “What’s so hard about writing a sales page?”

In other words… it takes a long time because there are lots of pieces to the puzzle.

There are, however, several ways to reduce your writing time by as much as half. Let me share 3 of my favorite secrets with you here.

1. Shrink Your Target Audience

Who does your target audience consist of? WAIT! Before you answer with something like “Everybody who…” or “Anybody that…,” we need to think about this.

Trying to communicate with anybody and everybody is not only a beginner’s approach to copywriting, but it can also actually weaken your overall marketing. Why? Because the broader your audience, the harder it will be to speak to prospects on their level.

Copywriting is actually just written communication. In order for you to connect effectively with others (we’ll use me as an example), you have to know something about them and they have to have an interest in what you’re providing.

Let’s say you want to write copy about your new ebook or your coaching program (or whatever it might be) that is enticing to me. Exactly what is it about your offer that will most appeal to me? If you and I have met for the first time via this blog post, you wouldn’t have a clue about what I want/need/like/dislike. That means you’d also only have a snowball’s chance at converting me into a customer until you did a little research about me.

Once you take some time to figure out who I am, what I do and how to reach me, your copywriting message starts to morph into a more compelling message. If you try to do this with “anybody” and “everybody,” you will fragment your sales page so badly that it won’t make sense to a single person.

The narrower you are about your audience, the better you can get to know them and the more persuasive your copy will be.

So… rather than starting to define your target customers as “Anybody who…” or “Everybody that…,” begin your description with “Only those people who…” Now you can concentrate on writing just to the most qualified people who visit your site and save yourself a ton o’ time!

2. Let Your Customers Tell You What to Write

I can’t put enough emphasis on just how vital it is to use your customers’ preferred language when you write. Yes, yes… you have to be authentic to yourself, but you should be creating web pages FOR your customers, not exclusively ABOUT you/your product/your service. Remember the old saying “It’s all about them”?

Instead of wasting a lot of time trying to figure out just what words/concepts strike a chord with your customers, go straight to the source.

Read your testimonials and take notes. Better yet… read your competitions’ testimonials! These are comments directly from your clients/customers. What do you see? Their exact words. If they say they like something (and you find it repeated several times), make a note: that’s something to include in your copy.

Visit forums associated with your industry. What praises and rants do you see in the threads? Jot them down… these are your prospects’ exact words, so pay close attention.

What you’ll end up with is a handy little list of phrases that you can use in your copy. When visitors read these statements, they will make an instant and powerful impact because (say it with me) they are your audience’s exact words.

Just imagine how fast the writing process will go with this by your side.

3. Make the “P” Word a Priority

Nobody likes this word: planning. But I’ll truthfully tell you that, without taking the proper steps up front, you are all but bound to struggle when you get to the writing phase. The magic truly happens before you ever pen a single word.

Sexy it ain’t, but the results certainly are! If you organize all your information, plan the purpose of your page, map out exactly what happens where, then – when you actually begin to write – you’ll be amazed at how painless and foolproof the process becomes.

By applying these 3 strategies to your next sales page, you’ll discover a time-saving approach that will reduce your stress and get you done significantly faster.

Want more help with that vital planning stage?

Now you can pick up the exact same guides and worksheets Karon uses when she writes copy for her clients. Get all the details about her new Copywriting Cheat Sheets (and save 34%!) when you download your copy today.

Check it out here!

Of course, I can't be too serious in this post.

My husband saw the title and his guesses for the content were:

1. Write less words.
2. Write faster.
3. Outsource it.

Go figure. Even if you do it HIS way, the planning guides are a huge help.

Big hugs.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. I had Karon on my podcast awhile back. You can listen to or read her interview here: Karon Thackston Success Story.

Every year, my friend, Lynette Chandler, puts together a big blogging calendar for the entire year. It’s the best blogging calendar that I’ve seen and I’ve printed mine out to put in a binder.

See? This is a picture I took of the 2011 planning calendar.

You may not be able to tell from my poor photography skills, but there are boxes for all kinds of planning each week –

1. Your own blog posts

2. Guest blog posts

3. What you plan to send to your lists

4. Promotions

So, guess what I've got for you today? The best part? It’s free. You don't even have to sign up for it. Just grab it and go. (Of course, if you do want to sign up to get blog ideas sent to your inbox, you can do that, too.)

Grab it here: FREE 2014 Printable Weekly Calendar

Here's a sample page that I took a screenshot of so you can how nice it is.

This page shows how to use the blog calendar.

And, here's a sample page to see what the printable planning calendar part looks like.

Here's that link again: FREE 2014 Printable Weekly Calendar

I hope it helps you plan for a great year!

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

PS. Speaking of blogging, be sure to check out my course Blog CPR: Revive your Lifeless Blog with Fresh Content! I think you'll like it.