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Category Archives: biz tips + tools

Lessons Learned from 90 Days of Instagram Posting (and What I’m Doing Next)

Lessons Learned from 90 Days of Instagram Posting (and What I’m Doing Next)

Wanna know a secret?

I started my Instagram challenge a few months back totally by accident.

I work on my blog content about a month in advance. And I’d actually written the blog post declaring my start to the challenge weeks before and scheduled it when I was feeling bold.

So when I saw my weekly email in my inbox that fateful Friday morning saying, “daily Instagram posting starts today, y’all!” my heart sank a little.

I didn’t feel “ready”. But I had no choice at that point. It was GO TIME.
 
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4 Life Hack Lessons About Perspective

4 Life Hack Lessons About Perspective

Who doesn’t love a good life hack, right?

We could all use some easy shortcuts now and again.

You know who didn’t have the luxury of a shortcut, though? A very insightful dude you’ve probably never heard of called Kazimierz Dąbrowski.

A little background: Dąbrowski was a Polish psychologist who studied coping skills — specifically, how people recover after traumatic experiences by researching WWII survivors.

His subjects had watched cities crumble, survived bombings, lived through the Holocaust, witnessed torture, lost family members — in short: some of the worst things a human could possibly endure.

Yet Dąbrowski noticed something really interesting among the survivors: their suffering led them to be happier.
 
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1 year of consistent blogging: how I did it

1 year of consistent blogging: how I did it

I’ve always had a thing for anniversaries.

I remember a classmate in high school whose parents, according to the Bridgewater mom gossip network, were still crazy in love like teenagers. And, according to the moms, the couple also took a decadent, lavish trip — sans children — every year on their anniversary.

I stopped listening when the mom squad shared their opinions on how this puppy-dog-style love affected their kids. They lost me at the “lavish anniversary trip” part.

I LOVE the idea of honoring milestones, both big and small. Taking time to reflect and celebrate an anniversary is an awesome idea, in my book.
 
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From Brilliantsburg to Shitetown: What to do when copy just doesn’t come together

From Brilliantsburg to Shitetown: What to do when copy just doesn’t come together

I quit.

And I know they say that quitters never prosper. But I’m actually okay with it.

I just spent the past three hours writing and re-writing and re-writing some more, only to realize that the blog post I was working on was, to steal a phrase from my British boyfriend, utter shite.

At first, I thought it would be brill. It involved a great anecdote about runny egg yolks, leading into practical tips for capturing creative inspiration the moment it strikes.

But with every draft, it moved further from Brilliantsburg and closer to Shitetown.

…Until it eventually got cozy, dropped a 20% down payment on a condo, and opened its doors to the Shitetownian Welcoming Committee.

And you know what? That’s okay.

 
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How to use Asana to make the most of low energy time

How to use Asana to make the most of low energy time

Throughout the work week, there are inevitably pockets of time where you don’t feel your best.

There’s no way to avoid those lethargic or uninspired moments. But you can recognize them and not let ‘em ruin your flow.

The system that works for me is to use Asana to track all my “low energy” tasks with a specific tag.

A low energy task is something that doesn’t require a ton of mental energy to complete. Aka the perfect tasks to make good use of my time when I’m not firing on all cylinders.

Like at 3:30pm after a day of client calls when my inner introvert is just ZONKED.

All I have to do is pull up my low energy task list in Asana and get to work. Keep Reading »

how to find out what visitors honestly think of your website

how to find out what visitors honestly think of your website

Ever heard of Theory of Mind?

It’s a concept back from my psych student days that explains how children develop their sense of perspective, usually when they’re around 3-5 years old.

It’s an understanding that our thoughts are separate from others’ — that we can have different knowledge, opinions, and realities.

That just because I’m obsessed with Harry Potter and Nordic culture and #allcozyeverything doesn’t mean Johnny is.

(I don’t know this Johnny kid’s deal. I heard he also hates puppies and America’s Sweetheart, Michael Cera. I’m not saying he’s a sociopath. But like, he is.)

Anyway.

Theory of Mind teaches us that we don’t come pre-programmed to understand another person’s perspective.

And as business owners, that can really fail us when it comes to understanding our customers. Especially when our websites are involved. Keep Reading »

Transform new subscribers into (paying) superfans with a welcome sequence

Transform new subscribers into (paying) superfans with a welcome sequence

Imagine your picture-perfect dream client clicking around on your website.

She’s totally digging your design. She’s connecting with your copy and message are hungry to get more from you. So she clicks the shiny “Subscribe” button and signs up for your email list.

Parade music plays!

Confetti canons explode!

The internet marketing gods give you a glittery high five from heaven!

That visitor did the ONE thing that is so vitally important for her to do when she visits your website.

Amazing!

…Now what?
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