I did not have a boyband phase at the typical age.
Mine came later, after I turned gardening (my hobby) into a job and after I turned paddleboarding (my hobby) into my job, and after, to some extent, I turned books (reading them: also my hobby) into my job.
After a long day in front of the computer I stumbled onto a BuzzFeed article about One Direction and the rest, as they say, was history.
The article wasn’t about their floppy hair or winning smiles. It was about the machinations of their management group.
Pop culture + conspiracy theories: SIGN. ME. UP.
You don’t pick your fave; your fave picks you.
If you’re new here, you probably don’t know that Harry Styles is my spirit animal. 1/4 of One Direction, one whole solo breakout star, one dad rock aficionado, one sparkly suit wearer, one young gent who manages to stay polite, creative, and relatively private in an age when that is practically impossible even if you’re not famous.
I think I have an affinity for him because of his ridiculously dry sense of humor and his relentless pursuit of not reacting.
He puts out music, goes on tour, interacts with fans while he’s on the clock, and then he mostly stays off the grid. Otherwise the world would eat him up.
And when we let it, the world will eat us up, too.
You’ve got that one thing.
If I could name one thing that has changed my business for the better, it would be choosing the one thing I need to get done that day before checking my email or opening social media or, even, turning on my phone ringer, and doing it.
That means sometimes I don’t check email until 11:30 in the morning.
This is not a “oh lookee here I’m better than you lalalalalala” statement.
It is a “I finally realized that I cannot actually get the work done that my clients hire me for unless I take the time when I’m most alert, most creative, most productive, to do that work without distractions” statement.
Our clients and our customers hire us, shop with us, engage us because we have something they need. We solve their problems, but we do that with our “one thing.”
Each of us has “that one thing” — our superpower. The thing that can make a huge difference in the world around us.
And I’m pretty sure it isn’t inbox zero.
What is your one thing?
- What’s the most important work you can create?
- When is your “power hour” or the time of the day you’re most productive?
- How can you arrange your life (kids, work, housework, family, exercise, etc.) so that you can get your one thing done each day? (You can do this. But, more importantly, if you want to grow, you have to do this.)
My Big “One Thing”
Coming up on Tuesday, January 22, I’m hosting an online workshop with Monica Hemingway — at no charge to you — about using email to grow your business.
RECORD SCRATCH – Uh, wait, didn’t I just say not to check email until you’ve done your one thing? Yep. This is not that.
This is about using email, permission marketing (because the people you email have given you permission to communicate with them and share with them the one thing you can do to help them), to get more business.
Email still has the highest ROI of any marketing activity, and Monica and I know so many people who aren’t getting the full value of it. So we made a workshop for you to share our tips about how we use email to help our clients and ourselves grow their businesses.
Learn More Here >
If you can’t attend during the workshop (2 p.m. Eastern on January 22) but want to watch it later, please sign up so we can send you the replay.
We’ll be taking about strategies that Monica and I have used to double our clients’ businesses (and our own). They’re not complicated secret strategies. Chances are, you just don’t know about the strategies and how to make them work for you.
Hope to see you there!
Bookmarks of the Week
Here’s a little something for everyone.
WordPress 101 and WordPress 102 Tutorials
Are you struggling with the new WordPress editor? These videos will definitely help you.
Defining Your Brand
This handy guide from the Harvard Business Review is actually applicable to everyone reading this email. I saw it in the paper magazine and made sure to track down the online link to share with you!
2019 Reads
I’m keeping track of what I’m reading in 2019 via my instastories. If you’re a bookworm, check it out. (Incidentally, since I’ve started reading novels again like my life depends on it, I’m a whole lot happier. Turns out I don’t just want to make books. I want to also read them.)
How to Create a 3-month SEO Plan
Hope to see you next week in the online class.
And, I would LOVE to know what your “one thing” is because, well, maybe I need it! Hit “reply” and tell me!
P.S. If you want to see what we call “fetus One Direction” sing One Thing click here.
