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Resume’s – My secret fear

Resume’s terrify me.  It’s irrational and irritating, but it’s true.  For as long as I can remember, the words “submit your resume” have filled me with the same kind of panic that most people associate with root canals or major surgery.

Even more of a stumbling block for me is that now I am having to write resumes about my writing skills, not the web design skills that have kept me afloat up until this point.  I’ve entered a new career field where I am no longer well established.  I can’t just point out that I’ve held 22 positions in three companies and worked my way from upper management to owner of my own company.  I have to start over.

The part of this that frustrates me the most is that if you were to simply ask me what it is that I’ve been doing with my live for the past few years I could tell you easily:

  • 2007 – Present : Owner and sole writer for Cooking, by the seat of my Pants; a food and cooking blog with 866 articles and a readership in the thousands per day.
  • 2007 – Present : Owner and sole author for JerryDRussell.com, a blog about blogging
  • 2008 – Present : Owner and sole author for A Father Speaks.  A blog about Family, Autism and the challenges associated with it
  • 2007 – Present :  Ghost Writer on several projects of 50,000 words (NDA agreements preclude specifics)
  • 2004 – 2007 : Owner and sole author for ADHDFamilies.org – Now retired.  500 articles published

This is who I am and what I do, but when I try to put that information in the form of a resume, I choke.  It can take days or weeks for me to get the information penned in a way that makes me happy.

I don’t understand where the fear of resume’s came from.  i’ve worked in positions that required resume’s and portfolio for the past 15 years, but yet I still get a knot in my stomach every time I find the need to update or write a new C.V.

Maybe its because I started out in the workforce in the blue collar world.  Resume’s weren’t needed then.  You simply showed up and asked the foreman if he needed anyone on the crew.  Resume’s were for white collar workers.  You know, desk jockey’s.  Those guys that got paid to sit around all day.

I know now that they worked just as hard as I did, but that doesn’t change the thinking pattern that started when I was younger and pounding nails all day.  I know it needs to be done in the world I live in now, because I am one of those guys who gets paid to sit around all day.

I’ll do it, but it’s going to take a lot of coffee.

Are there any seemingly simple tasks that you despise?  I’m sure everyone despises doing something that others find simple.  I’d love to hear your secret work-related fears.  At least we’ll know we’re in it together.

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Posted in Personal.

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Let your ideas grow

Let your ideas grow

As it says in my tagline; “It starts with an idea. It’s what you do with that idea that matters.” But keeping fresh ideas coming can be a challenge, especially if you write in a crowded niche like this one.

I try to keep fresh ideas rolling in by checking my twitter stream and checking in with some of my favorite blogs on a regular basis, but it can be a challenge to be productive once you dive in for a good read. It’s easy to find that you’ve lost hours of your day reading articles on various topics and end with your mind full of ideas that will never be nurtured from a glimmer of inspiration to a completed article or guest post.

Write it down

One of the best tips I have to offer is to write down your ideas. It doesn’t matter if you do this by jotting them down in a ragged, dog-eared notepad (my preferred method) or if you start a new draft in your preferred blogging software. (Ecto anyone?) Get those ideas jotted down somewhere or it is very likely that you’ll lose them in =your next round of brainstorming.
Even the barest wisps of an idea may spark something wonderful and exciting at a later time, so don’t underestimate the power of a three word concept or a vague notion. These can be very powerful tools and should not be overlooked. You’ll be amazed at how these little notes to yourself can spark grand ideas when brought together.

Bring your ideas together

There will be many times when just one little idea won’t be enough to spark something larger. These ideas alone simply aren’t strong enough to carry a theme, but when you put several of these ideas together they become something far greater.
Routinely look over your idea pile. Check to see one or more of these ideas compliment each other. If so, combine the two and see if the result is something worth taking the time to flesh out. I’m positive that you’ll find this method works very well after a few days of keeping up with what you’ve thought.

Expand on older ideas

Look back over your old posts or articles and see if there are ideas that you can expand on. Perhaps something that you wrote a year ago needs a fresh take. Have the rules changed? Has public opinion shifted? Do you feel in retrospect that you could cover a particular piece of information in more depth? If so, run with it.
Older topics can often benefit from a fresh perspective. Product reviews can be updated as updates are available. As an example, each time TweetDeck is updated with new features, you have something to write about. It’s free fresh content. In my case, ecto has been upgraded, so its time for a new article on software I use every day.

Relate your own stories

Always remember that your experiences in your chosen niche are the things that make your writing unique. No single person shares the same experience in anything, whether that experience was using a word processing program or a web-based text editor. Your point of view is your unique angle and should be leveraged.
If you have a particular method you use to attack a large project, write about it. If you have a pet peeve with everyone else’s favorite blogging platform, write about it. If there is something everyone else seems to have mastered that you are struggling with, write about that too.
Anything that relates something personal is a great idea for a blog post. Your readers want to connect with you on some personal level. The last thing you want to do is drone on like Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This will not only detract from your readership, it will bore the pants off people and they will leave.
In droves.

Anything goes

Anything that you have a decent understanding of or a point of view on is good blog fodder. Making sure the content is high quality is something that only you and your readers can attest to, but in time I assure you that quality will come; It’s only a matter of time.

Now get in there and start writing.

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Posted in Blogging, Productivity.

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Why Monday shouldn’t be the worst day of the week

Today started like most others.  Coffee, check email and twitter.  Also normal for the beginning of the week were people lamenting the fact that it was Monday again and that a full week of work was ahead of them.

I think a small adjustment in thinking is in order here.  Mondays are not your enemy.  Mondays are your friend.  Mondays hand you a full week of opportunities after a weekend of relaxation.  You get to tackle projects refreshed and renewed.  You’re at the top of your game.

All it takes is a change in the way you look at it.  Mondays shouldn’t be dreaded, they should be embraced.  By thursday you’re getting tired and if you’re like most people, on Friday you’re concentrating on the weekend.  Monday is a day full of possibilities.

Embrace your Monday, everyone.  Get something wonderful accomplished.

Peace.  I’m out.

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Posted in Productivity.

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Staying productive in a hectic world

It never rains but it pours

It seems that just when everything is moving along at exactly the clip you want it to, something will come along to break your routine.  In my case summer is a hard time for work.  I have three kids in the house that doubles as my office.  This is enough to throw my most carefully planned projects into a state of chaos, but work and writing must continue even through the maelstrom.

Focus your time

In the months of school break my writing and research time are diminished, so I have to shift gears to make the most of the time that I have.  Instead of a solid four hours of no kids in the house, I have two in the morning and then I have the time after the kids are in bed.  During both of these periods I try to cram in as much writing as I can.  I leave researching to the moments that I have in between “Dad!s” and focus my writing time to those precious moments of silence that I do get.

By using only times when I won’t be interrupted for writing I ensure that this time is productive.  Email, twitter and RSS readers are shut off. All of those things can be dealt with in the hit and miss schedule of the rest of my day.  Quiet times are for writing. Period.

Research in short bursts

Unless something you are researching is a very in-depth subject, you can generally research in bursts.  Not only does this give you time to mull over what you’ve read in between dealing with everything else that demands your time, but it may just lead to ideas you wouldn’t have explored if you were buried neck deep in just one topic.

Researching in small, focused bits of time also causes you to remain focused on what you’re doing.  Minor distractions are just that.  Minor.  if you work from home you have to learn that there will be times that your attention is pulled from what you need to get done.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

The little things can’t be allowed to bother you.  Yes, they will stop you from writing a 600 word post in the middle of a hectic day, but they won’t stop you from laying out all the notes you need to complete that project as soon as the house quiets down or in the morning when it is still quiet.

If something comes up during research time, jot a note, go deal with the interruption and get back to research as soon as possible.  Don’t get frustrated with it.  Interruptions are a part of the work at home world.  Those who deal with them and can get back to it are the ones who succeed.

Keep goals reasonable

Don’t set goals that will sabotage you.  Set reasonable, attainable goals for your work sessions.  nothing will undermine your confidence or productivity faster than setting goals that are nearly impossible to complete.

Keep your spirit high by breaking large projects into easily finished segments.  That way, even if you don’t have a lot of time to put into your larger project at a single stretch, you still have the satisfaction that comes from finishing what you set out to do. Trying to accomplish more than you can reasonably attain is a sure fire path to frustration.

In closing

Working from home (or even in certain office environments) can be stressful.  The methods above can help minimize the chaos a bit. Keep in mind that even monstrous projects can be broken down into much smaller and achievable tasks.  These can usually be completed in a relatively short amount of time.

Know what your day has in store and remember, I managed to get this piece out by focusing my attention to each point.  The actual post took several hours and was written in-between lunch, picking up kids from sleepovers and dealing with an active three year old.

If I can do it, so can you.

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One thing Blizzard Entertainment should teach you

Blizzard Entertainment is a massively successful company.  World of Warcraft alone boasts over 11 million users and their other titles are profitable as well.  This is a company that has taken the industry by storm, but it isn’t their successes that you should learn from.  It is their staggering failure in one area.

Their customer service absolutely sucks.

I’m not saying this because I dislike blizzard or don’t enjoy WoW.  To be honest, I’m a new player and absolutely in love with the game.  I say that their support is awful because I’ve been dealing with it for the past two days.

Or should I say I’ve been trying to deal with it?

For two days, an email and over 40 phone calls, all I got was a busy signal or a message stating that the call queue was overloaded. Once I finally did manage to get into the queue, the wait to talk to someone was over 30 minutes.

I’m not going to complain about their customer service representatives.  The gentleman I talked to was incredibly helpful and went out of his way to assist me.  My issue was resolved to my satisfaction.  He did his job well and I’m sure that his colleagues do their jobs, too.

The fault isn’t that of the reps, it is a failure by Blizzard.  I can’t be the only person waiting to talk to a customer service rep.  I can’t be the only person going through this process.  They need more people in the call center, period.  Even top-notch service representatives won’t take the sting out of wait times that long.

The lesson to be taken away from this experience is simple.  Don’t keep your customers or clients waiting if it is at all possible.   Reply to emails, comments and requests as soon as you get them and if you can’t, at least contact that person to let them know you’ve gotten that request and will get to it shortly.  Give a date or time that you think you should be able to get back to hem on the issue, calendar that date and DO it.

Your time is valuable but remember, your customers, clients or advertisers have valuable time as well.  Wasting it or making them feel that they are unimportant can cost you.  Wasting a blog readers time will certainly cost you.  It will cost you that reader and maybe a few more.

Peace.  I’m out.

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