Get More Done in Six Simple Steps

Whether you are the owner of a giant corporation or a stay-at-home mom; you're busy. There never seems to be enough time in the day, and at night you worry about the things you didn't accomplish. How can you utilize the time that you have to get more done?

1. Learn to love lists. First thing in the morning, create a detailed "to do" list. Jot down everything that comes to mind and then number them in order of importance. Deadlines that have to be met, appointments that need to be kept and items such as these get the top spots. Rather than leaving the less desirable tasks for last - get them done early so they're out of the way. Cross off the tasks on the list as you complete them, and refer back to your list frequently throughout the day.

2. Don't deviate. The list is there for a reason - so stick to it. If you need to go online to pay a bill, resist the urge to check your email. Save personal things for later; in fact schedule a limited block of time in your day that you can do whatever you want. When a friend calls to chat, ask if you can call back at your designated "personal time".  If you're interrupted during a task you've deemed unimportant, remember that it still needs to get done. Don't let yourself brush it off; it will only end up on tomorrow's list.

3. Perfect the art of prioritization. Some people mistakenly give priority to things that they "feel like" doing. Working on creative projects, updating blogs - your "fun" things to do usually get done first. What's the harm? As the day comes to a close and the night approaches, you're tired. But you still have things that need to get done today. You are in no mood to finish the annual sales report for tomorrow's meeting. You've pushed back researching how to advertise your new business or making an important sales call. Now the stress starts to set in. The solution? Prioritize the important things that must get accomplished that day. This may mean starting your list with the most challenging, the lengthiest, or the most involved tasks. You will have much more energy early in the day for these activities, and will feel less anxious once they are crossed off your list. Learn what priority really means to you.

Interested in learning the rest of these helpful tips? Sign up for my free newsletter! This month's edition:
Get More Done in Six Simple Steps.

Why Hire a Proofreader?

I received a brochure in the mail yesterday from a local business advertising specials and new prices. I could tell the business owner had spent a lot of money on these brochures from the nice glossy paper and high-quality graphics. The brochures were really impressive....except for the 3 spelling mistakes and numerous grammatical errors.

It would be difficult for me to give my money to a business that doesn't have someone double-check their advertisements. This is possibly their one chance to convince me, and everyone else, to shop at their store. It needs to be the best they can offer. And before you start thinking that their spelling errors were really hard words to spell and maybe their fact-checker just wasn't familiar with them, let me give you an example.  "Payments accepted by cash or chesk."

There is no reason this mistake (and the others) shouldn't have been caught before hundreds of these glossy brochures were printed and ordered. It isn't incompetence or laziness that caused this to happen. The truth is that the business owner probably went over the brochure dozens of times before sending it to the printers. Sometimes the eyes only see what they want to see. The only way to catch all the mistakes in writing is to have someone else's eyes go over the material. If it is an important piece of material, (like an advertisement) the best bet is to hire a professional proofreader.

Years of experience combined with a natural knack for proofreading makes me an ideal candidate for this job. For more details, or to email me for a free quote, please go to http://www.alainasvoice.com/.

10 for 10

My work with Demand Studios has been going really well.  I have submitted 10 articles since I was hired, and all 10 have been approved and published.  A few of what I've written are:

The Best New York City Clubs
Why Did Mexico Become a Vacation Spot
How Plants React to Light
Training Your Female Dog
How Floridians Protect Citrus Trees From Frost

My articles are published on content sites such as eHow.com and answerbag.com.  The pay isn't fantastic, but this is a great way for me to improve as a writer, learn to work under deadlines, and expand my writing portfolio.  I hope to use this experience to narrow down my field of expertise (read: decide what I really want to write about) and continue to grow as a freelancer.

A Night of Research

I have been getting books from the library to help me improve as a writer.  The first book that I started reading is "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr and E.B. White.  It was recommended by the senior editors at Demand Studios, and after a few minutes of reading, I could easily see why.  The usage rules put forth in this book are simple and straightforward, and absolutely essential for quality writing.  What I like about this book is the way Strunk and White explain the rules and give examples of how to apply them.

One of the rules that I found interesting was #14: Put statements in positive form.  "The reader is dissatisfied with being told only what is not; the reader wishes to be told what is."  This really made me think about how I write.  Do I say "not honest" or "dishonest"?  Have I written "did not remember" or "forgot"? Do I use phrases like "did not pay attention" rather than simply "ignored"? 

The point the authors were emphasizing here is that writers want their readers to understand and enjoy what they are reading.  Using negative words and phrases make the reader think harder than they need to, which detracts from the message.

So Far So Good

The first two articles I submitted to Demand Studios were accepted for publication!  After a senior editor emailed me a few edits that needed to be made to fit better with the DS style of writing, I sent the revised articles back in and was notified they had been approved.  One article was on cat spaying, and the other was about tours in Cancun, Mexico, both published on eHow.com.

The hardest part for me was sticking to the structured style of writing these particular content websites require.  It is also difficult for me to keep my word count under their limits. It is definitely something I will have to get used to, but hopefully I will improve as a writer because of it.