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Finish it Friday ~ Checking it Off

July 16, 2010 by 1 Comment

Friday is finally here.  Yesterday I was searching high and low for 7 hours I some how miss placed earlier that morning.  But no one ever returned my hours.  I hope they found a good home.  So I have a little bit more to finish today.  Thank Goodness it is Finish it Friday!

So since I lost time yesterday my list is longer today but I plan on getting things finished up:

  • add the new packages I wrote up for my site to the site
  • Fix Store page on clients book page
  • Customer support for client, email and facebook
  • Email management and tickets
  • 1 Shopping cart custom template finish
  • Add product to 1 shopping cart for client
  • Ticket system for Client

My favorite part of finish it Friday is crossing these things off my list.  That is just a huge accomplishment.  But I do have to admit that it is hard for me to not start something new on Fridays.  I am always working on something new and to not start anything new takes some getting used it.

What are you finishing up today?

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Wrapping up the week

July 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Friday’s are probably one of my favorite days of the week.  Not only because it is the day before the weekend. But for me today is Finish it Friday!  My Friend Christina over at VA a-GoGo started Finish it Friday probably about a year ago and I jumped on board with her and have not looked back.

Finish it Friday is the day where you don’t start anything new but you finish up assignments, projects or anything else you have going on.  It might be client work.  Or it might be your own project you started some time ago and just have not finished it up.  But either way today is a great day to finish up the week with a bang and wrap up any lose ends.

Client work I am finishing up:

  • Opt-in form on websites
  • adding new ebook to shopping cart
  • Creating how to do document for client
  • Putting final tweeks on a aweber template
  • Creating a google form
  • Adding google forms to websites and thank you pages
  • closing up all tickets in ticket system
  • June Cancel report
  • Adding social networking images to 1SC template
  • Putting final tweaks on 1SC template

I know it seems like a lot, but really each thing does not take too much time because it is just small tweaks or things that are already started and just needed finished up.

What is on your Finish It Friday List today?

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Weekly Cup of Motivation ~ Managing My Own Emails

June 7, 2010 by 1 Comment

Monday’s are always a great day to start out with a nice big cup of Motivation.  We all need motivation and we all get motivated in different ways.  I have really started to try and figure out where I am losing so much of my day.  It seems that I am working late into the night and some days not logging many client hours, but I have literally spent all day in front of the computer. How can that be?  How can I spend all day on the computer working and not log that many client hours?  I started to write down anything and everything I did one day. And that is when I realized where my rabbit holes where.

EMAILS! The biggest rabbit hole I found.

Sometimes I checked my own email 30-40 times a day.. Yes can you believe that 30 or 40 times a day?  I don’t even check client emails near that much.  I was floored. So what do I feel like I need to check my own email that many times a day but not my clients?  I don’t have the right answer for that question but I do have a solution.

First thing I did was asked myself a couple questions.  Why do I feel that I need to look at emails every time I hear that little noise announcing I have a new emails?  When do I feel it is so important to keep email open all day long?

Yes email is where all my clients send me my tasks, to do list, and where all my client communication is. Well almost all of it.  The other half is skype, but that is a whole other can of worms I will be opening next week.

This week I have set myself on a very strict email schedule.  I will open, read and reply to all emails first thing in the morning (7am).  After that I will completely close my email and not open it again until after lunch (noon), when I will open, read and reply to all emails once again. And I will open, read and reply to all emails one last time before I stop working for the day (4pm).  I am forcing myself to do this for one week to see if one it is do able, two if I gain much of my day back and three if this is truly my  biggest rabbit hole.

Have you sat down and figured out where you biggest rabbit hole is?  What sucks up most of your day and helps you not get near as much accomplished?  Join me this week and lets see if we can climb our way back out of this email rabbit hole.

Filed Under: Email Management Tagged With: , , ,

The Three Best E-Zine Formats

May 17, 2010 by 1 Comment

As any E-Zine publisher will tell you, there are three basic formats that are used throughout the industry.  If you are unfamiliar with the characteristics of each one, this article should provide a great introduction. Once you understand the good points and faults of each one, choosing the one right for your needs will become much easier.

Perhaps one of the most popular formats is that of the text e-zine.  It has a number of advantages, and the most noticeable is how easy it is to use.  About the only other thing you need besides a great idea is knowing how to use Microsoft Word or a simple notepad program.  It can be as simple as type, check for grammar, and publish.  However, your product will not have the graphics that can attract the favorable attention of customers.

Of course, another option is to use an HTML e-zine format.  While creating an online magazine in this format requires a bit of familiarity with HTML coding, that is something that can be learned with a little help and practice.  Using this type of format allows for a few more bells and whistles, which can make the final product that much more appealing to the reader.  However, one drawback of this format is that it sometimes can get trapped by spam filters before they reach your intended audience.

The third type of format is the PDF e-zine.  It is not usually utilized, simply because the production time for this type is bit greater than the other two.  However, it does present a professional look that can often attract more quality readership, and a loyal fan base.  It is also possible to place affiliate links within the monthly newsletter, something that can be problematic in HTML, and almost impossible in text based e-zines.

It is important to remember, however, that you don’t have to make a commitment to just one format for your online magazine or newsletter.  There are a number of easy to use programs available that will allow you to publish in a number of formats.  So choose the format that suits your needs, and feel free to alter it as your needs grow.

Filed Under: E-zines Tagged With: , , , ,
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