Last time, the Work-at-Home Maven suggested 12 Christmas blog post ideas to write for your business blog this season. In it, I included some Christmas shopping statistics that bear thinking about.
Well, while I was researching for that blog post, I found a great infographic that distills the historical predilections of online shoppers during major holidays--Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas shopping--from 2005 to 2010.
12 Christmas Blog Post Ideas For Your Business Blog
Christmas is just around the corner and in case you haven't noticed, there's been some subtle hat tip to the approaching holidays on this blog, heh. But lest you slack off and let go of blogging for your business this coming Christmas season, let me remind you:
There's no rest for the business blogger...
That's because Christmas is still the best season for giving and you'd want to take advantage of this opportunity to grab a bit of the Christmas spending pie for your business.
You've probably seen in past years how sales picked up at a furious rate during the holiday seasons so you won't need convincing but just for fun, let's see what's in store for online marketers this Christmas 2012:
There's no rest for the business blogger...
especially during the Christmas holidays!
That's because Christmas is still the best season for giving and you'd want to take advantage of this opportunity to grab a bit of the Christmas spending pie for your business.
Christmas Spending Statistics
You've probably seen in past years how sales picked up at a furious rate during the holiday seasons so you won't need convincing but just for fun, let's see what's in store for online marketers this Christmas 2012:
- US shoppers plan to spend an average of $854 for gifts this holiday season, up from $646 from 2011.
- From these, 45% will buy gifts online, planning to spend $1,245. Forty percent will shop from catalogs and other direct marketers and they plan to spend about $808.
- Most shoppers surveyed will wait for sales (54%) but 18% says they'll pay at full price while 28% will do either depending on what kind of gift or how much it'll cost.
- In 2011, about 90% of consumers shopped online, spending $52 billion from November 1 to December 16, 2011.
- Last year, online shoppers bought the following things: clothes and electronics (51.4%), toys (32.6%), gift cards (23.1%), and home décor (21.3%).
Power Quote #1
From William Shakespeare:
Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good
we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.
Submit Your Guest Blog Post Today!
Looking for guest blogging opportunities? Look no further!
If you...
- Write original, remarkable blog content
- Want to create/firm up your brand
- Fancy additional exposure to your work or website
- Have solid English and grammar smarts
...then submit your guest blog post today!
There’s nothing to it really. All we need is that the content you submit must have value to small businesses, professionals, virtual assistants and other work-at-home warriors.
Guest Blogging Topics
You can write any type of article you want: how-to, pros and cons, lists, tips and advice, product reviews, news analysis, Q&As, and so on.
Tweaking My Blogger Blog
Blogger is a free platform and for work-at-home mavens like me who needs all the money we can save, we can still have our own personal domain and still enjoy free hosting.
The trouble is, Blogger isn’t as easily customized as a self-hosted WordPress blog. With a little Google research and a lot of errors (especially if you’re not as expert in CSS/HTML tweaking as me), you can still personalize a Blogger blog to suit your, er, designer bent.
I’m going to show you some of the customizations I did for this blog to make it look like this current incarnation:
CAUTION:
Please, please, puhleeeease: before you insert any of these changes, back up your template. (I won't be responsible for any error if you don't!)
The trouble is, Blogger isn’t as easily customized as a self-hosted WordPress blog. With a little Google research and a lot of errors (especially if you’re not as expert in CSS/HTML tweaking as me), you can still personalize a Blogger blog to suit your, er, designer bent.
I’m going to show you some of the customizations I did for this blog to make it look like this current incarnation:
CAUTION:
Please, please, puhleeeease: before you insert any of these changes, back up your template. (I won't be responsible for any error if you don't!)
- Click on Template, choose Edit HTML, Proceed to the Template Editor and then Expand Widget Templates.
- Place your cursor inside the Template Editor, click Ctrl+A to highlight every single piece of code, then click Ctrl+C to copy everything to the clipboard.
- Open Notepad, paste (Ctrl+V) the whole stuff, and save the document to finish.
Don't Sit and Die. Use Workrave.
Several posts ago, I talked about how sitting for prolonged stretches can be the death of us desktop warriors. I forgot to mention that hitting at them keyboards for long stretches of time can--and often, will--lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Now that isn't something you want to happen to you if your livelihood depended on your hands, believe me!
There's one free tool that I stumbled on a few weeks past that's designed to prevent (1) repetitive strain injury, and (2) croaking over your desk because you've been sitting an hour too long. It helps you take micro-breaks and longer rest breaks…and it tells you when your eight-hour workday (or your daily work limit) has ended.
Let me introduce to you…dun dun dun dun (drum roll)…Workrave.
It's a nifty tool for your Mac or PC and you can get it for free. (Praise God for good souls like the developers of Workrave.)
Workrave, like I said, has two kinds of breaks: the micro-break and the rest break.
There's one free tool that I stumbled on a few weeks past that's designed to prevent (1) repetitive strain injury, and (2) croaking over your desk because you've been sitting an hour too long. It helps you take micro-breaks and longer rest breaks…and it tells you when your eight-hour workday (or your daily work limit) has ended.
Let me introduce to you…dun dun dun dun (drum roll)…Workrave.
It's a nifty tool for your Mac or PC and you can get it for free. (Praise God for good souls like the developers of Workrave.)
Workrave, like I said, has two kinds of breaks: the micro-break and the rest break.
5 Compelling Reasons Why Online Marketing is Crucial to Small Businesses Today (Infographic)
When you’re down with a bad case of the colds and an even worse bout with unexplained hives, you’re lucky if you're awake long enough to read your emails and surf the Net. Unfortunately, I’ve had both for the last few days...but getting better now. More or less.
One thing I found out about hives, they're like guerrillas—they're all over the place, appear where you least expect them, disappear in a flash, are somewhere else the next moment, compelling (you'll never be able to ignore them, ever!)...and they don't rest until they've driven you beyond crazy.
Hmmm, there's a striking similarity to online marketing there somewhere. Heh. Or at least, when you want your content to go viral.
So there I was, in between medicine-induced grogginess and insanely itchy lucidity when I stumbled on a little gem.
One thing I found out about hives, they're like guerrillas—they're all over the place, appear where you least expect them, disappear in a flash, are somewhere else the next moment, compelling (you'll never be able to ignore them, ever!)...and they don't rest until they've driven you beyond crazy.
Hmmm, there's a striking similarity to online marketing there somewhere. Heh. Or at least, when you want your content to go viral.
So there I was, in between medicine-induced grogginess and insanely itchy lucidity when I stumbled on a little gem.
Writing for Freight Broker Training – Top 3 Lessons in Business Blogging
I recently found a gig on oDesk writing for a freight broker training blog. It’s exciting work because (1) it feeds my thirst to learn, and (2) I’m discovering things about business blogging that I normally wouldn’t have if I’m just ghostwriting an ebook.
Writing an ebook is a one-off thing, so learning stuff will only be for a short period of time...unless you start liking the topic and you end up having a passion for it. Blogging, on the other hand, is more or less an on-going activity, so learning is also continuous.
But first, since this is a portfolio blog, Imma gonna list down the recent articles I wrote for the blog:
Writing an ebook is a one-off thing, so learning stuff will only be for a short period of time...unless you start liking the topic and you end up having a passion for it. Blogging, on the other hand, is more or less an on-going activity, so learning is also continuous.
 |
| image by trucktrend.com |
Tooting My Horn
But first, since this is a portfolio blog, Imma gonna list down the recent articles I wrote for the blog:
Did You Know? Sitting Can Kill You
That is, sitting for long periods of time...which is a hazard of the business blogging occupation. At least, those who do it full time—8 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week. Like me.
A recent study from the University of Leicester says if you sit for long periods of time during the day—about 50-70%—you’re twice more likely to be at risk for diabetes, heart disease and death. The “most consistent” link though is between sitting and diabetes...maybe, because sitting—the hallmark of a sedentary lifestyle—leads to obesity, which is one of the risk factors for diabetes. Chilling findings, that.
A recent study from the University of Leicester says if you sit for long periods of time during the day—about 50-70%—you’re twice more likely to be at risk for diabetes, heart disease and death. The “most consistent” link though is between sitting and diabetes...maybe, because sitting—the hallmark of a sedentary lifestyle—leads to obesity, which is one of the risk factors for diabetes. Chilling findings, that.
Key Lessons from Top 10 Fails in Marketing History
When you’ve got a new idea for a promotion, take care that you're not making these cringe-worthy mistakes that even the best minds in marketing made:
Takeaways:
Takeaways:
15 Inconsequential Things About Me...
...you might want to know.
Though I don't know why you'd want to, heh.
(A totally self-serving post, I know. But it might help you to get to know the, er, (usually) sane person behind this blog.)
1. I’m obsessed with vegetable gardening—I particularly love growing Asian vegetables.
2. I received my driver's license when I was 35, and only after I got a Toyota Corolla (model '96) as a gift from a boss who got tired of me getting stuck in traffic. Before I could get to his confidential office, I had to wade through an hour and a half of EDSA traffic—a stretch of highway that’s actually a 20-minute drive (from house to office) sans the vehicular obstacle course.
3. I’m terrified of lizards of any kind and size. Ditto with shrimp. Don’t ask why.
Though I don't know why you'd want to, heh.
(A totally self-serving post, I know. But it might help you to get to know the, er, (usually) sane person behind this blog.)
 |
| that's me in my natural habitat |
1. I’m obsessed with vegetable gardening—I particularly love growing Asian vegetables.
2. I received my driver's license when I was 35, and only after I got a Toyota Corolla (model '96) as a gift from a boss who got tired of me getting stuck in traffic. Before I could get to his confidential office, I had to wade through an hour and a half of EDSA traffic—a stretch of highway that’s actually a 20-minute drive (from house to office) sans the vehicular obstacle course.
 |
| image by taralets! photography |
Top 7 Ways Journaling Can Boost Your Business Blogging Groove
Starting a business blog—in fact, any blog at all—is easy. Updating it regularly and consistently with fresh content isn’t.
That’s because maintaining a blog requires focus, creativity, and a lot of energy. You need these long after the excitement of doing something new wears thin. I always have to bribe myself with my favorite Korean drama just to sit down and come up with something new to upload to this site.
Coming up with blog post ideas make keeping a blog doubly difficult if you don’t have a plan for the next 52 weeks of posts. There’s a way to get around this hurdle though.
One of the main things that keeps me blogging is my journaling habit. Every day—or every other day, when there are lots of deadlines to meet and errands to keep—I whip out my trusty notebook to scribble anything I could think of.
That’s because maintaining a blog requires focus, creativity, and a lot of energy. You need these long after the excitement of doing something new wears thin. I always have to bribe myself with my favorite Korean drama just to sit down and come up with something new to upload to this site.
Coming up with blog post ideas make keeping a blog doubly difficult if you don’t have a plan for the next 52 weeks of posts. There’s a way to get around this hurdle though.
The Benefits of Journaling
One of the main things that keeps me blogging is my journaling habit. Every day—or every other day, when there are lots of deadlines to meet and errands to keep—I whip out my trusty notebook to scribble anything I could think of.
Monday Mashups Episode 2 – Storytelling and Getting to Know Your Audience
Welcome to the second episode of our Monday Mashups!
It’s been a difficult couple of hours trying to select from a long list of resources that could help you with your business blogging. I wanted to include everything that I found this week but the human mind can only deal with so much.
As promised previously, I’ll only give you 10 articles that could help you improve your blogging task. ;) I don’t want your brains to reel from the information overload, heh.
Storytelling, Positioning & Personas for More Effective B2B Content Marketing. Storytelling can be a potent tool for your business blog. Stories can engage your prospects and customers if they can quickly identify with them. Learn how to use storytelling to inform, educate and entertain your target market. Bonus: 6 mistakes commonly made in content marketing storytelling.
It’s been a difficult couple of hours trying to select from a long list of resources that could help you with your business blogging. I wanted to include everything that I found this week but the human mind can only deal with so much.
As promised previously, I’ll only give you 10 articles that could help you improve your blogging task. ;) I don’t want your brains to reel from the information overload, heh.
Top takeaways this week:
- Storytelling is a very effective technique in B2B content marketing. Stock characters like the hero, villain and the mentor can help elicit response and engagement with your market if you know how to employ them.
- Knowing your audience is the secret to compelling, remarkable copy that gets your prospects and customers responding positively to your blog posts and sales copy.
- Social media and SEO are key factors to a good inbound marketing strategy. Employ both for your business blog to get found on the internet.
Episode 2 of the Monday Mashups:
Storytelling, Positioning & Personas for More Effective B2B Content Marketing. Storytelling can be a potent tool for your business blog. Stories can engage your prospects and customers if they can quickly identify with them. Learn how to use storytelling to inform, educate and entertain your target market. Bonus: 6 mistakes commonly made in content marketing storytelling.
Little Nemo in Google Land
Google's doodles for today is a hat tip to the 107th anniversary of Winsor McCay's comic Little Nemo in Slumberland, launched this day in 1905. The comic strip featured the little dreamer's nighttime escapades.
The artwork reflects McCay's style which used vivid colors, elegant lines...and "eccentric" dialogue that pointed to the artist's deadpan wit.
The artwork reflects McCay's style which used vivid colors, elegant lines...and "eccentric" dialogue that pointed to the artist's deadpan wit.
The Art of {Business} Blogging
Penny Power, founder of social business network Ecademy, shares some pointers on the art of blogging in this video:
Main takeaways:
Main takeaways:
Top 3 Ways A Business Blog Can Improve Your Bottom Line
You’re reading this article right now because you're curious about business blogs and you want to know you one can help you get new customers, improve sales and generally grow your company. A business partner or an employee may have suggested putting up one so you can get your brand out there.
But what’s a blog, you ask, and why should you care?
Blog is Net speak for web log, a website that’s updated regularly, where the articles are arranged in chronological order, and some form of interaction is possible—usually through the comments section. It’s the real-world counterpart of daily journals and diaries.
Writers and diarists pioneered blogging but there’s a world of difference between personal blogs and business blogs. Personal blogs publish highly subjective posts that reflect the blogger’s views, beliefs, and opinions. You’d often find spirited debates going on in the comments because of the many perspectives that come with so many people sharing their (equally subjective) thoughts.
But what’s a blog, you ask, and why should you care?
What’s In A Business Blog
Blog is Net speak for web log, a website that’s updated regularly, where the articles are arranged in chronological order, and some form of interaction is possible—usually through the comments section. It’s the real-world counterpart of daily journals and diaries.
Writers and diarists pioneered blogging but there’s a world of difference between personal blogs and business blogs. Personal blogs publish highly subjective posts that reflect the blogger’s views, beliefs, and opinions. You’d often find spirited debates going on in the comments because of the many perspectives that come with so many people sharing their (equally subjective) thoughts.
Monday Mashups Episode 1
Beginning this week, I’ll be sharing a mashup of tips and advice from the experts on how to be better at business blogging, search engine optimization, social media marketing and inbound marketing. Reading on the Web isn’t as easy as reading a real-world, printed, magazine article so I’m keeping the resource links to less than 10 (wfc).
The Exact Match Domain Playbook: A Guide and Best Practices for EMDs. Ranking better on Google with an exact match domain (EMD) for your website or blog has just become harder. Here are some best practices on how to make EMDs work for you still.
A Crystal Clear Explanation of How Social Media Influences SEO. Social search is an emerging trend and here's a step-by-step guide on how to integrate your SEO and social media strategies to get ahead of your niche.
Top takeaways this week:
- Google’s tightening the noose on search results so that you only get quality SERPs when you look for stuff. The company’s recent target: exact match domains.
- Social media has an influence on search results...and although it’s an emerging trend, there’s no time like the present to take advantage of the opportunities it presents.
The first edition of Monday Mashups:
The Exact Match Domain Playbook: A Guide and Best Practices for EMDs. Ranking better on Google with an exact match domain (EMD) for your website or blog has just become harder. Here are some best practices on how to make EMDs work for you still.
A Crystal Clear Explanation of How Social Media Influences SEO. Social search is an emerging trend and here's a step-by-step guide on how to integrate your SEO and social media strategies to get ahead of your niche.
3 Things about Writing That I Learned From “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins”
On a Girls’ Day outing with my hubby’s sisters, I found one of the books I loved and cherished as a bookwormish 5-year-old: “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins” by Dr. Seuss in the Clearance aisle. Sentimental mush that I am, not to mention an absolute cheapskate, I bought it and as soon as I had the time, read the story again.
While I was revisiting with Bartholomew Cubbins I realized I’ve been learning from a master on the art of writing.
As early as kindergarten, Dr. Seuss has been giving me lessons on the finer points of the writing craft. Disguised, of course, as the baffling tale of Bartholomew Cubbins and his 500 hats. :)
Here are the three lessons I learned from Dr. Seuss on writing well:
Bartholomew Cubbins had a hat that came to him through his father—a legacy that was handed down for generations of fathers and sons. Plain. Very old. Probably tattered. It wouldn’t stand out amidst a sea of similar hats in the Kingdom of Didd where Bartholomew lived.
While I was revisiting with Bartholomew Cubbins I realized I’ve been learning from a master on the art of writing.
As early as kindergarten, Dr. Seuss has been giving me lessons on the finer points of the writing craft. Disguised, of course, as the baffling tale of Bartholomew Cubbins and his 500 hats. :)
Here are the three lessons I learned from Dr. Seuss on writing well:
Lesson #1: While you’re starting out, your stories or articles would be ordinary and plain, but it will always contain your particular kind of writing genius.
Bartholomew Cubbins had a hat that came to him through his father—a legacy that was handed down for generations of fathers and sons. Plain. Very old. Probably tattered. It wouldn’t stand out amidst a sea of similar hats in the Kingdom of Didd where Bartholomew lived.
Philippines' Global Workers Top Business English Index
Okay, here’s the deal: the Philippines trumps the rest of the world—or so it seems—in Business English proficiency in the workplace. We even nosed out the US, UK, Canada and Australia—all native English-speaking countries!
GlobalEnglish recently published their 2012 Business English Index and we—or our global workers—scored 7.11. That means we can hold ourselves well in any virtual or real-world business meetings, actively contribute in any enterprise debates or deliberations, and do intricate tasks (like creating presentations or negotiating contracts).
(A 1.0 rating means you can read and talk English in simple questions and statements but, to a certain degree, can’t speak or grasp basic business information during phone calls. A 10.0 score means you’re at par with a native English speaker in interactions and collaborations in the workplace.)
So why the premium on Business English?
GlobalEnglish recently published their 2012 Business English Index and we—or our global workers—scored 7.11. That means we can hold ourselves well in any virtual or real-world business meetings, actively contribute in any enterprise debates or deliberations, and do intricate tasks (like creating presentations or negotiating contracts).
(A 1.0 rating means you can read and talk English in simple questions and statements but, to a certain degree, can’t speak or grasp basic business information during phone calls. A 10.0 score means you’re at par with a native English speaker in interactions and collaborations in the workplace.)
So why the premium on Business English?
A Birthday Soliloquy
Me: Great news!
Myself: What?
Me: It’s our 41st birthday today!
I: What’s awesome with that? We’re another year older. OLDER! Don’t you get the concept of getting old yet?
Myself: Yeah, like our-feet’s-nearing-the-point-when-it-gets-buried-six-feet-under kind of old. And I don’t mean the getting-stuck-in-one-helluva-bog kind of buried.
Me: C’mon, gurls. It means we’re grown up. Remember, we always said, “When I grow up I’ll be a…” when we were younger?
Myself: Newsflash, gurl. We’ve been there long before now. We’re grown up.
Myself: What?
Me: It’s our 41st birthday today!
I: What’s awesome with that? We’re another year older. OLDER! Don’t you get the concept of getting old yet?
Myself: Yeah, like our-feet’s-nearing-the-point-when-it-gets-buried-six-feet-under kind of old. And I don’t mean the getting-stuck-in-one-helluva-bog kind of buried.
Me: C’mon, gurls. It means we’re grown up. Remember, we always said, “When I grow up I’ll be a…” when we were younger?
Myself: Newsflash, gurl. We’ve been there long before now. We’re grown up.
How to Start Freelancing Online
I’ve been freelancing online since 2008 and I can say it’s absolutely one of the BEST decisions I’ve ever made in my entire money-making life. Besides the fact that I work on MY time schedule (more or less!), I got to earn on the side maintaining a day job. When it was time for me to go full time, I’ve already established a good portfolio and a higher hourly rate.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. If you’re an absolute newbie to the work-at-home, online freelancing life, you probably want an answer to this one burning question first:
My answer is another equally burning but all-important question:
There are many things you can do for money online but the main thing is, you need to zero in on one or two skills that you excel in before you start bidding on projects.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. If you’re an absolute newbie to the work-at-home, online freelancing life, you probably want an answer to this one burning question first:
How do I start making money as a freelancer online?
What are the skills and services that you can sell in exchange for a fee?
Introduction to Psychology: Some Takeaways
As I’m moving more towards a career in copywriting, I’m regaining my earlier fascination with psychology…how the mind works, why we feel what we do, and why we want stuff.
When I stumbled onto this free online course at Udemy, I immediately signed up with my Facebook profile.
Here are some of the takeaways from the introductory session:
When I stumbled onto this free online course at Udemy, I immediately signed up with my Facebook profile.
Here are some of the takeaways from the introductory session:
4 Things About Perfection That I Learned From Adrian Monk
I have just finished watching Season One of Monk, a TV show produced by NBC Universal. Despite the “defective detective” label, I totally identified with Monk—his uniqueness, his imperfections, and his humanity.
I learned four valuable lessons from Adrian Monk, obsessive compulsive, that helped me accept myself despite of and in spite of:
Accept it: there really is a reason why Monk and the rest of us sweat the small stuff. We have been hot-wired since birth to want perfection because we were made for perfection!
I learned four valuable lessons from Adrian Monk, obsessive compulsive, that helped me accept myself despite of and in spite of:
1. We all want to be perfect…
Accept it: there really is a reason why Monk and the rest of us sweat the small stuff. We have been hot-wired since birth to want perfection because we were made for perfection!
Understand Before You Write
Previously, I ranted about writers who--by design or by accident--write articles so obscure they don’t bear reading or editing. This time, I’m ranting about writers who never take the time to understand the intricacies of what their writing about so they come off as witless and clueless.
I had an encounter with just that kind of writer recently. I asked her to re-write articles and turn each into 15 incarnations. The base articles were about chocolate tempering and making homemade chocolate candies, and I do understand that it’ll be Greek to any layman save the chocolate-loving kind.
Imagine my chagrin when she returned 15 articles which were nowhere near publishing standards! As I read the articles, it was clear she was absolutely clueless about what she was writing about.
I had an encounter with just that kind of writer recently. I asked her to re-write articles and turn each into 15 incarnations. The base articles were about chocolate tempering and making homemade chocolate candies, and I do understand that it’ll be Greek to any layman save the chocolate-loving kind.
Imagine my chagrin when she returned 15 articles which were nowhere near publishing standards! As I read the articles, it was clear she was absolutely clueless about what she was writing about.
Sleep and the Work-at-Home Maven
Lately, I’ve been fixating on sleep, body clocks and sleep disorders. I found I had Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, a sleep “disorder”.
DSPS simply means that my body clock is out of whack, that it has its own sleep-awake cycle that's unlike what the rest of the world (at least 99% of it) knows as "typical".
But DSPS is different from insomnia in that we:
DSPS simply means that my body clock is out of whack, that it has its own sleep-awake cycle that's unlike what the rest of the world (at least 99% of it) knows as "typical".
But DSPS is different from insomnia in that we:
- sleep 7-8 hours without the alarm clocks waking us
- are fully awake at night, like the kind of wakefulness and alertness that morning larks enjoy during the day
- are normal, except that we're night creatures (no not vampires, just night owls)
Diet or Regular, Soda is Plain Bad
I’ve long since given up on drinking soda, or what we call soft drinks from our part of the world.
Not because I’ve found evidence that it’s unhealthy, no. It’s because no matter how refreshing it is when taken with a rich meal, soda on a regular basis adds on the pounds to my already, er, weight-challenged body.
So why do I gain weight just by drinking soda?
The sugars are the culprit, we know, but just how much sugar are we ingesting with a regular can of soda?
Not because I’ve found evidence that it’s unhealthy, no. It’s because no matter how refreshing it is when taken with a rich meal, soda on a regular basis adds on the pounds to my already, er, weight-challenged body.
So why do I gain weight just by drinking soda?
The sugars are the culprit, we know, but just how much sugar are we ingesting with a regular can of soda?
Book Review: “Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind” by Al Ries and Jack Trout
With my decision to begin training as a direct response copywriter, I started reading books that—shall we say—get me into the mindset of one.
Lurking in copywriting forums, one of the recommended reading books for aspiring copywriters that I found was Al Ries and Jack Trout’s Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind.
I must say, it was such an engaging and enlightening read, I finished the book in two days!
A first for me, especially when I’m reading for self-improvement and not for entertainment. ;)
Lurking in copywriting forums, one of the recommended reading books for aspiring copywriters that I found was Al Ries and Jack Trout’s Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind.
I must say, it was such an engaging and enlightening read, I finished the book in two days!
A first for me, especially when I’m reading for self-improvement and not for entertainment. ;)
Write To Be Understood
One of my pet peeves as an editor is reading material that sucks overall—wrong word choices, faulty grammar, a story that has no focus, and a feeble grasp of the English language. When I meet these kinds of articles, my eyes glaze over and by the second paragraph, my mind shuts down, and I start screaming.
If I’m totally pressed for time and there’s no way to have the writer re-do the piece, I start crying because then, I’ll be facing two things: (a) if I refuse to use the article, I write it (less hassle but more work); or (b) if I brave my way into that mangled piece and try to make sense out of it, I know I'm in for a spell editing with a heavy hand through each word, phrase, sentence, and paragraph.
When I do have to edit, that’s when terror hits me: I know I’m in for a tortuous time and it would take me a while before I start the painful process. The piece would lie for hours on my work table, a quiet nagging that’s got its talons sunk into my guilty conscience, relenting only when I start work on it. Sometimes though, thoughts of murder and mayhem fleet through my mind as I wade through the material, wanting to mangle the writer as much as s/he’d mangled my peace of mind.
If I’m totally pressed for time and there’s no way to have the writer re-do the piece, I start crying because then, I’ll be facing two things: (a) if I refuse to use the article, I write it (less hassle but more work); or (b) if I brave my way into that mangled piece and try to make sense out of it, I know I'm in for a spell editing with a heavy hand through each word, phrase, sentence, and paragraph.
When I do have to edit, that’s when terror hits me: I know I’m in for a tortuous time and it would take me a while before I start the painful process. The piece would lie for hours on my work table, a quiet nagging that’s got its talons sunk into my guilty conscience, relenting only when I start work on it. Sometimes though, thoughts of murder and mayhem fleet through my mind as I wade through the material, wanting to mangle the writer as much as s/he’d mangled my peace of mind.
The Evolution of My Home Office
Since late 2008 when I started working online full time, my home office has evolved from its Spartan beginnings in a corner of my bedroom, to what it is today.
I’m happy to report that my home (er, bedroom) office now occupies a third of the space. :)
Now, I have DSPS—delayed sleep phase syndrome. In short, my body clock is a time zone ahead of me. I’m awake when my part of the world is in dreamland, and I’m snoozing when everyone’s busy working their 9-to-5s.
One of the advice I often read—and what my doctor said—is never to bring work or TV into the bedroom. I'm not a great believer in TVs so I don't have it in my room. However, my room is a mini-library...and where my books are, so is my work desk.
So why not just set up my home office outside of the bedroom so I could sleep like any ordinary nine-to-fiver would?
I’m happy to report that my home (er, bedroom) office now occupies a third of the space. :)
Now, I have DSPS—delayed sleep phase syndrome. In short, my body clock is a time zone ahead of me. I’m awake when my part of the world is in dreamland, and I’m snoozing when everyone’s busy working their 9-to-5s.
One of the advice I often read—and what my doctor said—is never to bring work or TV into the bedroom. I'm not a great believer in TVs so I don't have it in my room. However, my room is a mini-library...and where my books are, so is my work desk.
 |
| the desktop of a work-at-home maven |
So why not just set up my home office outside of the bedroom so I could sleep like any ordinary nine-to-fiver would?
Why Would You Work at Home?
It’s the ultimate fantasy for everyone who’s ever been on the 9-to-5 rat race and who’s had to battle more than an hour of heavy EDSA traffic on the way to work—working from home, discussing business strategy with a distant client, in your ratty tees and flannel pajamas.
I must confess I’ve been living that life since 2008 and it’s been fun. Of course, that joke about getting “paid per word, per project or perhaps” still applies to this life but I have no complaints so far.
I’m my own boss.
I work the hours that’s most convenient to me—with a few adjustments here and there when clients need me. And the coffee (or in my case, tea) breaks could stretch for hours. And don’t get me started on the lunch breaks, heh.
I learn new stuff every single day.
I meet new people from around the world regularly—and not just my clients.
I can declare days off and holidays unilaterally whenever my feet are itching to visit travel destinations...or just need to pop into the grocery store to stock up on supplies
What’s not to like?
I must confess I’ve been living that life since 2008 and it’s been fun. Of course, that joke about getting “paid per word, per project or perhaps” still applies to this life but I have no complaints so far.
I’m my own boss.
I work the hours that’s most convenient to me—with a few adjustments here and there when clients need me. And the coffee (or in my case, tea) breaks could stretch for hours. And don’t get me started on the lunch breaks, heh.
I learn new stuff every single day.
I meet new people from around the world regularly—and not just my clients.
I can declare days off and holidays unilaterally whenever my feet are itching to visit travel destinations...or just need to pop into the grocery store to stock up on supplies
What’s not to like?
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)