7 Tricks to Write Faster, Better, And More Insightful Articles

I finished . I looked up at my friend sitting across from me. I was in school. It was 1st grade and I had just finished writing a story in my small, blue and white notebook. Back then, I had an affinity for writing short stories where animals could talk, and most of them died in every story, much like Kenny in Southpark.

Since writing those short stories, I’ve always loved writing.

It wasn’t until 2007 that I wanted to start making a living with my words, specifically through websites. It took me a few years to get the hang of it all, but it finally clicked. All it took was the willingness to keep moving forward, and have faith in the fact that I would learn what I needed to learn.

There are still many out there that want to try, but just don’t know how, or maybe you write fine, but would like to get even better, and even faster. That’s what this article will do, if you apply what you learn. Consider these: [read]

When Things Go Wrong [business]

We’ve all experienced Murphy’s Law at one time or another, and we all know what it feels like when things don’t go according to plan. In business, you can count on something going wrong on a fairly regular basis.  There are so many cogs turning at once, it’s inevitable. The question you need to consider is not whether something will go wrong, but rather how you’ll handle it when things do go wrong. [read]

What Is Your Body Capable Of?

Is your body out of shape? Do you want to become fit? No matter how unfit you are right now, it’s not too late to get your body back into shape. All you need to do is to establish and maintain an exercise routine.

In this post, I’ll share with you what has worked for me.

At the beginning of last year, I resolved to get back into regular exercise after a six-year break due to problems with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Now, twelve months later, I’m training in the martial arts again. I’ve turned into a runner, and I’m more fit than I was seven years ago. But I couldn’t have done it all on my own. [read]

Lab Rat: Do Your “Most Important Task” First?

If you’re like most of the working population, you check your email as soon as you get to work, if not immediately upon waking up. I must admit, I’m a reach-for-the-smartphone-upon-waking type, and as I lie in bed scanning emails, I get a picture of what my day will be like.

When I do sit down at my desk in the morning, my singular mission is to clear things out – emails, small tasks, phone messages – so that I can have ample mental and digital space to work on the big stuff. Of course, when I actually get to the big stuff sometime in the afternoon, my best focus period has passed. [read]

How to Make Powerful Connections Through Social Media

Last year Facebook passed up Google for the most visited site in the world. What an interesting trend we are seeing, where people are searching for connections more than answers. Yet, for many, the full potential of social media eludes them.

One of the most impressive benefits I’ve found from social media has come from making powerful connections with my idols, mentors, and people I looked up to. We live in a remarkable time where the barriers to reaching those people are now lower than ever. [read]

8 Fun Twitter Tools for Language Lovers

Despite the undoubted popularity of third-party photo and video sharing services, it could be argued that Twitter is all about language.

Whether it’s usernames, hashtags or that infamous 140-character limit, the service is built around using language in a very specific way. Even more fascinating to word lovers, Twitter has added a ton of vocab to our online lexicon, made abbreviations much more acceptable, and can spread new words globally in minutes.

Here, we bring you eight excellent language-related Twitter tools that will help with defining terms, explaining hashtags, analyzing text and finding more concise ways of phrasing tweets. Let us know in the comments below which ones you find useful, as well as any others you use. [read]

Can TV and the internet peacefully co-exist in one device?

Walking through the electronics department at Costco has gotten me really excited — about televisions.

The fancy display showcasing 3D TV is now gone. Over the course of several weeks, I saw shoppers walk up to the display, try on the goggles, and then move on to look at televisions that weren’t so cutting-edge. I’m glad to see that display go.

I’m also glad to see that connected televisions are appearing on the shelves. I’m not excited to buy one, mind you. I’m excited that these new devices have taken the premium-priced mantle away from 1080p large-screen LCD and LED sets, which is what I have my eye on when it’s time to get a new set. [read]

Finding the Elusive Work-Life Balance

How do you find a balanced life when you’re overloaded with work?

How do you switch off work when you’re away from the office?

The answers to these very common questions are elusive. It’s never an easy thing. But once you do find this balance you’ll find enormous benefits: more enjoyment of life and better relationships and less stress and a better quality of life overall.

A reader recently asked:

“I’d love to hear advice on how people who work full-time jobs can still manage to attain a well-balanced life. Especially in roles that give you sales targets, monitor you, and can be very stressful. I know it’s best to switch off after working hours, but sometimes (as humans) it is tough.

In Hong Kong, part-time jobs don’t pay well here and are tough to find, and full-time jobs often require overtime and are very stressful (it’s the Hong Kong norm to squeeze out as much as you can from an employee). In this corporate jungle, a part-time would be a perfect job for me (say 9-3 everyday); however it’s very hard to find jobs like that – it’s just not how the job market here is in Asia.

So how does one keep their calm and be grounded and still make time & energy for family, friends, myself, hobbies, interests and let’s face it – sanity? How does one learn to ‘not keep goals’ when that is what is expected from 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. 5 days a week? It’s tough to be 2 different people at work and outside of work.”

That’s a tough one. I should note that in many countries — including the U.S. — this is a common problem even if it’s not as pronounced as in Hong Kong (for example). We all face these problems whether we’re employees or self-employed or free-lancers or own our own businesses. [read]

Strategic Work Made Simple

Have you ever played that game where you repeat a particular word over, and over, and over until suddenly, it just doesn’t sound right anymore? At a certain point, it stops making sense. The phenomenon is called semantic satiation and it happens in business all the time! We have a tendency to overuse terms until, frankly, they don’t hold meaning any longer.

Take “strategic” for example. Of course, as an E-Myth Business Coach, it would be impossible for me not to hear and use that term all the time; strategic work is at the core of what we coach our clients to do.

But perhaps we’ve used it too many times and it’s lost its meaning. So let’s put aside all the times we’ve heard it (or used it ourselves) and approach the basic idea of strategic work afresh. Often, clarity of communication and returning to the true import of a particular term can re-invigorate an organization and our relationships within it. [read]

How to Keep a Conversation Going

It happens to the best of us: we’re talking to someone we’ve just met, and the conversation is stalling. We don’t know where to take it, how to keep it going and the silence is making us feel awkward. Although in the grand scheme of things, these moments are meaningless, they can be quite a burden for you when they happen.

I think the biggest problem here is not that awkward feeling though, but the fact that not knowing good ways to keep a conversation going can make you lose the opportunity to get to know an otherwise great person. [read]