Over the past week, I’ve had several conversations with clients about why they haven’t been able to get the ball rolling on their next content piece. I get it. You’re busy closing out the month. You’re trying to get some R&R over the Holiday weekend. Just don’t tell me you have “writer’s block.”

Most of you on this distribution list are highly motivated, well-organized professionals. I certainly wouldn’t accuse you of procrastinating. What you’re most likely suffering from is perfectionism.

Voltaire, the renowned French writer and activist famously said: “Perfect is the enemy of good.”

What this means is that you’re so busy striving for perfection—as you are with most other things in life—that you become your own worst enemy. Even worse, you don’t notice the progress you’re making toward being a better communicator and thought influencer.

In the 140-year history of Major League Baseball, pitchers have thrown only 23 perfect games out of roughly 235,000 games contested and none since 2012. Pro golfers hit a hole-in-one about 0.04% of the time. So, what make you think you should be perfect?

I’ve been in the content game for over 25 years. I’ve never written a perfect article or blog post. If I ever do, I’ll send it to you. Sure, English is a maddeningly complex language with more exceptions to the rule than there are actually rules (kind of like the IRS tax code). So, the best thing to do is just think about the SINGLE most important thing you want your readers to learn from your communication piece. Then focus on the best way to get the message across simply, quickly and concisely.

Don’t worry about being clever. Don’t worry about stuffing your content with the right keywords or links. Just get to the point and stop clearing your throat when you write. If you find yourself freezing up at the keyboard, step away from your desk and try another way of composing your thoughts.

Take out a legal pad and pencil (not a pen) and scribble away on your favorite deck chair. Or, you could dictate your thoughts into the voice recorder of your smartphone while hiking or walking the dog. Or you could try composing on your iPad while out at the beach. Anything to get your subconscious from thinking: “I’m stuck at my desk again staring into a blank screen — and I have nothing to say. Oy!”

Understanding the underlying causes can help writers find effective strategies to overcome or prevent writer’s block. Here are some of the other mental minefields that derail accomplished professionals:

1. Fear of Failure or Criticism: The fear of producing subpar work or receiving negative feedback can hinder the creative process. This fear can create self-imposed barriers that prevent writers from freely expressing themselves.
2. Overwhelming Expectations: External expectations, such as meeting deadlines or fulfilling certain requirements, can become overwhelming. The pressure to deliver can result in stress and mental blocks.
3. Self-Doubt: Doubting one’s abilities or questioning the value of their work can impede the writing process. Self-doubt can make it difficult to generate ideas or find confidence in one’s writing.
4. Perceived Lack of Time: Feeling overwhelmed by other responsibilities or perceiving a lack of time can create a mental block. The sense of not having enough time can hinder focus and creativity.
5. Distractions: Noise, interruptions, or a cluttered environment can disrupt the writing flow. External stimuli can divert attention and hinder concentration.
6. Lack of Structure or Direction: Uncertainty about the structure or direction of a piece of writing can create confusion and make it difficult to proceed. Without a clear roadmap, writers may feel stuck or unsure of how to continue

How many of these mental barriers sound like you?
Here are some additional tips from breaking through your perceived writer’s block:

1. Free-write: Set aside a specific time to write without any constraints or judgment. Write continuously for a set period, allowing your thoughts to flow freely. This can help break through the initial resistance and stimulate creativity. Don’t worry, your first draft is supposed to suck.
2. Outline: Create an outline or structure for your writing project before diving into the actual writing. Having a roadmap can give you a clear direction and make it easier to start and continue writing.
3. Set realistic goals and deadlines: Break your writing project into smaller, manageable tasks and set realistic goals and deadlines for each one. This can help you stay focused and motivated, as well as give you a sense of progress.
4. Eliminate distractions: Turn off notifications on your phone, close unnecessary tabs on your computer, and create a dedicated writing space that is free from interruptions.
5. Write at your most productive time: This is my personal favorite. Pay attention to your natural energy and productivity patterns. Some people are more productive in the morning, while others find their creative flow in the evening. Schedule your writing sessions during your most productive time of day.
6. Take breaks: Take regular breaks during your writing sessions to relax and recharge. Engage in activities you enjoy, such as reading, listening to music, or practicing mindfulness. Don’t try to push your way through a mental block. Most people can’t.
7. Seek inspiration: Read books, articles, or blogs related to your topic or genre. Surround yourself with creative works that inspire you. Attend writing workshops, conferences, or join writing groups to connect with other writers and gain fresh perspectives.

Conclusion

Screenwriter and TV producer John Rogers may have said it best: “You can’t think yourself out of a writing block; you have to write yourself out of a thinking block.” Contact me any time for my tips and inspiration.

#practice management, #writersblock, #effectivewriting

One of the best things about my work is that I get to work with some of the smartest, hardest working and most insightful thought leaders in the financial advisory world. One of the worst things about my work is that I work with some of the smartest, most insightful leaders in the financial advisory world.

It’s a double-edged sword for our firm’s clients because they’re often asked to write, speak and sit on panels addressing their peers. They have so much expertise to share, but alas, it’s hard to fit all that brainpower and experience into the narrow confines of a blog post, article or short-presentation. So, instead of being selective, they try to cram a lifetime of knowledge into their content pieces and the readers ends up feeling like their drinking from a firehose.

Sounds familiar?

Research shows that most humans can’t multitask. But that’s essentially what you’re asking people to do when you introduce two, three, even four distinct themes into your writing and speaking. Instead, just focus on one theme per content piece, and get your thoughts down really well.

Marketers have long known that you should never have more than one “call to action” in any marketing piece if you want people to respond. If you want them to book a time to meet with you, make that appointment “ask” abundantly clear. Don’t also ask your reader to sign up for your newsletter, register for your next webinar or download your “information-packed” white paper (requiring all of their contact information). It ends up being information overload for the recipient and when they have too many choices, they end up doing nothing.

Same goes for your content. If your objective is to discuss investment strategies for today’s high inflation, recessionary environment, tell your clients and prospects exactly what they should do, when they should do it, how they should do it and why. That’s why they trust you. Just don’t go off on tangents about the technical definition of a recession, or how many more rate hikes the Fed will do, or which sectors of the stock market tend to perform best during recessions. It’s great you have all that background stored in your brain, but you’re not writing a book here or delivering a semester-long course on the topic. Just get to the point – and stay on the point.

Clients appreciate simplicity, not complexity

Again, too many advisors think clients are impressed by how much they know about the new tax reform, or Modern Portfolio Theory or estate tax laws. In reality, clients will reward you if you can simplify their financial issues and say: “Here’s what all this means for you and you’re going to be OK if you do the following things. These are the next steps.”

If you’re still in doubt, use the “What / So What / Now What” filter. Dallas-based wealth advisor, Kyle Walters told me he uses this thought process all the time. “Don’t just give clients The What (i.e., data and information),” said Walters. “You need to give them the So What (i.e., What does it mean for me?) and the Now What (i.e., What Do I do About it?). They’ll be glad you did and so will the people they refer you to.”

“Early in my career, I used to get very excited whenever clients came in for a consultation or review meeting,” said Walters, a reformed smarty-pants by his own admission. “I really thought they were coming in to learn about all the latest developments I was following in accounting, tax and personal finance. It took me about 10 years to understand from their body language that they were just zoned out, waiting patiently for me to finish my lecture so they could ask the only relevant question— “What does this mean for me?”

Walters said it’s like taking your car to the mechanic and having to spend hours listening to him explain the details of what’s wrong with your crankshaft or carburetor. Unless you’re really into cars, you probably don’t care. Walters said that for years he was like Tony, the overzealous mechanic from the Seinfeld show. “My wife would hear me on a call and say, ‘You shouldn’t talk so much; they don’t care as much as you think they do.’”

Conclusion

Clients don’t want to pay you for data. They’re paying you for advice and for educated recommendations so they can make smarter financial decisions. What’s your take? I’d love to hear from you.

#simplicity, #effectivewriting, #thoughtleadership, #practicemanagement

Last month’s post about faster, clearer writing, generated a fair amount of feedback. Several readers asked how to get started when you’re staring at a blank screen or simply dreading the process of “putting pen to paper”?

We get this question often during the Dog Days of summer because everyone’s on vacation, thinking about vacation or about to go on vacation. It’s hot and humid and now we have the looming recession, bear market and rising interest rates to further dampen your enthusiasm for doing anything extra, like being a thought leader.

Basketball legend, Julius Erving (aka Dr. J), once said: “Being a professional is doing the thing you love to do on the days you don’t feel like doing it.” I know what you’re thinking. You don’t love writing. But you’re a professional. Sooner or later, you’ll have to publish something under you own name for your clients, staff, prospects or industry peers. So, yeah, you’re a writer.

Don’t beat yourself up

I bring this up because this up because late summer is when my own creative juices aren’t flowing like they normally do. Outside of the office my workouts and race results are also slower than at any other time of year. Projects around my office and my house tend to get delayed if not ignored.

Acknowledge that these speed bumps in your productivity are seasonal, not permanent. Most of us don’t have the luxury of folding up the tent until Labor Day when full energy resumes. Instead, slow down and set reasonable seasonal-adjusted goals during the Dog Days of August so you can hit the ground running in September.

• If you normally call 10 prospects a month, cut back to five or six, but make those calls impactful.
• If your firm normally does four blog posts a month, dial that back to two or three, but spend the time to make them poignant.
• If you normally fly two or three times a month to see clients, maybe cut that back to once a month and fold a vacation into the trip.

Tips for slowing down to speed up

1. What are you really trying to say? Before you write Word One, ask yourself: “What is the single most important thing I want to get across to my audience?” Ask yourself that question out loud and when you have the answer, dictate the answer on your voice recorder or write it down on a white board for everyone to see. This makes the messaging real, and you might want to revise it before blasting it out for public consumption.
2. Don’t let your keyboard get in the way. Just tell a story by using any “thought-capturing” means you prefer. Some of you are more comfortable with a legal pad and a pencil than with a computer screen, especially when you can go outside and compose your thoughts to “write” on a favorite deck chair or hammock. The key is to slow down and find a quiet place to think.
3. If you can say it, you can do it. A few of you are natural writers, but many of you are more comfortable dictating into a voice recorder while stuck in traffic. Some of you are great presenters and PowerPoint whizzes but freeze up at the site of a blank computer screen. If so, try recording yourself on video, or having a colleague or close family member record you. One of our clients “dictated” two entire books to us using nothing but his best slide presentations and lecture notes.

The key is to slow down, compose your thoughts and tell your story in your natural voice so it comes through loud and clear.

Most of you are established professionals and thought leaders. You have a great personal story to share and it’s probably more interesting than you think. But if you don’t sound like you believe your own story when you tell it, then how do you expect your readers and followers to buy it?

Still not convinced it’s worth slowing down? Well, a Harvard Business Review study of over 300 businesses showed that companies that took adequate time for deliberation and planning averaged 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating profits over a three-year period.

I’d love to tell you we have “6 Easy Steps” or a magic formula for making the writing process easier. We don’t. It’s a personal battle between you and your subconscious. To win that battle you have to slow down, be brutally honest with yourself and go back to basics. Get crystal clear about what you’re trying to convey to your audience and how can they use it in their day-to-day lives?

As always, we’re here to help.

Conclusion

Here’s more about busting through writer’s block and procrastination. As French philosopher Voltaire famously said, “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good.” Just take your time and be prepared to revise, revise and revise. Still not sure what to write about?  .Ping me any time. I’m happy to help.

#effectivewriting, #thoughtleadership, #practicemanagement