One Simple Tool to Declutter Your Mind

I'm a huge scatterbrain.

I tend to have 100 things on the go and walk a fine line between getting a lot of stuff done and spreading myself too thin.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you have multiple projects with many people and variables involved.  

Sound familiar? 

Then it's time to get organized and get some of this work done! Something I've used for years to get my thoughts in order are mind maps. 

I know some of you might be hesitant to use these, but if what you're doing isn't working it's time to try something new. If you are a visual or abstract thinker, mind maps can be very helpful for organizing your thoughts.

I've used mind maps for years and coached others in using them to plan and focus. Here's a simple run down of how mine work:

1. Open up a blank page in a workbook or unroll some poster-board and jot down what you want to benefit from your planning in the center of the page. (For example: "My life", "My business", "School" etc...). We will call this your Primary Category. 

2. Next,  write down what you might call subgroups of the Primary Category you've written down. The things that make up that category (For example, if you wrote down "My Life" you might put down some of the things that you're currently working on or want to focus on going on in your life, such as work, diet, school etc...). Try to break it down into anything that seems important related to your first category. We will call these Secondary Categories.

   

3. From here, you want to further break down the Secondary Categories. For your mind map to be worthwhile to you, you will usually have to go at least this far. If your next steps haven't become clear, you have to keep going. If you've tried making a mind map before and stopped here, that is probably why it wasn't effective. If you still feel lost you need to keep breaking these categories down. 

It takes at least three levels of breaking down to get past the superficial thoughts that we tend to get hung up on. At the third level of breaking down categories, we start to see some new things. We might notice that it can become a little bit harder to think of what our secondary categories were made up of. At this point, the way you break down the Secondary Categories might become more abstract. This is okay, your mind map isn't for anybody else: it's for you, and what matters is that you understand it. 

It's usually our basic level of understanding of what we're doing and why we're doing it that makes it seem overwhelming. Mind mapping forces us to break down what we are doing and why we're doing it enough that we better understand not only what we need to do to accomplish what we must, but also so that we can assess, prioritize, and evaluate what we're working on or what we want.  

For example: 

It starts to look a little bit more complicated right? 

As you can see in the diagram above, the sub-categories beyond the Secondary Categories take on a bit of a different form depending on what the Secondary Categories mean to you and what you value or want to accomplish. 

I put vegetables under diet because, despite being an adult, I don't eat enough broccoli. 

That's a simple example because it's already at the level of being a specific goal. From there I might simply want to jot down a note on how I will accomplish that goal.

Example:

Diet -> Vegetables -> Make meals at home once a day (make it realistic for you)

 You don't want to waste too much time on the things that are already fairly clear to you, those aren't the reason why you're stressed or lost. It's the more complex things that require a deeper level of understanding, You'll notice at this stage that some of the subgroups are still categorical while some feel more like specific goals. In the example, "Marathon" may already be at the level of a specific goal to your understanding, whereas "Project 1" for "Work" may still be a looming, not well understood monster full of confusing variables and a variety of tasks. 

4. The less specific subcategories here need to be broken down further. As we were saying, if "Project 1" still seems daunting, it has to be broken down into tasks, goals and outcomes so that it can become manageable. Here is an example of what that could potentially look like:

As you can see, things start become much more clear and manageable by this point. This is where you might have an A-ha moment and can then go on to realize that some things can be delegated, maybe aren't necessary, and make some specific to-do lists. Once you've broken everything down to the level of some specific tasks or desired outcomes, you can use a highlighter or make a list to help prioritize these items and best use your time in the most productive way. Continue to break down the items until they are at an understandable and specific level. Put this up on your wall and review it or re do it until you are where you need to be. Check things off as you accomplish them. 

 You can apply this method to almost anything. Listing the pros and cons of a decision, planning a big project, mapping out your goals with your spouse and how you want to accomplish them, group projects... the list goes on. Mind maps can be a very useful tool, especially if you tend to be more of a 'visionary' or big picture type of thinker and it takes more effort for you to drill in on specifics to make your big dreams a reality. 

So You Think You Can Blog? - 4 Tips for Beginner Bloggers

So you’ve decided to start a blog? Great! Blogging is a fun way to feel connected and you're going to love it! You’ve written a few posts, come up with a wacky name, chosen a killer Wordpress template, and the day has finally come where you get the thrill of pressing “publish”. Things are looking great and you’re gleaming with pride, but no matter how many times you refresh your browser, the “visit count” sits at zero. 

The grim fact about blogging is that up to 95% of blogs are abandoned in their first year. Blogging is about so much more than simply throwing your thoughts onto the internet and hoping they find an audience—it is about building a network of people who gain something from your work and come back again and again to get more. Successful blogging is about connecting with a passionate audience of like-minded individuals, earning their trust, and captivating their loyalty.

Building a blog audience may seem like a challenge, but there are several things you can do in the early days to ensure your blog’s success down the road. Here are four of the most useful tips we received early on in our blogging days that stuck with us!

1) Choosing a Topic: Make it something you’re passionate about, but not too vague.. oh, and not too specific: 

Not too big, not too small, just right. The three bears may not have been talking about blogging, but they might as well have. When considering your blog's subject matter, there are three things that must be kept in mind: it's important that you choose a topic you can speak in depth about, that your subject matter isn't too vague, and that your subject matter isn’t too specific. This might sound challenging, but it is a tightrope walk that all successful bloggers think in-depth about before jumping in. 

I guess the porridge represents blogs... I don't know, I lost the metaphor.  

First, it is important that you choose a blog topic that you are familiar with and comfortable speaking about from an “expert’s” perspective. You need to provide your readers with something they can’t get on their own, and you need to be able to do it again and again, so make sure you know your subject matter. Think of yourself as Yoda and your readers as jedi knights— it is your job to introduce them to the subject, challenge their current beliefs, give them your opinion, and hopefully provide them with enlightenment— if Yoda wasn’t an expert in the force, StarWars would have ended pretty differently. 

Secondly, it is important that your subject matter isn’t too vague. Say your area of interest is cars and you succeed at creating the best damn car blog on the internet. A simple google search for “car blog” will return 1.4 billion results… that means you’re competing with 1.4 billion pages for an audience that, frankly, doesn't know you or care about your blog. One way to make sure your blog is successful is to zero in on a specific audience that is underrepresented on the internet, or create content that isn’t already being made on a subject that is popular. The best blogs on the internet provide a unique view or spin on a subject that users can’t get anywhere else, so try and be different from the blogs that already exist. Sticking to our car example, trying to narrow down your audience could be as easy as specializing in a certain type of car (European, Japanese, Muscle, etc), a certain brand (Ford, Subaru, etc), or a certain car related activity (racing, car shows, stunting, etc). 

To contrast that last tip, it's also important to make sure that the subject is not too narrow, or you run the risk of alienating yourself or running out of material. For example, if you decided to make your car blog specifically about the 1967 Mustang GT, you might find that after a few articles you have nothing left to say. Additionally, you are limiting your audience to people who are passionate about mid-century Mustangs, and that could be a small and unmotivated audience.  It is important that you choose a subject matter that you can build on going forward, can provide ample material if your blog takes off, and it is important that an audience exists for your subject matter. There are many ways to determine if your subject matter is too niche, but the easiest are probably to talk to friends and family who are unfamiliar with the subject to see if they’ve heard about it before — chances are, if they have, other people are talking about it. Additionally, if a quick search for the subject matter provides relevant results, you can begin to assess how big the demand for your blog is based on the content. If the results consist of a lot of forums, online communities, and discussions, you can begin to get a feel for how many people share your passion.  

2) Optimize Your Blog/Posts for Search Engines

What the !?#* is search engine optimization (SEO), and why should I care about it? 

SEO - Not just for banner ads anymore

SEO is the process of making your blog or site more easily searchable on google, bing, and whatever other search engines people are using. It is important to you because in the early days before your audience is established, the blog’s readers will arrive to your site by happenstance, and despite the rise of social media the majority of blog traffic comes from search engines. Lucky for you, search engine optimization is not as challenging as it seems, and if you are conscious about it as you're building your site and articles, it can become second nature. 

The process of search engine optimization is actually quite simple. Search engines scan your site and pull out significant keywords that appear on your pages, in your photo captions, and behind the scenes in the descriptions of your site. These keywords become tied to your site, and when users search for them they are directed to you. Here are a few things to remember when you’re setting up your blog: 

1. The key to successfully optimizing your site is ensuring that all of your page titles and blog post titles contain relevant information that will lead people from search engines to your site. Use simple and descriptive titles that accurately describe your content, and make sure that each of your blog entry titles are unique.
2. Use words for url extensions (eg www.yourdomain.com/blogname/subject instead of www.yourdomain.com/485834390/44r38dj) because domain names are searchable too.
3. If you have access to your pages’ “Description” meta tag you can add a summary of what your blog posts are about to provide a more condensed and easily searchable blurb. Any time you have the opportunity on your blog to add a description it is important that you do and that you fill it with keywords and searchable information.
4. Remember that only text is searchable, so images, links, videos, and other items will not be searchable unless you caption photos, add behind the scene descriptions of them, and name the files using descriptive words.

Google has a great guide to search engine optimization that can be found here, which is full of useful tips on how to maximize your sites traffic using simple techniques. I recommend having a read through it before making your blog, just so it’s in the back of your mind. 

3) Promote, Promote, Promote 

Alright, your blog is up, you've written a few articles, and you’ve optimized your site like a boss… great! Now comes the fun part: promoting your blog. Promoting your blog can be simple and a lot of fun, but it is time consuming, so make sure you prioritize this early on. 

First, you need to assess where your target audience spends their time online. Search for the subject matter you're writing about and make a list (with urls) of all the related websites, forums, discussion boards, youtube channels, Facebook groups, reddit communities, and whoever else relates to your blog’s subject matter. This will serve as your directory, and you will use it almost as a scheduling tool for your blog. 

Next, and it may seem hard, but bare with me: join all of the online communities that you can and try to participate in discussions, answer peoples questions, or generally just interact. Argh, right, too much work. This was daunting to me, so I set up a “blog crawl schedule” (ok, that sounds fun), where I divided my list of communities into 5 days of the week and allotted 30 minutes a day to spending time in the various communities. I posted stories, solved problems, and commented on videos, all the while mentioning my blog here and there and linking to the odd post. While you are using online communities think of the ways in which your interaction relates to your blog, and send readers there whenever you get the chance. Intertwining yourselves in these communities could lead to new friendships and a reputation in your field, which could help you grow your reader-base exponentially. 

Who doesn't love browsing random stuff online and staying up till the early morning clicking link after link of cat picture and news article? Sites like Reddit, BuzzFeed and Upworthy allow users to submit content and links that users may find interesting which could flood your blog with thousands of visits (if the post takes off). If you make something that you are exceptionally proud of and you feel your content can have an impact on people, share it! Craft an interesting headline, find specific groups or subreddits, and post your link—maybe you will go viral. 

Remember when "hashtags" were just lowly "pound signs"? 

Introducing: The Artist Formally Known as Pound Sign

Yeah, me neither. I learnt early on in blogging that hashtagging your posts on social media correctly can help you draw attention to your posts and drive traffic to your blog. Try typing keywords associated with your subject into social media sites like twitter and instagram to find out what people are talking about and what they are hashtagging. You can also search keywords on websites like hashtagify.me to find different hashtags to find your audience. Major events and holidays often get their own hashtags as well, ( i.e. #fifa2015, #elxn42, #xmas2015), so make sure you use them when sharing relevant content!

Lastly, it is important you don’t forget: in the blogging world you are surrounded by a community that loves reading blogs! Make sure you make connections with different bloggers by subscribing to their blogs, sharing their content on social media, commenting on their work, and liking their stuff. You will find they often return the favour. 

4) Lather, Write, Repeat 

People are creatures of habit — that is a fact — and you can use this to your advantage when building your blog audience. 

Granted, not all habits are good... "I can stop whenever I want"

Set a schedule of how many blog posts you want to release a week (or month, or biweekly, it doesn't matter), and stick to it. For our blog, we schedule one post weekly on Monday morning. It may seem simple, but your readers will quickly learn your schedule and will work it into theirs, and once the habit is formed you could have a long term reader.

Setting a schedule is easy, sticking to it is hard. Making promises to your reader, but falling short, could result in distrust, annoyance, and lost audience segments. When you’re developing your schedule it is important that you take into consideration the commitment you are making and the amount of work it could be. Make sure you’re not overcommitting yourself, as doing so could result in frustration and exhaustion. Also consider the amount of subject matter you have to develop— you don’t want to run out of material too early, so make sure you spread it out!