773.416.9374
BLOG

Welcome to my totally new website!

I’ve had a personal website to promote my services as a voice-over talent since 2003.  I’ve had the task “Update my website” on my “To-Do” list for, oh, about 3 years (can you relate?).  I was stuck, big time.  So, how did I get UN-stuck?  Let me share with you the simple tip that has made a radical change in my productivity.

 

In August 2010, I got an e-mail from an old acquaintance of mine who has a nice business as a terrific, life-changing career counselor.  As a gift for filling out a survey, he forwarded an e-mail that sure sounded like some pie-in-the-sky notion – a “Five Minute Secret That Billionaires Use to Amass Wealth and Prosperity.”  Yeah, sure….  But I took a look anyhow, due to my respect for this man and how he runs his business.

 

It is really a very simple concept, this “secret.”  Here it is: before your day ends, write down the three most important things you need to do tomorrow.  Then when tomorrow comes, do those three things and cross them off.  AFTER you are done with these three things, you may tackle other items on your master to-do list.  Do this every workday.  That’s it!

 

Before I started planning my days in this manner, I used to have a custom-made calendar with two weeks’ worth of “to-do’s” for every day.  Each day might have 6-12 things filled in each day, and I NEVER finished them all.  Problem was, I did all of the easy or fun things first, and never tackled the things that really were most important.  I avoided these tasks mostly due to some emotional stumbling block that I did not want to face – e.g.,  I hate asking for help, not feeling competent, being embarrassed at my lack of knowledge in an area where I need to get things done.  So rather than face those fears, I’d (barely) satisfy myself by focusing on the easy things.  Which is why “updating my website” sat on my master to-do list for month after month, year after year.

 

Since I started using this method of planning my days, I have tackled an amazing number of difficult items on my master to-do list.  I finally picked up the phone and called a few web designers.  I hired a graphic artist from elance.com to re-do my 20 year old business logo.  I planned out my vision for my website and wrote all the copy.  I asked for advice on who to produce my new voice-over demo, which photographer to take my new headshots.  I have gotten more important things done in the past three months than I had in the past three years.  Literally.

 

So if you are like me – a creative person who freelances for a living and struggles to take on the really big things that matter, give this method a try for a few weeks and see what happens.  If you do, I’d love to hear how it worked for you!

AUTHOR: tomtest-wpadmin     CATEGORIES: Blog
Logos
WoVO seeks to build a global community of voice actors who believe in high industry standards, ethical business practices, mentoring and encouragement.

© Tom Test