The other day, one of my coaching students emailed me about his dilemma — something that’s all too common in our business.

“Too many times,” he said, “I’ve known what I needed to do, and I always end up waiting weeks on end to do it.” He asked, “How do you cope with procrastination?”

Procrastination is indubitably the copywriter’s most stifling problem. Since our job is fraught with deadlines, procrastination can be one of the costliest problems in the copywriting business. It can murder your reputation…

… And your career!

So, how do you cope with procrastination? Even better, how do you overcome it? Here are six tips I use, which helps me to get more done faster.

Read the rest or post a comment »

After 12 long years of working seven days a week, I’ve made a decision. I’m taking tomorrow off.

Sounds strange? Well, I’ve had vacations. Many of them. And I’ve taken half-days off, here and there. Sometimes, I’ve even taken whole days off. But I would still check my email in the morning, or return to my computer at night.

Aside from my vacations, I’ve not taken an entire day off in over a decade. I mean, a full 24 hours without doing any work, including using the computer even if it’s to surf the web.

My wife and I are finally heeding to some very powerful advice from James Brausch about taking an extra day off to earn more money. In fact, James was pointing out a blog post by Terry Dean, a person I admire and follow closely.

Read the rest or post a comment »

OK, after my latest blog post about writing in journals, I thought about doing this. You see, I wrote a book many years ago. (Back in ‘96.) That article was actually based on that book.

This is not your average marketing book.

Admittedly, it may be a little “out there” for some people. Perhaps a little metaphysical. A little spiritual. A little motivational. A little “higher consciousness” related. And I respect that.

While this might not be appealing to some, for others this book about how to stop setting “goals” and start setting “guides” instead (i.e., your priorities) might be the most powerful, life-changing book you have ever read.

Read the rest or post a comment »