I have a new fixed-term membership site I want to offer next week. Still not sure I'll make it in time because of family situation that I cannot adjust. I anticipated that and set up January 12th as an alternate launch day goal. Still shooting for January 5th, but it's looking more and more like it'll be the 12th. I'd rather wait another week and do it right than rush it and do a shoddy job.
I have so many things to do for this project:
Write the reports and the bonuses for each week... check, can do.
Copywriting, such as landing pages, thank you pages, etc... check, can do.
Setting up the members forum... check, can do.
Setting up the members only site... check, can do.
Determine the graduating members' presents... check, can do.
Setting up the payment methods... check, can do.
Come up with a good name for the membership package... sigh, having problems there.
It's a package for people who work or volunteer in the church office, each week providing the member with a new guide, along with bonus reports. And the name for it is just not coming to me.
I know I want church office in the name.
For Adwords, I know I'll target church office, church office guides, church secretary, and church office volunteers.
There's not much out there in this field at all that's as popular as in other niches - so there's no good ideas to look at to jumpstart my own ideas with.
The rest of my duties for this site are time consuming. This duty is frustrating me. But I think I'm going to try thinking about it a different way. I'm going to tackle the tag line first, write the landing page, and then see if the name jumps out at me.
I'll let you know how it works...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
When Life Upsets Your Routine
Life is looking up for me. My son was found and our granddaughter came into this world on December 18th. Even though there is a lot of stuff to deal with from the aftermath of our son's situation, and will continue for another month or two, life is promising.
This situation has been a great interruption to my routine, and then the holidays demanded that I pay attention to family and not work. My husband dealt with the same requirement also. Although he is able to hook up and work from home, it's not as easy as it is for me, who works from home for oneself. I saw a new appreciation for self-employment in my husband's eyes through this.
Now I have a few working days in the midst of the ending holiday, and before the next of our appointments with our son. But the routine is blown and the organization of my job is askew. How do you recover from that?
By going back to basics. Don't Panic. (Just find your towel and keep it by you at all times, and you'll be fine... for all the Douglas Adams fans out there.)
Seriously, go back to writing everything down that you need to achieve. Writing your goals down is the first and most important step in achieving those goals. Even the very small ones. Don't keep an inventory of tasks in your mind, write them down.
After you've written down your tasks/goals, check them off as you complete them. You'll be amazed how accomplishing even one item can give you more energy and motivation to move on down the list.
Now, for planned time off, you can prepare this list ahead of time. Work it out the day before your time off and when you come back it's there and ready for you.
Oh...one other thing. DO NOT answer your emails right away. Set aside a specific time for doing those and create a time limit. Emails are dangerous when you're trying to catch up!
This situation has been a great interruption to my routine, and then the holidays demanded that I pay attention to family and not work. My husband dealt with the same requirement also. Although he is able to hook up and work from home, it's not as easy as it is for me, who works from home for oneself. I saw a new appreciation for self-employment in my husband's eyes through this.
Now I have a few working days in the midst of the ending holiday, and before the next of our appointments with our son. But the routine is blown and the organization of my job is askew. How do you recover from that?
By going back to basics. Don't Panic. (Just find your towel and keep it by you at all times, and you'll be fine... for all the Douglas Adams fans out there.)
Seriously, go back to writing everything down that you need to achieve. Writing your goals down is the first and most important step in achieving those goals. Even the very small ones. Don't keep an inventory of tasks in your mind, write them down.
After you've written down your tasks/goals, check them off as you complete them. You'll be amazed how accomplishing even one item can give you more energy and motivation to move on down the list.
Now, for planned time off, you can prepare this list ahead of time. Work it out the day before your time off and when you come back it's there and ready for you.
Oh...one other thing. DO NOT answer your emails right away. Set aside a specific time for doing those and create a time limit. Emails are dangerous when you're trying to catch up!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Coming in Fast....
2009 is almost here. My deadline for getting my first site going live is almost here. And we're still in the grip of life upset from my son's disappearance. We hope and pray that he finds out his grandparents are here this weekend, and that he wishes to see his new niece, who will be born this week, maybe tonight yet. Once you know that your kid is a runaway and not a victim of violence, there is a reassurance from it. But the worst stress comes from the waiting to see if he is caught or if he'll return to you.
Hubby has a lot of days off this year for the holidays - an rare event. Yet, without our son, we don't feel free to travel to see family. Kind of sad. For the first time in years, my hubby's siblings will be home together this Christmas. I know it's killing him to not go...but to go without our son will kill him also.
I'm learning a lot about motivation and how to grow it in the face of this ongoing stress. The situation both helps and hinders it. We're more desperate to make sure that the freelancing increases so that we have the choice of staying here awhile, in case he does want to come home. With the economy, counting on the company my hubby works for to not go through layoffs is risky and we need the freelancing to pick that up. And the stress hinders the motivation, the ability to focus, and my energy.
There are things that have helped.
Food - eating better, switching to vitamins specifically formulated for energy, getting plenty of water in, orange juice, and in between all that good, allowing one to have a bit of chocolate once in awhile. We love Mexican hot chocolate. LOL
Church - going to church helps, although it's a place where you risk getting caught up in the emotions of the situation also. Christians are an emotional bunch. *grin* Keeping in touch with one's faith and spiritualism helps maintain a balanced mind, and fosters positive thinking and hope.
Friends - many friends have come to our aid. Many who we didn't really have strong connections with before, we do now. The support of friends helps a lot.
Family - This may sound weird to most but here it goes... Being located out of reach of family has helped us find focus a lot. Normally being with your family helps in these situations. In our case, we benefit from being away. We've maintained contacts by phone and email, but that's all. It's helped because we've been able to skip all the family discussions about the situation. Families have a way of getting together and analyzing the how's, why's, and what if's of the situation.
Opposite Personalities - For my hubby and I, the fact that we're so different has helped create a balance in our household. I'm a person who doesn't show emotion, doesn't go too deep with the feeling, and stays fairly calm and stoic - promoting balance and calmness around me. Hubby has taken this hard on the emotional level. He allows me to be emotional about it when I need to - and I help him regain composure and optimism about the situation. Even though we both are lost at times, this has helped.
Writing - for me, writing is my release. I've taken up writing a book length project about being the parent of a runaway. Not sure if this will become public or just another personal journal for me. It's good therapy all the same. I just have to make sure I'm writing in it when I can devote the full amount of time to each session. Usually all the bad feelings come out at the beginning of it, and I write until I'm able to end the section on hope and optimism. Almost was stuck in an area of despair with one session and managed to finish it anyway on hope. I could tell that it would have defeated the purpose of the therapy to stop at the bad thoughts.
Hubby has a lot of days off this year for the holidays - an rare event. Yet, without our son, we don't feel free to travel to see family. Kind of sad. For the first time in years, my hubby's siblings will be home together this Christmas. I know it's killing him to not go...but to go without our son will kill him also.
I'm learning a lot about motivation and how to grow it in the face of this ongoing stress. The situation both helps and hinders it. We're more desperate to make sure that the freelancing increases so that we have the choice of staying here awhile, in case he does want to come home. With the economy, counting on the company my hubby works for to not go through layoffs is risky and we need the freelancing to pick that up. And the stress hinders the motivation, the ability to focus, and my energy.
There are things that have helped.
Food - eating better, switching to vitamins specifically formulated for energy, getting plenty of water in, orange juice, and in between all that good, allowing one to have a bit of chocolate once in awhile. We love Mexican hot chocolate. LOL
Church - going to church helps, although it's a place where you risk getting caught up in the emotions of the situation also. Christians are an emotional bunch. *grin* Keeping in touch with one's faith and spiritualism helps maintain a balanced mind, and fosters positive thinking and hope.
Friends - many friends have come to our aid. Many who we didn't really have strong connections with before, we do now. The support of friends helps a lot.
Family - This may sound weird to most but here it goes... Being located out of reach of family has helped us find focus a lot. Normally being with your family helps in these situations. In our case, we benefit from being away. We've maintained contacts by phone and email, but that's all. It's helped because we've been able to skip all the family discussions about the situation. Families have a way of getting together and analyzing the how's, why's, and what if's of the situation.
Opposite Personalities - For my hubby and I, the fact that we're so different has helped create a balance in our household. I'm a person who doesn't show emotion, doesn't go too deep with the feeling, and stays fairly calm and stoic - promoting balance and calmness around me. Hubby has taken this hard on the emotional level. He allows me to be emotional about it when I need to - and I help him regain composure and optimism about the situation. Even though we both are lost at times, this has helped.
Writing - for me, writing is my release. I've taken up writing a book length project about being the parent of a runaway. Not sure if this will become public or just another personal journal for me. It's good therapy all the same. I just have to make sure I'm writing in it when I can devote the full amount of time to each session. Usually all the bad feelings come out at the beginning of it, and I write until I'm able to end the section on hope and optimism. Almost was stuck in an area of despair with one session and managed to finish it anyway on hope. I could tell that it would have defeated the purpose of the therapy to stop at the bad thoughts.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
New Weblog Started
I've opened up a new weblog for copywriters about copywriting and marketing at Copy Confetti.
The first post deals with the four thinking barriers.
I was just experimenting, but I'm starting to really like it, so it's probably going to be a permanent resident to my cyber home. I have a feeling I'll keep this one and make it a more personal copywriting blog to go with it. Or just cross post between the two here.
We're still dealing with our son being missing. http://www.findmikehawkins.com Our daughter is going to have her baby this week, for sure. Doctor's orders are to induce on Saturday if she doesn't get around to it on her own before then. And my parents are traveling out her for the occasion this weekend. It would be great if our son could find his way back before then.
The first post deals with the four thinking barriers.
I was just experimenting, but I'm starting to really like it, so it's probably going to be a permanent resident to my cyber home. I have a feeling I'll keep this one and make it a more personal copywriting blog to go with it. Or just cross post between the two here.
We're still dealing with our son being missing. http://www.findmikehawkins.com Our daughter is going to have her baby this week, for sure. Doctor's orders are to induce on Saturday if she doesn't get around to it on her own before then. And my parents are traveling out her for the occasion this weekend. It would be great if our son could find his way back before then.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Son's disappearance....
After we created the website and started passing out the six hundred fliers, we got a call of a possible sighting of our son in Lincoln Nebraska. http://sites.google.com/site/findmikehawkins/ Still don't have this confirmed. Also, not confirmed is that he is heading back to family in our home state of Iowa. Something we were trying to work on making happen for him in the spring. Not sure why he felt as if he couldn't wait.
We truly hope it was him. At least if it's him, he's alive.
The local sheriff is doing a great job, but we're in a small community and they are limited. State patrol said all we could do is wait, basically, and that he doesn't qualify for the Amber-alert system.
Luckily our pastor made that call for us - or I would have said a thing or two. I'm getting pretty punchy and already barked at someone who was being nice to me when she said, "Did the sheriff say we should do this?" I said, "We're saying you should do this!" Hubby said he's never heard me do that before.
Some of the media has been notified so far. Can't get him on the one Lincoln channel unless it's the police calling them. Another had a voicemail. We have more media to call and get him on if this sighting does not lead to him.
We truly hope it was him. At least if it's him, he's alive.
The local sheriff is doing a great job, but we're in a small community and they are limited. State patrol said all we could do is wait, basically, and that he doesn't qualify for the Amber-alert system.
Luckily our pastor made that call for us - or I would have said a thing or two. I'm getting pretty punchy and already barked at someone who was being nice to me when she said, "Did the sheriff say we should do this?" I said, "We're saying you should do this!" Hubby said he's never heard me do that before.
Some of the media has been notified so far. Can't get him on the one Lincoln channel unless it's the police calling them. Another had a voicemail. We have more media to call and get him on if this sighting does not lead to him.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Important Matters
Dealing with a missing son right now. I will be trying to work while trying to find him, but may be absent from blog if searching for him takes my time.
Amazing how using Web 2.0 helps generate leads in this situation. In the last few hours a multitude of people have changed their status to reflect well wishes for us and to encourage help.
Our status - without going into details. Getting closer, but things aren't adding up right, and the aftermath of this could get bad. Obviously, we're very worried about him...beyond thinking he just wants to be away from home.
Amazing how using Web 2.0 helps generate leads in this situation. In the last few hours a multitude of people have changed their status to reflect well wishes for us and to encourage help.
Our status - without going into details. Getting closer, but things aren't adding up right, and the aftermath of this could get bad. Obviously, we're very worried about him...beyond thinking he just wants to be away from home.
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