Welcome to issue No. 070 of the Lever Good writing leads to good thinking. And a little revision leads back to great (well, at least better) writing. When you write, write. Don't edit, correct, or second guess. But when you are done its time to revise, using the ABC's of writing as a guide. Nothing should go to press without a second run through to ensure that the 3 criteria are met. Accuracy Facts. Get them right. Misreporting factual evidence destroys your credibility and there is no excuse...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Welcome to issue No. 069 of the Lever Ever feel like things aren’t going your way? You’ve done big things but lately are feeling burnt out, stressed, and depressed. Like, what’s the point? You are having trouble getting out of your own way and catching a gear. Or you’ve hit a point in your life where, looking back, you realize that you aren’t happy with where you are now but don’t know what to do about it. Everyone else seems to have it figured out, so why can’t I? I’ve been there and know...
3 months ago • 4 min read
People. Having problems. Welcome to issue No. 068 of the Lever No matter your business or industry you probably have a variation of one of these problems: 1. Not enough people to do the work2. The people I DO have don't want to work enough It’s a real problem and its only going to get worse. Think back to the industrial revolution. A few big technologies changed everything. Steam power changed how food and goods were produced. People flocked to cities and society began a shift away from...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Stack 'em high Welcome to issue No. 067 of the Lever Building a skillset like writing or graphic design outside of your 9-5 can seem overwhelming. You need time to practice your new skill but your existing obligations make that time hard to find. A solution that has worked for me is to do a project that benefits my day job while simultaneously practicing the new skill set. I stack these skills by Layering Projects. Layer Your Projects When working to develop a new skill or improve your...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Day after day Welcome to issue No. 66 of the Lever We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit - Aristotle Consistency simply means showing up every day. To improve your core skills there will be some action you need to perform. - Designing- Writing- Editing And then you need to perform it again and again and again. Big buildings are built with small stones, and incremental improvements are the only sure path to success. Make it Easy The first question to ask:...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Welcome to issue No. 065 of the Lever Part Time Passion Full Time Job Back in 2017 I completed a 21-day digital fast. No social media, extremely limited emails, even the books I read were paperback. I did this because I was getting easily distracted. When it was time to write, I would "research" instead. Deadlines would creep up and I wouldn't ship the quality I wanted because I hadn't spent enough time doing the work. This is what I did to change it. One second... Great writing starts with a...
6 months ago • 3 min read
Welcome to issue No. 064 of the Lever Outline Your Article Just finished a 730 word outline for my next feature article. Which got me wondering, how do others outline longer pieces of work? Not sure what they teach in journalism school, but this is how I do it: For more B2B Writing Systems pre-register for the B2B Bootcamp Before we get started, its important to remember that this is for B2B content. That means it needs to be clear, not clever. To do this effectively your argument must be...
7 months ago • 3 min read
Don't fear the spotlight Welcome to issue No. 063 of the Lever I've written about how greatness happens in the shadows, through the thousands of hours spent practicing while nobody is watching. That time is important. But it is also important to preach what you’ve been practicing once the spotlight turns on. If you value a skill high enough to spend hours working on it in private, then you should also jump on every chance you get to make it public. Because these are the times that the...
7 months ago • 2 min read
Good writing starts with a question Welcome to issue No. 062 of the Lever Every good piece of writing starts with this one thing: A question. Here is how you make sure your reader is asking it: But first: Creatives need time to create. Which can be hard to find when starting out. Especially if you still hold down a 9-5. Peaceful Productivity is the entire system from planning, through execution and review, that gave me the time I needed to build a successful freelance writing business while...
7 months ago • 2 min read