25 Things You Can Learn From Jonathan Mead
1. Say the same thing twice
Jon wrote about this further in his post about how to make your readers stick link velcro
A lot of writers will tell you to vary your words. Don’t use the same descriptor twice. But sometimes there’s a need, and an obvious benefit, to saying the same thing twice. The benefit is getting people to pay attention and showing them that whatyou’resayingrighthere is important.
This is something I have been trialling. It does help your overall message to come across a lot stronger
2. Tell them to pay attention.
Later in the post, he said
Sometimes being direct is the best way to get people to pay attention. Sometimes you just have to tell people that this-is-important.
You don’t always have to tell them this in the post. You could alert people of its importance via twitter or a mailing list.
3. Listening is not playing.
This was on the bullet points Jon included in his post about why trying to learn to be a better blogger is a better time. I spent two years just listening to the blogosphere before really taking action. I’ve accomplished more in the past 3 months than I have in the past years.
4. Write only when you have something worth saying.
David expanded on this in his post about creating a highly viral blog.
I mentioned this already, but it’s worth repeating. If you don’t have something to say, don’t say anything. Don’t contribute to the noise. If you don’t have something to say, the best thing you can do is not add to the static. This is solely based on the fact that you don’t want to create a reputation of onlysometimes creating amazing content. You want to create the belief in other’s minds that every time you post, it will be unmissable content.
This is so true and is an idea that many, many people ignore. I rarely see posts by Skellie or Maki anymore. But when I do, I know its important.
5. Throw away lots of ideas.
Later in the post, he said
In the same way that you only publish your best stuff, you have to develop a habit of throwing most things away. If it’s not worth saying, resist the urge to word vomit. If you have an idea that you think is great, but you’re not sure, sit on it. Let it stew for a little bit. Most of the time, the reason for your indecisiveness is because your idea is not quite ripe. Let it ripen on the vine, resist the urge to pick it before it’s ready, which would leave you with something sour and ruined. Just as an example, I currently have over 30 drafts in my blog admin area. Less than 3 of those will see the light of day. The more you practice this, the more skilled you will become at filtering great ideas. You will begin to develop a remarkable ability to know immediately when something will be extremely well-received, or when it will flop.
This is a concept that I’ve started implementing. But I still keep all ideas in a file so I can go back to them later and adapt a different approach.
6. Hire a coach
Jon wrote about this when asking what to do when your goals don’t work.
By hiring professional coaches, I’ve been able to make huge leaps of success in my personal and professional life (I’ve had multiple coaches).
I’ve used a life coach, a business coach, and a product launch coach. I’ve also had a marketing coach and a martial arts coach
I haven’t been able to afford hiring a coach, but I do believe its a vital part of success. Usually, the more you spend the higher return you get.
7. Get your readers trust.
Jon included this advice when he was featured on Mashable
You have to have your reader’s trust. If they don’t trust you, they will not buy what you recommend.
Even if they do trust you, they may still accuse you of spamming. But the more they trust you, the more likely it is that you recommendation will be well received.
8. Have two to-do lists.
Jon talked about this in an interview on Carrie and Danielle
I just have a master to-do list and a daily to-do list. Everything I need or want to do, goes in the master list. Then each day before I start working, I filter down those things to my daily list. I keep things in perspective intuitively, instead of trying to obsess over all the details. This works much better for me than trying to plan everything out.
I haven’t done this, but have seen this idea repeated and used successfully on many productivity sites. I’ll be doing research into how effective this is.
9. Clearly define what makes this blog unique.
Jon discussed this in the post about quitting his job.
I’ve worked hard to try to set my writing and the culture of this blog apart from the crowd. I know that if I’m average, I’m invisible. I don’t want to be just another forgettable blog in someone’s feed reader. I aim to make all my content unmissable by thinking differently and acting in no-limit ways. I’m not afraid to push the edges and I’m not afraid to voice a contrarian opinion.
Its very hard to stand out – something that helps when it comes to making a full time income. If you have a clear definition this journey will be a lot easier.
10. Offer a free review copy of book to selected audience
This is something that many top bloggers do, and is a solid way to get a lot of prelaunch publicity. It doesn’t matter if the product isn’t immediately reviewed – there are other ways that the blogger can mention and repay you.
11. Get your content syndicated
Jon talked about this further on Rebel Zen
Brazen Careerist has gotten me some good exposure to a wider net of people than I would have gotten otherwise. It’s been more of a networking tool for me than anything.
It’s also helped me branch out to connect with people in related (and unrelated) fields that I never probably would have connected with otherwise. It’s also helped me realize that PR, Non-profit, Marketing, Personal Development and other seemingly divergent groups are really often working toward a common vision. We’re all just coming at it from different angles.
I’ve seen content syndication be very successful for certain bloggers. You just have to make sure the site is legit.
12. Make freedom and authenticity your highest ideal.
Jon wrote about this further in a post about not selling out.
It’s difficult staying authentic. Illusory fears have an uncanny way of getting in the way of us. That’s why it’s important to make being authentic you’re highest aim. If you can make considering this value an auto-response it will be easier for you when it comes time to make a decision. When I think about the value of being authentic vs. conforming/popularity it helps me to realize what matters most me. It gives me the extra push to choose what will make me sleep easier at night.
As someone who has trouble sleeping, this is something I really believe in.
13. Reject perfection.
Jon included this as one of this 10 unbeatable tips for overcoming micro addictions.
We have a tendency to put things off endlessly, because we’re afraid of imperfections. This is pretty silly. If your dream is to become a master pianist, wouldn’t you have rather tried and failed than not tried at all?
I’ve realized that I’m not perfect. It is hard, but I’ve given up trying to achieve it. I just try to do the best I can at the time.
14. Wraps up tasks that are easily completed.
Jon wrote about this in a post on zen habits
Most of the time I’m having trouble staying focused is because there a bunch of little things on my mind that I know I need to do. Write down everything that can be completed in less than 10 minutes and finish everything on the list before you start on a project that requires more focus. This doesn’t mean that every time something comes up that would take less than ten minutes to do, you do it. You simply batch everything together that requires ten minutes of time or less.
I do this and I love it. It feels so great being able to knock a huge list of things from your to-do list.
15. Simply offer your help.
Jon wrote about this in a post about how giving changes everything.
If there’s nothing specific you can do for another person, simply let them know that if there is ever a way you can help, you would like them to let you know.
I do this all the time and sometimes, people accept my offer. I do it because I like helping people and I have gotten so many things in return.
16. Offer a free program to get people used to your coaching services
An alternate idea is to offer your services, temporarily, at a massive discount. This can be a great way to get publicity and testimonials.
17. Eliminate as much as possible.
Jon expanded in this in his post about making time for the important.
Take an inventory of everything that you do in a given day. Anything that isn’t necessary to achieve your goals, eliminate it. A good rule to go by when eliminating is the 80/20 rule. The 80/20 rule states that 80% of your results come from 20% (or less) or your efforts. If you don’t believe me, test it out for yourself. Take a look and see where most of your results are coming from. It’s likely that they’re coming from a relatively small amount of your actions. After you’ve identified where the most results are coming from, focus on and multiply your efforts in those areas and eliminate any effort in the others.
18. Focus on quality, not quantity.
Jon included this as one of 10 tips for effective networking
Instead of focusing on making as many connections as possible with other people, focus on the quality of those connections. Is there a great chance for a mutual benefit? If not, move on. If there is, try to find a way you can help the other person succeed with their own goals.
I do this at networking events. I limit the amount of people I talk to, and try to do a couple of breif chats to find out if I want to get to know the person better. That way, I can do research and interact before the next event and not feel overwhelmed by talking to too many people.
19. Limit yourself
Jon wrote about this further in Limiting Yourself: The Key to Your Success
The no-limit mindset is actually an act of limitation.
Once you’ve put yourself in a pattern of rejecting all limitation, you’ve embraced a fixed state of being. Your no-limit policy has deceptively limited you.
This was a fascinating idea. I’ll be looking for ways to apply it to my life.
20. Do what you love.
On Happy Lotus, Jon said
I think the major shift will happen when people realize that it is much more practical do something you enjoy for a living. Motivation and excellence is an automatic side-effect of being passionate about your work, so it’s much easier to reach the top of your game this way. And when you’re at the top of your game and can provide tons of value to others, you put yourself in high demand.
This is something I’ve been doing and its made the launch process a lot easier. I’m hoping my passion will result in more work.
21. Take a step back, and breathe…
Jon talked about this further on Zen Habits
When you realize that you’re spending time on a lot of insignificant things, take a look at what the deeper message might be. Maybe you’re afraid of taking the first step toward your dreams.
I’ve had to do this so many time during the launch process. Taking a step back has allowed me to get through the past month, instead of giving in to the fear.
22. Change their negative state
Jeff talked about this in an interview on Timeless Information.
But when my blog readers or others come to me with a negative outlook, I try to help them change their state. Sometimes just asking the question “What is your plan for changing that?” helps people see a different possibility they were previously overlooking.
This is a tip that has been repeated by manty top bloggers. I haven’t tried changing peoples outlooks, but admire those who try to do so.
23. Change your Goals
Jon discussed this on The Growing Life
Many societally conditionally goals — such as “get out of debt,” “buy a new car,” and “create a college fund,” — can be fine and noble, but they often do not make us come alive. What would really make your day, I mean, if you could do anything? Think about that for a second.
If you dig deep within to answer this question, I bet your answer might be something a little different than the average idea of a “great day.” If you really answer this question from your soul, you’ll discover aspirations that really move you.
This is something that I’ve been doing over the past few months and I’ve really been enjoying my life as a result. This can work in many aspects of your life.
24. You can’t control everything
In an interview on Old Soul Link, jonathan said
When you get caught up in “the cult of productivity” you tend to not be satisfied unless everything is done, completely organized and in order. But the truth is, life is a giant, beautiful mess. There are no square boxes and straight lines in nature. So instead of resisting, I try to embrace the mess. I try to give up trying to control everything.
I’ve given up trying to control everything too, and things are so much easier. This applies to all niches, not just producivity.
25. Focus on the little things in life.
Later in the post he said
The little things in life. It’s amazing when you really just slow down and allow space to come into your life, how beautiful things become. Something as simple as leaves blowing in the wind across the pavement, can be so beautiful. Just the feeling of being can be something amazing, if you simply slow down.
This is something I have really come to know during the launch process. I now intend to reduce the amount of work I do, and do more bushwalking and simple things.
