What To Do When You're "Stuck in a Rut."
Hey there. Tim here.
This week's issue is a bit different, as I am working to get out of this rut I am in. I hope you will read this week's issue carefully and use it to help yourself in the future.
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This issue is sponsored by The ConvertKit Sponsorship Network. Nothing has had a more positive impact on my business. You should apply.
1. What To Do When You're In a Rut
I'm gonna give it to you straight, this was not my best week.
Don't worry, everything is fine. My clients are great, my health is great and the family is great. It's nothing like that ... it's mental.
Does that ever happen to you? Where you get stuck?
I've always had a very active mind and a high energy personality. Since getting sober, I've learned how to manage my emotions and have discipline over my mind so that it doesn't control me.
I've seen this happen in countless other people as well. The feeling of being stuck leaves you paralyzed and unable to make decisions.
As such, I've come up with a mental framework to help me get through these times when I am "feeling in a rut."
Today, I will share them with you.
First, do what's right in front of you.
This phrase is part of our company ethics at Stodzy. In business (and in life) it can be easy to get overwhelmed. It feels like the work is stacking up and there is no way you will get through it.
In these scenarios, the trick is to constantly refocus on the task at hand. Think of this literally and metaphorically. What is right in front of you at this very moment?
Do what's right in front of you and do it all the way, until it's fully complete. Think of nothing else until the task at hand is complete.
Second, get one thing done every day.
The worst thing that can happen in these situations is for you to freeze. This is where people get overwhelmed, put blinders on, and ignore reality. This is the Netflix binges and the hours spent on YouTube.
You must keep momentum. It doesn't have to be a lot, but it has to be progress. In this situation I am very tactful about progress and I reward myself for simply taking one (or two or three) steps forward each day.
Yesterday, my daughter was crying all day. All I could get done was two hours of research work for a client in the diabetic space. After that, I went for a walk and listened to music.
I made progress and I rewarded myself for doing so.
Third, remember that nothing lasts forever.
"This too shall pass."
Nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems.
I find the reason people get paralyzed in these situations is because they can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.
You have to train yourself to see the truth. The truth is that whatever you're going through isn't as big of a deal as it feels like and that business has a natural ebb and flow.
So embrace the hard times the same way you indulge in the good times. Because they are both necessary and part of the process.
If you're stuck, that's okay. You're allowed to be stuck, but you're not allowed to stay stuck.
Use these frameworks and keep moving forward.
Your future self will thank you. As will mine.
2. Newsletter Monetization and Personal Growth
In this week's episode, Ethan Brooks and I dive into several topics that have been on our minds.
I started the episode by discussing how I have been promoting and monetizing my newsletter.
Then, the conversation took a turn as we discussed Carl Jung's philosophy of shadow work and Marianne Williamson's poem about living up to your highest potential.
Click here to listen on iTunes and click here to listen on Spotify.
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4. The Easiest Way to Make $250,000 a Year
The easiest way to build an online business is by creating a marketing agency that works specifically with local businesses and Google My Business.
There are three reasons why Google My Business (GMB) is such a good option.
- Local businesses always need marketing help. Think about it, contractors are busy.
- GMB is very effective. I have seen businesses 10X from some simple GMB optimization.
- It's a safe business, in that a large chunk of Google search is done looking for local services and Google owns the database that lists the local businesses.
If you land 10 clients at $2,500 a month, you're making a quarter million dollars a year.
Click here to watch the full video.
The Bootstrapper
5. I'm Rewriting the Sales Page for Copyblogger (And Doing It Live For You To Follow Along)
Over the last year, the product offering for The Copyblogger Academy has started to mold and shift. As more people have signed up for membership, I've learned about more problems that my members have, and therefor have implemented new features to help solve these problems.
For that reason, I need to adjust the offering.
This week on The Bootstrapper, I did a long form brainstorm about the problems my members have so that I can rework my offering and create a better sales page. There are two methods I used.
The first was the F.R.E.D. method, and the second was the PRQ2 method.
Members can click here to read the article. If you're not a member, be sure to click here to get 34% off your membership. The discount is for readers of the TimStodz newsletter only.
Love you guys. Talk to you next week.
Tim