Tinhk abuot it.

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At this very moment I am changing out of my civilian clothes into the Blog Action Day 2008 supersuit.

Super because of the responsibility it bestows – but certainly not because of its unworthy occupant.

This blog might remain quiet until Wednesday, October 15th – Blog Action Day.

On that day, I will not only join the world’s blogs in raising awareness about poverty, but I will help manage the whole event as its assistant event coordinator.

So you’ll hear from me at the Blog Action Day blog, via the Blog Action Day Twitter account, via more than a dozen social media websites, and via the huge BlogTalkRadio talkathon on the big day.

I’ll be back in my Visionary Blogging Man suit once Blog Action Day ends, sharing blog improvement advice and perspectives on how to become a better blogger.

But I hope you and I never see or approach poverty the same again.

My Part in Blog Action Day 2008

I will scratch and claw at the walls of my personal limits this next week to help make this once-in-a-lifetime event truly unforgettable.

I have told my colleagues at the International Blogging and New Media Association (IBNMA).

I will tell the readers of The Blog Herald.

I have raised my voice to the folks at MySpace and Friendster.

I will continue to promote and organize this event all I can, along with my amazing team members.

Your Part in Blog Action Day 2008

Please, please help me. Throw your weight into Blog Action Day.

Let’s pull together.

Let’s change the conversation for one day and change the world – even if only a little – forever.

More to come soon.

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So, if you blog for professional reasons, I invite you to practice giving selflessly in your blogging.

It’s counterintuitive.  It’s paradoxical.  But it’s also paramount.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I want you to remember this truth: As you sow, so shall you reap.

Yes, others may take of the same seed and do differently – and they will reap according to what they sow, just as you will.

As you sow selfishness, so shall you reap emptiness.

As you sow selflessness – thoughtful blog posts, appreciative comments, helpful suggestions, innovative ideas, personal invitations, high business standards and generous acts – so shall you reap friendships, lessons, experiences and habits that will benefit you and others far more than you can yet imagine.

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Right now I’m cooking a blog consulting service called Iris (because it helps you focus, just like the irises in your eyes).

Iris will be (I hope) the best way to get expert blogging advice and improve your blog fast anywhere on the Web. It will be totally unique from all the other fine blog consulting services available online.

A few dozen people like you have asked to serve as test subjects while Iris is in private alpha mode. I’m so excited to get started with them … just wanted to give you one more shot to join the guinea pig group.

So if you’d like to try Iris and get some free blog improvement help, now’s the time to say so.

I’ll close the doors this Friday, October 3. After that, the only way to get Iris will be to pay a monthly fee.

If you’re interested, just let me know any way you want – leave a comment at this post, fill out my contact form, email me, call me, IM me, smoke signals, Morse code, ESP, etc.

The next time I talk about Iris here, it will be to give you an important launch update … but not to ask you if you want to test it out.

Stay tuned for an update on my blog improvement resources list.

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Just wanted to say it. You deserve to hear it!

Thank you to everyone who has helped me get Visionary Blogging off the ground over the past few months.

Thank you for helping me make a successful transition from losing my job to creating a business.

Thank you for subscribing to this blog.

Thank you for talking with me on Twitter.

Thank you for helping me create my blog improvement service.

Thank you for supporting Blog Action Day 2008 (which I’m blogging and Twittering and promoting).

Thank you for leaving insightful comments at my blog posts.

Thank you for asking me great questions.

Thank you for giving me great feedback.

And thank you for letting me try to help you get the most of your blogging.

I wish you success in all you do and look forward to our future working and learning together.

Sincerely, Easton

Photo from Persistent Illusion

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When you’re looking for the perfect flower to give to your lover, do you want any bent petals?

When you order a meal at your favorite restaurant, of course you don’t want it to come out to your table

half-cooked.

But is blogging like that?

Patrick from Spiritual River left this intriguing comment on my perfectionism/procrastination post:

When it comes to blogging and perfectionism, one of my irrational beliefs is that if I can just make the perfect post, if I can just come up with a truly useful and mind-blowing post, then somehow this will skyrocket my blog to popularity.

I’m starting to see that this is never true. It’s not that great and polished content isn’t important, or that it has no value. The real question I need to ask each day before pushing publish is: “is this content concise, and is it relevant?”

I think the irrational belief in my head is that the only thing that really qualifies as being “perfect” for a blog post is something that is:

1) Useful
2) In depth (long)
3) Polished (good grammar, no typos, maybe an inspirational pic or two)

But I’m starting to think that the better recipe for link-worthy posts is:

1) Insanely useful
2) Concise (shorter)
3) More relevant (the post delivers more thoroughly on what was promised in the headline)

I think those ideas work well with the concept of eliminating perfectionism and getting out concise posts that get to the point.

Thanks Patrick.

The Role of Perfection in Successful Blogging

There’s a time and a place for perfection – wholeness, completeness, error-free-ness.

I’m using “perfect” not in the sense of “incapable of becoming better,” but rather “not requiring any changes.”

When you insist (as I sometimes have) on only publishing blog articles that feel “perfect,” you run several risks.

1. Wasting time

I’ve written recently about how not to waste time in your blogging. Waste is when you don’t put something to the best possible use.

In the case of your blog, the time you spend on building it is precious. Every extra minute spent editing a post is a minute you could be spending to write the next post, or to network with blog readers and commentators, or to learn a new blogging skill.

2. Stifling feedback

There’s impact and then there’s feedback. Perfection often generates tremendous impact but discourages  thoughtful response.

Have you ever poured your heart and soul into a blog post and found that no one seemed to notice – even though you begged and pleaded for input and suggestions and follow-up thoughts?

Could it be that your content was a little too good? That readers felt its power internally but felt that there was nothing left to say except, “Great post?”

3. Being boring

Did you watch swimmer Michael Phelps in the 2008 Summer Olympics?

How about golfer Tiger Woods in the 2008 US Open?

The most fascinating moments during the victories of each man stood out for their imperfection.

Phelps losing his goggles. Phelps finishing with a chopped stroke to win by a hundredth of a second. Woods secretly wincing through a double stress fracture in his left tibia and still (just barely) beating everybody else.

Blowouts in sports are boring (except for diehards). Blowout blogging is boring too.

4. Alienating your blog readers

When your writing is too clean, too flawless, you risk scaring people a little – or causing them to view you as prideful.

Moral: Don’t always try to be Superman.

Bleed a little.

So when is blog content perfection a worthwhile aim?

When you’re striving to achieve an effect that requires it.

Dan Zarrella could have written a stub instead of a perfect (as in complete, not needing correction or addition) viral marketing glossary. I think he chose the perfect route because he wanted people to talk about his glossary as a polished product and not a work in progress.

If Dan had wanted instead to get a bunch of people together to create a glossary of terms, there would have been no need for perfection – in fact, he probably would have intentionally avoided the appearance of completeness.

Is there such a thing as the ultimate perfect blog post?

I’m not saying there is “The Perfect Blog Post.”

Just that there is always “A Perfect Blog Post” for each time you sit down to compose – or, maybe more accurately, a set of potential approaches that could be considered perfect.

And that sometimes (but not always) you shouldn’t blog that way.

And the choice depends on your vision for your blog.

I sure hope this post ain’t perfect. I really need to hear what you have to say in the comments below.

How do you decide to write a “perfect” blog post or not?

photo by nosha

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One of the most common questions I ask in reply is this: “What’s your overall vision for your blog? Where do you want it to take its target audience in the next 12-24 months?”

Once they answer that question, they’re ready to hear what I have to say about how to improve their blog and get the results they want. Here’s why the blog improvement process ultimately hangs from the feet of vision.

1. Vision is Light

I’m being abstract here, yes. But think of vision (or strategy) as light. The clearer your vision of what your blog can become and why you have it in the first place, the brighter the light shining on your blog and the easier it is to spot the areas in most dire need for improvement. The murkier your long-term goals, the darker your blog improvement blueprints and the harder it is to figure out the nuts and bolts of what you ought to do with it.

Take blog monetization/ROI, for instance. Sometimes the underlying long-term growth strategy for a blog is for it to generate ever-larger reams of money. On the other hand, maybe the blogger’s vision is to simply build a tight-knit community of friends who love the same niche subject. Can you see how the blog improvement process diverges depending on the nature of the path the blogger imagines traveling?

2. Vision is the Center; Processes are the Spokes

Picture a bicycle wheel. Your blog is that wheel. Your growth/ROI strategy for the blog (or one aspect of it) is the hub in the middle. All the spindly spokes sticking out from the center are the individual growth processes and methods and tactics you will use to make your blog worthwhile for you and those to whom you address it.

So if you’re looking to beautify your blog design, that’s the center of its own wheel. Make sure you get a razor-sharp picture of what constitutes that center. Maybe it’s that you want a better design in order to tip prospective customers over the edge and convert them into faithful followers. Maybe it’s that you really just want to attract more honeybees to the computer screen (in which case I recommend bright colors).

Once you decide where you want to end up, it becomes so much simpler to determine how to get there.

3. Vision is the Power to Point The Leaper

I love the mantra, “Leap and the net will appear.” Christine Kane was the first to teach it to me.

Imagine yourself on a platform suspended in space. Around you in every direction are invisible cargo nets hanging hammock-like in the black. I guarantee that if you truly leap, I’ll make sure you land in one of them.

You just have to decide which direction to jump in first.

So What?

So if you want someone like me to help you make your blog better, you need to think about your vision for the blog before anything else. Before you set a budget. Before you decide on a color scheme. Before you choose which flavor-of-the-month social media website you want to dominate.

And of course I’m willing to help you clarify that core.

Because with the core correctly placed, all else flows naturally.

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That’s because I am literally forcing myself to write it just once.

You see, I struggle a lot with perfectionism – wanting things to be done perfectly – especially when I write for you.

That’s a good desire. But I sometimes – okay, a lot of times – allow that to supersede the need for deadlines and regularity.

So I’ve published quite a few blog posts that probably took me several hours too many and generated an effect only slightly more powerful than the versions I had written in just a few minutes.

Not that it’s always best to shoot first and think about questions (or conversations) later.

Just that I personally need to learn to stick to a publishing schedule, come what may.

So as an exercise, I’m going to make myself publish this post, polished or not, 10 minutes from the time I write these words.

The second struggle goes hand-in-hand with the first. It’s procrastination. When I want something done marvelously, I often put off working on it until I’m “ready.”

Ever read that old email forward where it talks about how to write a college paper, and it gives like 40 steps and about 10 of them are “sharpen your pencil?” I’m not at that extreme, but I am definitely guilty of saying, “I’ll do that later when I’ve got a bigger block of time and fewer distractions.”

This isn’t an apology post (although of course if I’ve ever offended you in any way and haven’t resolved the matter, I deeply apologize and pledge my best efforts to make things right).

More like a conversation starter.

Guess who sparked these thoughts? My wonderful wife.

I’m one of those blessed souls who married not only their best friend, but also someone who is way smarter than them.

She toasts me every time at Scrabble. I’ve never beaten her at thumb wars.

And she has incredible wisdom that sets my blogging mind straight.

So she gave me some advice on how to be better in my business, which is blog consulting.

I’ve got a ton on my plate right now, but that’s no excuse for working ineffectively.

My wife’s advice was essentially this:

Do each thing once, for as long as it needs to be done, and then stop.

And in the case of a blog, it’s get the post up and pass the baton to the readers for conversation to flow.

I love her guts.

And I care about you who just read this post.

I hope you find this inspiring, or at least a small motivation and enouragement to get more done while “doing and redoing” less.

No more perf and proc!

Any tips on overcoming this two-headed demon? It sure is a blogger’s productivity nightmare.

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Welcome to Part 5 of a 5-part series on the elements of visionary blogging. This article will help you become a more diligent blogger so you can increase your blogging success.

• Part 1: Increase Your Awareness (the ability to see)
• Part 2: Sharpen Your Focus (the ability to look)
• Part 3: Hone Your Discernment (the ability to evaluate)
• Part 4: Excite Your Imagination (the ability to create)
• Part 5: Strengthen Your Diligence (the ability to endure)

Recognize this mountain?

Look closely at the colossal peak in the photo above. Can you name it?

• Hint: It’s bigger and taller than Mount Everest.
• Hint: It can be seen from two cities that are more than 350 miles (560 kilometers) apart by car.
• Hint: Its name in Athabaskan means “the Great One.”

You’ll find the answer at the end of this article.

What’s with the mountain shot anyway?

I showed you the mountain photo to help you ponder two things.

First, the incredible diligence required for a mountain to rise up from the earth over millions of years.

Second, the incredible diligence required for a human to climb it in a matter of days.

What is diligence?

Diligence is zealous, intense, sustained effort. It’s refusing to give up no matter what. It means never forgetting or laying aside your vision for your blog.

Why does diligence matter to business blogging?

A lack of diligence has killed more business blogs and ruined more bloggers’ efforts than anything else, with the possible exception of self-doubt.

I’ve seen hundreds of professional blogs start out well, like hikers setting out for a summit on a clear summer day.

But then the weather begins to rage. One by one the mountaineers turn back, exhausted or afraid.

Only the bravest and stubbornest of souls can conquer the highest, loneliest peaks on earth.

So it is with blogging.

If you haven’t wept over your blogging, maybe you are not diligent enough.

If it hasn’t physically hurt, you might not be working hard enough.

Do you know what it’s like to clench your teeth in frustration because your blog is not making the difference you had hoped?

Or what it’s like to bite your lip and push forward, whatever the consequences and no matter the obstacles?

Without diligence, none of the other visionary blogging elements can guarantee your blog’s success.

It is diligence alone that seals the deal, making sure that your blogging vision finally becomes reality.

How can you strengthen your blogging diligence?

It’s simple. It’s hard, but it’s simple.

1. Look in the mirror. Becoming a harder worker is impossible until you examine yourself carefully. When are your least productive times? Your most productive times? What do you waste the most time doing? What causes you to work harder? What leads you away from blogging diligently?

2. Decide. Set an ultra-specific goal that tests your utmost limits as a blogger. If it don’t make you hurt from the strain, it ain’t gonna make you more diligent.

3. Work like a burro. Or work like a banshee. Take your pick. Either way, make up your mind to put one foot in front of the other nonstop until you stand on the summit – the roof of the world.

If you do these three things on a daily basis, I promise you that you will always be a little more diligent than you were before. And your blog (and your blog visitors) will thank you for it.

Remember These Words

I once sang them in front of a crowd. They mean everything.

I can climb up to the mountaintop
Touch the stars out in the sky
And I can change this cold world to a better place
Brother, you can bet I’m gonna try
Just watch me fly

Thank You

You have now learned the fifth element of the Visionary Blogging method for blogger self-improvement.

And whatever makes you a better blogger will also make your blog better.

I know that awareness, focus, discernment, imagination and diligence are vital to long-term blog success.

I challenge you to set a goal right now to work to become a better blogger in one of these five areas over the next seven days.

If you stubbornly strive to achieve that goal, you will make yourself a more skilled, more successful blogger. I promise.

I invite you to subscribe to Visionary Blogging so you don’t miss future updates on how to speed up the blog improvement process and make it more effective.

If you’re serious about improving your blog, I also urge you to try my Iris blog consulting service. Your blog will never be the same.

Thank you so much for reading and responding to me. I appreciate your support, your questions and insights.

My next post will reveal the ultimate secret to easy blogging success. Unless you already know it, of course.

I wish you the best as you strive to become a more diligent, perseverant blogger.

Enjoy this inspiring video.

Photo by Unhindered by Talent

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I don’t wanna spend my life jaded, waiting
To wake up one day and find
That i let all these years go by wasted

The other day I listened to Wasted by Carrie Underwood.

It hit me hard.

It also prompted these thoughts on how not to waste your time blogging. I hope you find them not to be a waste.

1. Plan Regularly

Regular, smart planning is the single best way to ensure that you don’t flush a ton of blogging time down the pooper.

I like to take a few minutes at the start of each blogging day to plan what to do, when and for how long. I also start each week and each month with brief planning sessions.

A little planning can go such a long way toward eliminating regret.

2. Spy on Yourself

Planning without review is wasteful. So after you make plans, keep close track of your blogging activities.

Hold yourself accountable for what you do with the time that is given to you each day. Ask yourself: “How could I have made better use of my blogging time today?” And: “How will I do better tomorrow?”

Remember: When performance is measured, performance improves; when performance is measured and evaluated, the rate of improvement increases.

3. Find Your Smelling Salts

One time I snorted a petri dish of ammonia on accident. Hit the floor pretty quick. But I’ve never forgotten the powerful effect.

Everyone has something that galvanizes them even on the limpest of days. Find your smelling salts and smell ‘em when frittering or malaise threaten to destroy your effectiveness.

One of my smelling salts is music – so much so that I often can’t help but include songs and lyrics in my blog posts or Twitter updates. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped myself from wasting time in my blogging just by hearing or remembering a powerful song.

What’s a smelling salt for you?

4. Want not, waste not

I am a voracious reader. I also get easily distracted. This is why I try never to visit Digg unless my blogging work is truly done for the day. Ah, probably shouldn’t have included the link. Oh well.

Control your desires and appetites and you’ll have a much easier time avoiding waste in your blog-related activities.

For example, social media websites can be a great place to network with your target audience and promote your blog in a natural way. However, it can be tempting to lollygag on the intertubes while your blog itself waits for your attention.

If you find yourself wasting time doing things you want to do rather than things you have to do, limit the time you spend on those activities.

Structure your activities so that you are less likely to encounter potential time sinks. Don’t write your posts when people are likely to call you. Don’t sit facing the fridge when you’re starting to get hungry. Etc.

Think about it: The less you want, the less you waste. It’s not always best to approach blogging that way, but it’s worth some pondering.

If you want better results from your blog, want less and do more.

5. Caballero no más

This incredible Spanish phrase basically equates to “cowboy up” or “just do it” in English.

I once lived in Perú. There I often had jobs that were demanding and tedious.

Sometimes a forced smile and a firm “caballero no más” were my only way to maintain the stubbornness I needed to git ‘er done.

So when you’ve got a lot of blog post writing to do or an email inbox busting at the seams or a nasty blog design problem, grit your teeth and say, “caballero no más.”

And then ride fast against the wind.

Where All This Leads

Introspection lies at the core of the Visionary Blogging mindset.

The more you think about how to use your time well, the more likely you are to enjoy your blogging and become a successful blogger.

As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. Thanks Henry.

Nothing brings remorse and misery faster and harder than the realization of wasted time.

Few (if any) bloggers know this better than I do. I have killed so much blogging time that it’s a wonder if I’ve got any eternity left.

But you can always learn from your mistakes. And that is never a waste.

You can never undo or redo. But you can – and by using the advice above, I hope you will – learn and eliminate waste from your blogging.

I don’t wanna keep on wishing, missing
The still of the morning, the color of the night
I ain’t spending no more time wasted

Your Turn

What other techniques or tips do you know about that can help bloggers save time and make good use of their blogs? I would love to hear your experiences and insights.

Photos by SuperFantastic, numberstumper, heureux, love, katie, superfem, Curious Expeditions

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