Bryan Collins's Blog, page 77

How To Do a Weekly Review: Step-by-Step

When was the last time you held a weekly review?

Working without a weekly review is a recipe for overwhelm, procrastination and focusing on other people's priorities rather than your own. It's a key part of any good time management or productivity system.

After all, how can you know where you're going if you don't stop and look up from time-to-time?

The weekly review is useful for all types of professionals, including entrepreneurs, creatives, and even writers.

Author David Allen first...

How To Write an Affirmation: In 6 Easy Steps

Learning how to write an affirmation is relatively easy. But, why should you do it?

A couple of years ago, I read the book The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield.

His book helped me figure out it's natural to procrastinate and feel embarrassed about sharing my work with others.

Then I moved onto something else, and I forgot some of these important creative lessons.

I recently re-read the War of Art and re-discovered successful writers...

How to Gain Confidence In Writing: 7 Quick and Easy Tips

You're excited about your ideas and writing, you get half-way through your work, and then you stop and wonder

Will people really care about what I've got to say? How will this pay my bills anyway? What if I'm wasting my time?

As you think about it, your lack of self-belief paralyzes you.

So, you stop writing. You decide against publishing, against telling people about your writing, against submitting freelance work or finishing your book.

I get it.

A few years ago, I committed to publishing...

What Is Evernote? A Beginner’s Guide

What is Evernote? It's a tool for capturing and arranging your information and ideas. It serves as a digital file cabinet, personal notebook, and project management tool.

It's more powerful than other commonly used note-taking apps like Simplenote or Apple Notes.

I've had an Evernote account since 2010. The product has evolved a lot of the years and arguably not always in the right direction.

Like many, I stopped using Evernote when it became slow and fell behind some competitors. However,...

7 Reasons Why Writing is So Important

This episode is a little bit different in that I'm not interviewing anybody. Instead, I'm going to give you some insights into why writing is so important, which will help you with your creative writing projects.

Experience shows that it's important to write. But why? 

It's a question that I answer in this week's podcast episode and, I'm not going to give you just one reason, I'm giving you seven.

Resources:

The Savvy Writer's Guide to Productivity

...

25 Top Motivational Writing Quotes

What are the best motivational writing quotes, and how can they help?

Nobody has ever said that writing should always feel easy. I've lost count of the number of times I've sat down to write and felt uninspired and unmotivated.

New and experienced creatives sometimes experience writer's block. When this happens, you might wonder what to do.

It's a good idea to turn to motivational writing quotes that can help you get through this difficult patch.

The Top Motivational Writing...

The 5 Biggest Myths About Writing a Book – Debunked

It's exciting, isn't it?

Writing your first book and then sending the final version to your editor, and later it is available (and SELLING!) on Amazon.

The months (or even years) of hard work are over, and now you can watch with pride as your book goes out into the world.

But, what if you're not there yet? What if you're still struggling to finish your first book?

Don't worry.

In this post, I'm going to be honest with you.

I will tell you about five of the most common myths about writing many as...

What Is the Pomodoro Technique? A Guide

What is the Pomodoro Technique, and how can it help you accomplish more?

Let's find out!

The Pomodoro Technique is a popular time-management method invented by Italian Francesco Cirillo. It is part of the Pomodoro core process whereby you track blocks of focused time and how you spend it.

It's useful for writers, coders, university students, and anyone who needs to get more done, fast. It can also help you beat productivity problems like procrastination.

Cirillo said,

“I discover...

What’s The Best Writing Productivity Systems? 6 Top Choices

You can pick from dozens of established writing productivity systems.

Each one focuses on various ways that people can manage their work. Many of these systems borrow elements from each other, and some are more popular than others.

These systems come with a range of apps, software programs, and various supporting materials and books.

But what types are best for creatives and writers? And will they help you overcome procrastination and start writing faster?

Although a perfect producti...

What is a Grammar Nazi?

Does someone constantly correct your grammar, either in person or online?

If you do, then you just might know a grammar nazi.

Grammar nazis are quick to point out improper use of the words their, they're and there.

They're fast to comment on a misplaced modifier. They'll even criticize your use (or lack thereof) of a problematic comma or semi-colon.

So as you strive to become a better writer, should you take the advice of the grammar nazi or ignore it?

Understanding where t...