Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Catching ideas for future blog posts

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I noticed a couple of weeks ago that I was struggling to come up with my next Write From the Headlines post – there are no shortage of interesting news stories, but I wasn't making any immediate connections to coaching article topics.

I let it go (what else was I to do?) and my thoughts turned to how creativity under pressure is always a precarious situation.

So I've created an idea catcher (read more about idea catchers) – a worksheet that lists the types of coaching I've been addressing in previous Write From the Headlines posts, so I can keep it by the seat where I do most of my television news watching. I also carry a few in the car with me (to use only at stoplights, of course!), because I often listen t0 680 news while I drive.

This way, I can open my mind to possible article topic ideas throughout the week (instead of just when I do most of my blogging, which is Friday through Monday), and I have an easy way to jot them down.

It's a very simple solution – check out the worksheet here – but has already proven to be SO helpful!

Writing prompts: Is there a template, checklist or other idea catcher you can create as a quick and easy way to jot down content ideas for your newsletter or blog?

How Gmail’s forgotten attachment detector helps me save face

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It happens to the best of us – you write a detailed email introducing the wonderful document you are attaching, and then you send it off without attaching the file. Argh!

Aside from consulting a checklist before you send every email (highly recommended, and I provide one in Chapter 19 of The Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write), how can you seamlessly check the status of your attachments before your emails go out?

Enter the forgotten attachment detector, which basically scans your email text for telltale phrases like: see attached, I've attached, enclosed, I've included, etc. If one of the phrases is there, but your file is not, this detector interrupts the Send process to gently inquire if perhaps you forgot to attach it.

This tool has caught/saved me a few times already, in the few short weeks since I made the transition from Outlook to Gmail.

The forgotten attachment detector is from the Gmail Lab, where you can find beta versions of innovative tools designed to make our lives online easier (thank you, Google!). You can read my earlier review/love letter about another Gmail Lab, canned responses.

Vicki Pinkerton’s Quest Across Canada

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Vicki Pinkerton is a writer, creativity coach and visionary spirit. We did some of our coach training at CTI together back in the day (sometime between 2002 and 2004), and because we felt a connection, we’ve stayed connected.

Vicki’s Quest Across Canada has been a long-time dream, and in just another week, she is making it come true!

When I heard about the party to celebrate Vicki’s Quest, raise gas money and show our support, I couldn’t wait to RSVP. I also thought immediately of the song I wanted to present to Vicki.

I’ve written before about the song “If I were brave,” and how inspirational it is to me. Well, I think Vicki is incredibly brave to be doing what she’s doing, and so I made up my mind to sing the song for her.

Songwriter Jimmy Scott was kind enough to send me the chord chart (thanks, Jimmy!). Unfortunately, I’ve strained my elbow/wrist and didn’t feel up to playing the guitar last night. Thankfully, Rosanne Speckert stepped in to accompany me, quite artfully and quite possibly better than I would have played myself!

I am so glad I could be there to send Vicki off with my love, support and music. And I can’t wait to follow her journey through email updates from her blog.

Click here to find out how you can help, and to sign up for Vicki’s updates. Trust me – you will be enlightened, inspired and entertained.

Writing prompt: Coaching has been a big part of Vicki’s life, both being coached and coaching others. There’s no doubt those experiences played a role in her realizing this vision. What would you like to say to your clients/readers that might help them take their next step towards making their own dream come true? Here are some of my ideas for you:

  • Career coaches: 10 ways to discover your dream job
  • Life coaches: 10 baby steps to take towards your dream
  • Money coaches: 10 things you can do today to start funding your dream
  • Family/parenting coaches: 10 ways to keep your dream family vacation from becoming a nightmare
  • Business coaches: 10 ways to incorporate your dream into your business plan
  • Spiritual coaches: 10 questions to ask in meditation before you go after your dream

Please let me know if any of these titles sparked an idea for you!

How I’m using Gcal and TimeDriver to save 5+ hours a month

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I was flattered when TimeDriver contacted me for an interview about how I use their great service (still FREE to this date), and they recently published my case study. [Update December 22, 2012 – The case study is no longer available from the TimeTrade site.]  I truly love this service and it really does save me a lot of time. By far my favourite feature is how it automatically handles time zones based on each user's computer.

Of course now we have to update the case study to reflect my transition to Gcal. There have been a couple of little bumps in how TimeDriver handles my multiple Gmail accounts – right now it's adding one of my secondary Gmail addresses as a guest for every new event that's scheduled. Whooops! [Update: This is actually something that's happening on Google's end, though Liz from TimeDriver Support has been kind enough to follow up with them about it for me.]

Also, though I have my Gcal set up to automatically give me a 10-minute pop-up reminder of every new appointment, events scheduled via TimeDriver don't have this.

Luckily, TimeDriver has a very responsive technical support department (thanks, Liz!) and we are working out these bugs.

In the meantime, I just open up new appointments the minute I receive my email confirmation, so that I can: 1) Remove the extra email address as a guest and 2) Add a pop-up reminder so I'm ready when my clients call.

Write from the headlines: Good news is the best news

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I just heard a promotion that tonight on CityTV's 6:00 o'clock news they are only telling good news. I definitely plan to tune in and I'm looking forward to the positive spin.

[Update: 6:04 p.m. – It turns out that the good news stories will be interspersed with the "regular" news of the day.]

On the radio, I've been enjoying a new feature on 680 News, which now has regular good news reports on the air. They also collect good news stories on their website. [Update December 22, 2012 – No longer available.]

In the coaching world we talk a lot about positive affirmations, the Law of Attraction and the power to choose where we will focus our thoughts. But in the "real world" it's sometimes difficult to shield ourselves from the darker events going on in our communities and in the world.

Most of the time it feels like the media is the enemy of positive thinking, and our first defense against "doom and gloom" thinking is usually to turn OFF the news.

That's why it's so exciting to see these media outlets turning that around – even for just a few minutes a day or for one special broadcast.

Here are the coaching article topics I thought of in relation to this story:

  • Executive coaches: 10 positive employee attributes you may be forgetting to praise
  • Marketing coaches: 10 good news stories about your business that you could pitch to the media 
  • Life coaches: 10 ways to put a positive spin on bad news
  • Dating coaches: 10 positive topics to talk about on a first date
  • Business coaches: 10 ways to use your influence to do some good

Writing prompt: Did these article topics spark any ideas for your own newsletter or blog? Are there any good news stories you could be sharing with your readers?