The Flotsam List

I have two to-do lists. One is a focused list that captures steps I need to take to complete projects and accomplish goals. The other is what I call my "flotsam" list ... you know, all that other odds-and-ends stuff that somebody needs to remember to do, and heaven knows if I don't write it down it will dribble out of my head like melting ice cream from a cone on a hot summer's day.

Friday, the day before we were hosting about 40 teens for a birthday party, I had A LOT to get done. So naturally my doctor diagnosed me with a sinus infection (I had no idea I was even sick, so...) and gave me a dose of steroids, prescription drugs for allergies and sinuses, an inhaler (what?) and a dose of antibiotics. So now I am stressed, high on meds, have accidentally shot myself in the eye with the inhaler, and still have A LOT to get done.

I was baffled when I looked at my flotsam list and saw the word "relax." I mean surely to goodness I don't need to write that down? I know I get more accomplished when I'm not freaking out. I know I tend to get sick if I'm super stressed and running around like a crazy lady. So seeing that I'd written a note to myself to relax and then FORGOTTEN I HAD DONE THIS was wildly alarming. Also, who was this Melissa and why did she need to relax?

Then I looked again and realized it was actually a prompt to e-mail my friend Melissa regarding spring season lacrosse for my daughter. Melissa re: Lax. Very poor handwriting, I recognize. But a well-timed message nevertheless. Because as I sped around town gathering cupcakes and a helium tank and a PA system for music, I kept looking at that list and giggling. Which helped me keep things in perspective ... I mean, it's a party for a bunch of kids. Who are pretty delighted to just hang out with each other and aren't paying much attention to the decorations. And indeed, everything got done and the party was, according to my daughter, a success.

Which now allows us to focus on the bigger concern: the fact that I am now apparently subliminally messaging myself. This could not be good.

But I suppose if I'm going to subliminally message myself, at least it's to relax and not that it's okay to consume any and all Halloween candy in my house. Because that's not okay.

Right?


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Taming the Social Media Beast: 5 Easy Steps to Social Media Success

(Hey, Google Reader/RSS Subscribers: Don't miss a post ... click here to continue to get Amy Mac blog posts ... because Reader goes away in a few months!)

Whether you are starting a tiny business from your basement or you're a brand manager for a major conglomerate, anyone responsible for getting the word out about a brand has a vague sense they should be using social media much, much better.

Thing is, social media is overwhelming. You could always be posting more, tweeting more, updating your Facebook status more. Then you get to thinking "Is anyone reading this stuff? Is this really making any sort of impact, or would my time be better spent on traditional marketing? Or maybe just having a margarita and catching up on The Good Wife?"

I am sad to say, from a professional marketing and branding perspective, an effective social media strategy is paramount for connecting with your audience, and thus, you'll need to pour out that margarita (it's 9 a.m., for heaven's sake) and get cracking. Good news is, it's easier than you think to devise a winning social media strategy. In fact, I've broken it down into 5 easy steps:

TOSS the elaborate plan. Many social media efforts fail before they get started because there's too much planning. Nail down what you want to accomplish, make sure it benefits your audience, then GO.

FOCUS your efforts where your audience is most engaged. This isn't an all-or-nothing endeavor. Pick one place to focus, whether it's a blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or whatever and focus your efforts.

STICK to a schedule. Determine how much time you realistically have to spend on social media, put it on your calendar, and stick to it 100% of the time. Period.

CREATE an ideas file. There's that little "I had writer's block" problem solved.

HIRE it out. Maybe social media just isn't your thing. Pay someone to do it for you. Investing in marketing is always a good investment, and a smart social media campaign will build your business.

See? Easy.

(This post is a recap of an article from my newsletter. Read the full article "5 Easy Steps to Consistent Social Media Success" here. Sign up for the quarterly Amy Mac PR newsletter here.)

Photo Source: chicagonow.com via ROAR pro on Pinterest

Waiting for Inspiration

I have a confession: I find New Year's Resolutions a little overwhelming. These big, sweeping decisive goals that are supposed to set your life's course for 12 whole months ... I mean, come ON. Think of all the things that could happen. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, what if a Ben & Jerry's opens right up the street? Obviously this is a sign to skip the bikini on your cruise in June and hit the New York Super Fudge Chunk with total abandon.

If your goal is to get organized, I've got bad news. Martha's show has been cancelled. Another sign to throw in the towel, watch Hoarders and judge people with real organizational issues (I mean, your storage area could use a little attention, but these people are one shake-the-house clap of thunder away from an avalanche of wet newspapers and dead cats), and finish off your ice cream.


Also, I don't like the word "resolution." It sounds so stringent. I think if we changed the term to New Year's Short Term Items for Consideration, we'd get a ton more accomplished. Resolutions sound like they need an 18-step action plan, which gives anyone in their right mind an anxiety attack. But setting short-term goals like "eat Queso dip once a week instead of thrice daily" is much more palatable. See? I feel lighter already.


It's why I love this Stephen King quote: "Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work."  


This quote has helped me forgive Mr. King for terrorizing me when I was an impressionable teenager. I think I slept with the lights on for a year after I saw the movie Pet Semetary, and had pretty specific plans on how I could kill a zombie jogger with a lighter, hairspray, and a pair of pom-poms.


Also, it's a gentle reminder that waiting for a sunny day, or until you have a little more money in savings, or until the kids are older, or to feel less scared gets you nowhere but frustrated. But a funny thing happens if you do a little less resolving and a bit more doing ... before you know it, you've created a new habit and reached your goal. 


So this year I propose we ditch the resolutions for Short Term Items for Consideration. What's on your list?


Happy 2012 --- Let's Get up and Go to Work.


Amy M. Dawson is a columnist and Southern humor writer based in Atlanta. She thinks Stephen King is a genius, but is too scared to read most of his books. Learn more at www.amymacwrites.com.

They Sure Make the Dandelions Hardy Out in Idaho

While I am busy gnashing my teeth writing articles and such, thought you'd enjoy this reminder that persistence pays. It might make you go a little cross-eyed in the process, but it pays.

Fly Me to the Supermoon ... Or at Least Get My Files on the Cloud

After my recent bout with a dead computer and the freak-out which inevitably ensued as I tried to remember the last time I did a back-up of my computer files (Do I have that 10-page white paper I JUST FINISHED backed up? What about those cute pictures of the kids I took this weekend? Those 72 article ideas I've had over the years and am just waiting for the perfect publication to pitch?), I have some advice.

Back your stuff up. Today. Seriously, do not put this off until later - you will thank me. Do these two things:

Go to Dropbox and back up all your document files to The Cloud. You get a certain number of gigs for free, and if I can upload all my documents without a fee I am certain you can, too. It's completely secure, easy to sign up, and easy to access. In fact, it automatically backs up your files, so once you've signed up ... you don't have to think about it again.

Next, bounce over to Picasa, upload all your photos, and select the "sync to the web" option. You can mark your photos private, so that creepy neighbor can't see your pics from the kids' dance recital unless you invite him to do so. And I recommend you don't.

Now, go do those two things quick.

Don't you feel better already? Yeah, me too.

XO - Amy Mac

The Finisher (A Tip for Getting Things Done)

I am, by nature, a starter. I love concepting, strategizing and assessing big-picture goals. Give me a pen and notebook, and I can sketch out a multi-step plan to take over the world in 45 minutes or less.

Seriously, y’all should probably start hoping I will use my planning skills for good and not evil.

The problems start when it’s time to wrap a project. I snap my fingers and call for my assistant. Alas, no one appears. This is probably because I don’t actually have an assistant, unless you count my dog. He does not respond to snapping but will appear on cue for a dog treat.

So I hem, haw and procrastinate, and projects languish indefinitely, nested in my inbox like a snowdrift in Antarctica. That is -- eternally.

Obviously this calls for drastic measure. I needed a finisher, someone to push through the last couple of steps in a project that was complete all but for the fat lady singing. (Why does the lady have to be fat? I think I want my singing lady to be skinny, but I’d like her to bring me fattening snacks.)

Now, once a week The Finisher comes to my office. She’s amazing. She scans my to-do list, prioritizes the nearly-finished projects, and completes them with astonishing proficiency.

She knows she has only a few hours to knock out these projects, and it keeps her so very focused. Her job isn’t to concept a new branding campaign, her job is to edit the web site copy and send it to the client. She’s here to cross things off the list, not add to it.

Here’s a secret: I’m The Finisher.

I was forced to become The Finisher, and only slightly against my will. Because, you see, as much as I love concocting a new idea, I loathe in equal measure leaving tasks undone. Incompletes nibble at my conscience like squirrels on a carpet of acorns. They distract, leaving me feeling a bit frayed at the seams, and hemming things up is the only cure.

So I set aside one day a week and treat my task-oriented personality to a day of getting things done. I start with a plan, and refuse to be distracted. And while the creative process is one that delights, there is no comparison to the feeling of scratching a big to-do off one’s list.

Tell me, if you’re a starter, what are your tricks for balancing starting a project with completing it? If you’re a natural-born finisher, where do you draw inspiration to get a project started?

Politics and Lifesavers

Student Council elections were held at Creek View ES this week. Only 4th and 5th graders run for student council, no little kiddies allowed.

My daughter decided that though the competition was stiff (11 well-qualified kids running – 2 open seats), and she was a little nervous about making her speech in front of her entire class, the prize was worth the fight. She and another sweet student even conducted a little political bargaining – each agreeing to vote for the other.

Here’s her speech:

I feel confident I can make it into student council. I like leading people and hope I can help the school. I remember in kindergarten looking at student council and thinking “I’d love to be them one day.” To be a good student council person you have to have confidence. I have good confidence because I feel good saying hi to old and new friends. To be able to help the school is great and exciting. I would like to be in student council, so please vote for me.

To sway any undecided voters, she brought a little treat for each voter. She’s following one of my favorite mantras - when in doubt, always bring sweets!

When the votes were counted ….

She won! She’s thrilled, and I hope she always remembers an important lesson: don’t let something scary (like a speech) intimidate you out of something you really want to do. Chances are, the bigger the mountain you climb, the greater the reward on the other side.

I hope my brother, a Tenn. State Representative, is ready to make room at the table for a new political leader in the family. Congrats, Callie Mac!

May Day

Wasn't it just yesterday that we were in our favorite bookstores, wearing heavy coats, scarves and mittens, buying our 2009 calendars?

Are the blooming flowers taking anyone else by surprise?

Are you where you intended to be when setting your goals for the year? Darn that storage room.



XO - Amy Mac

Working Lunch

Most days around lunchtime you can find me hammering away on the keypad of my computer, lunch off to the right where I can nibble on my sandwich and (if I’m feeling particularly virtuous) salad and sip my diet Dr. Pepper between thoughts.

Today was a nice break from the daily grind – a working lunch with a client and friend. We met at a favorite lunch spot, moved a few important projects forward, and caught up with each over pasta and iced tea.

I love a good meal, great conversation, and crossing tasks off my to-do list all at once!

Life, Style and Work

Have you ever seen a profile of someone in a magazine or on TV dishing details about what they do for a living and thought “I want that job!!”? After seeing a stay-at-home mom on the Oprah show talking about how she’d written most of the songs for Faith Hill’s album a few years back, I briefly thought I should be a country music song writer. Thankfully, that delusion quickly passed, and here I am writing this blog (and lots of other things!) instead.

When these fabulous folks are being interviewed, it always seems rather “pie in the sky” to me – in other words, instead of hearing specific steps a person should take to pursue a dreamy career, we’re told “it just fell into my lap” or left with the distinct impression they had connections that made their success happen.

This week, the Amy Mac blog is launching a new series – it’s called “Loving this Living,” and it profiles women who have jobs they love getting out of bed in the morning for– and isn’t that the whole point?

If you know someone who does something for a living that makes you say “I so wish that was my job!!” send me an email at amymacpr@comcast.net . Following are some guidelines for submission:

1. Ladies only, please. As my school-age children will assure you, “Girls Rule, Boys Drool.” With all due respect to the men in our lives, No Boys Allowed in the Amy Mac Loving this Living series.
2. Lots of women out there are doing amazing work at phenomenal jobs…and I’m happy for ‘em. But what we’re looking for are women who have translated their passion into a way to make a living – and have done it successfully while juggling a real life (ya know - kids, dogs, husband-with-hefty-travel-schedule, volunteer work, triathlon training – okay, that’s a stretch, but you get the point)
3. Must be willing to share tips for breaking into the professional field and balancing career and life – this is key! We don’t want to hear about your fabulous life unless you’re willing to share your secrets!

In the meantime, stay tuned for the first blog entry for Loving this Living – it’s a California dream if I’ve ever seen one! AND, even more fabulous – a giveaway is coming your way!

See you back here soon! Amy Mac

Easy Like Sunday Morning

This morning, as I was sitting by the fire drinking my first cup of coffee, watching a favorite show on the Food Network, and looking at the latest Pottery Barn catalog, I remembered why I love weekends. No bus to catch at early o’clock, no 8 a.m. meetings, no need to make the beds quickly and settle into my office chair to dash out a few lines of copy to meet a noon deadline.

I prefer simplicity and ease, and not just in my days, but with the people with whom I socialize and work. Haven’t we all worked with or been friends with someone who tended to make things a little more difficult? Conversely, haven’t we all been around people who made things easier, who came up with solutions instead of roadblocks, and made our days a little brighter just by being there? Which do you prefer to be around most of the time?

My goal with all my clients is to make their lives easier. To help them mark one thing of their to-do lists by handing it to me - knowing I will get the job done, right, on budget and on time.
In general, I find that being easy to work with, going the extra mile, and doing it with a smile on your face keeps your best clients on your roster and helps recruit new ones.

What will you do today to make a client or customer’s life a little easier?

What Will You Be When You Grow Up?

Mrs. Howard, my daughter’s delightful first grade teacher, does a fantastic job of inspiring the children in her classroom. My daughter is always full of excitement when she gets home from school about a project they’ve worked on, a great book she’s been encouraged to read, or with an interesting fact she’s learned during the course of the day (like how hurricanes get their names.)



Recently the children interviewed one another, asking pressing questions like “what’s your favorite color” and “how many people in your family?” Then they wrote a report about the friend they had interviewed. Along with practicing their punctuation, capitalization and sentence structure, they learned skills they might use one day as a journalist (or FBI interrogators, but that’s a different blog entry.)

To that end, I’ll be chatting with Mrs. Howard’s students tomorrow about writing. Which got me to thinking – is there anything more exciting than being young and feeling you can be anything you want to be when you grow up? Well, almost anything. My niece wanted to be an elephant when she grew up (I think she was three when she decided on this career path), but we are only slightly disappointed that instead of morphing into a giant land mammal with enormous, flapping ears she’s studying to be an advertising executive.


I do think as early as first grade preferences, passions and possible career paths begin to make themselves evident. While I don’t particularly remember enjoying writing in school, I do have memories of being fairly confident in my spelling skills and reading abilities. I also remember Miss Billie chiding me in first grade for utilizing the ruler sticker affixed to my desk as a helpful tool with my addition, and I knew then on some level I would not be a candidate for a Ph.D. in Mathematics with a concentration on algorithms from Harvard.

In my wildest dreams, I hope I might inspire some of these kids to see writing as a fun way to express themselves, and maybe, just maybe, one day that will lead to a career in one of the many fields in communications, whether as a journalist, a broadcaster or an executive with a communications corporation.


In my more realistic expectations, I hope to be able to keep their attention for approximately three minutes, and for that I am relying heavily on a brightly colored internet display (hence the photographs of the class here), and possibly some sort of sweet snack to keep their mouths full while I talk.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Are you?

Peppermint Mocha Propoganda

I recently had the exciting opportunity to write an article about the holidays for Northside Woman, a local publication here in metro-Atlanta. If you'd like to read it, follow this link!

Taking Stock

The first day of the last month of the year seems like a good day to review goals accomplished for 2008, the ones pushed to the backburner, and the ones that just didn’t get done.

So my question of the day is: of the goals not accomplished, why not?

As I take a look at the things I wanted to accomplish this year, the ones that didn’t happen fall into one of three categories:

1. I didn’t give it a high-priority time slot in my chocked-full calendar. If I don’t schedule something, in stone, and block out a time where I know I’ll be firing on all cylinders (which generally requires a high-protein snack and a bottled water, if you’re interested) then my efforts will never gain enough momentum to come to fruition as a completed goal.

2. I doubt my ability to make it happen. Generally not a problem as I am just deluded enough to believe I can accomplish most things (or recruit someone who can to help me), but if there are obstacles that I cannot figure my way around, and I can come up with 8 zillion reasons to procrastinate, or just scratch the goal off my list.

3. It wasn’t really my goal. Sometimes I talk myself into thinking I want something, when deep down, I really don’t. At least not right now. There’s definitely an art to knowing that sometimes the things you want just are not possible that minute, and trusting that it will come in the right time.

As I review my 2008, I have lots of accomplishments for which to be thankful. I’ve accomplished much more than I thought possible (web site launched, this blog having lots of readers – thank you!, getting a few articles published). For those goals on my list that didn’t happen (sending a direct mail piece to potential clients, cleaning and organizing the hazardous waste dump known as my storage room), I’ll be taking a hard look at whether they are worthy of carry-over as 2009 goals. And if they are, what I need to do differently in the coming months to make them happen.

I encourage you to take an hour or two from your crazy holiday schedule to assess your ’08, both professionally and personally – so your happy work and the good life intersect in 2009!