It’s Okay to Throw Stuff Away

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Kimberly McCloskey

I want to reiterate: it’s okay to throw stuff away. I’m not talking about wrappers from fast food joints or the used cat litter. No. I’m referring to stuff that you might consider perfectly acceptable, usable and handy… but that which you haven’t used, thought about or even remember having in a long time.

Come on, you know what I’m talking about.  Open any closet in your house or junk drawer in the kitchen and you’ve begun a mini treasure hunt through useless items you’ve collected possibly for years. The plastic cap-thingee that you just know belongs to something important and you’ve held onto since 2006, the mostly dried up bottle of glue whose lid you keep promising yourself to unclog, the really cool multi-tool gadget you’ve never actually used… you get the picture. Ditch ‘em or donate them. Free up the space.  Clean out the clutter.  Rid yourself and your home of the junk!

Now, you might be wondering why I’m on a tangent about “stuff”. Well, it’s because I’ve now attended two conferences in less than one month’s time and I came home with goodie bags from each. I admit, I came home high on information and determined to look though, read and use every single goodie bag item I was blessed to receive. I also admit that first goodie bag sat on the floor of my office for four or five weeks before I ever opened it. And do you know what? Most of the stuff was junk; meaning stuff I knew I would never use. Granted, there was a part of me that felt compelled to keep it all, like the organizers from the event somehow bugged the “stuff” and knew what I was keeping or tossing.

With the help of a group coaching program I recently started attending, I learned it was Okay to throw stuff away. There are no Useless Crap Cops who are going to swoop down on me for getting rid of the oversized drink huggies, hard plastic mouse pads, glow-in-the-dark necklaces or pens after pens after pens! And after I brutally went through the first goodie bag, I went through the second, and then I went through the books and cubbies stacked on my desk and the storage cabinet… you get the picture. I want you to know that it felt FANTASTIC. It was such a liberating experience to haul those trash bags (and donation boxes) out to the garage. I was able to enter my office space and BREATHE.

So I want to tell you how to do it too!  When cleaning out a junk drawer, closet, storage container, file cabinet, wish list or whatever, ask yourself these questions:

  1. When was the last time you used this? Do you even know when that was? If you don’t know… ditch it.
  2. Are you keeping this because Aunt Ethel gave it to you and even though she lives 1200 miles away you’re afraid she’ll know if you throw it away? If so… donate it to a good cause. She’ll never know.
  3. If this “thing” happens to be a tidbit of information, would you be able to find it again by doing a Google search instead of keeping it in your file cabinet for another three years? If so… trash it.
  4. Is this something you totally forgot you even owned? And you’ve never even needed it?  It’s already “gone” in your mind, so it’s time to make it gone for real.
  5. Are you keeping this thing because you’re sure that one day it might come in handy?  Really?  There’s nothing else that you use regularly that wouldn’t replace this useless item that’s taking up space?  I doubt it.
  6. Does this “stuff” happen to be something you thought one day you would get around to doing, like a pattern for a quilt or an Adirondack chair?  Re-evaluate where you are now in your life and determine if it’s something you still really want to do. If yes, then by golly, start on it! If no, then it’s time to acknowledge that sometimes your hobbies and goals change and no one can hold you to something you’re no longer interested in. Give them to someone who is.

That ought to cover it! One of these six questions should be sufficient in helping you plow through all the junk you’ve been gathering, weed out the useless and invasive clutter, and free up a significant amount space in your home, office, garage, car… wherever!  The side affect is that your mind will magically feel relieved, like you just took a mini vacation. Trust me.  Try it.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? You sure can! Include this complete blurb with it: © 5/15/2012 Kimberly J. McCloskey, Professional Virtual Assistant, in her attempt to help all people improve their personal and professional productivity, shares her insight through her newsletter “Productive Pointers”. Her natural artistic abilities, organizational skills and a love for detail shine through her creative writing for blogs, newsletters, articles, information products and more for her clients.  Learn more at www.VA-Partner.com.
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8 Ways to Keep Your Creative Juices Flowing

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Kimberly McCloskey

By Guest Blogger: Charla Mahon

Experience teaches us ways that are tried and true, and that has its place so that we don’t keep retracing the same steps. However, new and creative ideas are often needed to help move us forward. Often, a business is successful to the extent that it embraces creative thinking.

Business owners know that creativity is needed to tackle everything from business marketing to problem solving. Creativity doesn’t always just happen, though, and sometimes we get in the way of our own creativity. So, what can we do to foster creativity? Here are some suggestions:

  1. Get a good night’s sleep. With unfinished work or housework to do, the lure of a good TV show, and the enticement of other distractions, sometimes it is a chore to make oneself go to bed. But, remember that it’s very hard to be creative when you’re tired.
  2. Leave big decisions, problem solving, and certain tasks for peak times. Each of us has certain times of the day when we are the most alert and, therefore, the most creative. Sometimes it just makes sense to put off making big decisions or doing certain tasks until these times of the day. You may even find that you’re more balanced in your approach to problem solving during these times.
  3. Don’t procrastinate. I can hear you asking, “Say what?  How can this help me to be more creative?”  Dreading a task that you know you have to do drags you down and inhibits creativity. You may find yourself thinking, “I’d love to start something new, but I have to do THIS first before I can start THAT.”  Well, do it then!  Handling dreaded tasks and clearing them off your plate makes way for creativity.
  4. Vary your routine. Trying something new in your routine, however small, will often stimulate new ideas.  You could exercise before work, eat a different breakfast, or read something that inspires you.
  5. Take a break from the morning news. It’s good to be informed, but sometimes we need to shut out anything that will deter us from creative thinking. I’ll be the first to admit that some news stories are inspiring, but there’s an equal chance that they will be worrying if not downright depressing. You won’t know until it’s too late, so sometimes it’s best to wait to catch the news later in the day.
  6. Visit a new place. This will also stimulate new ideas. But, where should you go? You don’t always have to go far. Many times we overlook treasures in our own communities, but they are there if we look for them.  TIP: Ask school children where they went on their last field trip. You can get some good ideas that way!
  7. Practice creativity. If you don’t already have a creative outlet, try a new hobby or craft. If that’s not practical for you, make a more conscious effort to be more creative during your day. Ask yourself if there’s a different way that you could be doing a given task. You may find that different is better.
  8. Memorize your new ideas, and then write them down. Have you ever had the unfortunate experience of being inspired and then when you go to write down your new ideas, you’ve forgotten them?  I have, so now what I do is stop for a minute, retrace my thoughts and memorize how I got there. Once I feel comfortable that I’ve got it, then I grab the pen and paper.

How do you encourage creativity?  Do you have responses to my ideas or additional ones to share?  If so, please comment below.

“The world is but a canvas to the imagination.”  — Henry David Thoreau

Charla Mahon is the owner of Concord Virtual Office Services. She provides internet marketing, WordPress, and project management services to small businesses. Charla also helps authors to launch their virtual book tours. She is a member of the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) and holds an Internet Marketing Specialist Certification as well as IVAA’s EthicsCheckTM certification.  For more of Charla’s blog posts, visit her website at www.concordva.com.

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Convention Lessons

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Kimberly McCloskey

During the last week of March I attended my first business-related convention and I’ll tell you what, it was nothing like I expected! The presenter not only had a stage, she started the “show” with a band, hired a professional and well-known comedian to emcee the event, showed movies, played upbeat music, had an exhibit area for sponsor booths, and had a multitude of speakers… all in addition to the material she was teaching! Talk about information overload!

But it was all good. I was given the opportunity to meet several fellow virtual assistants and a couple of clients I had never met face-to-face before. Of course, I met a LOT of other people too since there were over 650 people in attendance.

So you might expect this newsletter to cover some of the topics I learned regarding marketing, networking, promotion, business planning… but I’m not. Instead I’m going to share some of the nitty-gritty nuts and bolts I learned about the process of attending a convention instead. Even if you don’t travel to conventions, I think you’ll find some of this information to be useful even for vacations!

  • Make a list of what you need to take. Most people know I’m a huge fan of lists, and traveling is no exception. I made a list, starting a week in advance, of everything I knew I wanted or needed to take and added to it as the thoughts popped into my head. It’s fantastic for those last minute things that you might otherwise forget in the rush to leave.
  • Roll your clothes when you pack them. I never tried this trick before but I actually was able to fit far more clothes in my suitcase than I’m used to packing. I don’t think it cut down on wrinkles, but as long as I hung out my clothes, the wrinkles lessened.
  • Taking extra vitamins might not be enough to keep you from catching something! This particular event was held at a hotel located in the Orlando airport. Meals were eaten among the general travelers. Even though I washed my hands often and don’t touch handrails and such, I still came down with one of the worst “colds” I can ever remember having. I can’t speak for its effectiveness, but next time I’m giving Airborne a try.
  • Be yourself. Everyone lately is talking about being authentic, being different, standing out from the crowd to get noticed. I learned through networking with some folks that simply being myself got more attention than when I tried to put on the professional business woman guise. Yes, I am one, but that’s not the skin I am comfortable in. So, be yourself and be relaxed.
  • Have plenty of business cards HANDY. Conventions are typically places where you’re expected to network… i.e. exchange business cards. Someone showed me a great tip for keeping my business cards accessible: I put them inside my plastic name badge holder but behind the name badge. It worked like a charm!
  • Establish a collection method in advance. Have a system for where you will put all the business cards you collect, as well as all of the receipts. There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing you have a piece of paper with important information on it and can’t remember which of five places you might have put it.
  • Have a plan for doing something with all of those business cards once you get back! I made notes on the business cards I collected so that I would know who they were later when I reviewed them. When I returned home, I decided with whom and how to keep in touch… and I followed through. I’m amazed at how many folks, especially the booth sponsors, have not added me to their mailing lists or reached out in any way. That’s poor follow-up.
  • Somehow you will always come back with more than you took. This convention gave us notebooks, binders, bags and countless other goodies that took up far more room than you would expect! Plan for this additional baggage in advance, especially if you are flying.

Traveling can be stressful, confusing and overwhelming, but if you take just a little bit of time to plan in advance you’ll find you can lessen the hectic moments of panic. Enjoy your travels!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? You sure can! Include this complete blurb with it: © 4/13/2012 Kimberly J. McCloskey, Professional Virtual Assistant, in her attempt to help all people improve their personal and professional productivity, shares her insight through her newsletter “Productive Pointers”. Her natural artistic abilities, organizational skills and a love for detail shine through her creative writing for blogs, newsletters, articles, information products and more for her clients. Learn more at www.VA-Partner.com.

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Is Your Spelling a Pet Peeve, Part 2

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Kimberly McCloskey

I recently began reading a book about personal branding and its relation to how you look and behave. My thoughts — because I enjoy writing and it’s a service I provide to several clients — jumped directly to how your personal branding is also affected by how you present yourself on paper.

Anyone who reads a blog, e-newsletter, website or sales copy (along with thousands of other materials) is going to form an opinion of the author in addition to, and outside of, the topic being discussed. If multiple typos are seen, the reader will probably become somewhat distracted and may even begin to question the author’s credibility. Think about it, you probably do this yourself!

So if YOU are the author in question, isn’t it important to put in a good solid effort to produce material that is free of silly mistakes that others might interpret as pet peeves? I think so!

In order to help YOU improve your writing with some of those pesky words that people tend to confuse, below is a list of tips on how to tell them apart. I’ll admit that this list contains some that I struggle with, too.

Advice vs. advise

I know, I know, this is a tricky one but I have a super simple way to tell them apart besides the C and the S.

Advice is a noun meaning to make a recommendation or give a suggestion about something. She wanted my advice on how to pill a cat.

Advise, however, is a transitive verb meaning to recommend or inform. I was advised not to feed the dog 12 hours prior to surgery.

The difference, to me, is in the sound of the words, how they are pronounced in addition to the spelling. In my head, I rhyme “vice” with “mice” and based on whether or not it works, I know which is the correct spelling.

Affect vs. effect

Affect means to influence somebody or something. If I can use the word “influence” then I know this is the spelling I need to use.  How will the tornado affect the local economy?

Effect has several meanings: a result or giving an impression. Again, I use the E in result to connect me to the correct spelling. The overall effect of her makeover was remarkable. Another meaning is being in force, such as The new rules don’t go into effect until next week.

Then vs. than

Then refers to a specific time, in addition to or therefore. Life was easier back then or I have to walk the dogs, then I can cook dinner.

Than exists to introduce a comparison. As you are saying the word in your head, listen for the subtle difference in the pronunciation. There’s more of an A sound in this version and that should help you with the spelling. I’d rather be hiking than sitting in an office.

Bare vs. bear

Bare means naked, basic or minimum. They only provided the bare essentials.

Bear means several things; most common being the big furry animal, but it also means a difficult thing to endure or to tolerate. In theory, if the definition of your word doesn’t relate to the first description, this second spelling is probably the right one. I can’t bear to see photos of starving and neglected animals.

Council vs. counsel

Council is a noun and means a group of people elected to run local affairs. They’re holding a council meeting tomorrow afternoon.

Counsel has several definitions ranging from a court lawyer to someone who gives advice or the act of giving advice.  The key to telling the difference between the two words rests in the S-E-L.  For me, I associate the SEL with “sell” which is an act of doing something, which translates to the act of giving advice and something which all lawyers do.  I will seek his counsel before making a decision.

Stationary vs. stationery

Stationary is an adjective meaning not moving or staying in one place. The tip here is to associate the A at the end of the word with the A in adjective or stay.  He rides the stationary bicycle every morning.

Stationery is a noun and means things used for writing like paper and envelopes. In this instance, I associate the E at the end of the word with the E in envelopes. I enjoy writing personal notes on beautifully embroidered stationery.

Principal vs. principle

Principal as noun means most important person or school administrator and as an adjective means primary.  This time I immediately focus on the spelling of the second half and play this sentence in my head My school principal was always my pal.  And to further carry the meaning, I continue the sentence with … and was the principal reason I went into teaching.

Principle, on the other hand, means ethical standard. This is one of those words where if the above tip doesn’t work, then this must be the correct spelling. As a matter of principle, I recycle everything I can.

Lose vs. loose vs. loss

Lose means to have something taken away or have it misplaced. It may be helpful to simply think to yourself “Is it lost?” and connect the two spellings. You will lose your spot in line if you walk away.

Loss is the fact of no longer having something or reduction. Weight loss can be a life-long battle.

Loose means not firmly attached or free. My association for this spelling always goes back to the 1978 Clint Eastwood movie “Every Which Way But Loose” and it helps. For you, maybe consider the spelling of loose having two O’s and free having two E’s. The loose step makes me stumble every time.

So there you have it!  A whole second cheat-sheet of commonly misspelled and confused words that you can keep handy for quick reference… unless you memorize some of the tips I shared.

If you happen to be a writer but lack the confidence to know that you’re putting out professional and intelligent-sounding materials to your blog, newsletter or emails, consider partnering with a copy editor or proofreader like me to become your sounding board.  It’ll give you peace of mind and increase your credibility in the eyes of your audience.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? You sure can! Include this complete blurb with it: © 03/13/2012 Kimberly J. McCloskey, Professional Virtual Assistant, in her attempt to help all people improve their personal and professional productivity, shares her insight through her newsletter “Productive Pointers”. Her natural artistic abilities, organizational skills and a love for detail shine through her creative writing for blogs, newsletters, articles, information products and more for her clients. Learn more at www.VA-Partner.com.

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Is Your Spelling a Pet Peeve to Your Readers?

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Kimberly McCloskey

In my last article I posted a photograph of a word puzzle that had an incorrectly-spelled word. I purposely did not share which word was wrong just to see how many people might have caught it. Of the people who contacted me… none of them spotted it.

That’s okay! It just reinforces my point that we all should utilize spell check before sending any email or letter… and if it’s really important, we should have another human being proofread it before it goes out.

By the way, if you’re curious, the word was together, which is the correct spelling.

I’d like to share with you some of the other spelling errors that are pet peeves of mine. These are the words I most often spot as being incorrect. Spell check will question them if only you take the time to run it.

Your vs. you’re

Your is a possessive word, belonging to somebody. I like the color of your shirt.

You’re replaces you are. As a hint: when you combine two words (called a contraction), you basically replace the space with an apostrophe. You’re on the schedule to work tomorrow.

It’s vs. its

It’s replaces it has or it is. This is also a contraction, so ask yourself, “Can this be two words?” If so, use an apostrophe. It’s going to be a beautiful day.

Its indicates possession. Yes, this probably is NOT what you recall learning in school where the apostrophe S always indicated possession. This one is an exception to the rule. So ask yourself again, “Can this be two words?” If not, then there’s no apostrophe. My car blew its tire.

Here vs. hear

Here refers to this place or time.  How long have you lived here?

Hear is the act of listening. You use your ear to hear.

There, their and they’re

There also refers to place; one that has been previously mentioned or is understood. (If you can remember “here” above, you can remember this one.) Do you know how to get there from here?

Their means that it belongs to someone. Try to associate the T-H-E-I with T-H-E-Y to help you remember.  Have they finished painting their house?

They’re replaces they are. Go back to the “Can this be two words?” question. They’re on vacation this week.

Two, too, and to – Let’s tackle these backward from how I usually see them explained, and start with the easy one.

Two means the number 2. If you visualize the number 2 on its side maybe it will remind you of a W, so therefore the correct spelling contains that letter. The two of them will ride horses together.

Too means also or as well.  You can come with us, too. Too also indicates something more. She’s too busy. Or He’s too loud. If you’re “increasing” something with use of this word, increase the O.

To indicates direction, destination or position. I saw her on the way to work. Generally (but not always), if the first two spellings or explanations don’t fit your meaning, then this spelling is probably the correct one.

Now keep in mind, there are always variations to the rules and each explanation above can be described in more detail by other means. My intention was to keep it simple so that you can retain the reasoning and use it to help you in your writing.

I promise, if you slow down while you’re writing, take the time to proof read, and pause over the words that create confusion for you so that you can get them correct, the recipient of your writings will see you in a more professional and credible light.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? You sure can! Include this complete blurb with it: © 02/08/2012 Kimberly J. McCloskey, Professional Virtual Assistant, in her attempt to help all people improve their personal and professional productivity, shares her insight through her newsletter “Productive Pointers”. Her natural artistic abilities, organizational skills and a love for detail shine through her creative writing for blogs, newsletters, articles, information products and more for her clients. Learn more at www.VA-Partner.com.

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It pains me to read bad copy

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Kimberly McCloskey

The other day I was looking for a graphic to use in a client’s ezine and stumbled upon this one. Even though this wasn’t what I was looking for, I knew right away something as amiss so I paused to really look at it. I had to spell the word three times, out loud, because I KNEW it was wrong but just could not believe my eyes. It actually WAS misspelled and was being sold on a stock photo site! And what’s worse is I don’t think it was being sold as an example of poor spelling… I really think no one caught on to it! I shudder to think how many people have purchased and used this graphic without catching the typo.

Please tell me you see what I’m talking about.

If you don’t… that’s okay. I won’t hold it against you. Do you know why? Because (and I know I’ve said this before) I don’t believe anyone is qualified to effectively proof read their own work! Me included! Anything I type that’s going to be seen by more than a handful of close relations gets proof read by a colleague and friend. Yes, I do proofread it myself before it goes to her, but I always feel better knowing “another set of eyes” has perused the copy before it goes out to the masses. And do you know what? She finds something, even a small something, more often than I would like to admit.

But I digress. This isn’t about me. This is about you. This is about the content you write for your newsletters, blogs, sales letters, follow-up emails, articles, etc… Have you ever gone back and read something you published a year or two ago and a typo jumped out at you? Did it make you feel… well… stupid? Did you say to yourself, “How the heck did I miss THAT?” and then wonder how many people saw it and never said a word? Or who saw it and decided you weren’t competent enough to hire? Ouch. Right?  Hey, it happens, but it could happen far less if you allowed “another set of eyes” to proofread (or edit) your copy before you send it out where the world can see it.

I was born a proofreader/editor at heart. I do it subconsciously while I’m reading. It doesn’t matter what it is (as long as I didn’t type it), but the typos and mistakes will jump off the page at me.  Any confusing or flow-less content will nag at me.  It pains me to read bad copy! When I see it, my mind simply screams, “Please, oh, PLEASE let me fix it!” and usually if I am able to contact the author, I will, and I’ll point out their error. I’ll lose sleep over it if I don’t.

My point is: if you write material that you want to send out to your subscribers, prospects, past clients, peers, and others whom you would like to impress, I strongly urge you to invest in a proofreader/editor. It doesn’t have to be me, but I’d be delighted if it were. I’ll sleep better at night knowing I played a small part in eradicating obscure yet preventable typos from the eyes of innocent readers. Does that make me a hero?  Maybe.

Share your thoughts below… and have you figured out the misspelled word in the graphic yet?

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Have you ordered your copy?

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Kimberly McCloskey

In the 2 1/2 weeks since I launched my book Permission is Granted: Be a Better You I actually sold out on the first batch of books I had in stock and have ordered more! I’m so happy!

Have you gotten your own copy yet?

Now that the Christmas holidays are over, maybe you’re focused on 2012 and all of the little things in your life that you’d really like to get a handle on and change… my nifty little book is a GREAT WAY to do just that.

Don’t believe me? Here’s what two clients said after receiving their copies:

“One of my VA team members Kimberly McCloskey has just released a short, innocent looking book carrying a hell of a punch for structuring and organizing your business life (with some interesting personal stuff too) – She did a great job and I personally recommend it.” Ali R. Rodriguez

“I started reading the book Be a Better You and some things hit home with me and I could think of several friends who need this book yesterday to get back on track in their lives. There are many derailed persons out there not knowing where to get started to right themselves and their situations. We cannot give up on people.” Janet B.

And this comment came from someone else who received my book as a gift from another client:

“Kimberly’s book is lovely. The cover gives me chills; her energies radiate. I haven’t read it but look forward to the time to do so. She is obviously a beautiful soul and it will be a go-to book as a gift for others. Thank you and Kimberly for this beautiful gift. Merry Christmas and Much Love, Deb”

Get your order in before I sell out again!

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An easy read with a huge impact!

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Kimberly McCloskey

As the holidays and the New Year approach, it actually IS quite a coincidence that my very first book has been published and is being offered for sale (I wanted it to happen sooner!).

It’s called PERMISSION IS GRANTED: BE A BETTER YOU and I’m tickled to tell you about it! I wouldn’t call it a ‘self-help’ book, but in reality I suppose it is. I ask the simple question “Are you satisfied with your life right now?” and in doing so, I help you examine life “right now” and determine how to make changes if — because not everyone has the same challenges — and where they are needed.

It’s not all wishy-washy “think positive and great things will come”…it’s much more a hands-on approach. Together we examine our inner selves, how we interact with others, what image we project, and even some rudimentary basics as time management and scheduling. What we learn are that some habits we have can be  – or desperately need to be — improved upon.

And I don’t leave you hanging there! I go so far as to provide simple, step-by-step approaches to many aspects of our daily lives and how to make them better, more efficient, organized or even a little bit fun.

It’s an easy-read with a huge impact depending on what you get out of the book and implement.

I would be honored if you’d take a moment to check it out at http://va-partner.com/permissionisgranted/.

I’d be ecstatic if you decided to purchase a copy for yourself or a friend as a New Year’s resolution guide (hey, why not?). To add some incentive since you’re a loyal subscriber, I’ll give it to you for 25% off the listing price! Truly! Just type “NEWYEAR” in the Discount Code box upon checkout and you’ll get it!

This book has been two years in the making and it’s high time I got it published! Whoohoo!

Warm (and fuzzy) regards,

Kimberly

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Reach a Wider Audience: Repurpose Information

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Kimberly McCloskey

I recently had the pleasure to attend a 3-day intensive workshop relating to
online business growth. Of the numerous topics discussed, one of them
pertained to recycling or repurposing. For those of us in business for
ourselves, repurposing means to take information we’ve already created and
presented and then reprocess it so we can offer it in a totally different
format.

Repurposing allows us to reach a wider audience by offering multiple
options.  For example, if our original “product” was a teleconference –
where initially we’re reaching the people who like to participate during a
conference call — our offshoot of that can be to offer the transcript.
This will more than likely appeal to the people on our list who prefer to
read. The information and our hard work aren’t being “wasted” on one
audience or group of people.

It’s very much like the Thanksgiving turkey; we enjoy it for dinner, we have
it again on sandwiches and then we make soup out of it.  We repurpose it and
therefore are not wasteful.

If this concept of repurposing information is new to you or you simply don’t
know how it could pertain to your business, let’s break it down.

Many of us have been publishing regular newsletters or writing blogs for
some time now.  If we have written original content for our articles, we can
turn some or all of them into:

  • Checklist
  • Special report
  • EBook
  • Printed book
  • 5-part written e-course
  • Teleclass
  • Webinar series

Perhaps our preferred method of communicating and sharing information is
through hosting a live teleconference or webinar. As long as it’s recorded
(audio or video), it can morph into a host of great products.

  • Offer the recording as a stand alone product
  • Offer the transcript
  • Offer both bundled together
  • Create a special report from the transcript
  • Create an e-course

The biggest bonus to us as the creator and sharer of all of this fabulous
information is that all of these newly created, regenerated products can be
offered for sale. Sure, the first go ’round was free to the participants or
readers — as a list builder for you — but the new products don’t have to
be! Welcome in a possible passive income.

Want to learn more? Call me!

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? You sure can! Include this complete blurb with it: © 11/16/2011 Kimberly J. McCloskey, Professional Virtual Assistant, in her attempt to help all people improve their personal and professional productivity, shares her insight through her newsletter “Productive Pointers”. Her natural artistic abilities, organizational skills and a love for detail shine through her creative writing for blogs, newsletters, articles, information products and more for her clients.  Learn more at www.VA-Partner.com.

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How To Vacation For $770 Or Less – Seriously

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Kimberly McCloskey

Times are tight and the economy is struggling, but it doesn’t mean you have to skip out on giving yourself a much-needed (and deserved) vacation. Let me share with you how my husband and I took a week-long vacation for under $770 — and planned it in only four days. No joke!

Don’t go far: Choose a vacation spot that isn’t too far away from where you live. I’m all for Stay-Cations because you can get to them by car and if your vehicle is good on gas, the fuel charges won’t be extraordinary. Additionally, you don’t have to plan a “drive-to vacation” too far in advance like when you fly. We chose the panhandle of Florida which was a seven hour drive: not too far and not too close. (Cost: $135 in gasoline for our Camry.)

Find a deal on housing: Look for end-of-the-season deals or back-to-school specials, which is exactly what we stumbled upon. Some agencies or owners will slash prices if they need to fill vacancies. We found a plethora of deals on Craig’s List and opted to go with an owner-managed unit because they are more flexible. Of course, you have to watch for scams! (Cost: $496 for six nights).

Get a place with a kitchen: Believe it or not, the beach-front condo efficiency we found cost less than any well-known hotel we investigated! Besides that, this is how we saved the most amount of money during our trip.  We prepared all meals at “home”, spending what we normally would spend on food.  I can hear you groaning about how it’s not a vacation if you have to cook, but you’re wrong. Consider making dishes you don’t normally prepare, something simple and easy to clean up. Besides, what about a barbeque pool side or being able to run right out on the beach after a meal doesn’t feel like vacation!? In the end remember this fact: restaurants will eat up your cash fast. (Cost: Only $65 on groceries because we brought a lot with us).

Avoid tourist traps: Don’t get sucked into spending money on all the touristy gimmicks – try to vacation like a local. We spent every day on a different beach along the gulf coast and never once ventured near the carnival rides. Look at it this way, the minimum you would spend for one person to take a banana boat ride was $20, a helicopter ride was $30, and parasailing was $80. We never saw (or cared to learn) the costs for a sling-shot ride, renting a jet ski, taking a dolphin-sighting boat tour, or entering any of the “amusement parks”. Do you really need to do any of those things to enjoy yourself? We didn’t. (Cost: $27 was spent on beach parking passes.)

Resist buying souvenirs: Oh, I know you want something to remember your vacation by, but how long is that hermit crab going to hold your attention? Do you really need another cheap T-shirt? Will those things really evoke memories of your vacation? Photographs on my digital camera as well and still-frames in my mind are all I need to bring a smile to my face. (Cost: $47 was spent on a beach umbrella, an inexpensive bathing suit, homemade ice cream at a quaint shop and a mug with cats on it).

For my husband and me, we had a perfectly wonderful vacation lying out on the beach, soaking up the sun, listening to the crashing waves, and sticking our feet into the cool sand. There were plenty of people for friendly conversation if we wanted it, but not so many people that we had to engage with others if we didn’t want to. People-watching was all the amusement we needed.

“Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying.  The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.”   – Elise Boulding

So… go plan your spur-of-the-moment, inexpensive vacation that, when it ends, won’t leave you further in debt and stressed out over the amount of money you spent! I can tell you, it’s refreshing!

Thanks for reading and share your thoughts!

Kimberly

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