Interruptions when working from home are very different from those the workplace. Interruptions are distracting, costly and annoying. On average, one person interrupting you can take 10 minutes away from your productivity. It may seem that the interruption is only for a few minutes, but by the time you have stopped what you are doing. Interrupted your thought process to understand what it is the person is asking of you. Answer the question correctly. Then go back and pick up your thought process takes about 10 minutes.
Not to mention your attitude to the interruptions. Suppose you are deeply engrossed in your task. In that case, it is difficult to tell your facial features to be pleasant, smile and be accommodating. (Resting Bitch face comes to mind). Then you must explain to the person who has interrupted you-you are deeply engrossed in a task. Once you have been interrupted, your mind then focuses some of its attention on the question or purpose of the original interruption. Now you have two trains of thought, your task at hand and that of the question asked of you. It’s called attention residue.
In an office, there are strategies you can put in place.
Tell people you are unavailable during certain times of the day
Only open emails at set times
Create boundaries you and your colleagues’ respect
Turn your phone off
Interruptions working from Home.
All brilliant strategies, but what if you are working from Home? How do you deal with those interruptions? With Covid-19, many of us have changed our working style and moved our office to the dining room table or the spare room. We have had to manage family commitments and our bosses’ constant demands.
The strategies we had for interruptions in the office are no longer valid at Home. It is difficult to tell your loved ones you are unavailable for a chat from 9 am to 5 pm. They can physically see you. Not only that, but they can also reach out their hands and touch you. To them, you are there, in person. As a result, able to be spoken to and answer the question. Interrupted, able to answer just one question, for example, what are we having for dinner. To your family and friends, being in lockdown means you are constantly accessible.
Interruptions when working from home
How have I coped with these interruptions? Not well to start with, a plan was needed to deal with interruptions. My home office, entitled ‘The Studio’, is the converted garage. Suddenly I am available with my family and friends who want to speak to me. When in the office, they respected my time and rarely called or popped in. When working from home, suddenly, the rules seem to have been thrown out of the window. So new rules had to be set in place.
The new rules are:
Work starts at 9 am, and I will finish at 5-6 pm depending on the tasks at hand
I will take a break in the morning at 10.30 for 15 minutes and will talk and discuss whatever is needed
Lunch will be at 1 pm for 30 minutes, and again, I will chat and discuss whatever.
I will take a break at 3.15 for 15 minutes
Work will finish at 5-6 pm depending on the task
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
I needed to set new boundaries when working from home
Just because someone is at home, it doesn’t mean they are not working
Another person’s break is not my break
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
My Hour of Power has become an essential part of the daily preparation for my business development. On a Sunday, it has become a unique ritual, referred to as ‘Prep for Monday’. It is a ritual that I have created and worked on for the last few years. It started when I had four additional staff members, and I needed to know what work to allocate each member. Like all people, each member of my staff had unique skills, and I wanted to ensure that they worked to their full potential.
NB – I got the term Hour of Power from Tony Robins and one of his programmes on life achievements
What is my Hour of Power or Prep for Monday?
My prep for Monday is straightforward. On a Sunday, at about 4 pm, I will check all my incoming emails to view any new tasks. I will also look at my company to-do list and ensuring that all company requirements are achieved. Then all client requests are scheduled promptly and within the deadlines set by my clients. This is very different from my to-do list, the jobs I must do daily. It is easier to think of my company as one of my clients.
I will then check our task management system to confirm that all the tasks for the previous week had been completed. New tasks are allocated. The process only takes about an hour but has become a Sunday ritual.
What results from Prep for Monday?
This one hour prep on a Sunday has saved two or three hours on a Monday. I understand the business needs for the week ahead and a priority of tasks for the week ahead. it also means that our task management system is up to date and accurate.
Task Management System
We use a task management system called Asana. It is an online software package that offers a paid version and a free version. I currently use the free version and find it invaluable. Asana helps me remember all tasks clients need us to complete and the status of each task. It also offers team collaboration on projects, so as a manager, I can view the status of a task without wasting time chasing. It means that I must ‘let go’ of the control I have over tasks and trust my team to do the job asked of them. Like all systems, it is only as good as the data entered and valuable if everyone uses it the same way. I run my business in Asana.
Sunday Emails
I will rarely send out emails on a Sunday during my Prep for Monday hour, my hour of power. Emails will be schedule to be sent on Monday. Communication is the key to keeping my clients happy and informed.
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
My hour of power on a Sunday will save me hours on a Monday
I need to trust my staff to do the tasks I have asked of them
Any project management/ task organisation software package is only as good as the data entered
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
My personality has been called into account during my video recordings over the last few days. I have pondered all the advice I’ve received on recording my videos, writing my blog posts, and getting my personality across. The momentous decision that I’ve made is that I’m going to ignore most of it. I have taken some on board, and I will put some into action. But overall, I need to be true to myself. Because if I am not true to myself when people work with me, they could not work with the true me. When people work with me, I want them to understand that I have a passion for what I do. Not everybody likes you, not everybody will want to work with you, that’s fine. I want to enjoy the work I do and the people I work with.
My clients and My Personality
I spend many hours making sure that my clients’ books of their memoirs are perfect for them. I’ll probably spend more time than I should. However, I want the product of the book to be the best it can be. I want them to enjoy looking at their book. I want them to pick up that book and remember what happened in the past.
As a result, I have to be true to myself in the videos and my writing narrative. I don’t have 100 people working for me; I don’t have a massive studio or sound equipment. All I have is a camera, a computer and my passion.
I know my videos will be raw. There will be some incorrect words, they’ll be some good points as well, but you know what, it’s me. I don’t understand why it has taken me 14 days to realise this. When I started, I just wanted everything to be perfect. You look at YouTube, and there are some fantastic videos up there. They look professional; they feel professional, and the people spend hours making sure these videos have a look and feel. My job isn’t about making videos. My job is about recording memoirs and helping people remember the past. Assisting people to remember what they have overcome and how far they have come. My job is about creating books. It’s about making some beautiful art and helping my clients create memories. If I can get my message from being authentic and being me, I have done my job.
Finding My Personality
Working with me
If you want to work with me and get your memoirs published, drop me a line, call me or email me. I will always reply, but what you see in the videos is the person I am. It’s the person I like, and it’s the person I want to be.
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
I need to be true to myself to be believable
You don’t need fancy equipment to get your passion across
It’s the message that is important, and those people who work with me know that
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
Taking a holiday is one of life’s little luxuries. It doesn’t matter if the holiday is overseas, a staycation or visiting family. The change of scenery, activity, and thought process is essential for your well-being. There will be hours thinking of potential exotic destinations and planning and preparing for the trip by shopping for new clothes, suntan cream or a new set of skis. Then discussions on various activities you could do. Possibly researching online, the list could be endless! All thoughts that take you away from thinking about work.
The worry and fear
If you are running your own business, you look after a business or have people reporting to you, the thought of a holiday can be traumatic. There is the amount of work you must do to prepare for the holiday. Upon returning to the office after the holiday and the long list of to-dos. Added to this, an entrepreneur is always working, looking for new opportunities, as mentioned previously. As a result, their mind is never really resting.
Walking away from work for a few days has benefits of both mental and physical health. It is vital that everyone rest, recharge the batteries, and refresh the mind. Taking that step aside, you will get a new perspective on what you are doing and why. Your subconscious is allowed time to consider thoughts you have stored. Business plans and goals you have planned but may have forgotten can resurface. The mind takes the time to ‘ponder’ previous thoughts and often makes enhanced decisions.
My Business
I have been running my business since 2002, and I work very hard. A 60-hour week is not unusual. However, it is always a shock when I add up the hours I work. I love my job, and when you enjoy doing something, the time rarely seems like work. Taking breaks for me is imperative. Every bank holiday is a total rest day for me. The business is closed from 21 December and won’t open again until 2 January. However, breaks during the year are also necessary.
Without breaks, your mind will continue to think about nothing but the business. You lose friends, and your family life will be affected. When I started my business, I worked all the hours I could. I put everything into my business. I have even cancelled a holiday due to work commitments. Dinner dates with friends and weekends away often got cancelled at short notice. My business was my only focus.
The Intervention – Taking a Holiday
I had two close friends who did ‘an intervention’. I had agreed to go away for the weekend but cancelled at the last minute. My friends were getting annoyed that I was always cancelling our plans. In the end, they both turned up at my house, telling me that this weekend is for friends and rest. We spent the weekend laughing, going out on short trips and meals at a local pub. Without realising it, this break was what I needed, a break from my thinking process. I needed time to let my mind think of something else and allow my subconscious time to work on the problem. When I returned to work on Monday, my mind was fresh, and I was relaxed. The issue my client was concerned about was resolved, and we were both pleased with the outcome.
Holiday in Mallorca
From that experience, I learnt I need to take breaks. That my family and friends also deserved my time, but I needed them. They became my sanity check. I could discuss issues with them, and they offered a new perspective. My friends, Pippa and Karen, are great and continued to tell me when I worked too hard and too long. Sometimes, it isn’t easy to see that you have given everything up to complete the task at hand when you are in the middle of a job.
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
Taking breaks from work is essential for your well-being, both mentally and physically
Friends and family are supportive if you let them
Your subconscious mind needs time to think and give you the correct answers to any problem
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
All businesses will deal with the public in one form or another. You could say your organisation is B to B (business to business) or B to C (business to customer). It doesn’t matter what terminology you use; you are all going to be dealing with people. As a result, you’re going to need customer service. Underestimating good customer services will be detrimental to your organisation.
Indeed, many websites promote businesses that have excellent customer service. For example, trust pilot, this site is where people write about the experiences they’ve had.
Get one critical review from an unhappy customer could damage the business reputation. It is now common to hear people write reviews on trust pilots. The business owner can reply to the the review or correct any wrong or nasty reviews, because of the enormous damage it can do to an organisation.
If you do not have excellent customer service within your business, then you will lose clients.
When I started my business, it was just myself and any issues that arose I could deal with instantly. When I took on staff, processes were not in place. I remember one incident one of my members of the team phoned me when I was sick to say that she’d upset one of my customers. She was worried that she couldn’t resolve his issue. It also turned out that they had an argument, and my staff member didn’t like the way he spoke to her, and I thought he was insulting. My client couldn’t understand why somebody in my employment would not do the work he had asked her to do. A complete breakdown in communications at that point in customer services was void. I had to speak to the employee and the customer to find out exactly what’s going on. It transpired that it was just a miscommunication of my employees not understanding his tone, narrative, and requirements. My client thought my employee was rude, obnoxious is unhelpful.
I still have this client working with me, and my member of staff has now moved on. Not that she was inadequate at her job. She was very good at her job—however, the terminology my client used and her attitude towards him breakdown. I had to nurture both relationships to ensure I kept both my employees and my client. As a result, a complaint procedure is in place for our customer services team.
What I have learnt about Customer Services
Customers aren’t always right, but they like to think they are, and you need to stand up to your customer if they are wrong.
It is easy to misunderstand terminology and tonality. There are times you need to step back to resolve the issue.
The relationship between the customer and the business is delicate. The relationship should be nurtured.
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
Continuing the research into destination shopping, I visited Tubney Retail Park in Dorset. The retail park itself is a destination shopping centre. There is ample parking easy access for cars, walking and buses. However, I think their target audience is car drivers.
As an aside, and by comparison
IKEA has thought about the customer, the customer journey and envy purchasing. They have their showrooms laid out in a way that invites aspirational living. IKEA has been in the United Kingdom for many years and is incredibly popular. Indeed, in some towns, you queue to enter the shop (pre pandemic).
The three shops I visited today do not appear to have thought about the customer. They are stuck in the same layout as was around in the 1950s. The customer journey and envy purchasing are non-existent.
Dunelm’s
The first shop I went into was Dunelms. A shop specialising in home furnishings. Like most shops in the United Kingdom, there is a dedicated path through the shop. Items are in order of interest and psychological purchasing. Dunelm’s should look at how IKEA has attracted customers. I was looking for new towels, but I didn’t enjoy my time in the shop, the staff were too busy to talk to me. In short, I felt like I was intruding on their lovely displays. As a result, I bought nothing in this shop. I didn’t have that enjoyable customer experience I was looking for and became frustrated.
The Range
The next shop I entered was The Range. I have walked out of this shop before as I dislike the lighting, as it is too oppressive. The lights are dim; it feels dark; the fixtures are so full, you can barely walk around the shop without banging into something. I spent 15 minutes in this shop, and that included going to the loo.
Home Bargains
The last shop I visited was Home Bargains, selling cheaper homeware, from food and garden furniture to toiletries. The shop is bright, light and there is plenty of walking space. I have, on previous occasions, spent up to an hour in this shop just looking around. Thinking about the products for sale, could I use them in my home. However, on this occasion, I asked for help from one of the shop assistants. Unfortunately, she had no clue about the products she was selling. My conversation was very abrupt and along the lines of, it’s over there if we have it.
Dunelms Bedroom
The Range Bedroom
Home Bargains Bedroom
I am not a demanding shopper. However, I work hard for my money, and I want to enjoy spending it. When I purchased a computer a few years ago, I walked into PC World and laid down my expectations. I told the assistant that I wanted to buy a laptop and have an enjoyable experience or go elsewhere. The assistant couldn’t have been nicer. He was attentive, helpful and guided me directly to the Laptop I needed. An enjoyable experience and as a result, I often go back to that shop.
Destination Shopping via a website
As my business is very much an online business, I want a destination website. I went to the website of each business.
Dunelm’s has some images perfectly correct. There are some aspirational images of their products. The beds look luxurious, and you can see yourself asleep in them. Then they look at each item. I am not sure I would look at their website if I weren’t writing this post. However, I would look now.
The website for the Range could appear just as busy as the shop. The top banner is dynamic with loads of clashing images. However, the website is bright and full of information. I am not sure where my eyes fall on the homepage as there is too much to see. The product pages are helpful and bright. I prefer more space with images, but that is very much a personal style issue. Would I visit this website? I am not sure. Maybe for price comparisons.
The final website was for Home Bargains. Like the previous two websites, it was bright, easy to read and navigate. I would not have thought to visit their website in the past. It would never occur to me that Home Bargains would sell online. I don’t know why. Would I revisit this site? Yes, I think I would.
All three shops have a physical presence. All three shops have a website that is also selling their products. Do the shop and website give the same customer feel? Dunelm’s and The Range certainly don’t. It feels as if they are two very distinct businesses (which they could be). Home bargains was a surprise. I visit this shop every week. The website appears to have the same feel as the shop.
My View and my clients
I want my clients to have the same feeling when they meet us in person as when they visit the website. It is going back to getting that personality of the business and website to match. Maybe that is the key to marketing, being coherent? All touches with potential clients have the same feel and personality. Is branding about the ethos of the company and saleable products?
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
I don’t want to fight a website for information.
My website and company should have the same message, the same personality.
Reviewing successful websites and businesses to see what they do well is valuable for the success of your business.
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
Destination Website – The Decision and now for the changes
After my last post (see here), I revisited www.publishmystoires.com and view it as a visitor. I want this website to be a destination website, and I feel that it’s more about me. About my skills at writing my memoirs, about what I do and the skills I have. It may not be about my potential clients and could be more of a lecture. The website is a sales tool that yells, look at me. As opposed to, so, you want to write your memoirs, well this is what you need to do. My blog www.forgetmenot.publishmystories.com is the place to tell people about me.
There is a theory that you should give away all your content for free as a good business. If people want to use your services, they will judge you on your knowledge. If you are giving your information away for free, you demonstrate you know your services. You are showing your clients that you are open and honest. My website is transparent, my prices are visible, and I tell my clients what I do.
However, I don’t think I give away much information to my clients for free. When speaking with me, clients tell me I can overload them with ideas and suggestions. My passion for their memoirs needs to slow down and get one or two tasks completed before moving on.
My clients tell me that my passion is infectious.
Publishing and helping people write their memoirs is a passion for me. It is so important that we don’t lose the life lessons. We should pass these lessons on to the next generation. The government also agrees with me. How often have you heard a politician say that ‘lessons have been learnt!’ this is all I am doing, helping people pass on lessons.
I know that sometimes my communication style is very middle class. Very 1950s, prim and proper. Please understand, I am not ashamed of being middle class because I am middle class and proud of it. Being middle class is not a dirty word. It is not an embarrassment. It just is. I want my communications to reflect my personality. I want my business to reflect my passion.
Family Feedback
My brother, looking cool on Bournemouth Pier
I asked my brother to watch one video I created (day two). I thought I came off well and was open, friendly, and relaxed. My brother disagreed and thought I was stiff, reserved, and nervous. It’s so interesting that what you think you have said is not what other people hear or see. Paul (my brother) wants my personality to come across in the videos. He knows me well. He understands my passion and is very supportive of my www.publishmystories.com. I now need to revisit my video recordings style.
It’s not that straightforward
YouTube and matching my blog posts is all a learning curve for me. I know that at the beginning of my video monologues, I will make mistakes. There will be improvements, changes, and experiments. Having a destination website and YouTube channel is one of my marketing strategies. I need to get it right. I also know that what I write in the blog has to be similar to YouTube. These subtle changes are hard to balance, and I think I may overthink the situation.
Maybe I need to look at the camera as one of my clients, stay focused and discuss the post with suggestions. Added to this, I need to add keywords and phrases in the narrative so Google will find the post. The posts then must pass Yoast’s SEO rules and a few other tools that I use. Finally, the post URL is to be to several social media outlets.
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
My videos are not showing my personality and passion for my clients
Marketing is about the client and not my skills within the business. My expertise is a given. That is why I am in business
Giving away free material is a valid marketing strategy. If a client works with you, they know and understand your expectations
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
Is your business a destination business? Or is it a I need business and don’t care who you are as long as you can sort out my issue? Alternatively it could be a luxury business that would be used occasionally by those with money to spare? It’s a tricky question to answer. My business is a need now business, but I want it to be a destination business.
I went to IKEA today, and this must be one of the most successful destination businesses there are. When you go to IKEA, it’s more of an experience. Indeed, some of my friends tell me how they enjoy going to IKEA to have the ‘IKEA experience’.
The IKEA Experience
The Ikea experience involves arriving at IKEA at about 10.30 or 11 am, going directly to the café and having meatballs, chips, and a coffee and then walking around the shop for a few hours getting ideas and discussing the rooms created by IKEA. After shopping, they return to the restaurant for something to eat on the way out. They plan to spend at least five hours just walking around and looking for bargains. Indeed, IKEA is a destination business.
(The perfect business waiting area from IKEA)
IKEA – Bedroom
Bedroom – IKea
IKEA – Dressing Room
Destination businesses can also be online, for example, Amazon, eBay, and YouTube. These websites understand their customer’s needs. They offer the services quickly, efficiently and without complications. We know they will deliver, and we trust that the information from these sites will be accurate, informative, and valuable.
What makes a destination business?
Make sure you understand your customers’ needs (or how you will solve the ‘pain’ they are currently in) and what it is they are after. Leverage your products in a way that your customers understand what it is your offering. How can you make your products or services vital to your customers? For example, if I say I am a solicitor and leave it at that. Will my customer know what services I offer? We know different solicitors provide different services—for example, Contract law v Criminal Law. If I said, I am a contract solicitor. You understand with certainty which part of the law they work.
Add an Upsell
Add an upsell – something your customers didn’t think they wanted until you showed them how important or valuable it would be for them. Going back to IKEA, if you popped in for a few candles, how likely are you to browse the store and pick up a few other odds and ends. I could never go into IKEA without spending at least £60. Did I need the items before I went into IKEA? No? Did I know the things existed before I went into IKEA? Not only did I not know they existed, but I didn’t know I wanted them.
My website is www.publishmystoires.com. In the title, it states that I publish stories. Within that heading, there are sections for writing memoirs, publishing fiction and poems. My blog www.forgetmenot.publishmystories.com is all about writing my memoirs and letting people know that writing memoirs are easy once you understand your topic. Therefore, I clearly state that I can transcribe manuscripts ready for publishing.
How to upsell on a website?
Upselling has been standard on a website for many years. It starts with you giving your email address for a free eBook or something else just as enjoyable. Then at check out, you see other items that may be of interest. You will even a notice of how many people have bought that item today. Confirming that your decision was wise and other people agree with you.
My upsell is letting my authors know I can arrange for their books to be published. I can also create a simple website for them and help them start their marketing plan if needed.
Getting customers to trust you and your services
Getting customers to trust and respect you is not as easy as it sounds. You must provide flawless service. Have superb customer services and aftercare. The product has to be outstanding, and you need to be as passionate about your customer as they are. The customer needs to feel that they are the only person you are looking after. To be blunt, you want them to come back time after time and tell everyone about your reasonable service. Testimonials, customer feedback, and surveys are so important.
What I learnt about writing my memoirs
Customers will support and spend money on a destination business
Understanding your customer’s needs and easing ‘their pain’ has to be the target for any entrepreneur
A thriving destination business is the responsibility of the owner and customer. Customers will vote with their feet or credit card.
Writing My Memoirs – 31 Day Challenge – Video and Blog Posts
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