SPA Girls Podcast – EP 156 – The Kindness Factor
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This week Wendy, Cheryl and Shar talk about “the Kindness Factor” – how we can achieve more but put less pressure on ourselves. Impossible you say? As we push ourselves to write more, to learn more and to get up to grips with this self-publishing world, there’s often an unwanted side effect: a lot of us are really hard on ourselves and we’re not enjoying our writer’s life. Research shows that the happier you are, the more productive you are, so with that in mind we have our SPA Girls Top Five Kindness Factor Tips:
1.Break it down
Do what works for video games: break your big projects/tasks down into small, manageable steps that give you path to reach milestones, goals and rewards. This will help you reach the “flow state” when you’re so engrossed in your work or learning that time seems immaterial!
- Write it down
We’re all pretty good at creating To Do Lists, but it’s really important that you note your “Ta Da’s” too! According to Shawn Anchor in The Happiness Advantage, when you write (or talk) about a positive experience you had at the end of your day, “your brain stamps it as meaningful”. If you’re not a daily journaller, try writing down your writing and self-pubbing accomplishments (no matter how small) at the end of each week. That way you help train your brain to think happier! It’s so easy to focus on the stuff we need to do or haven’t yet mastered – give yourself a written “pat on the back” at least weekly. You’ll be amazed at what you’ve accomplished when you look back at this in future months / years.
- Listen To Your Gut
Trust yourself! Yes, there are a lot of experts out there telling you what to do and how to do it, but really listen to your inner intuition. You know yourself best and if all the advice is pointing you in one direction, but you really, really don’t jibe with it, then follow your instincts. If you’re stuck on a problem, or especially when you find yourself procrastinating, go to yourself for advice! It sounds a little whacky, but it works! (It’s okay to talk to yourself too, just saying) . According to the experts, this fires up your prefrontal cortex and who doesn’t want a red-hot cortex?
- Don’t Limit Yourself
Banish that negative self-talk about how you’re “not a tech minded person” and all this self-publishing stuff is too hard to learn. We all can be challenged by learning new skills, but don’t make it worse by seeing it as a roadblock, rather than as obstacles to success. According to Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset, the main thing that separates successful people from those who are unsuccessful, is whether or not they feel their abilities and intelligence are fixed. Embrace a growth mindset and remember you never stop growing or learning.
- Reward Yourself
Rewarding yourself is so important to solidify good habits and make your author journey fun. Life’s short, so treat yourself kindly and remember to reward yourself. Side note – looking at cute animals can boost your cognitive and motor performance, so all watching all those cute kitten videos on facebook are good for you!
Do come chat to us on social media: Twitter @SpaGirlsPodcast | Facebook
Further Resources:
The Productivity Project, Chris Bailey
Episodes 100 – 200 List
200 What we’ve learned so far…
199 Interview with Adam Croft – Mindset and Marketing
198 Find Your Sparkle – with Julie Schooler
197 Hack Your Muse – with Kelly McClymer
196 Public Speaking For Authors – with Alena Van Arendonk
195 The Magic Pill – with Laura Van Arendonk-Baugh
194 A Day In The Life Of A Writer
193 Keep It Simple
192 Interview with Skye Warren: Money Mindset and Facebook Ads
For Authors (Part Two)
191 Interview with Skye Warren: Time Management & Advertising
For Authors (Part One)
190 Dragon Wrangling with Scott Baker: secrets for
Successful dictation
189 Interview with Patricia McLinn: Writing by the seat of
Your pants
188 Interview with Morgana Best: Writing & Marketing
Cozy Mysteries
187 Interview with Geoff Symon: Wounds & Crime Scenes
186 Interview with Natasha Bajema, WMD for Authors
185 The Writer’s Detective with Adam Richardson
183 Facebook Advertising with Maria Luis ~ Part Two
182 Facebook Advertising with Maria Luis ~ Part One
181 Learn dictation with Kilby Blades
180 Interview with Brian Meeks, Mastering Book Descriptions
179 Interview with Tara Cremin, Kobo Writing Life
178 Interview with Larissa Reynolds – Newsletters Part Two
177 Interview with Larissa Reynolds – Newsletters Part One
175 Wrangling Facebook: How To Make It Work For You
174 How To Write A Regency Romance
173 How Do You Identify Your Writing Weaknesses?
172 Interview With Dan Wood, D2D
171 Interview With Serenity Woods
169 5 Goals You Need To Make In 2019
168 Jumpstart Your 2019 Marketing with 31 Quick To Dos for Jan.
167 Scheduling For Writing Success
166 Our 2018 Roundup
165 He Said, She Said: Creating Dazzling Dialogue
164 Interview with Steffanie Holmes: Reverse Harem
163 Interview with YA author Kelly St Clare
160 Amazon Excl v Wide – things to consider and how to market
159 Interview With Kathryn LeVeque
158 Some Like It Hot – Or Not. Heat Levels In Romance
157 Interview With Louisa George
156 The Kindness Factor: Helping You Achieve More and Stress Less
155 Editing
153 Characters: From Cookie Cutter to Kapow
152 Interview with Tina Dietz: Audiobooks
151 Interview with Grace Burrowes
150 Should You Prune Your Mailing List?
149 RWNZ18 Interview with Damon Suede & Geoff Symon
148 Interview with indie superstar, Bella Andre
147 Top Ten Traits for Success
146 Write Better Faster with Becca Syme
145 Newsletter Ninja Tammi LaBrecque
144 Looking After Your Creative Health
143 Interview with Carlyn Robertson from Bookbub
142 Personal Branding For Authors with Lauren Clemett
141 Ten Free Online Tools For Authors
140 Tempting Taglines & Heartstopping Hooks
139 Findaway Voices with Kelly Lytle
138 Get Your Writing Mojo Back
137 Interview with Toni Kenyon: facebook live & serials
136 Dealing with misinformation and change in Sp-ing
134 Interview with Kevin Tumlinson, Draft2Digital
133 Interview with Sara Rosett
132 Organization For Authors – how to keep track of your
research and book details without losing your mind
131 Interview with Ricardo Fayet of Reedsy
130 Critical Care: Leveraging feedback for success
129 Brand You
128 SAS Special: Interview with Johnny B. Truant & Sean Platt
127 Industry Insiders with Damon J. Courtney of Bookfunnel
& Christine Monroe of Kobo
126 SAS Debrief with Jami Albright
125 SAS Special: Interview with Michelle Spiva
124 SAS Special : Interview With Michael Anderle
123 Sports Psychology for Authors – Interview With Nate Vella
122 Using Sub Plots To Amp Up Your Writing
121 Interview with Scott King: Outlining Your Novel
120 Pen-names Pros, Cons and Possibilities
119 Reader Engagement with Nalini Singh
118 Writing the Small Town Setting
117 Handling Negativity and Naysayers
116 Tough Mindset Questions For 2018
115 Interview With Nicola Davidson: Sex and Sensibility
114 Tropealicious
112 Interview With Honoree Corder & Ben Hale: Write Like A Boss
111 Ten Health Hacks For Writers
110 Interview with Kathryn Burnett: Your Writing Audit For Future Success
109 Interview with Melissa Storm: What Readers Want
108 Interview With Zoe Dawson: Writing Across Genres
107 Interview With Dave Chesson, The Keyword King
106 Pros and Cons of Kindle Unlimited
105 Why YOU should do Nanowrimo
104 Ten Truths For New Self Publishers
103 Find 30 Minutes A Day EXTRA!
102 Your Christmas Presence: Maximizing the Holiday Season for Authors
101 The Writing Life: Interview with Katie Cross
100 100 Episodes! Retrospective with funny moments; changing AO title