Podcasts Business Pharmacist's Voice Going into Target for just one item

Going into Target for just one item

Published: April 17, 2020, 4:30 a.m.

Mentioned in this episode

Books mentioned in this episode

1. \xa0Listful Thinking: Using Lists to Be More Productive, Successful and Less Stressed by Paula Rizzo (Author) and Julie Morgenstern (Foreword) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NP8MM0U/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_txgMEbJD4G1QW\xa0

2. \xa0Organizing from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life (Paperback \u2013 August 12, 2004) by Julie Morgenstern (Author) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805075895/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_8BPsEbTEYVYHP

3. \xa0Time Management from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule -- and Your Life (Paperback \u2013 August 12, 2004) by Julie Morgenstern (Author)\xa0 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805075909/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_yDPsEbEKC5C2J

4. \xa0Never Check E-Mail In the Morning: And Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life Work (Paperback \u2013 September 27, 2005) by Julie Morgenstern (Author)\xa0 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743250885/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_LFPsEbWN9ZGNG\xa0

5. \xa0SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life: A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck (Paperback \u2013 March 3, 2009) by Julie Morgenstern (Author) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743250907/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_WwPsEbGCR1X8F\xa0

6. \xa0Voiceover Achiever: Brand your VO career. Change your life. by Celia Siegel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0791HFW5S/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_URjMEbEETT3XB\xa0

7. \xa0Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller (Author, Narrator), HarperCollins Leadership (Publisher)\xa0 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072J8WRND/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_XVjMEbYJ726B4\xa0

Today\u2019s episode is about focusing.\xa0 I have a lot on my plate during \u201cthe quarantine.\u201d\xa0 I\u2019ll talk about how working from home with new distractions is like going into Target for just one item.\xa0 It\u2019s hard, but it can be done! \xa0

For listeners outside the US, Target is a very successful and well-loved American retail corporation.\xa0 In the US, we call it a \u201cbig box store.\u201d\xa0 You can get just about anything at Target from prescriptions to groceries to shoes!\xa0

Target is known for its addictive shopping experience.\xa0 Shoppers often joke about going into a store to make one purchase but end up buying more.\xa0 To keep customers coming back, Target uses clever marketing, strategic product-positioning, and a treasure hunt-like shopping experience.

To give you an idea of what I\u2019m talking about, I included a link to a funny, 2-minute YouTube video in the show notes.\xa0 It shows a woman in her car arriving at Target to buy one very specific thing.\xa0 She goes into the store, gets a shopping cart, and buys all kinds of stuff.\xa0 The video ends with her back in her car, remembering that she has forgotten the one thing she went into the store to buy! \xa0

Are you like the shopper in my example?\xa0 Or, can you go into Target, just buy that one thing you need, and leave without getting the other stuff?

What does shopping at Target have to do with my career change from pharmacist to voice actor?\xa0 Stay with me.\xa0 I\u2019m getting there! \xa0

As I record this on April 16, 2020, my family and I are mostly staying at home to reduce our risk of contracting the corona virus.\xa0 That means my kids are not physically in school.\xa0 They are at home, like all the other children in Ohio. My younger son has on-line school.\xa0 My older son, who has autism, has his own work to do.\xa0 It is not online, and he needs one-on-one supervision at all times.\xa0 I\u2019m in charge of both boys while my husband works outside the home. \xa0

Working from home with added responsibilities and distractions is like going into Target for just one item.\xa0 It\u2019s hard, but it can be done!\xa0 Even though I have a lot more on my plate right now, I\u2019m still making progress.\xa0 I have a secret weapon.\xa0 Lists!

Do you think the Target shopper from my story would have forgotten what she needed if she had used a list?\xa0 No way!\xa0

Lists help me focus so I can be present for my family and work toward my professional goals.\xa0 I have a projects list for the house and everyone in it, a list of business goals, and a daily list.\u201d\xa0 When I\u2019m using my lists effectively, I can knock out low-hanging fruit when I have five minutes.\xa0 If I get an hour or two, I can tackle bigger tasks, starting with the highest priorities first, of course!

Having a realistic workload is important to me.\xa0 It makes me feel less stressed.\xa0 I can only get so much done in a day.\xa0 Once I picked up on how much I can handle after the first 2 weeks of the kids being home, I adjusted my expectations.\xa0 Although some goals are delayed or getting done quick and dirty, overall I\u2019m getting a fair amount done. \xa0

Over the years, I have learned what works for me.\xa0 Making lists, being organized, and using time management strategies are really helpful.\xa0 If you want to learn how to be a productive list maker too, check out the book Listful Thinking: Using Lists to Be More Productive, Successful and Less Stressed by Paula Rizzo and Julie Morgenstern.\xa0

Do you want to improve your organizing and time management skills?\xa0 Check out all four of Julie Morgenstern\u2019s books.

I\u2019ve been using a spiral-bound notebook to make a daily list for years.\xa0 I have appointments and reminders programmed into an electronic calendar, but for a daily agenda or to-do list, I need something I can touch.\xa0 A notebook really works for me.\xa0 My daily list has 3 categories.\xa0

  1. Errands, appointments, and outings
  2. Projects
  3. Phone calls, e-mails, social media and texts

Here\u2019s a quick rundown of how I use my list. \xa0

The first category is \u201cerrands, appointments, and outings.\u201d\xa0 It includes anything that requires being out of the house.\xa0

The second category is \u201cprojects.\u201d\xa0 This is a vague category, but it involves everything that gets done at home and does not involve communication.\xa0 Many of my business tasks fall in this category, but so does making beds, doing dishes, folding laundry, and prepping food for dinner.\xa0

The third and final category on my daily to-do list is phone calls, e-mails, social media, and texts.\xa0 With the kids home, communication is tricky, but returning calls and responding to messages within 24 hours is important to me.\xa0 That\u2019s what I want from others.\xa0 I try to do it myself. \xa0

When it comes to my family\u2019s projects, my list has several categories.\xa0 Each person in the house gets their own goals.\xa0 We have family goals too.\xa0 Some examples are annual family portraits, home improvement projects, and vacation plans.\xa0

For my business, I have several goals.\xa0 The categories change as needed.\xa0 Right now, this is what I have:

  • podcast\xa0
  • demos
  • website
  • marketing
  • social media
  • performance (training)
  • technology
  • networking

There\u2019s more than one thing in each category for my business goals.\xa0 Instead of listing all my goals, I\u2019ll just tell you what I\u2019ve been working on in each category over the past two weeks.\xa0 I\u2019ve done pretty well in spite of a very different schedule and my kids home during the day.

I\u2019ll start with my podcast.\xa0 My goal is to release one episode per week and alternate solo shows and interview shows.\xa0 So far so good.\xa0 I have been releasing an episode each Friday, and I have been lining up guests and scheduling interviews.\xa0 As a bonus, I have been able to attend \u201coffice hours\u201d for the School of Podcasting to hear what my classmates are up to and get input from them and our instructor, Dave Jackson.

In the category of demos, I\u2019m working on getting more audiobook demos uploaded to ACX.\xa0 ACX is the website that matches authors and narrators so they can create audiobooks for sale through Audible and amazon.com.

Some exciting news on a different topic now. voiceactorwebsites.com is helping me create a new website.\xa0 Branding is important to the website, and two books are helping me learn more about branding.\xa0 They are Celia Siegel\u2019s book Voiceover Achiever: Brand your VO career. Change your life and Donald Miller\u2019s book Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen.\xa0 Both are in the show notes with links to amazon.com if you want to check them out too!

With my Marketing goals, I\u2019m starting to direct-market to potential clients.\xa0 Eventually, I want to reach out to 5/day.\xa0 I also just joined Voquent, which is a matchmaking website for voice talents and voice-seekers. \xa0

My top social media goal right now is to update my banners so my brand is consistent across the sites I use:\xa0 LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. \xa0

I\u2019m moving forward with audiobook narration lessons with Sean Pratt.\xa0 I just got my homework assignment, and I\u2019ll be busy with that this month.\xa0 I\u2019m also practicing medical narration on my own.

I have two urgent technology goals.\xa0 1. \xa0 Improve my audio editing skills using an on-line course called Studio One Jumpstart and 2.\xa0 Buy some back-up cables and a new pair of headphones.\xa0

I have some networking goals.\xa0 LinkedIn, Zoom, and Skype are a big help!\xa0 I am expanding my LinkedIn network, and I am attending meetings using Zoom and Skype.\xa0

Thanks to the power of lists, I am able to focus.\xa0 I have goals.\xa0 I know my priorities, and I am staying on track.\xa0 I have changed my expectations about how much I can get done in a day.\xa0 But, I\u2019m still productive, and I feel good! \xa0

Thank you for listening to episode 14 of The Pharmacist\u2019s Voice Podcast! \xa0