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How To Kickstart Your Productivity This Weekend

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This is a guest post by one of the UK’s leading experts in digital distraction and digital detox, Frances Booth, author of The Distraction Trap: How to Focus in a Digital World, A Writer For All Seasons, and more productivity tips. Find out more about her here.

Frances Booth

Could you use your weekend to be more productive, not by cramming it full of work, but in other ways? 

Time away from the office is an important aspect of productivity. For a start, that’s when we get to choose for ourselves how we spend our time.

Often, however, when it gets to Monday morning we don’t feel refreshed or productive. We feel in need of another weekend before the week has even begun. [Tweet “What should you do at the weekend to help boost your productivity for the following week?”]

Here are some suggestions of strategies to experiment with.

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Knee deep in books and ideas…

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I hope this finds you basking in the same kind of glorious sunshine we are enjoying here in the south of England. I am just back from a few days at the Hay Festival (of books), and How The Light Gets In, a festival of ideas and philosophy, both held in the sweet Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye.

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My mind was left buzzing so much from the events that I have hardly slept since I got back. Today I’m going to share a few pictures and thoughts from Hay, and next week I’ll share some insight into the fascinating ideas festival.

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The Hay Festival is one of the most famous literary festivals in the UK. It pulls in big name authors and crowds of 1000+ people to hear them talk, but it also has smaller intimate events where you can ask your favourite authors anything you like. I went to a wide range of events, from a Q&A with Sarah Bakewell, author of ‘At The Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being and Apricot Cocktails‘, to a session with Anthony Lester QC, author of ‘Five ideas to fight for: How our freedom is under threat and why it matters’ and the barrister at the heart of the thirty year campaign that resulted in the Human Rights Act.

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As you can see there is a bit of a theme going on here… no surprise that I was interested in talks on the theme of freedom with my own book deadline just around the corner, and freedom on my mind…

All the talks were interesting but the one which really blew me away was Ruby Wax on mindfulness. She was hilarious, powerful, knowledgeable, down-to-earth and very real. If I can ever hold a room the way she did, I’ll be proud! I’m looking forward to reading her book, ‘Frazzled‘.

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The main thing I learnt was that it takes all sorts to be an author. The most important thing is to write a really good book, but after that it helps if you can talk about it in a compelling way, with a touch of humour and a bucketload of humanity.

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Depending on your view of books, spending several days at a literary festival may seem like a luxury or a trial, but to me it was a fantastic opportunity to think deeply about certain ideas, to interact with authors and have a lot of fun people watching! It was refreshment for the brain.

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This week I challenge you to take yourself to some kind of event which takes you out of your comfort zone and pushes you to think differently about something you are interested in.

Have a good one!

Beth

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PS: We have another ‘Mastermind Week’ coming up next week in ‘Reach. Teach. Profit. The E-Course Creation Masterclass’ so if you want the opportunity to pick my brain about anything e-course related, make sure you are signed up to class by Monday June 13! You can register here.

Life According to Mr K: When good people go and we are left behind

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A tribute to my friend Glen

When you strip away everything that doesn’t really matter, you are left with people. Family. Friends. Other humans. Connections between us, some deep and long, some fleeting but remarkable. And every now and then, if you are really lucky, you get a friendship that is both deep and remarkable, which changes you forever, which fills your life with laughter and stories, and makes you a better person for knowing the other. That’s how it was with my friend Glen.

Five weeks ago Glen passed away, aged 39, and the world is a sadder place for it. But in writing about him, and writing a tribute to him, I am determined to find something I can hold onto, a fragment of goodness and hope that I can carry with me in the years ahead, as I grow older, and as his tiny daughter grows up.

I have put off writing this particular post for a while. I guess it was because deep down I thought writing it would mean that I have accepted that one of my dearest friends has left us. Even as I write this I get a shiver all over my body. I still don’t want it to be true.

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Win a private mentoring session with DWYL Founder Beth Kempton!

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Over the past few months I have received many enquiries about private mentoring for people wanting to develop their own e-course. It’s hardly surprising as online courses can be a fantastic way to generate a flexible income and share your gifts with the world, but… and it’s a big BUT… there is a lot to navigate to get your work out there in the hands of the right people.

I know that it can be a long road, and it can make a huge difference to have someone experienced to bounce your ideas off. Although I am consumed with writing a book right now, I am planning to start offering a 1-1 mentoring service later in the year to go alongside our online course ‘Reach Teach Profit: The E-course Creation Masterclass’.

As a trial for this, I am offering one free mentoring opportunity (in person or via Skype) to someone registered for the class. If you think this would benefit you, read on! (Note: You can register with a £50 discount if you join by May 31 – just use the code ‘rtpmentor’ at checkout).

Not only is this course packed with our unique insight from several years and several million dollars’ worth of e-course sales, it really translates. One current participant recently launched her first course with 70 sign ups in the first 24 hours. Yours could be next!

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THE PRIZE! ** PLEASE NOTE THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED AND THE WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED**

Your choice of the following:

  • 2 x one-hour mentoring sessions with me via Skype OR
  • A two-hour mentoring session in person (only available in the UK)

During this time you can ask me anything at all regarding the creation of your online course, or business in general.

*Please note you must be registered for ‘Reach Teach Profit: The E-course Creation Masterclass’ by May 31, 2016 to enter this competition. The Masterclass contains a huge amount of valuable insight into the overall development of your course, and the mentoring is designed to go alongside that teaching. You can register with a £50 discount if you join by May 31 – just register here and use the code ‘rtpmentor’ at checkout.

TO ENTER

Answer the following questions in writing or in a short video (3 mins max):

  • What is your motivation for creating an online course?
  • What is your course about and who is it for?
  • How has the course helped you so far? (Note: If you are a new registrant and have not yet had time to dive into the course, it’s fine to omit this question)
  • Why would mentoring from me help you?
  • What specific topic(s) would you like to discuss in our sessions?
  • If you were to win, would you prefer 2 x one-hour Skype sessions or 1 x two-hour in-person mentoring?

Send your entry to [email protected] with ‘E-course Mentoring Competition’ in the subject title by Friday June 3, 2016 and include the following:

– Your written answers to the questions above or a link to your video (please upload to Vimeo.com and be sure to send the password if you choose to make it private)

– Your full name, and website if you have one

Please be sure to read the small print below before entering.

I will select the winner based on who I think would benefit most from mentoring at this time. The winner will be announced by Friday June 10, 2016.

If you want to take advantage of this rare opportunity to pick my brains directly, please make sure you are registered for the course by Tuesday May 31, 2016, and submit your application by Friday June 3, 2016. (Remember, you can register with a £50 discount if you join by May 31 – just register here and use the code ‘rtpmentor’ at checkout)

Good luck!
Beth

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THE SMALL PRINT

  • This opportunity is only available to individuals registered for Reach Teach Profit by Tuesday May 31, 2016, who submit their entry as per the above guidelines.
  • Beth Kempton’s decision on the winner is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
  • There is no cash alternative and the prize is not transferable.
  • If the winner chooses to have the in-person mentoring session they will be responsible for all travel, accommodation and other related costs to attend the meeting, which will take place in Southampton, UK or London, UK
  • The mentoring sessions will take place at a mutually convenient time, to be completed before December 31, 2016.

Why getting older means getting better

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Is the best really yet to come? Definitely! We love these articles in The Huffington Post about why life gets better with age…

What a difference eleven days makes

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Before I boarded a plane to Costa Rica 11 days ago I was wired, stressed out and, frankly, knackered. Eleven days later, following some dreamy time alone in paradise, primarily to write but also to slow down, get quiet, unplug, reconnect, soak in some sunshine, do yoga and eat well, I feel like a different person. Of course a tan always helps, but the thing I can’t help noticing is the inch-long ever-present furrow above my brow has completely disappeared. In just 11 days. My skin is clearer, my eyes are brighter, and I have lost at least half a stone in weight. What a difference eleven days makes.

We know it makes a difference when we are good to ourselves. When we make an effort to make time for the things we love, to make space for nothing, or for something. And yet day after day, week after week, we push on, ignoring the impulse to rest and rejuvenate. What is wrong with us?!

This time was a real gift. While I was away it was my 39th birthday, and I cannot think of a better way to begin the last year of my thirties. It was a wrench to be away from family, and I am sure Mr K has changed more than his fair share of nappies this past week or so, but I know I am going home a better version of myself.

It also helped that I was taken care of so very well.

And while here I had one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. You’ll have to wait until the book comes out to read about that, but I know it was only possible because I was here, ready, open.

It’s not easy to find the time and money to get on a plane and fly to Costa Rica. You have to call in a lot of favours, plan ahead and perhaps even work more before leaving to enable that time away. But it is so worth it!

This week I urge you to gift yourself some time, even just 20 minutes for a walk, or an hour for a yoga class, or perhaps a day to paint or go and explore somewhere.
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And if this has really struck a chord with you, and you need some real time away, in nature, you might want to consider doing something impulsive and booking yourself a plane to Italy next week. My friend Andres Roberts of Way of Nature UK is co-leading a retreat in the Tuscan countryside called ‘Let go and relax’.

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I was supposed to be going myself, but a bereavement has meant I cannot be there at this time. So there is a spare place, and Andres has kindly said someone in the Do What You Love community can have it at 15% off. This amazing retreat includes a 24 hour solo in the forest, which I know will be transformational. If you think this is for you, just drop Andres a line and he’ll make it happen.

Whatever you do with your YOU time this week, soak it up, and then plan some more.

Pura vida,

Beth

PS All this month on the blog we are discovering how it’s never too old to do what you love. If you missed it, here’s an interview with Nick Christian, who wrote his first book aged 70.

On my 39th

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Costa Rica - poolI want to take a moment to be grateful today, for this day, my 39th birthday which I am spending in a beautiful yoga spa in the Costa Rican jungle and on a white sand beach at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

I have spent most this week working on my book, which will be on the shelves this time next year. I came here eleven days ago with a rough structure and an inch-high stack of notes. I now have nearly 30,000 words of a first draft to send to my editor. It’s still a long way off the final version, but it’s in a completely different place to the day I landed, and I am so grateful for this time.

I couldn’t have done it without the incredible care of the staff here at the Costa Rica Yoga Spa. They couldn’t have done more to make me feel at home, and give me space to write and write.

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Do What You Love Interview – Nick Christian

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Nick Christian, now retired, has pursued a life of personal freedom in all its forms. At the age of 70, his lust for independence has recently culminated in his first self-published novel of Historic Fiction. “You have only one life, live it, and where possible, by your own rules,” he advises, and follows his own advice daily.

Having grown up in the countryside at a time in history when the Nanny State and pressures of social media would only have been a fantasy in a futuristic Si-fi movie, he had the good fortune, along with a proportion of his generation, of having freedom thrust upon him.

Home was a small cottage, isolated from the nearest neighbour by fields and woods. Water was gathered from a deep well and the house was heated by a coal fired inglenook fire. In winter, glistening patterns of frost decorated the inside of his bedroom window.

This is how Nick describes his childhood:

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