Solutions For Your NEADS

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

Tom Hopkins’ NEADS acronym found in his book Low Profile Selling, Act like a Lamb…Sell like a Lion, concludes with the letter S for Solution.

N – NOW E – ENJOY A – ALTER D – DECISION S – SOLUTION

In marketing we must find the customers’ current situation, what they like about it and what they would change. We then must determine who will be making the decision to change. We then present that person a solution.

In marketing we present a solution that best satisfies the customer’s desires based on the information we have collected. They told us what they liked and what they would change. We address both and present a solution. Of course the solution always has options. The options are there for several reasons. The most important one is should they have to choose between two or more solutions, they will choose one of the solutions we present and not one of our competitors.

A great example of this is a recent auto purchase my wife and I made. Her desire was a midsize car easy to maneuver around town with specific options. My preference was a large vehicle because when I drive it we are usually on a road trip and I wanted the smooth ride of the larger vehicle. This decision included what we liked about our older vehicle and what we would change as well. We opted for a larger vehicle with the options she wanted. The choice was made easier when we found the midsize vehicle did not have those desired options. As for the Decision it was up to her. She is very happy with our choice.

In life our solutions may appear to have a single solution but we will usually find there are options. These are not only options which we look for but also options that may be forced upon us. The example here was the midsize vehicle did not have the desired options. We must go in open minded with a clear idea of what we want and look for what we want and even something better. Each and every solution has an option and also has an expiration date. We must continue to evaluate and upgrade along the way. Be sure to take time to take time and go through the steps of the NEADS acronym.    

So you have the final step of the NEADS acronym. You must first have an honest evaluation of where you are NOW. You then determine what you ENJOY about your current position. You determine what you don’t like about your current position and would CHANGE. You determine who will be involved in making the DECISION to change and move ahead? And finally you must determine the SOLUTION.

This is a process that must be repeated as necessary. You can use it at the drop of a hat when making daily decisions or you can have a weekly, monthly or annual appointment to sit down and take a look at all that is important in your life. NEADS is a great tool and one that I have gone back to again and again. I hope you find it as useful as I have. Try it and let me know what you think. 

The Social Media Groupie

by Shannon Milholland, Social Media Director

Groups. Cliques. Circles. Call them what you may but they exist - even in cyberspace. We tend toward our own kind.

Amish fiction with Amish fiction (Do you ever wonder if they hand write their manuscripts by candlelight?)

Nonfiction with nonfiction

Mystery with mystery

The idea of joining a group may cause a guttural reaction as you recall lonely middle school days when there was never a seat at the lunch table. Or the thought may energize since you're such an extrovert and writing is an introvert's sport. Whatever your reaction, may I make a case to become a joiner?

You will experience the greatest success in social media when others are blowing your horn. So find a tribe of 5-10 people with whom you want to band, pick up an instrument and start playing each other's tune. When you do, use these components to make your group a success:

Give - It may sound obvious but each group member must contribute. Good intentions don't compose tweets or Facebook posts, so choose individuals who have the capacity to be givers.

Receive - A healthy group also contains members who know how to receive. They thank instead of deflect attention, understanding that to receive someone's gift of help, brings joy to the giver. Go football here and get some wide receivers.

Open - A group solidifies when associations are made beyond the surface. Be willing to share with your group areas of struggle, personal difficulties and victories. As you wrestle through the mud of life and celebrate each achievement, your alignment and loyalty will benefit.

Unique - Each must contribute their individual talents to the group. Were you a copy editor early in your career? Give away some free editing to the group. Did you major in graphic design? Volunteer your skill to design one sheets and bios. Are you know for your speaking ability? Offer to review a speaking segment for each person and offer a couple of home run tips.

Persevere - You may not see instantaneous results. An effective group continues for an extended period to experience the long term benefits of relationship. So make adjustments as necessary but keep going and eventually you'll experience the power of a group.

Are you ready to find some running buddies? Next week we'll explore places to find them.
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The Makings of a Book Review

by Donna McBroom-Theriot

One afternoon after I had spent several hours putting together book reviews for my blog, I began thinking that the process might make a great story – well an okay story at least.

Most writers – published and non-published - have blogs, and we all know that writing is a process that takes time – lots of time. I admire those who have managed to string together enough words to make a book and then to go through the publishing process. But, that is only the beginning. Once the books are published, book reviews are needed, and that is where I (and others) come in.

When I receive a book for review, before I even sit down to read the book, I spend at least an hour on the computer researching the author and previous books they have written. It is at this point that I begin putting together my book review material and setting up my document sections so that when I complete the book, I can sit down and concentrate on writing my review. When the author (or publisher) does not include the information I need for my book review, I’m off to do a little deeper investigative work. I search for a picture of the book (not always provided), the date published (not always provided), author information and picture (again, not always provided), where the book is being sold, and the book blurb.

Once I have gathered my information, I begin reading the book. Reading a book can take anywhere from 6-8, and sometimes more, hours to read. Add to that, the time needed for writing notes for the review. Using my Kindle comes in handy for this part as it is easy to mark passages that I want to quote in my review as I read, as opposed to having a gazillion pieces of paper sticking out of a book.

When I finish reading the book, I begin the writing process. I search the highlights on my Kindle that I marked during the course of reading and decide which quotes I think will draw the reader in or make them laugh, etc. I like to find just the right quote that will make a potential reader think, “I really need to read this book.”

At this point, if the author and I have not already agreed on a Q@A or guest post, I will contact the author and request one or the other. I will also set up a giveaway of their book to go along with the review. I find out the sites where the book will be for sale (not always provided) so I can post my completed review on those websites. I also encourage the author to tweet the review and stop by for a visit and to comment. The readers like the personal attention that authors give to the review and to their comments. In my opinion, it is important for the author to interact with those commenting. It definitely has the potential to make or break the sale of a book.

Waiting for information from the author sometimes takes a while, depending on how busy they are. While waiting, I begin the process of posting my reviews on the different sites (sometimes 4 or more sites). This process can take upwards of two hours. As I post, I also add the book to my blog’s sidebar to be permanently displayed – example: Shelfari, Goodreads.

Once the author returns the guest post, and I add it to my review, the post goes live on my blog. I take the time each day to tweet and post the review to facebook and other sites for exposure. I am a member of a website that thousands of other book reviewers belong to, which means I have access to thousands of other bloggers. I am also a member of twenty groups on this site and I promote the books I review on each group’s page. What this means to an author, is I promote their book to thousands of potential buyers on this one site. I have memberships on several different websites, and I spend quiet a large amount of time promoting books.

I think most authors appreciate the work that book reviewers such as myself do, and the exposure that book review blogs can offer. I am not sure, however, how many realize the time and effort some of us put into the review process. I find book reviewing quite enjoyable, and I am always looking forward to the next great book. Will it be yours?

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Donna is a writer, book reviewer, baker, and a Southern Lady as you will see on her blog: My Life. One Story at a Time. She's been writing for four years. As luck would have it, the very first short story she wrote was published within months of writing it. Grab a glass of sweet iced tea and sit for a while. Southerners love company. 


Connect with Donna on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+!

Dear Writing: I've Loved You Since 8

We have *loved* featuring so many writers during the month of love. Today we welcome our grand finale, Barbara Robinson. Susan will be back next week!
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by Barbara Robinson


I fell in love with writing in the third grade when my teacher submitted my story about my pet dog to the local newspaper, and it was published. My first college essay about an April flood was published in another local newspaper. A short story I penned in college-fiction competition won first prize and was published in the university's literary magazine, and I was hooked for life. 

That story was published on the front page of my hometown newspaper and ran as a serial for three weeks. It was later published in a Florida newspaper. I developed it into a novel, Southern Superstitions, which released January 15, 2012, by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc.  


The most important reason I fell for writing is it allows me to show others the personal relationship I have with God and, hopefully, show them how they, too, can have that same productive relationship. That's why I write Christian romantic suspense. I grew up on Nancy Drew mysteries and my genre allows me to mix romance, mystery, suspense, and intrigue. I love taking my readers on a journey to another world. It's such fun to make up other worlds and characters. 


Reading and writing go hand-in-hand; I'm an avid reader and passionate writer. I love nothing better than getting lost in another world through the pages of a great novel, escaping the real world for a time, and traveling to places I may never get to in real life. Writing enables me to create and live other lives. 


My mother raised me on Southern superstitions and Bible verses. She was a storyteller, and I owe my love of reading and writing to her and my third and fifth grade teachers. Mom read to me before I started school. My fifth grade teacher hooked me on the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and I've been reading and writing ever since. 


I have been blessed with the right people in my life to encourage and motivate me to grow up and pen my own stories. Reading and writing are my passions, and my faith is its foundation. I've been given a gift I can use to serve God, and I write out my heart and soul for Him. 


Dear Writing, I've loved you since 8 but am so glad I found the Reason to write.
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B. J. Robinson writes inspirational Christian fiction in the romantic suspense genre from Florida, where she lives with her husband, a cat named Frankie, a cocker spaniel named Sunflower, and a golden retriever named Honi. Sunflower is a character in her first romantic suspense, Last Resort. Her children are grown and have made her a grandmother multiple times. Her love for writing came from God and her third grade teacher who submitted her first published story about her dog to a local newspaper. She promises to take her readers on a continuous journey to another world. Visit her at http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com.

I Love Loglines

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director

While it’s primarily a screenwriting term, the logline is of great value for every writer. This one-line description captures the concept, main character and main conflict of a story. By reducing the entire movie or novel to its most basic elements, you can quickly see what it’s about and whether you’re interested in it. Think of it as the old TV Guide one-line synopsis.

Since the Oscars were on this weekend, I found it interesting to examine the loglines of the nine Best Picture nominees:

THE ARTIST

A silent movie star struggles during Hollywood’s transition to the talkies.

THE DESCENDANTS

A land baron attempts to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.

EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE

A nine-year-old searches NYC for the lock that matches a key left behind by his father, who died on 9/11.

THE HELP

An aspiring author during the civil rights movement writes a book detailing the hardships of African-American maids.

HUGO

An orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

A struggling novelist discovers, through midnight walks in Paris, what could be his ultimate writing inspiration.

MONEYBALL

A baseball manager creates a successful baseball team on a budget by using computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

THE TREE OF LIFE

In this impressionistic work, the eldest son of a Midwestern family tries to reconcile with his father while seeking the meaning of life.

WAR HORSE

The extraordinary journey of a horse who inspires the lives of many during WWI.

A good logline – says screenwriter Blake Snyder in his highly entertaining and informative book Save the Cat – is rich with irony. What could be more ironic than a silent film star facing an age of talking pictures? Or a busy executive forced to reconnect emotionally with his family? A white girl writing about racial strife, a sports manager turning a team around with technology, and a frustrated novelist for whom a world of inspiration opens up, all overflow with contrast.

Conflict is essential to keep readers/viewers engaged. As Elizabeth S. Craig reminded us earlier this month in Suite T, we have to give our main character an industrial-sized challenge. Fill your story with the right amount of tension and everyone will stick around to see how the protagonist prevails.

Though the audience themselves may not be orphans trying to solve a mystery, they readily identify with anyone facing a struggle, especially one in which the hero is out of their element.

For your next novel, short story, screenplay or stage drama, break it down into its simplest logline and evaluate its power to hook. Is it rich with irony? Do you find the premise absolutely compelling? More importantly, will your reader?

Get your logline right from the get-go and maybe someday you’ll be sitting next to George Clooney at the Oscars. (Feel free to give your acceptance speech with a foreign accent; that’s pretty popular lately.)

An Author NEADS to Make Decisions

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

We continue to share Tom Hopkins’ NEADS acronym found in his book LowProfile Selling, Act like a Lamb…Sell like a Lion, let’s return to the short explanation of the letters.

N – NOW E – ENJOY A – ALTER D – DECISION S – SOLUTION

We have addressed the first three letters and this week the fourth, D for Decision.  Who makes the DECISION?

In marketing we must find what the customers’ current situation is, what they like about it and what they would change. We then must determine who will be making the decision to change.

When selling to a couple we never ask who wears the pants in the family. We do ask if we are unable to meet with both parties which one would we need to be certain to meet with. Their answer will tell us who the decision maker is. When dealing with a company we must ask who in the company will be making the decision. Failing to determine the decision maker can have us spending valuable time working with the wrong person. Know who the decision maker is.        

The same is true in life. Ask yourself who is making the decisions that are important to you? Is it you? Do you seek advice from trusted sources when making an important decision? Do you go with your gut, heart or head? Are you collaborating on a project and must consult with a partner or partners?

If we are truthful with ourselves we will realize only the most simple of decisions are made entirely on our own. The majority of decisions we make are done so with the help of others. If you are one that is fortunate enough to have those trusted souls you can go to for assistance please do so. Their input may give new insight and direction.

Prepare yourself as we move into the final step of the NEADS acronym. Have an honest evaluation of where you are NOW. Determine what you ENJOY about your current position. Determine what you don’t like about your current position and would CHANGE. Who will be involved in making the DECISION to change and move ahead? The next posting will be the letter S. What is the SOLUTION!

A Committed Relationship...With Writing

by Jeuron Dove

I can’t recall the exact date I fell in love with writing, but it’s safe to say that my relationship with writing has been a committed one for several years. Actually, it’s the one relationship that has lasted longer than any other! Through the good times and the bad, writing has always been there as my sole outlet of expression and creativity.

Some people are good with numbers while others are great at public speaking and athletics, but writing has always been my favorite hobby.

I’ve enjoyed writing since a young age. It was always the one subject I did best in at school. I truly believe that writing is the one thing I’ve always been good at. There is no better feeling than know you can do something better than anyone else and have people depend on you for it.

I love to blog. I think I can speak for every blogger when I say that the best part about blogging is when you realize you’ve written something than connects with your readers. Sure I’d love to have a huge following and have hundreds of people comment on each post I write. However, just knowing that one person has been affected by my writing is all the satisfaction I need to feel successful.

I’m deeply in love with writing and look forward to the many adventures and places it‘ll take me in life.

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Jeuron Dove graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a degree in Journalism. He is an aspiring author and active blogger who enjoys writing about professional wrestling, the writing community and a variety of other topics in his spare time. He resides in Reidsville, NC. You can visit his blog at www.jeurondove.wordpress.com.

When I Fell in Love with Writing

by Julie Cantrell

I heart writing. I do.

It all started when I was a girl in bare feet and braids. I would climb my backyard cedar tree with my blue unicorn journal in hand. There, I would escape to those fragrant limbs and drop my deepest feelings down on paper.

I was a typical first-born child with a self-centered universe, so my earliest entries were about boys and friends and family. Gradually, those thoughts reached farther and deeper. I began writing about war and politics, suicide and abortion, alcoholism and drug abuse. I watched the people in my community and I observed their choices. I wrote about those behaviors and patterns. I questioned everything on those pages, exploring the world around me and processing what I thought about it all.

I soon began to experiment, trying my luck at poetry. I wrote letters to friends. I wrote letters to loved ones. I wrote letters to my future self and to long-gone icons. Most of those letters never made it past my diary, but I wrote them nonetheless.

Then I wrote stories. Fictional tales filled with imaginary characters. I entered worlds far beyond any I had seen. I became a missionary, a soldier, a convict. I wrote from the point-of-view of an old man, a homeless mother, an orphan in the underground tunnels. Inspired by an eclectic mix of authors ranging from Kate Chopin and Judy Blume to John Steinbeck and Harper Lee, I explored the universe of possibility. I discovered the power of infinite creativity and spent more time in my character’s thoughts than I did my own.

Before I knew it, I was no longer writing about boys. I had fallen madly, deeply, passionately in love with writing. I wanted to understand others who weren’t like me. Writing allowed me to walk in their shoes, to think as they thought, to see the world as they did. Writing gave me all the answers to the “what ifs” and “why nots” that plagued my teenage mind.

Today, I still escape into these other worlds every chance I get. Writing, creating, exploring --- this is my fix. It’s how I think. It’s how I navigate the twists and turns of my life. It’s how I feed my artistic hunger.

Now that my first novel (Into the Free) has been released, I am feeling the overwhelming thrill of hearing others talk about my characters as if they really exist. It’s fascinating to hear people discuss this world, these stories, that were plucked from my brain and pressed to a page.

Do I love writing? Yes. I do. I love it so much I don’t want to ever lose it. I love it in the way that little barefoot girl in the tree loved John and then Paul and then Mike. Only better. As if my whole being would erupt if he chose someone other than me. I heart writing. It’s true. I do. And I still have my unicorn journal to prove it.

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Julie is a sleep-deprived mom of two spunky souls; a wacky wife who tends to burn dinner; a frazzled friend who wishes she had more time for chats; a first-generation organic farmer with dirt on her jeans and hay in her hair; a pal to all things furry; a teacher of students learning English as their second language; a certified speech-language pathologist; a frenzied freelance writer; a voracious volunteer; and – as of February 1 – a newbie novelist.

We invite you to connect with Julie online at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, her blog and her website.

Ann Patchett's Writing: Lots to Love

by Jan Newman

Ann Patchett is the perfect author to read in February because her writing and storytelling is about love. Not only the romantic kind, but in all its best forms. Bel Canto, for instance, is a novel of love for opera, life, self, and of one special other. People die for love in Bel Canto, even as they learn to live. The story and the characters almost made me want to be taken hostage in a third-world villa. Then I might fall in love the way Mr. Hosokawa and Roxanne Coss, or Gen and Carmen, did.

The Japanese businessman inadvertently caused the hostage situation. He developed a passion for opera as a child. As a grown man, married with grown children, he fell in love with a recorded voice. Roxanne Coss was the world's most beautiful, celebrated soprano. Because Mr. Hosokawa loved her voice so much, he agreed to visit a South American nation that promised him a birthday party with Roxanne singing in person. Mr. Hosokawa had no intention of doing business in the nation and no business imposing on their generosity. But he couldn't resist the chance to see and hear his beloved soprano in person. As captives, the only language they had in common was music till they found another—love. 

Mr. Hosokawa's young translator, Gen, fell in love with the beauty, soul, and thirst for learning he found in Carmen, one of the guerillas. He opened up to her a world of education. She fired his dormant heart. How could I not long for such a passion of my own?

Or I might find a talent to nurture, like Cesar, the boy terrorist with his fabulous, untrained voice whom Roxanne tutors as if he truly has a chance to go from jungle guerilla to world-class tenor.

Maybe I'd leave behind my love of self like Father Arguedas, who refused to abandon the other hostages and their captors. No one really wanted him to stay, but the young man was so glad for the chance to serve fully as a priest that he remained to save souls.

There's also renewal and rediscovery. Simon Thibault in his loneliness rediscovered his love and desire for his wife, waiting for him outside. Without the shock of this protracted hostage situation, Simon would have drifted in a marriage where he forgot to appreciate the most valuable thing in his life.

In spite of the voices of reality and impending doom, the characters learn to hope for peace and a better life beyond captivity. All does not end well, yet good things survive. Through her extreme examples of terror and stress, Patchett reminds us to slow down, look deeply, even at those people we feel trapped with. Who are they? Who are we? What possibilities are we overlooking? What do the worst situations have to offer for growth, maybe even salvation?

Love, she advises. Don't discriminate. Love and hope.
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Jan Rider Newman is publisher and coeditor with Jessica R. Ferguson of Swamp Lily Review:  A Journal of Louisiana Literature and Arts. She has published short stories, nonfiction, and poetry in A Small, Good Journal, a juried Vision/Verse competition, the New Orleans Review, the Denver Quarterly, Louisiana Literature, Oasis Journal, and in two anthologies published by the Gulf Coast Writers’ Association. Jan earned an MFA in creative writing after studying with Robert Olen Butler.  She is webmaster for the Bayou Writers’ Group and a member of She Writes. She's written book reviews for The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog, LitStack, and The New Book Review blog. Jan blogs at Beyond Acadia:  Reading, Writing & Living Well, has a website, and is on Twitter as @Jangaler and @SwampLilyReview.

Jesus and Mama Always Loved Me

by Julie L. Cannon

“…even when the devil took control “ (Jesus and Mama, Confederate Railroad). I love stories and I love country music because it tells stories, and if I had to pick a theme song for my stories, it would be that one. When I was in Nashville doing research for an upcoming novel, Twang, I read a quote by Conway Twitty that said, “A good country song takes a page out of someone’s life, and puts it to music.” I believe the same is true for a good novel.   

Don’t ask me why I put Jesus and Mama Always Loved Me on my iPod because neighbors probably think I’ve got a screw loose as they watch me walking along Dogwood Hill, literally sloshing through puddles of my own tears. I’m 49 (and my Daddy still calls me Gal) and I’ve always lost myself in a good story, and this particular one comes alive for me in vivid Technicolor every time I hear it. As the song begins, the protagonist may be a male teenager, but I am him. I feel what he feels - his yearnings, his lust, his pain and his subsequent remorse, then his wonder that someone could still love him despite everything. My heart knows the veracity lacing those lyrics, especially the chorus. He and I both strayed, and yet, when more than the usual feeble human love was needed, there came a surge of supranormal love  – the kind you get only from Jesus and Mama. 

I burst out into this world in 1962, and I grew up down South, a land of red clay where it’s not uncommon to see roadside signs reading ‘Jesus and Tomatoes Coming Soon.’ My folks carried me to church every time the doors were open, but I’m afraid the gospel did not take a hold. I did not follow the narrow path. I went from fun to fun, not caring about a thing in this world but Julie. I didn’t steal a car like the fellow in the song did, but boy did I walk the wide road, and it took great tragedy, several in fact, for me to hit that proverbial rock bottom. When I did, it was a transcendent love that lifted me.

I think the key to making a story come alive is being willing to rip a page from your own life, to draw upon your deepest pain without flinching. The mysterious things I’m seeking to understand when I write have nothing to do with religion or long-faced self-righteousness or sentimentality. They explore what I call ‘the irrational kind of love.’

Twang is about a country music diva who uses her pain to create songs, songs that pull meaning out of life’s chaos, that redeem the seemingly unredeemable. Lest anybody think the heroine’s pathetic parents were modeled after my saintly folks, I’ll name a country song that would make a good title for my memoir - I’m The Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised) — Johnny Paycheck.

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Julie L. Cannon graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism. She is the author of Truelove & Homegrown Tomatoes, ‘Mater Biscuit, Those Pearly Gates, The Romance Readers’ Book Club, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and coming August 1, Twang. She lives in Watkinsville, Georgia. Visit her website at www.julielcannon.com and connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/julieLcannon. 

What An Author NEADS is Change

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

As we continue to share Tom Hopkins’ NEADS acronym found in his book Low Profile Selling, Act like a Lamb…Sell like a Lion, let’s return to the short explanation of the letters.

N – NOW E – ENJOY A – ALTER D – DECISION S – SOLUTION

I have used it not only as the fantastic sales tool Tom intended it to be, but as a problem solving tool as well. We have addressed the first letter N, the second letter E which is for ENJOY. This week we will address the third letter A. What is it we would ALTER or change?

In marketing we must find what the customers’ current situation is, what they like about it and what they would change. What they like is their “Hot Button” or why they buy. When we ask what you would Alter or change we find what their problem or concerns are. This could be called their “Cold Button” or what turns them off about a product. We then make sure we are able to meet their concerns with our product.

In life, change can be a hard thing for some of us. Customers are usually eager to make a change once it is presented and it is their choice to do so. But many times the changes are not of our choosing. Dr. Spencer Johnson wrote about the difficulties of dealing with change in his bestseller Who Moved My Cheese? The change he spoke of was indeed not change being sought but change being forced upon us. The change we want to deal with in the NEADS acronym is the change of choice.

We have identified where we are, what we like about it and now what we would change. This change, which will be of our choosing, will have two positive outcomes. One will be the identification of what we do not like and will leave behind. The other will be the positive direction we will move in the absence of those things we do not like while seeking more of what we do like. This can be very liberating.

Ask yourself what is it you would change at this point in your writing or your life for that matter? Could you see yourself without this thing you would change? Can you see yourself in a better position? Take some time to consider what it is you would change and the benefits of that change.  

As we continue to move into the remaining steps, prepare yourself by having an honest evaluation of where you are now, what you enjoy and what you have chosen to change. The next letter is D. Our next post will be about who will be making the Decision!

Just Take One Block

by Shannon Milholland

When I was a kid, I was enamored with any game that fit in one can. One of those was Jenga. The object of this game is to stack all the blocks and then remove them one at a time without causing the entire structure to fall.

I don't know about you but at times I feel like Social Media is a huge towering insurmountable structure. But what if the key to success wasn't stacking more bricks but successfully navigating which ones to remove?

Use Tweetdeck to schedule all your tweets for the next two weeks in 10 minutes.


Set a timer and only spend that number of minutes on Facebook.


Plan a blog series and write it all in one morning.


What blocks could you remove from your day today? Why not start with one and see what difference it makes?