Get more writing done in less time with OmmWriter

March 30, 2012 by
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I wrote this post in OmmWriter, an application that creates a quiet, uncluttered writing space. Just a simple, full page of blank writing surface, a few basic fonts, and little else.

The idea is to be able to write without being distracted by Facebook, email, or other web sites or applications. It gives you a quiet place to be alone with your thoughts, so you can get more writing done in less time.

I remember going to the library in high school to write papers I didn’t want to write. Once I settled down and resigned myself to getting started, the quiet helped me to focus. Applications like OmmWriter create a similar environment.

On the other hand, I usually don’t need a quiet setting to write. In fact, like many people, I enjoy having some distractions. I think that’s why you see so many people writing or doing homework at Starbucks.

Also, when I write I usually refer to notes or articles I’ve saved or have open in a browser. Being in a writing app that takes over the full screen means I have to close the app to get to those notes or articles.

I do enjoy writing in OmmWriter, especially when I’m writing about something I know a lot about or have strong feelings about. The writing is quicker and flows more freely. What I mean is that I’m not so much engaged in the act of writing as I am in connecting my thoughts with my keyboard. For first drafts especially, it’s a more intuitive, natural process, and in some ways, the writing is better.

Applications like this are a good idea for writers who need that quiet space where they can let their creativity flow. If you ever find yourself unable to settle down and get into your writing, this is a good solution.

I’ve tried other applications like this. Some are browser based, some, like OmmWriter, you download. OmmWriter offers a feature I like, background colors and sounds (music) they have found to be conducive to writing. They provide a sort of “white noise” that helps me focus better.

OmmWriter is free and there is also a paid version (donation-ware) with more colors and sounds. I have used it off and on since I first downloaded it a month ago and I will continue to use it. It’s easier than driving to the library, and a lot cheaper than Starbucks.

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Filed Under: Productivity, Writing Tagged With: , , , , ,

If I could use only ONE marketing tool

March 27, 2012 by
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I started this post intending to make the case in favor of email as my favorite marketing tool. There’s no question that it is one of the most effective ways to deliver messages to people who can hire you or refer someone who can. It’s (almost) free, almost everyone has an email address, and email is still more popular than social media.

With the click of a button, you can send out an email to hundreds or thousands of people, and almost as quickly, get orders or phone calls and appointments.

Strange that so many attorneys (most?) don’t use email in their marketing, at least not as much as they could. Or should.

You may have a list of people–clients, former clients, and business contacts–but if you’re not communicating with them on a regular basis, you’re not going to get their business. They forget about you, or they forget how to contact you, or they’re just not motivated to contact you because. . . you haven’t contacted them.

The point of having a list, indeed, of all of your marketing efforts, is to stay in touch with people. Or as I put it, “. . .to be in their minds and their mailboxes so that when they are ready to hire a lawyer, or know someone who is, there you are. . .”.  Email is one of the most effective ways to stay in touch.

So, I was going to say email is my favorite marketing tool, but that’s not quite accurate. Nope. My favorite marketing tool is. . . a sales letter.

Lawyers may not call it that. We’ll call it a newsletter or information or anything but a sales letter (because we don’t sell, right?)–but whatever you call it, and however you disguise it, if it’s designed to get someone to do something, it’s a sales letter. My favorite marketing tool.

A sales letter is words, on paper (or electrons), that communicate a message and an offer or a request. People read it and call for an appointment, Like your web page, or sign up for your seminar. You can send it by postal mail, or by messenger. Hand it to someone in person, or deliver it via fax or text message. You can post it on your blog, web page, or on Facebook.

Oh, and guess what? Every time you talk to a prospective client on the phone or in person and you tell them about your services and what you can do to help them, you’re delivering a sales letter. A spoken sales letter.

Do yourself a favor and write it down, so you can send it by email.

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Filed Under: Communication, Email, Newsletters, Online Marketing, Relationship marketing, Salesmanship, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How is important but don’t forget why

March 21, 2012 by
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I did a presentation last night for some of my business partners and their guests. The objective was to get the guests to either invest in our business directly or provide referrals to our partners.

I talked about the history of our company, the value of our services, and the size of our market.

Lots of facts and figures. Very compelling, if I do say so myself.

But in order to get the ball over the goal line, I made sure I also told them why.

Why the facts I recited are important. Why I got involved, and why they should, too.

I did this by telling stories about some of our partners, their backgrounds and motivation, and also my own. I showed them what motivated us. Facts are static and lifeless. Stories have people in them and everyone wants to know “what happened next”.

Whenever you want to persuade people to act, tell them why. What’s in it for them? What will they get if they do? What might they lose if they don’t?

On your web site, tell people why they should opt-in to your newsletter. What’s the benefit? What do they get? Why will they be better off as a result?

In your demand letters, tell them why they should say yes. Why is it in their best interest? What might happen if they refuse?

In your oral arguments, explain why something was said or done. Tell the judge why he should accept your version. Tell him why he should grant your request.

You may have the weight of evidence in your favor, but it’s your job to interpret that evidence and tell people why it matters. Don’t assume they will know. It’s not always obvious. And even if it is obvious and even if they do know, tell them anyway. Tell them stories that reach beyond their intellect and pluck the heart strings of their emotions.

How is important but don’t forget to tell them why.

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Filed Under: Communication, Copywriting, Presentations, Public Speaking, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How to get that creative project (finally) started

March 16, 2012 by
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I want to help you get your project started. You know the one I’m talking about. It’s the one you’ve had in the back of your mind that you can’t stop thinking about.

It might be writing a book. Starting a blog. Or planning the trip of a lifetime.

You want to do it. You just don’t know how or where to begin.

The first thing is to give yourself permission to not do it. That’s right, let it go. You don’t have to do it. You can let someone else do it, you can keep it on your “someday” list, or you can let the opportunity pass and suffer the consequences. You will survive.

Too often we become attached to things we think we want to do, or believe we have to do, and our attachment gets in our way. It clouds our judgment, our sense of priority, and basically, messes us up. We begin projects when our heart isn’t in it and we do a poor job or we give up. It may have been a great idea, but if the timing wasn’t right, we haven’t done ourselves any good.

Let go of the idea. Let it ruminate in your subconscious. If you’re meant to do it, you will. When the time is right and you are ready.

I’ve got hundreds of creative projects that will never get done. They will remain “someday” for me and that’s just fine.

The creative projects I move forward with let me know I need to do them. I wake up thinking about them. I see something online and I am drawn to it. The idea nags at me and inspires me and excites me. When it won’t let go of me, that’s the project I do.

But there’s a process I go through between “idea” and “do”.

When I have an idea, the first thing I do is write it down. I use Evernote, but you can use anything you want: a text file, Word document, spiral notebook, whatever, but get it out of your head and onto paper (virtual or otherwise).

Guess what? It will still be in your head. Writing it down simply helps you to see what the idea looks like from a different perspective.

Once the idea is recorded, I add notes. I may write a bunch of bullet points, tasks, and ideas for categories or steps, or I might free write–letting my thoughts flow as I talk to myself about the project. I may record audio, talking about the idea, why I want to do it, issues I may have to resolve.

Next is research. Nothing formal, just reading and collecting snippets of information, blog posts, quotes, web clips, and anything else that catches my attention. I might collect a large volume of information in a short period of time or I might do a little here and there, over a period of months. You can’t force creativity. At least I can’t.

With Evernote, I have a tag for the project, so everything I collect is tied to the project. If I have other notes on the subject or documents I’ve saved from other projects, I’ll add the project tag or “note links” in Evernote.

And then I put the idea aside to let it germinate and continue working on whatever I’m already committed to completing. But I still think about the project and record notes and ideas. I may re-write my original idea and see if it still looks good, but always, I give it time to take root and grow.

At some point, either my interest in the project will have waned and I will again put it aside (or kill it), or my interest will have grown. If I still want to do the project, the next step is to make a list of tasks.

Sometimes I put all those tasks into one continuous list. Sometimes I set up separate notes for each task. Of course some tasks are themselves projects (i.e., having more than one step), but I’m not really fussy about how I list what I need to do. I just make sure everything is tagged and/or linked.

Some of the project’s tasks I begin right away. Others, I schedule (or delegate). And some, I need to do further research before I know what to do.

There is a logical progression to most projects, but it can also be a messy process. Many projects are mundane. Beginning, middle, end. But big projects, especially ones that invoke creativity, are a journey of discovery. You may have a general idea of where you want to go but no idea how you will get there. Sometimes you wind up in a place you never expected.

With everyday projects, you’re the boss. With creative projects, you are merely the scribe.

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Filed Under: Productivity, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How I collect and organize articles and documents to read later

March 9, 2012 by
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I read a lot. I know you do, too. I also know that the volume of articles and documents that cross our paths every day is overwhelming.

We can’t stop the river of information. It would be foolish to ignore it. All we can do is manage the information that comes at us every day, and I want to share with you how I do that.

Here’s what I do to collect, organize, and read the articles and documents in my life:

  1. I subscribe to (over 100) blogs with Google Reader. I can read them later, on my laptop or on my iPhone (I use Mobile RSS).
  2. On my iPhone, I also use Zite, an intuitive app that learns what you like to read and serves up similar content. This brings posts from a wide spectrum of blogs I would never know about. I also use Flipboard and Twitter.
  3. I use Instapaper as a web app (Chrome) and their app on my iPhone. This is where I send posts I can’t read at the moment. I send them from my RSS reader, from Zite, Flipboard, by forwarding emails and via a web clipper.
  4. Every morning I go through my RSS feeds and Zite and Flipboard, scanning the headlines of the posts. I delete 98% of them. A few, I read on the spot. I may send five or ten to Instapaper. If it’s something I know I want to save, I send it to Evernote. If I’m reading it on the web, I’ll open it first with Evernote Clearly, to remove ads, etc. (Evernote is my go to app for saving everything I need to save (for reference or a project) or do. (If you haven’t tried Evernote, go check it out (it’s free). If you have Evernote and have not been using it much, get my ebook, “Evernote for Lawyers: A Guide to Getting Organized & Increasing Productivity”. You’ll be amazed at what you can do with Evernote.
  5. For blog post ideas, I go through Instapaper and when I find a post that catches my eye, I’ll read it. I may use the article as the basis for a post or it may give me other ideas. I also go through Evernote. I have a tag, “blog-post-ideas,” and with one click I can call up hundreds of notes with complete articles or one line ideas.
  6. I save documents (pdfs, Powerpoint, Word, etc.) in Evernote. I usually add a few key words to the body of the note and assign tags. Most of these documents are saved for reference purposes, or to use in connection with projects I am working on or plan to work on. However, I also use a couple of tags to identify notes for later reading. One is “Read/Review,” which is assigned to notes I know I want to read at some point. I will also assign a “When” tag (i.e., Now, Next, Someday, etc.) if I know when I want to read it. The other tag I use is “ebooks” for pdf ebooks I’ve saved. I can browse this tag to find things to read or for ideas.
  7. If there are emails I need to read or save or take action on, I forward them to my Evernote account. I now maintain “inbox zero”.
  8. Every day I focus on getting my work done, not on how much I can read. This is key. If I don’t read articles I’ve saved for later reading, I don’t worry about it. We’re talking about electrons here, so there is no problem with running out of storage space. The articles I’ve saved in Evernote are searchable and thus a repository of reference materials I may use in the future. So again, I do the best I can and I don’t worry about what I don’t get to.

So that’s my routine. I know there are many other methods and apps available for collecting, organizing, and reading. I’ve tried many of them and continue to try new ones when they come out. I like keeping things simple, however, and that means using as few apps as possible. Evernote is my “information hub” because everything is synced and available to me wherever I am, and because there are so many ways to get information into it.

How about you? What do you do to collect, organize, and read articles and documents? Please share in the comments.

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Filed Under: Productivity, Technology, Time Management, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

6 rules for saving time with email

February 22, 2012 by
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Leo at Zen Habits says most emails are too long. They take too long to write, too long to read, and too long to respond to.

He has made a habit of writing shorter emails, five lines or less. Everyone is better off.

Here are his 6 rules for short, effective emails:

  1. Keep it to 5 sentences. No more. I stole this from five.sentenc.es of course, but I’ve used it for years and it works. I usually try to do fewer than 5.
  2. Figure out your main point. If you think you need more than 5 sentences, you haven’t figured out the key thing you want to say. Take a second to figure it out, and stick to just that.
  3. Ask one thing. Don’t ask 10 questions, just ask one. Or two at the most. You’re much more likely to get an answer quickly.
  4. Edit. If you stretched it to 8 sentences, cut out 3.
  5. Link. If you need to refer to info, include a link to it on the web.
  6. Post it. If the info you need to share isn’t on the web, put it there. Create a long answer or long background document (then edit it to the essential info) and post it online. Use your blog, or one of the many free tools for posting info. Create an FAQ if it’s useful. Link to it in your email.

Ironically, it might take longer to craft a shorter email as this famous quote from George Bernard Shaw quote reminds us: “I’m sorry this letter is long, I didn’t have time to make it shorter.” So if you bill by the hour, you’ll actually earn more by writing shorter emails. (Insert smiley face here. . .)

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Filed Under: Communication, Email, Productivity, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

How to write an article in ten minutes or a book in two hours

January 26, 2012 by
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One way to write more articles, reports, blog posts, or anything else, is by writing faster. One way to write faster is to dictate and record your thoughts and then have them transcribed.

When I first started practicing law we dictated everything and somebody else did the typing. Today, I write everything on a computer and find that I can turn out a finished document almost as quickly. But sometimes, I get caught up in the process of writing and something that should have taken ten minutes winds up taking an hour.

I also find that speaking my thoughts lends a freshness and clarity that is sometimes missing when I write. And so for my next big writing project, I’m going to go back to writing the way I used to do it, by speaking my first draft into a recorder and having it transcribed.

Here are the steps I will be following:

  1. Create an outline. No matter how well you know your material, having the points you want to cover in the order in which you want to cover them will help you stay on point and get the job done more quickly.
  2. Speak and record. The best way to do this is to keep in your mind’s eye a real person you know (or an amalgam of your target audience) and speak to that person. Pretend they are sitting across the desk from you.
  3. Transcribe. You can have someone do this or do it yourself. Doing it yourself allows you to edit as you type.
  4. Edit. Cut out unnecessary ideas and words, flesh out thoughts that need it, and re-order material to enhance clarity. Take any “leftovers” and store them for future articles.
  5. Add an intro and conclusion.
  6. Final edit.

The average human being speaks at a rate of 125 to 150 words per minute. This means that you could dictate the first draft of a 500 word article in just a few minutes or an 18,000 word ebook in a couple of hours. Now, if we could just get paid by the word.

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Filed Under: Productivity, Time Management, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Apps for lawyers: do you really need one?

January 23, 2012 by
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If you have a smart phone, the chances are you’ve seen more than a few law firm apps coming through the app store. A lot of law firms are getting them and you may be tempted to do the same. With all the smart phones out there, it’s got to bring you some business, right? Hey, even one new client will pay for the app.

Before you get out your checkbook, there are some things you should consider.

Most apps fall into two categories. The first is of the “digital brochure” variety. This may do a great job of showing your firm’s capabilities but you’re not going to bring in much business with an app that nobody downloads and if a brochure is all you’ve got, not many will.

The second category of app falls into the utilitarian category: it does something useful. Personal injury lawyers seem to have a preponderance of this kind of app, of the “what to do in case of accident” variety. There are places to fill in information about the other parties, witnesses, insurance information, and also some pointers on what to do.

This sounds good but think about it: when you’re in an accident, nervous, waiting for the police or ambulance or tow truck, will you really want to launch an app and start typing with your thumbs?

Some of these apps have audio recorders, but still, in the heat of the moment, most people aren’t going to use it.

“Ah, but the point isn’t that they use it, it’s that they have it so that when they get home, they’ll remember they have it, look through it, and call us.”

This is true, but you don’t need an app for that. An old fashioned booklet in the glove box will accomplish the same thing. A booklet is a lot cheaper (free if the client prints it themselves from your pdf) and a booklet is something people might actually use.

Another form of utilitarian app is one that contains information. It might be a summary of bankruptcy laws, divorce options, or tips for protecting your small business. If a prospective client is browsing through the app store and sees an app that promises to inform him about something that’s currently on his mind, this could get his attention. The big question is, “will he see it?”

When an app is released, it appears in the list of new apps for a few days, and then it’s no longer “new”. Unless an app is extremely popular, very unlikely for a law firm app., the odds are that nobody will ever see it again in the app store.

What good is an app that nobody knows about?

It will be up to you to promote your app via your web site, newsletter, and social media. If it’s good, people will download it and promote it. But you can accomplish the same thing without an app. All you need to do is put your information into a report or ebook.

Can an app bring in some business? Yes, it can. But before you rush into having one made, lest you be “left behind” by your competition, remember that getting the app made is just the beginning. If you’re not willing to invest in promoting the app, don’t bother getting one. If you are prepared to promote your app, you might simply write a report and save yourself several thousand dollars.

Does your law firm have an app? Has it brought in any business? Please share your experiences in the comments.

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Filed Under: Advertising, Marketing legal services, Online Marketing, Referrals, Social media marketing, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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