Positive Change

What a Jigsaw Puzzle Can Teach You about Project Management

October 1, 2011 By Cara Lumen

Working jigsaw puzzles is an organizer’s dream. Every step is about sorting in smaller and more connected elements while keeping the end result in mind. Just like project management.

Choose a project that appeals to you

It’s no fun to work on an ugly puzzle or even one that is too easy or too hard. You have to pick the best project for you at this point in time. If you are not enthusiastic about the end result you will achieve, if you will not be proud of your end product after you have completed it, choose a different project. You don’t want to spend a lot of time working on something that is not fun, satisfying, stimulating, rewarding and has a great end result. There are thousands of potential projects from which to choose. Choose one you can get excited about.

Handle the logistics

When I started working jigsaw puzzles in my living room I had three problems, a cat that would inevitably end up on top of it, the fact that it took up a good portion of the room for as long as I chose to work on it and I had no real way to put it away for another time. Once I started it I lived with it until it was completed. I solved the cat problem by doing the puzzle on the cardboard back of a poster whose frame broke. I work on the cardboard and put the plastic “glass” on top when I stop work to protect it from my cat. I could solve the putting away part by investing in a jigsaw carrying case. Before you begin a project solve some of the logistics. Can you fit this work into your schedule? Will you rely on others for part of the work and how booked are they? What equipment, knowledge, and reference material do you need before you begin? Beginning a project is like preparing to take a long trip; you need to take your car in for a complete check up to be sure it can make the trip. Plan ahead for all the elements and working environment you will need for your project.

Sort the pieces

My improvised jigsaw puzzle system includes 12 clear plastic plates that I sort the different colors into. I can use these plates to work on one color scheme at a time. It allows me to focus only on that particular aspect. Look at your project and divide it up into segments. Put a time line on each segment so you know how far ahead of the deadline you have to begin working on it in order to complete it in time. What is your launch date? How far ahead do you need to start marketing? Put that on your schedule along with time to write your marketing material a few weeks before that. Do you need to schedule a completion date for each module? Chunk your project up into three to five projects. For instance if you are creating a web presence you can break that down into 1) clarify what you offer and who you offer it to, 2) define your services and your content by writing your landing page, 3) make the technical decisions on your theme and back end support hire someone to set it up and 4) write your opt in offer and Cornerstone Content that helps convert readers into community members. Each one of those steps is filled with important decision making and by doing them in order and addressing each step as a separate project piece you will avoid the overwhelm that could easily appear. Allow one action step to build on the other

Work one section at a time

In my jigsaw project I began by working with the pieces that I could easily identify. In my folk art puzzle I recognized parts of horses and buggy wheels and the specific color of each building. When I began to assemble each section I had to look at the picture and see where it fit into the overall picture. Then I could place it in the right place. I had to work with the end result in mind.

Here’s a major difference between jigsaw puzzling and a project: you know what the puzzle will look like, you know that eventually all the pieces will fit and there will be no extra ones left over. That is not true of a project. You have to pick and choose the parts and pieces you will include. You have an overall picture in mind but you design and adjust as you go. How many weeks in your teleclass? What do you need to leave out in order to teach what you really want to teach in that length of time? Do you need a follow up, second level telecourse? I developed my Magnetic Content Development System to help you manage those very decisions but this article is about sorting what you have chosen.

Sort by similarity

In my puzzle I sorted by edge pieces, trees, sky, building colors and people. One way of organizing your project is to sort by similarity of the action needed – planning, crafting, editing. On your time line allow a week for outlining your table of contents, another few days for developing your stories and interactive elements. You could work on the video for a week and could set aside time to develop the handouts and bonuses. Brain work, the decision-making process requires great uninterrupted concentration. Editing a second draft or strengthening your subheads can be done in smaller time segments.

Approach your project organization from different angles

It was easy to put together the puzzle pieces that had a pattern. It was another matter to work on the pieces that were all one color like the sky or ocean. Then I had to look at the shape of each piece, I had to try to put pieces together by looking at the parts of the piece that were sticking out and the parts of the piece that were ready to have another piece fit into them. And that’s what got me excited to write this article – as I worked I saw myself use different reasoning techniques. I wanted to explore how can apply my jigsaw organizing technique to the sorting of my ideas for a project? When you move deeply into the fine points of your project you need to examine the pieces from different angles. Does that idea belong here or is it more effective if presented over there? Change your perspective. One minute you are trying to fit the protruding pieces into the puzzle and the next you are looking at the shape of the indent in each piece to find a matching piece. As you look where to place closely aligned elements into your project come at them from different angles before you decide where to put them.

Keep looking at the whole

Every time you begin a new segment look to see how that section fits in with the whole. When you examine your project as a whole you will feel a sense of accomplishment as see how much you have accomplished. You can begin to get a feeling of the overall shape and the learning steps you use to take your participant on their journey. You can identify the elements that need more work or more time. As you work on a project periodically go back to your original outline and the landing page you wrote in the beginning to clarify your objectives and see if you are still on track. Keep referring to your original who and do what statement – the purpose of that particular project.

Keep your end result in mind, sort by the major points, work in sections keeping an eye on their place in the whole and take time to look at each piece from different angles. That’s what working a jigsaw puzzle taught me about project management.

Are You Reading the Signs?

August 1, 2011 By Cara Lumen

The Universe has an interesting way to offer us guidance. It sends signs. Sometimes those signs are about bumping into someone on the street that creates an opportunity you hadn’t considered before. Sometimes it is a phone call or an email suggesting collaboration. It may be a surge of interest in a particular product or service you offer. And it may be an idea that simple floats in out of nowhere. These signs indicate an interest from somewhere directed at you and what you offer. They are worth considering.

Signs that say change direction

I’ve been moving steadily in one direction for about eight years. Before that I was going in another direction. What’s currently showing up are people interested in that original niche – those initial products and services that I still offer on my website. I’m wondering and watching. Part of me feels that if I moved back to that old niche it would feel like going backwards. Another part says maybe I’ve learned all I can from the niche I am in and have something more to contribute to my original niche. Since learning new things is more important to me than just about anything in the world I need to find the place where I can keep learning and be in service while I do. So the question becomes how can I approach this former niche and make a new type of product and service around it.

Signs that inspire new work

I began my online presence as a spiritual counselor. Then I decided to take that metaphysical approach out into the world as I helped people develop their online business. I became a business coach, curriculum developer and an educator. The spiritual part has always been in my work. The current signs are about increasing the spiritual work. I’m observing and thinking and considering.

I feel that a lot of my earlier work was about teaching what I had learned from others in my own unique interpretation – which is pretty much what we all do. But I have now developed what feels like a relatively original idea and would love to find more of those. However, my unique viewpoint has changed because I am more knowledgeable and experienced so if I went “back” to offering more spiritually oriented products they would be different than what I produced ten years ago. That’s a good thing.

I learn when I teach and since I’m going through an introspective period in my own life, I plan to write a new teleclass that will give people tools for self-exploration. That’s quite different from the practical courses I’ve been teaching. My target community is certainly going to be surprised!

What ideas are coming to you that seem a little off the beaten path that you would be interested in exploring?

Signs that a change is in the air

My Passionately on Purpose blog has always been a mix of practical and philosophical – like me. In the past year, I have written more personal development posts than practical ones. That was a conscious decision as well as an organic one. It seems that the Universe has been steadilly laying the groundwork for this possible change. Look at what you’ve been doing the past six months. What has changed? Is there a new direction being suggested?

Signs that suggest new relationships

Some of the signs are coming to me in the form of the people that are showing up to be coached and the products that they are buying – the older spiritual ones. As I examine the world around me, I see major, major changes and as I look carefully at what people want it seems like hope would be at the top of their list. Hope, spiritual awareness and a way to get control of their lives at least internally since, at the moment, the physical plane seem skewed. I could do that.

New people are also showing up who would like to collaborate. People are showing up for coaching who not only want practical guidance but help in defining their values and their passion and their deepest place of service. The people who are seeking me out are coming because they feel a spiritual connection. That’s always been that way it works but these people are expressing it in those terms. Who is showing up in your life that you are immediately drawn to, or who seek you out with collaboration in mind?

Signs that you should take the leap

I haven’t made this leap yet. I’m just reading signs. And I also realize it doesn’t have to be a complete leap, it doesn’t have to be an abandonment of what I do now. It can just be an addition to what already exists. I have to look at what I want right now. What do I want to learn? What do I want to write about? What do I want to teach? Who do I want to coach? And what do I want to help them to accomplish? I can offer a personal development class alongside a business class. It would be a stronger position if I stuck with one or the other but I’m just going to let it unfold. It may also mean that this is the beginning of a gradual transition. Are you being nudged to change directions? How does that feel?

Are you noticing the signs?

What signs are showing up for you? What are people asking you to do for them? What new need do you see out in the world that you would like to meet? How does your present focus need to expand or change in order to continue to be relevant and necessary? Read the signs and see if it’s time for change.

The Amazing Impact of One Small Change

June 21, 2011 By Cara Lumen

The idea I had affected three words in the title of an ebook I am writing but those three words created both a lot of work and a long-lasting impact. So the good news is that the product got better, the bad news was the amount of work involved in connecting all the pieces. Do you embrace change, or do you measure it by the trouble it takes to implement it

It would be great if we could get it right the first time

I’m writing 15 ebooks in the “How to Craft Series” and from the beginning I got most of the titles right. Each title contained a result that will be achieved by the creation of a particular type of information product. But one title didn’t follow that guideline. The original title was “How to Craft a Magnetic Opt in Offer in One Hour.” I had written the first three books of the series when I realized that a more compelling title was “How to Craft a Magnetic Opt in Offer that Captivates and Converts.” These three words aligned this book with the rest of the titles like “How to Craft a Mini-Ecourse that Builds Trust” and “How to Craft Magnetic Interactive Elements that Help People Own What You Teach” I felt it was an important change to make so I dove in.

One change is like a pebble in a lake

It affected the cover of the book, the listing of the “How to Craft Series” in the back of all three books I had already written, references in the three books to the Opt in Book, the three landing pages where I offered the Opt in Book as part of a Start Up Bundle, the Marketplace pages on two blogs, the links to the opt in landing page and the delivery pages. Every time I made one change I thought of someplace else that needed to be changed. It took me a whole day chasing those changes.

What impact with the change make for the better?

There was no question I would make the change. The title was more in line with the whole series and offered a stronger benefit. I would have done it even if all 15 books were written. And I’m not at all a perfectionist.

When you contemplate making a change, take some time to look at three aspects: 1) what difference it is going to make to the bottom line, 2) how labor intensive is it to make that change and 3) how far reaching is the change – how will it affect others in their bottom line and their labor?

What difference is it going to make to the bottom line?

In my case I believe that the stronger title will attract more purchasers. And because it is more in alignment with the rest of the series it may help prospects connect to the other books in the series. Combine that will my willingness to spend a day making the changes and it was the thing to do. However, often an idea will have a greater ripple effect that includes an additional cost of outside labor. You have to consider both your time and paid time.

How labor intensive is it to make that change?

I have a friend who is a graphic designer and after the first three changes a client makes she has to charge them for additional changes. And she has to put a limit on the number of changes that can be made at all. So the more you know what you want before you begin a project, the more research you have done and the clearer the decisions you make about the focus, the fewer changes you will have to make. Do your core homework first. Add the cost of the change into the profitability equation.

How far reaching is the change – how will it affect others?

My daughter is a Vice President in a large insurance company. When she makes a change she has to consider not only how that will impact her own team but how it will affect other areas as well. How much impact will the change make? How long will it take to implement it? What tools need to be in place? What will the change cost in the time it takes people to get up to speed? The larger the group the more far reaching the impact of one change to their productivity and their bottom line.

Our work is always evolving

Change is inevitable. We learn to do a job and find a better, faster, more efficient way to do it so we make a change. We develop an idea and the deeper we get into its development the more ideas we have and the more we understand what we need to do in order to convey our message. So we make changes.

If I had a teleclass to give in 20 minutes and could make a change on the Power Point slides by a few minutes of typing I’d do it. If I wanted to change the title of the teleclass at the last minute I would not do it because of the advertising that had gone on before it. It’s too late to change that part of the message.

The bottom line is to think your work through as thoroughly as you can. Tweak it for the better if you have time and the change would have an impact. Otherwise, learn the lesson and put it to use the next time around.

Checking Yourself for Change

February 15, 2011 By Cara Lumen

I looked at one of my own web pages recently and thought “What were you thinking?” So much had changed in such a short space of time that I had forgotten to check what needed to be changed in my blogs and web site to reflect my new direction. There was a lot to be done.

Change is gradual

Change sneaks up on us. It can be so unobtrusive that we are suddenly someplace else and don’t know how we got there. And that’s great, unless you are advertising on the internet and telling people what you offer only to find that what you have written is no longer true.

I tweaked my niche. I went from coaching people in whatever aspect of their business they were in to focusing on helping people craft powerful information products that help them reach and teach their target community and that changed the demographics of my community and the purpose of my blogs. I had to redefine and rewrite everything.

Have you changed direction?

We constantly change. New opportunities show up that we either take or don’t take and that alters our direction. We learn new skills that enable us to add new elements to what we offer. That may tweak our intended destination. Like any trip, side trips can be rewarding, but have you gone done the side road too long? Is it time to get back on the super highway?

I’ve added something new to my business mix. My new Magnetic Content Development System contains a powerful decision-making technique for organizing your ideas into meaningful content. It can be used to help focus any unformulated idea you may have. So for every product I create or new service I decide to offer, I ask myself a series of questions that lets me determine where I am going and what results I want my readers to experience. Having made that core decision I can then thoughtfully design the contents to make certain I reach my chosen destination. Build into your schedule a periodic check to see if you have organically changed your destination. Then go back and be sure your landing pages still point visitors in the right direction.

People change

The problems of your target community will gradually change. You need to regularly re-examine their needs. What do they need now that you might provide? What have you been offering that is no longer needed or could be tweaked to give more value? Are you still willing to offer what you’ve been offering? You change just as others change. Be certain you are still serving your target community well and are having a good time doing it.

For instance, when the economy first did its downward dip I took a hard look at what I thought people were still willing to buy. I know that knowledge is always a good investment because it constantly increases in value. That prompted me to shift my business into helping people teach what they know through their own Success Library of Signature Information Products. Ebooks and telecourses and teaching videos have no start up costs, very few if any production costs and only take the investment of your time. And information products open up the opportunity for passive recurring income and increased expert status.

Are you still the best choice to deliver this product or service?

I bet you’ve added some credentials and experience since the last time you posted your bio or wrote your “Work with Me” landing page. I recently learned to put my ebook on Kindle. That’s some training I can now pass on to my clients and that will add a benefit to my coaching page. Keep an eye out for new skills you have added that increase your value to your target community. It doesn’t have to be a major certification, but do keep a watch out for how you continue to be the best choice to deliver your products and services.

What do you have new to offer?

I have created this really great system for organizing your ideas into powerful content. I created it as a teleclass. Now I’m going to translate it into a series of detailed ebook/workbooks. And of course it prompted the creation of a new blog site www.magneticsignatureproductsguild.com . All that happened in three months. No wonder I have to rewrite a lot of what I have up on my web site and “Work with Me Pages.”

I might plan to offer a new information product every quarter. That is not a heavy schedule. That would make creating the product fun and pressure-less to produce. And I would have something new to offer every three months. That keeps me from inundating my community with offers but continues to give them real value throughout the year. What do you plan to offer new to your target community” And when?

Where do you want to go next?

Life is an adventure, there is always something new to explore and learn. I want to craft some teaching videos around my Magnetic Content Development System. That means there are a few technical things I need to learn as well as content to create. Now that I have two blogs to support I will be writing more and I have my whole new ebook/workbook series to write. One step at a time works for me. What do you want to learn next? What do you want to produce next? Pick one project and make some decisions about what you want to do for your target community. Then produce one new product a quarter. At the end of each quarter, check to see if you have ended up where you meant to go and what you need to change in your promotional material to match where you are now. Keep checking yourself for change – and keep it documented on your web site.

How to Make Decisions

November 15, 2010 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

One of the reasons we find ourselves standing immobilized by the number of ideas we have is because we do not have a method for choosing the right or best or most attractive ideas. Here are some steps.

Major Point #1: Remember that not making a decision is a decision not to take action.

Major Point #2: Decision making is the study of identifying and choosing alternatives based on the values and preferences of the decision maker.

You are the creator of this project. You will make the decisions about who it is for, what needs it is to meet and what form it will take. A decision is simply a matter of choosing among alternatives. It is not about making a choice between right and wrong. You choose right now, based on who you are and what you know. Two years from now you’ll make a different choice. But this is now. Follow your heart and your intuition and simply choose.

Make your decisions on paper. One of the reasons making a detailed table of contents for an information product is such a vital step is because it is easier to reorganize a few bullet points than whole chapters and an outline makes certain you identify and develop the core concepts. Make a list and rearrange your ideas to discover the emphasis of the project.

Make your decisions as you go along. If you decide to write an ebook, stick with it till it is done. You can write the teleclass next. If you decide on a focus for one information product complete it and simply make notes of other ways you can approach it. Use those ideas in future products or articles or blog posts.

Stay focused on your core concepts. A creative, fertile mind will see a myriad of ways to make a particular point. 1) be certain you are developing only the chosen core concepts for that project, one concept at a time and 2) be certain that how you are expressing it will help your audience get it.

Keep the alternatives on a separate list. As you work you will think of many other things that could be said, or written, or developed. Simply put them on a separate list – your “Idea List” if you wish. That way you know you have captured them but do not have to stop to explore them and can stay focused on the work you are doing.

Commit and follow through. Once you have made the decision and have started what you are going to do, put the “what if’s” aside and do it with commitment.