Knee Deep Blog

End of Year Reflections

Year End seems to be the good time to be consciously slowing down as well as the  perfect time for reflection even if it's only for a short period. I find that it's so easy to get caught up in all of the "need to do" and "must do it now" things in my life - especially while playing the fragile balancing act and game of work, motherhood, wife, being part of a large family and friend.  And the Christmas / Holiday season often adds to this stress for many of us.

In November I began toying with the idea of taking the last two weeks of December off to focus "on" my business which means to slow down long enough to reflect on what I want it to be in 2007, the reality of what is true for it now and the current gap that exists.  I also wanted to take time to tie up the personal things that pile up between Thanksgiving and Christmas - such as managing our family finances, getting that huge pile off my desk, writing and getting the family holiday newsletter out to my 250+ list, pour the plum cordial we've been aging into pretty bottles for gifts, etc.

The impetus for all of this was simply remembering back to last year and the previous year and remembering all of the running around that seems to pop up out of now where - ok, we all know it's out of the need to figure out gifts, holiday schedules, figuring out when Eli's or your child's classes begin their winter break, extra dinners, cooking, socializing, etc.  Whew, just writing about it brings me back to those feelings the the who reason why I want the time off.

The first week of December I announced to my clients via an email that I was taking the last two weeks of the year off from client work - it felt and feels like a luxury.  This year is the first time I dared such a feat of spending and focusing two weeks of time on my own pursuits since I became a home based internet mom, coach and consultant 6 years ago.  In retrospect I don't know why it seemed to be such a difficult decision.

What I've learned so far....

Expect the unexpected - isn't this really what life is about...going with the ebb and flow?

• I had one client that I felt I really needed to meet with my first day off so that I could move into the rest of the time without a lot of energy being sucked out because it was unfinished business

Recommended: MindJet Mindmanager Software

Earlier this week my coach and mentor was working with me side by side helping me brainstorm around my own client coaching and consulting process using this great software called Mindjet Mindmanager.  As soon as I was able to I jumped on to my favorite online discount store - Ebay for a quick Mindjet search.

Within minutes I was bidding and within the day the owner of the pro version at a significant discount which delighted this home based internet mom.  Of course if you are not a fan of bidding on ebay you can always do a quick search on Google which has resellers offering a variety of prices or pay full price at the Mindjet site, with the pro being you can try the software out first to see if it's some thing you really want.

Other than touting itself as the easiest way to organize your ideas and information, this is what Mindjet Mindmanager pro 6 says about itself: 

Mindjet MindManager 6 is the market leading productivity software for visualizing and managing information, allowing individuals and teams to more effectively think, plan, and collaborate.

Why I'm giving Mindjet MindManager Pro 6 two thumbs up and highly recommending buying it:

• The software is that it's very easy to get up and running and it makes capturing information whether it be brainstorming points or client facts to follow up on. I find this very important to all of us that work from our home because we generally don't have the best tech support and training department.
  
• The company has done a great job of having both short snippet video tutorials on the software it self as well as additional video tutorials that you can download.   The only downside is that there is not audio on them.  Hint, hint...add audio.
  
• The kicker that really got me excited was that they have a resource library of completed mind mapping templates which have been created both by Mindjet and happy customers that you can view online and then download if you find one you like. 

Mark Hendricks 12 Days of Christmas Promotion is Back

It's that time of year and internet marketer Mark Hendricks is in the middle of his annual 12 Days of Christmas give away which includes lots of gifts to help you build your home based internet business or perhaps to simply give you an opportunity to try some thing you've thought about but just hadn't gotten around to doing.

I've been a bit tardy getting this out because I've been a busy gal, and I wanted to be sure you have an opportunity to check out and quite possibly try out some of the free internet marketing gifts before the program ends on December 25th.

Below are a few items to give you an idea of what's available...all are free but do require a valid email address to access.  Have fun and I hope you find some thing of use.

• ALL NEW -  Increase Revenues With Organized Downloads - Organize your hard     drive today to increase revenues tomorrow! Have you been searching and     searching for that "right" file or folder to use in your next promotion but     just can't seem to find it? Save time, make money - Get Organized Now!     (value: $47)
• Webmaster Audio Video Bundle!     - A complete audio visual bundle to allow you to simply add audio and video     to your web pages with ease. Get this high-end software absolutely free of     charge. (value: $140)