Have you experienced or heard of “the flow”? Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi describes flow as a state of complete immersion in an activity. While in this mental state, you are completely involved and focused on what you are doing. “The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost,” Csíkszentmihályi said during an interview with Wired magazine.

In our AV Yoga practice, our instructor often guides us through what flow refers to — the dynamic move from one posture to another. Surfers, skiers, and snowboarders talk about the flow and how powerful it can be, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

In Montana, where I live, snow can start falling as early as Labor Day. It doesn’t stick around long, mind you, but it’s the proverbial knock on the door that reminds us winter is coming. Red Lodge Mountain ski resort is within sight of our home, and, as the ski runs start to fill in, it’s only natural to start thinking of the ride down. The swoosh of the snow beneath you, the subtle shifts your body makes from left to right, the delicate balance between the front and back of your feet. The flow…

During a beautiful fall day this past October, I experienced the flow at work in an incredibly profound way. I woke up early, as I often do, but this time I was wide awake and oddly energized. I decided to change up my routine and start my day with a very on-trend “well” morning routine: Rather than grabbing my latté and diving right into work and feeling pressured for time from the start, I quickly scanned texts and email for anything urgent and then put my phone on Do not Disturb. I drank a tall glass of water, then opened Spotify and selected a Chill playlist as background music for some sun salutations and core exercises. I meditated for a bit afterward and set an intention for the day: focus.

I still grabbed my latté and jumped on my computer afterward, but when I got to my desk that day, something was different. Sure, I had my diurnal shortage of time before the onslaught of Zoom meetings and barrage of deadlines. Yet, I had a surplus of other things. More Inspiration. More Ideas. More Energy. More Creativity. More Focus. I had visions of what I wanted to share with clients that I was meeting with that day, fresh ways to spin their message, and what to capture during meetings to make the most of that message. My meetings were on-point, and the clients not only appreciated it, they were also energized. For KMB, I was struck with new ideas for ways we could operate more efficiently. I wrote down those ideas, some of which would take root only a few weeks later and already have the KMB team saving time and better serving clients. I was in the flow.

When I went to bed that night, my to-do list was still as long as it was the day before. I had many tasks that didn’t get done, but they were far less daunting than usual, because I surrendered to the flow of where my thoughts were taking me and inspired my team and my clients in doing so. It wasn’t that I was dismissing those things, I was just prioritizing them more appropriately and giving myself the space to do great work.

As I look back on this day and others like it, I realize that when we seize the moment we can create both moments of brilliance, and potentially, life-changing experiences. You may have heard of or read the best-selling The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. He talks about going with the flow to reduce stress and live better. “Enjoy the flow of energy, the high energy of that moment. Now you are no longer stressed, no longer splitting yourself in two. Just moving, running, working — and enjoying it.”

I’ve been trying to tap into the flow more consistently and re-create days like the one I shared above, and it is not easy to do, but I will say that the following tips will help create an environment where it is much easier to get into the flow:

1. Silence alerts on your phone and step away from email, Skype, and other chat platforms for structured chunks of time. You can’t be completely immersed in a task if you are getting pinged by your colleagues or interrupted by phone calls. Those distractions are creativity killers and time-gobblers.
2. Take the time in the morning to think — intentionally. Think about your day as it relates to your big-picture goals and intentions for your business and your work-life balance. Make sure your daily work activities are aligned with these goals. Sitting and thinking, or even journaling, can help you focus and flow.
3. Don’t mercilessly behold yourself to a to-do list. We all have them, we all make them, we all dread them. Deadlines are deadlines, but to-do’s usually have wiggle room. If you have a flow moment, seize it and shift things on your schedule and let yourself stay in that space.
4. Block time off on your calendar to do what you need to do — whether for your business or yourself, personally — and don’t give that time up. Try allocating two or more hours of “flow time” and you might just find you’re more creative and productive.
5. Hit pause. A positive mental state is crucial to getting into the flow. If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take a moment to hit pause and tend to your own mental health with a walk, a snack break, a short meditation, or some other respite. Nothing is more important.
6. Shake up your routine. If you normally work at your home office, go to a coffee shop or somewhere else and knock out some mundane tasks that you can do without being at your desk. Workout in the morning or late afternoon instead of during lunch. Go for a walk. A change of scenery or routine can be a catalyst to flow.

I’m enjoying my flow moments immensely and my biz is better for it, as is my personal life. Take the time now to encourage your flow and seize the moment when you experience it. You’ll reap the rewards of less stress, better living, and what I call “calendar freedom.” The holidays are here, so why not make that change and gift yourself a little extra go-power this season?

Original article was posted here: https://www.residentialsystems.com/features/secrets-of-success/go-with-the-flow

“Strategy at every turn” is something I’m known for saying or advising and now, during this time of year, after the year we’ve all had, I’m saying it more than any other. You see, this is the time of year when we look back to look forward, to take note of what worked and what didn’t and plan for greater success in the future. It’s during these sessions that the good, the bad, and the ugly rise to the surface and, as much as we sometimes cringe at the notion, get scrutinized all over again. However, it’s from these sessions that we learn and grow.

As we begin to look back on the year that was, we tend to see trends or, rather, things that are often done or repeated that maybe shouldn’t be. Here are a few marketing or brand-related offerings that perhaps you can relate to and you might add to your list of things to improve on in 2022.

1. The Misplaced Microphone and Widespread Man Spread: We love microphones. We love panels. We love seeing our friends and clients on panels, using microphones, sharing their astute wisdom, and inspiring others to get up on stage to do the same. What we don’t like is seeing our peers fall prey to unfortunate microphone placement — that is, extending from their laps. People of any gender: Watch where you put the mic! And, please, consider what others see when they’re looking up at you (and therefore, to you).
2. Hot Water Hurts: We work with a lot of home technology integrators, some of whom take really excellent photos of their installation. They jump through hoops to get photographs and signed releases from clients, many of whom value their privacy. The mistake? They often leave the address or the name of the client (sadly, sometimes both) in the photo file name, which can lead to it getting online, which can lead to your clients being very upset with you and can land your company in some serious hot water. Change your file naming protocol to something that doesn’t name the client or the location of the project. While you’re at it, be sure geotags and related location-based data isn’t included in the metadata of the image. What’s that, you say? Read up on geotagging and be sure your team is onboard with the proper settings and approach to capturing images: https://medium.com/hd-pro/understanding-geotagging-in-photos-d67097b5bd44.
3. Be Awesomely Inclusive: Speaking of panels, we know it’s difficult to make them diverse and inclusive in the face of a male-dominated, largely Caucasian industry. It is imperative to make the effort to include speakers from a range of backgrounds — from race to gender to cultural identities. But this of course does not simply start with making an active effort to showcase diverse voices on panels. It is crucial to start by familiarizing yourself with inclusive language through diversity and inclusion training so that you can implement it both in the messaging you present to the world and in the internal communications and training within your company.
4. The Social Drunk Dial: We love a good and thought-provoking conversation on social media — after all, that’s what it’s all about. However, ranting on social media in comments is not only alienating for many, but you might also be embarrassed about it in the morning. By then, it might be too late. Way too late. A great rule of thumb and something that’s worked well for me over the years is to sleep on it. Like a bottle of wine, it’s often best to let thoughts breathe a little before unleashing them on the world. Trust me, your future self will thank you.
5. The Glory Hog: Projects, products, launches, initiatives…they all take careful planning and orchestration, and that involves hard work by every team member. Don’t be the person that bogarts the publicity. Give your team and trade partners a pat on the back, and don’t forget to give credit where credit is due — especially on social media. That means giving photo credits and crediting architects, designers, builders, and other partners in your posts. Don’t forget to tag them too, they may reshare to a wider audience. While you’re at it, tag brands included (even those that play a smaller role — all should be included) and tag the area or geography for even greater post exposure and engagement. Oh, and, whatever you do, never, ever use someone else’s photo to illustrate the work you or your firm or brand does. Bad idea, always. Best to capture and promote your own work.
6. The Invisible Integrator: There are some integrators who seem to be all over the place. They’re interviewed for articles, tapped for case studies, they’re on panels or podcasts, and they also seem to win all the awards. To be part of the conversation, you must raise your hand to speak. Part of that is highlighting all the great work you do by entering awards. Having written entries for these awards on behalf of many KMB clients, we know the entry forms can be intimidating and the time it takes can be extensive. Don’t let that stop you! Submitting the entry doesn’t mean you have to write it. There are great resources available who can manage the writing and wrangling of assets required (she says, quietly placing her business card into the palm of your hand).

7. Don’t Be an Ass…: Ahhh, the beloved snippet. While it’s incredibly hard to predict how your social media post or handle will get cut off, they often produce snippets that will leave you in stitches. Associations have a particularly rough go of it. We’ve redacted some of the info in Figure 1 (below) to protect the innocent.

8. The Impersonally Personal: Ever get an email that is intentionally designed to be “personalized” but is completely off-base? We get these mail equivalents of the cold call almost on a daily basis, and I’m sure you do as well. Little tricks include the “Fwd:” or “Re:” in the subject line, as if you had somehow already engaged in this conversation. There is also the dreaded “Your Name,” and then there are ones that are so personal, that they just come off as totally bizarre. We understand the value of making it personal, but unless your marketing automation is on point, we suggest that you either make it a plain-Jane mass email or make it truly personal!

9. Day (or Night) Drinking: If there’s one thing that’s haunted us over the ten years KMB has been in business, it is the ever-elusive and seemingly always-present water bottle. I mean, seriously, it has sometimes felt as though Aquafina had a rep there during the shoot, placing product in the background of the shot just before we’ve rolled cameras. Gah! So, learn from this and do as my mom harped on me and my brother for years to do. Develop the eye that sees! Before cameras roll, take one last look at the image that’s about to be captured. Does everything about it say what it should or is something out of place? If the latter, send the crew off on a coffee break and fix it. Trust me, the cost to “fix it in post” often far exceeds what it costs to proactively fix what’s on set. Once you develop the “eye that sees” you may not be able to turn it off. Apologies for that (but mama sure would be proud!).

10. Less is More — Harness the Hyperbole: Boy, oh, boy, do some marketers lay it on THICK when trying to promote the latest “thing” to hit the market. We get it; when writing copy for a campaign it can be easy to get wrapped up in the excitement, but that’s how tragedies like Figure 2 happen.

Similarly, we’re starting to see a lot of marketers use the phrase “Not to be overly dramatic, but…” as the lead-in to sell a service, platform, product…you name it. The problem is, though we’ve seen countless instances of this, we couldn’t begin to tell you the brand, the service, the platform, product, whatever it was that was trying to be sold. Point being, don’t fall into the trap of doing what others are doing simply for the sake of doing something. Take the time or invest the resources to create something unique to your brand that people will remember. Because, after all, that’s the point of marketing — to capture attention and get the clicks, you’ve got to be memorable.

Have some other examples to share? Send ‘em my way. Need help getting your message right? Drop me a line at [email protected]. I’m here to help!

Original article was posted here: https://www.residentialsystems.com/features/secrets-of-success/top-ten-marketing-mishaps-to-avoid