The Three Month Vacation Podcast

Ever wonder what Writer's Block happens to be? It's a form of choking under pressure. When we're called upon to speak, to write, or to do something under pressure, we almost always seem to struggle. This choking happens even with professionals who normally breeze through their work. The big reason for this choking under pressure is partly because of the lack of the right preparation. Instead of training under Lucy Moments, we train under Charlie Brown moments. Let's find out how to avoid the choke and to avoid the sticky moments completely. Next Step: Read or listen to—Writer's Block Series: How A Lack of Energy, Not Time, Causes Writers to Stall and Crash

The hardest part of writing is usually the first few lines. However, the ending can also be quite a vexing problem. Unless of course, you use a simple method called "sandwiching". When you use a "sandwich", it closes the loop, leading to a very satisfying sort of finish. How do you learn how to sandwich? Well, listen to this story taken from The Moth Podcast and you'll see how it can be done. Next Step: How do you keep your reader locked into your article? Find out here.

Why do you have a bloated story? It's often because there are way too many facts in the information you've put down on paper. Even if we know we have too many facts and figures, how do we separate the information so that we don't lose the power of the story? Let's find out in this episode. Once you finish listening to this episode head over to listen or read the series on—How To Keep Your Reader Locked Into Your Article.

When we sit down to write a sales page, we run into a problem almost instantly. We know that the client is usually looking to solve one problem, but which problem should we choose? How do we know if the client is simply going to ignore the headline and not look at the rest of the sales page? Should we stuff our headline with three separate problems or is that a really bad decision on our part? The answer is that the headline and the first problem isn't as crucial as most copywriters would have you believe. Follow these steps and you'll notice your sales page will come together in a less stressful, and more specific manner.

When we sit down to write an article or create an information product, we often have a sinking feeling. We look around and find that it's "all been done before". That we have nothing new to add to the conversation. Why should we keep going despite these odds? More importantly, why is our hesitation driving clients to the competition?

As I sat down to write a sales page for a course, I wasn't stuck. However, my progress was so slow that it was driving me crazy. A sales page consists of well over a dozen elements. However, to get started, it's important to get two core sections right. The first section to work on is: What you want to cover. The second section is: what are clients looking for? And as always, you need to start with me, me, me. Hence I started with the first section and here's my story.

When we write an article, we tend to get one point across. Yet, what if we were to disagree with our "one point" and do a complete u-turn? It doesn't seem logical to flip flop, does it? And yet that's what the client needs to create a more complex, more interesting version of an article. Let's find out why u-turns are crucial when writing articles.

Usually when we're stuck, we want to get out of the mess in a big hurry. As a result, we end up digging a bigger hole for ourselves. How do you—that's you and I—systematically get unstuck? There's no precise formula, but there are stages of getting unstuck. And we have to do it slowly. Let's find out how.

This week there is a promotion for The Brain Audit version 3.2, but there's a place where it all began. And you can compare the progress over time. Here is the link:https://www.psychotactics.com/bonuses/brainaudit_old.pdf

Is giving better than receiving? Maybe not. If you've tried to give something to someone and they won't accept it, you know exactly how it feels. We're not talking about something creepy here. The stranger off the street is wary even if you're handing out $100 notes, as giving has to have some trust involved. Even so, receiving is highly underrated. Let's find out why.

A random piece of advice isn't supposed to stay with you for years, and yet it does. In this episode we zig and zag into India (where I lived for a chunky part of my life) and then into New Zealand, where I had to start anew and with little or no help from anyone.

Let's say you're about to learn a new skill—and you don't. You finish the course and you're still not quite anywhere as good as you hoped. Is that your fault? Or the teacher's fault? Or is it 50:50? Learn why so many of us struggle with skill acquisition and why mindset matters. ________________________________________ P.S. How do you change your mindset? What can you learn from children? Here are 21 articles on learning.

Why a simple fix can bring them back. Most of us have products and services that solve many problems. The natural, and the seemingly logical way we go about talking about the product or service, is to make sure the client knows they're getting a great deal. However, this over-enthusiasm is precisely what causes clients to be confused, and leave. Let's find out how to simply, and quickly get clients to keep reading your sales page. ________________________________________ P.S. Interesting in learning more about —How To Write Your Sales Page (And The Biggest Mistakes)?

Write every day. Write every day. Write every day. We seem to hear a lot of that advice when we start off in writing. Yet, are we likely to be misunderstanding what the real meaning of "write every day" means? Most of us believe that we need to write at least an article a day, or at least some chunky bit of content. And yet that level of having to write on a daily basis is precisely what would cause us to fail. Yes, as you'd expect, there is a way out. ________________________________________ P.S. Here are 27 Articles on —How To Keep Your Reader Locked Into Your Article

Why would clients be uncomfortable on Zoom? They're your clients after all. Yet, time and time again we notice a reluctance on the part of the client. —They turn off their video, and it's possible they don't have a photo either. —They don't ask questions, despite you trying your best to get them to pitch in. Zoom calls can often seem thankless, but there's a way to get clients extremely comfortable on Zoom. Let's find out how. ________________________________________ P.S. Here is a series on—Strategies On How To Start A Podcast.

Some days, you can't get yourself motivated. Yet on other days, you're working so hard that you're frying up much too quickly. How do you keep a balance between getting yourself motivated and still not tipping over to the other side?

Some days seem to start not on Monday, but Wednesday. You fully intended to get your planning going, but something got in the way and it looks like the week is slipping away from you. What do you do to arrest this slide? We bring Goldilocks to the rescue—that's what we do. Weird weeks show up all the time, but here's a system that gets you back on the rails. P.S. Here are 21 Articles on Time Management (You can read or listen to the articles)

Most people tend to tell you to be more productive. Sales need to be doubled, you somehow aren't satisfied with the client numbers, and need a lot more. In short, it's this endless race towards a rather nutty goal. Instead, how about a goal that allows you to waste more time? That throws you back to when you were 17 and not constantly trying to earn, learn or hustle your way through life. Productivity is important, but the goal isn't exactly what you're expecting. Let's find more about the real goal of productivity.

It seems illogical to sell just 25 copies of a product when the product is just digital. Isn't it just a PDF, audio or video? Shouldn't we sell as many as we can? On the face of it, this logic of selling less seems seriously flawed. But is it? Find out what did we found when we started selling less instead of selling greater numbers?

Have you ever wondered why people keep buying recipe books? Your grandma had a dozen books, so did your parents, and now, even if you're not such a good cook, you're likely to have a few around the house. There are tens of thousands of recipes in blogs and on YouTube. Even so, there's when yet another recipe book comes out, and there's still a market for it. Why is this the case? The reason is more straightforward than you'd expect because this factor of recipe books doesn't just apply to food. If you've tried to learn a language, you're likely to have gone to a live course, bought several apps and some home study versions of the language. When the next "wonder language program" comes out, you'll still want to try it out. And all of these purchases of books, courses and training don't just apply to beginners. An experienced writer, for example, will evaluate and possibly buy a new writing course or go to a writing event. Why is this the case, and how do you use this information to make your sales page better? P.S. Find the entire Three Month Vacation Podcast Guide here.

Most of us believe we have to start a business. Hence, we get all fancy with business cards and websites. We talk about how we solve problems. And then—then we hear nothing. Clients should be rushing to avail of our products and services, but it's nothing. Why? Because the risk is too high. You and I are unknowns, remember? But what if you created something low-risk. Something low risk for you and just as low-risk for the client? Something like a doorway. Let's find out how you can get your foot in the door, shall we?

Everybody starts off with a plan, but shortly after that plan turns to custard. We should be able to realign ourselves and restart, but restarting seems to be extremely difficult. Which is the quickest way to get back on course? That's what we'll find out in this episode.

When I was 13 years old, my parents got involved in a court battle. I was past 40 when the issue was finally resolved. We don't see ourselves wanting to engage in high conflict. Yet, there seems to be no way to avoid the tectonic forces of our world. No matter where you look online or offline, someone is continuously bashing the other side. And often, that chaos spills over into our world. Like it did with my parents. They had no intention of being sieged for over 25 years, and yet that's what happened. Tensions escalate beyond a point, original facts disappear, and conflict becomes a reality. Yet, all conflict isn't destructive. There's a difference between High Conflict and Healthy Conflict. The dangerous kind is when it's "us" vs "them", "good" vs "evil". That kind of conflict bestows arrogance and superiority. It layers on the rage, sometimes even dread. It's a state where almost everyone loses, unlike in Healthy Conflict, where disagreement doesn't soar and serves more as a way to understand each other and improve. "High Conflict" is a book by Amanda Ripley, which kept me reading late at night. Typically, my eyes are on self-shut mode by 10 pm (since I wake up at 4 am), but this book was fascinating. Plus, it tackles a topic that seems to swarm around us both on a personal and a societal level. Is there a way around High Conflict? That's what I set to find out.

The toughest part about creating bonuses is how time-consuming they can be, especially when you want to make them desirable. Yet there is a method of creating extremely desirable bonuses without doing much at all. This is what this episode on " creating bonuses out of thin air" is all about.

It may sound odd, but the bonus is often the tipping point for a client to buy your product or service. And yet, by the time we are done with creating the product or service, we are too tired to work out what the bonus should be. n this episode we look at two methods. —One is a more traditional method called "bundling", well the other is quite unexpected and requires very little work. —A method called "Unbundling". Let's find out how we can use both of these methods, or just one, to create bonuses that are extremely yummy.

We tend to think all is well with the world when no one complains. Yet, most customers rarely complain. Instead, they just walk out of the door, without saying a word. A silent customer is not necessarily an asset. How can you get your customer to be a little more 'noisy'—and why you should start now.

What was the trigger for the Three-Month Vacation?Why do we have workshops at random locations? This is it—the second part in the two-part series of "how all these traditions started".

How did the gold star show up in Psychotactics courses? How did we start sending chocolate across the world? Here is a two-part series on how all of these traditions started.

It's rare that we don't learn lessons from a child. Even so, I think we don't always pay closer attention to what they're saying. My two nieces have taught me a lot. Here are a few nuggets of simple, yet intense wisdom.

Are you pro or anti-vaccine? Are you pro this or anti-that? We seem to be pushed into one camp or the other and we end up getting ourselves in a tight corner. Is there a way to be part of a conversation and still neatly sidestep the argument?

When starting up, it's almost impossible to get clients. Yet, there's a method that's almost fail-proof and gets the client interested in you, right away. What's more, this method not only gets you one job, but has the potential to get you back repeatedly. The big surprise is that it doesn't work just when dealing with new clients, but it works amazingly well with current clients too. Want to get going? Well, here's what the checklist is all about.

The biggest problem with perfection is we feel we have to keep to the job until it's done. As logical as the idea sounds, it's always—yes, always—counterproductive. Instead, there's a method that's far superior, and quicker. Which allows you to reach even higher levels of satisfaction than you'd expect. All of this "perfection" can be achieved by understanding the "coats of paint" system. Ready for a quicker, faster road to "perfection?"

Many books, yes whole books, are dedicated to the pursuit of happiness. And yet, all it takes is a simple mind shift. Happiness isn't something we need to find, as it's something we feel all the time. Which begs the question: Are unhappy people choosing to be sad? Find out how to tap into instant happiness.

In a perfect world, you would be asked a straightforward question, and you'd give the answer that was expected of you. And most of the time, interviews on podcasts, radio or TV can be just as you imagined, or even better. Yet, there are times when the questions are awkward, or worse, boring. What do you do under these circumstances? And there's a third situation too: where you're terrified. All of us, will, at some point need to be in some kind of interview. It might not happen today, but it will occur at some point. When it does, this advice is likely to come in handy.

We often see overwhelm as a nameless, faceless monster. It seems to charge into our lives like some Godzilla and never wants to leave. However, the moment we categorise the concept of overwhelm into sections, we realise we don't have to be powerless. Here's a trip into the three faces of overwhelm and how to beat it—or at least keep it at bay.

Sometimes we need to make big changes to our behaviour. Sometimes, it's just a little tweak. In today's episode we look at three very tiny tweaks that I learned while listening to other podcasts. And yes, you are likely to find good value in these tweaks too.

Do Clickbait Headlines Work? Can a normal headline be just as powerful? Clickbait headlines seem to be designed to get our curiosity. But what makes a clickbait headline so attractive in the first place? And how do we write "normal" headlines that are far superior in getting the attention of the client? Let's find out in the podcast.

When is it beneficial to adopt a contrarian mindset? What does it mean to be a contrarian? What is the concept of contrarianism? Do you know why Tesla is such a big car? Think about it for a second. Tesla Motors only make electric cars. The bigger the car, the heavier it's going to be and the greater the drain on the battery. So why make a big car? Let's find out.

Which product should you pre-sell?Should it be the $20 product or the $2000 one? Let's find out what's involved and how you can systematically manage your pre-sell. Stage 1: Which products are the most important? Which are not? Stage 2: Have we created a "separate section" for each of the vital products/services?Stage 3: How can we create urgency and scarcity?

What is a mastermind mindset? How does a mastermind group work for courses, workshop and membership sites? When we think of a mastermind mindset, we tend to isolate the ideas to a group of people. But what if you could use the very same concepts in online courses, workshops and even in membership sites? Here are three steps to powerfully use mastermind concepts across the board in your business.

Learning is odd. It should be logical, even progressive. This is why we feel that we're bad at learning. But if we recognise what's really happening, we can move forward steadily. In this series, we look at three sets of phenomena that I've personally encountered while learning.

You'd think you'd need to be someone great or at least do something wonderful to inspire others. Yet, you're a source of inspiration. How do you inspire? It's remarkably simple —and here's a short piece on how you need to go about it.

We often go looking for a magical solution to help us write. And yet the magic is often found in the ordinary. How can seemingly repetitive advice help you become a consistently good writer? Let's find out

When someone asks you what you do, what do you say? People tend to give a top-level answer. They say, "I'm a lawyer, a real estate agent, a fitness trainer". And while that information is descriptive, it's also extremely vague. It doesn't necessarily get clients to want to work with you right away and often they're not curious enough to ask for more information. How do you avoid being vague? You do so with the power of subsets. Subsets allow you to be extremely precise and in turn make the client want to know more, thus increasing the chances of working with you. Best of all, creating a subset is easy. Time to figure out how to create a subset and use it to your advantage, eh?