These days most entrepreneurs are blogging (if not, why not?) and all business owners regularly have to write other significant *stuff*. Just the other day, I helped a client write a job advertisement (using psychological tricks) to attract super-awesome candidates, for example.

Writing is important. It’s one of the most significant and common “acts of business” we have to perform. We all have varying levels of skill as writers, but we can learn better strategies at any point.

Despite the importance of writing and despite the ease of up-skilling, hardly anyone knows how to get in the zone to produce top quality written material. This is about having the state of creativity (or productivity, or whatever is relevant) on tap… ready to go, when ever you need it.

Sound like a skill you’d like to master? Use these 7 Psychological tips to flip the switch and turn on top-notch writing at will:

1. Find your ritual

Everyone has a ritual, like a set of emotional anchors, for accessing the perfect writing state (where things just flow). All good athletes have a ritual for getting in the zone – sometimes as simple as a quick bounce of the tennis ball, for good luck. Everyone who writes has a ritual for writing performance, but most people are not aware of them.

Have a think about last time you wrote in that perfect way… and remember the little things you did (environmentally and behaviorally) right before you got started. Find your ritual.

2. Have a clear outcome

So many people start of writing projects (especially the more creative ones, like blogging) without a clear outcome in mind. Then, they start deleting whole paragraphs saying “what rubbish!”.

The question is, how are you measuring what “good writing” looks like? What is your intention behind writing this piece? What would it look like, when finished? How would the reader respond?

These are all questions that clarify your outcome. It’s much easier to write successfully, when you know where you’re headed.

3. Find a creative environment

This one is simple and probably eye-rolling obvious. Thing is, few people understand the significance of the psychological implications of a bad writing environment.

If you tried to get good writing done at, say, a nightclub… imagine your mental state! Your unconscious mind anchors certain states and behaviors to specific environments. Therefor, having a special, reserved “creative space” is useful… and, attempting writing in regular, everyday environments will tend to focus you on everyday, distracts thoughts.

4. Get inspired by awesomeness

Want a shortcut to getting in that hyper-effective state? Go read something written by a genius.

Chances are they were in that “zone” when they wrote it and that’ll come through, between the lines. Your brain will pay attention and vicariously feed off the creativity of others.

5. Clear your head

Don’t try and transition from filing your taxes (or hanging out on twitter) direct to working on some creative project. Take a 4 minute break to just sit and be. Clear your head and then bring a decent game-face (and mind) to your writing.

6. Write at the right time

Inspiration, creativity and motivation tend to naturally ebb and flow. For me, it probably has more to do with my blood sugar than I’d like to admit.

Seize the day and write when your brain wants you to write. Disclaimer: Don’t write and drive.

7. Create your state

Above all, recognise that great writing isn’t dependent on some mysterious, external force. Your state, above all else, is what will determine the quality of your writing. We’re talking emotional state-of-mind. Your state is yours and yours alone. It is up to you to maintain it. After all, who else would you want to be responsible for your state?

When you own your state, great writing can happen whenever you want it to.

What do you think? How do you get in the zone for writing?

The term “Lizard Brain” has been thrown around the blogosphere a whole bunch lately thanks to Seth Godin’s phenomenal new book Linchpin.

I first heard the term from international direct response marketing legend John Carlton, who has also been harping on and on about Lizard Brain Fear (and why entrepreneurs must overcome it) for years.

From a psychological point of view, Lizard Brain Fear is a fight or flight reaction sent by the most ancient part of our brain.

The reaction tends to pop up when we attempt to do something extraordinary…. in business or life.

Protection in the jungle:

In an effort to protect us from the dangerous predators of ancient times, the Lizard Brain pumps us full of fear as we attempt to leave our comfort zone. For us entrepreneurs, leaving our comfort zone can (and should) be a daily occurrence!

“Leaving our comfort zone” used to mean leaving the safety of our caves. In a dangerous jungle, Lizard Brain reactions were not just appropriate, but mighty useful.

In the concrete jungle of today, Lizard Brain Fear is seldom warranted or helpful.

Seth Godin’s big message (for Linchpins and entrepreneurs) is to feel the fear and do it anyway.

I want to take things once step further with a practical technique for understanding and overcoming Lizard Brain Fear.

Step 1: Identify what it is, specifically, that scares you

Fear only ever has one meaning; that there is an upcoming situation you need to prepare for in some way. Whether you’re facing a tiger in the jungle, or your first ever sales presentation, this is true.

Identify the message your Lizard Brain is attempting to send you by getting clear on what you’re afraid of.

Step 2: Acknowledge the Lizard Brain’s ultimate intention

Every part of you, Lizard Brain included, is doing the best it can to move you towards you goals. The confusing part is the incongruity of you consciously wanting to take action, be extraordinary and win success… while your Lizard Brain is pulling you towards safety and the security of inaction.

Acknowledge and respect the Lizard Brain’s intention by asking yourself what it’s ultimate purpose could be. You’ll soon figure out that it simply wants you to be safe, so that you can relax, be comfortable and be happy.

Step 3: Reassure your Lizard Brain that your intentions are aligned

Ask yourself why you desire your big goals. It’ll be for success, freedom, wealth and happiness.

The key here is that both you and your Lizard Brain want the same thing (happiness) – you just have different ways of doing it. Reassure that fearful part of you by reminding it of your highest possible intention for yourself (happiness).

How can that old internal conflict exist when both you and your Lizard Brain want the same thing? That’s right….

Step 4: Flip the equation

Ask your lizard brain how it would feel if, in 5, 10 or 20 years you hadn’t progressed towards your big goals. Imagine giving in to your old Lizard Brain fears, permanently, then waking up in 20 years to realise what you’d done.

Turn the fear equation on it’s head by having your Lizard focus on the disastrous consequences of always settling on what is safe.

Have it really feel the fear.

FINAL STEP: Take action

Go do the thing that used to scare you most.

Questions, queries or reports of breakthrough successes? Post a comment below and I’ll help you out implementing this technique!

This is the final instalment in a series of articles on Sales Management – for people managing their own sales (every entrepreneur is), corporate team leaders or anyone in between.

So far, I’ve revealed an outline, covering off the essential steps: Great Beliefs, Reasons to Act, Outcome Clarity and Wilful Action.

The total acronym (for memory-ease) looks like this: GROWS

The S stands for “Skills” and it comes last because sales skills are not important.

At least, they’re the least important part of the formula.

The reasoning is simple: When you can check off the GROW part of the formula, you’ll find it easy to knock on the door, pick up the phone and/or ask for the money.

Sneaky sales skills and Jedi brainwashing techniques are only desired by folks without Great Beliefs. I’m talking about salespeople who know, deep down, that their product is shitty and their customers are suckers.

Motivational seminars and tape-sets are necessary for sales people who don’t have enough genuine “Reasons to Act”… Why should motivation be difficult?! It doesn’t have to be.

If you can master the first four steps of the formula, all that Outcome Clarity and Wilful Action will equip you with the sales skills you need.

IT architecture systems sales people (I know some read this blog) will be waving their hands in the air, screaming “What about product knowledge?!”

It’s true – knowing your product is critical. I’d like to think it’s the one “skill” that goes without saying.

Conclusion:

Master the GROW and Skills will follow.

The GROWS formula guarantees your business (or your commission check) massive growth.

If you’re a salesperson or sales manager, it’s time to put this stuff into action.

Here’s to 2010 being your best year yet.

(Click here to read the “Formula for Super Effective Sales Management” from the start)

I’ve got a fantastic idea for my business. I bet you’ve got a couple too.

My idea is a stroke of marketing genius that could help me have fun connecting with a bunch of new clients… and earn a pile of well-deserved cash, quickly and easily.

… So today I got started on it by checking all my favourite news sites, making a snack and catching up with an old friend on the phone. Then it felt like I deserved to watch a little television.

Suddenly, what’s left of the day has gone. Business hours are over. As I drove home, I told myself I’ll get stuck in tomorrow, after a relaxing evening and a good nights sleep.

The Self Sabotage monster strikes again!

This article uncovers the psychology of self sabotage and gives you practical tips on how best to overcome it…

Does this sound familiar?

If you’ve ever worked for yourself (or, let’s face it, for someone else) you probably know what it feels like to get stuck in a self sabotage cycle.

For me, it always meant coming to the end of the day feeling really fired up and motivated for tomorrow… but waking up only to procrastinate again.

At a psychological level, this kind of self sabotage could also be described as “motivation in hindsight”… since we struggle to take action in the moment, but also regretfully look back on all the wasted hours.

In my experience as a consultant (across different industries), it seems that this particular brand of motivational dysfunction is especially common among biz owners and the self employed.

The lizard brain explains it all

Outside of our conscious awareness, there is a mental program running which makes this illogical sabotage suddenly make sense.

As entrepreneurs, most of the activities we regularly procrastinate (via self sabotage) are the significant, high impact tasks… like my marketing idea… or any sales stuff you’ve been putting off.

The tasks are significant and high impact because they help our businesses grow in leaps and bounds. Successfully achieving these tasks is what makes us entrepreneurs and enables us to remain happily unemployable.

Taking action on these tasks means leaving our comfort zone. It’s scary – and our lizard brain understands this and makes sure we know it.

We ask questions like:

“But what if my attempt fails?”

“What if they laugh at me?”

“What if they hang up the phone in my face?”

It’s really fear that causes entrepreneurs to sabotage themselves with procrastination.

Employees don’t suffer from this as much, simply because the impact of failing is not so huge. Plus, few employees are required to complete tasks far outside their comfort zone.

Want the secret to winning big in business?

Overcoming self sabotage is what separates the mega-successful entrepreneurs from the wannabes.

Growing a business takes bravery and a commitment to action, in the face of fear and anxiety.

If everyone could take game-changing action (make the cold calls, do the presentation, publish the sales-letter etc) then everyone would be an entrepreneur.

Loads of people try to make it big with their own business, but the few who are truly successful (in terms of freedom, wealth and global impact) are the ones who overcome self sabotage by realising what it truly is:

Fear of failure

Here are a few tips for mentally reprogramming your lizard-brain to eliminate crippling fear.

These are all field tested on my real-world clients and are proven winners. Use any or all of these techniques to destroy the hidden fears that cause self sabotage.

1. Outcome clarity (like “The Secret” – only practical)

Create a clear, visual image in your mind of what “success” looks like for your procrastinated task.

Most self-sabotage begins by people unconsciously making images of failure in their mind (this is where the fear comes from).

Counter-act this useless mental habit by taking 5 minutes to visualise a sparkly, colourful image of success. Pick the exact moment in the future you’ll want to celebrate the most, then turn it into a gorgeous poster in your mind.

Feel the feelings and live the experience internally… then take immediate action to turn the vision into a reality.

2. Task chunking (baby steps… even a baby could do!)

Many of my previous clients got hung up trying to do everything perfectly, all at once. A project like launching a new website would quickly dissolve into an enormous, overwhelming mess.

Chunking tasks into minute, manageable steps enables you to commit to taking small actions. Importantly, you can also congratulate yourself for every completed step along the way.

“Build a website” turns into “Meet with a graphic designer, write the home page copy, pick a great hosting company” etc etc.

Less scary – more doable.

3. Disaster planning (know what failure REALLY means)

Ironically, this technique is the total opposite of my first suggestion. The contraction doesn’t bother me though, because I know that it’s possible to do both:

Give yourself a reality check by answering the question “Whats the worst thing that could happen here?”

Even if you’re gambling your children’s college fund on something, the worst case scenario is usually not even close to real apocalypse.

Work out what total failure would mean, then quickly brainstorm ideas to mitigate this.

By shedding light on the real risks involved in business, we destroy our brains ability to turn those risks into enormous bogeymen.

Use this technique once, then quickly move on to positive thinking and action.

What other techniques do you use to overcome self-sabotage? Let’s expand this list (with your help) in the comment section below…