Producing a list what you want to ship is a lot easier. These are promises to yourself what you are going to do. Plans.

I know planning is good, because it will help you to accomplish the tasks on the list. On the other hand it is just a plan. A lot can happen, a lot of things can happen why you really can not make the plan. And the only thing that really counts is shipping. Doing.

What may help is publishing the plan in public, like on your blog or so. This way you have a commitment to your followers.
Did you make a plan for 2011? I know you did. Want to share it?

OK, I will go first.
Let me share the thing that I am already working on.
This is my blogging schedule:

• Monday: 1 post ernohannink.nl (Dutch)
• Tuesday: 1 post ernohannink.com (English), 1 post onlinesucces.nl
• Wednesday: 1 post ernohannink.nl (Dutch), 1 guest post English
• Thursday: 1 post ernohannink.com (English), 1 guest post English
• Friday: 1 post ernohannink.nl (Dutch), book writing
• Saturday: soccer time
• Sunday: 1 post ernohannink.nl (Dutch), 1 post ernohannink.com (English)

This is way more planned than last year. And by having this list here, for you to see, it will be more difficult for me to deviate.

Why is shipping so scary?
Plans in your head or on paper, are just that, plans. Actions that sound great. Results that look fantastic. You can already picture the success.
But what if?
What if, people don’t like the result? They liked the plan, but the result that can be different.
What if, people laugh?
What if… it fails?

Resistance
That is the lizard brain inside your head talking to you. The lizard brain (the amygdala) that knows only some basic reactions because it is the oldest part in our brain. The part that was there first way back in time.

The lizard is a physical part of your brain, the pre-historic lump near the brain stem that is responsible for fear and rage and reproductive drive.

it is fear, sex, hunger, etc. Especially fear.
In Linchip, Seth calls it resistance. You have to mindfully push through the resistance. Pretend everything you are writing is a draft.
When you have reached the deadline, Ship even when it is not done. Because it will never be done.

You can find Seth’s book here: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? How to Drive Your Career and Create a Remarkable Future (aff)

So, you will help me to get my shipping done. Let me now help you.
Publish the task that you want to accomplish in 2011 and include the deadline in the comments or your blog and add a trackback. This way the readers of this article and comments will help you to ship.

This post is not done, but I will publish it anyway, because it is in my schedule and I started writing about it. It is not done. Wait, it needs more…. Let me read it again…

Publish.

Post from: Erno Hannink feel free to use the content but give credit to the writer (CC BY/SA)

Shipping is a lot of fun (and scary)

Thinking, preparing, planning all great things to do for a new project, but in the end it doens’t help you if you don’t execute. You need to release the product, new service. You need to ship.

It is a great book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? How to Drive Your Career and Create a Remarkable Future (aff)

OK, so without further ado, here is my shipping list:

• Social Media Event 2010 – it was different this year but gave good inspiration for 2011
• Handing out Awards for Best Dutch Small Business Blog: Schrijvenvoorinternet.nl and the Dutch Social Media Star: Anna-Maria Giannattasio
• sold out WordCampNL
• my new company Hannink Online Media was born
• many articles published on Facebook
• Spoke in a panel at SOBCon 2010 in Chicago
• 9 events for Social Media Club’s in Amsterdam
• 17 video-interviews for RegioZzp
• released English version of the free 30 minutes of Attracting Clients
• produced and done Workshops Laat de klant naar jou komen and Geef jezelf een Gezicht op Facebook
• Giving (paid) presentations on getting clients via internet for independent professionals
• produced new websites for clients

In 2010 I have spend a fair amount of writing on 2 new books that did not ship yet, so it doesn’t count on this list. But it will be on next year’s list

Seth is correct it is pretty difficult to produce the list. Being bussy all the time and not ship doesn’t count. Only projects that shipped are important and that makes the list short and difficult.

It is the lizard brain that stops me from shiping on many things. Want to know what I mean with that? Read the book, Picking your niche next year or Linchpin

So, what did you ship in 2010. Share below or on your blog and leave a link here.

Post from: Erno Hannink feel free to use the content but give credit to the writer (CC BY/SA)

Year in review – What did you ship in 2010?

Interview Seth Godin on b2b marketing from Ingrid Tappin on Vimeo.

In the video he explains why a company should blog. Why Seth has no comments on his blog and why he is not using Twitter. All very valid and interesting reasons. Where so many of us just do what we are supposed to do: “Be on Twitter” “Be on Facebook”. Seth thinks about the advantages and disadvantages, “Do I want to spend time here?” and then comes to a decision.

Also they talk about his latest book Linchpin that has nothing to do with marketing. Very interesting espacially when you work at an organisation. The chapters about Thinking about your choice, The resistance and Making the Choice.

via MarketingFacts

Post from: Erno Hannink feel free to use the content but give credit to the writer (CC BY/SA)

Why you should blog and become remarkable – Seth Godin