Late in January, in a podcast episode of Straight and Curly, Carly and I were discussing the merits of giving up alcohol for a …
Why rejection sucks so much (and how to deal with it better)
As a writer I deal with rejection on a very regular basis. Story ideas get knocked back. An editor will bluntly say ‘this needs more …
10 great habits you can build around food today
Google sends an absurd amount of traffic to this particular post here on this site every day and as a result, I get a LOT of …
Is podcasting the greatest thing that ever happened to writers?
A year ago someone asked me if I was interested in podcasting and I said, flat out: ‘Nope. Not in the least’. I’m a …
What kind of perfectionist are you?
My next book, Practical Perfection is coming out in February 2016. But I’m just dying to share a little bit of it with you guys, …
How to feel better after an epically crap day
Ah November. You’ve been a bit … crap y’know? Yes, I finished the first draft of Practical Perfection and that was pretty awesome – but …
The really excellent productivity tool I bet you’re not using
Hello there lovely readers – I have some exciting news. The first draft of Practical Perfection is done and now begins the fun part …
5 things you can do to stop feeling directionless when you’re a parent
Hello there! As you know I’m in book writing mode this month so have lined up some special guests for the blog. Today I have the very excellent …
Stop exercising for your body and do it for your head
This is a guest post from Anna Spurling. In it, she shares her experience of using exercise to manage her mental health. This is something I …
Do you think you’re special when it comes to failure?
I’ve been thinking about ‘failure’ a bit lately. I wrote about it here for the Champagne Cartel girls. I wrote about it in Your …
Magic mornings: 6 simple tips for starting your day right
Hands up if your morning is some variation of the below: Wake up, hit the snooze button, hit the snooze button, grudgingly get out …
Life is good, but you’re not happy. What’s the go with that?
When I mentioned just over a week ago that I was going to be running a series of five posts to help people figure out …
Foresight: difficult to benefit from, but worth it when we do
I’ve said before that if there’s one regret I have in life, it’s that it took 18 months and the need to hit absolute …
From inbox disaster to email ninja in 9 easy steps
Are you one of those people who routinely has 3500 unread emails in their inbox? Do you often post about this ruefully on Facebook …
5 easy ways to edit problems out of your life
I’ve always found editing to be the best part of the writing process. It’s a chance to take the words you’ve just vomited onto …
Of all the things we tell ourselves, is this up there with the worst?
So on Monday I listened to this Flying Solo podcast where Robert Gerrish chatted with Leanne Faulkner about her story. Now I know Leanne because I’ve done a …
Hobbies … how much should we spend on them?
“Well blogging doesn’t make me any money right now so I can’t really justify spending any money on it.” I can’t tell you how …
Life is not a meritocracy so it’s time to pick yourself
Since I’m currently at the Problogger conference I think this is a good time to revive this ‘lost in the great server crash of …
Consistency. It’s not very glamorous
Some days I’ve got nothing. No mojo. No motivation. No get up and go. They’re the days where I can’t concentrate, am easily frustrated by …
How to find your passion and purpose in life
If you read this blog regularly it’s not going to be news to you that the main reason we all over-extend ourselves is because …
Why are we so afraid of ‘work’ when it comes to marriage?
Chrissie Swan started an interesting conversation on her Facebook page recently. Is it just me… Or am I only one who doesn’t think relationships/marriage takes ‘work’? …