What’s Up Wednesdays: Late Summer Nights

That’s right! It’s time for the weekly speedlink here on Beyond the Rhetoric. Kicking things off, Jennifer Mattern from All Indie Writers recently interviewed me about freelancing and my book, Beyond the Margins. In the interview, we discuss such topics as what I hope buyers of the book will gain from reading it, how I overcame a particularly nasty freelance writing scam that I experienced, and where to find a consistent source of self-motivation.

Continuing on the topic of books, Marc Smith took some time to highlight the new cookbook by Steffani Cameron. Aptly named Late Summer Nights, it’s a cookbook filled with all sorts of amazing recipes that could be perfect all year round. Expect to create some simple baked fish, easy grilled salads, delectable banana muffins and cocoa-chili pulled pork. And yes, she’s got pictures.

Publishing your own book is a dream for many people. Another dream is to own a bunch of money-making real estate that will continue to generate passive income for years to come. Free Money Finance has a great guide on how to calculate your projected real estate profit should you choose to invest in some rental properties. It is important to work out your net profit and not just your gross income, because there are all sorts of expenses to consider.

You might know my friend Tyler Cruz as a site owner and affiliate marketer, but he has been thinking about transitioning to real estate investing too. He has struggled with staying on task lately, but he “dramatically improved [his] online productivity” using a self-exclusion tool called ColdTurkey. In effect, ColdTurkey blocks distracting sites (like Facebook or YouTube) so you can focus on the things you really should be doing at your computer. The software is buggy, but it is free to use.

If you’re struggling with motivation and productivity, John R. Meese suggests that you implement what he calls the two-minute rule. The fundamental principle is simple: If you could complete a task in two minutes or less, do it now. We all fall into the habit of procrastinating and the two-minute rule addresses that head on. You might also want to stop multitasking, as you’re losing precious seconds and minutes each time you switch between tasks. Stick to one thing and get it done before moving on.