Jeff Goins (@JeffGoins) is the author of a new book titled The Art of Work. In researching the book, Jeff discovered the subject is bigger than a book, and has already moved into creating a movement, branching out to online communities and training to help people find their calling at work and in life.
Our conversation discusses the origins of the The Art of Work, the trouble creative pros face at work, and some of his writing methodologies. Catch up with Jeff on his many social media platforms or via website, GoinsWriter.com.
The Art of Work is available now in print and digital formats (Kindle, ePub, PDF) as well as audiobook. Check out ArtOfWorkBook.com for all info.
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Get The Episode
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, Episode 54 (MP3, 28:45, 14.0 MB)
- Download The Busy Creator Podcast, Episode 54 (OGG, 28:45, 25.4 MB)
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Show Notes & Links
- Your life’s work, a huge topic
“I didn't try to talk about your life's work with authority, I just tried to talk about it with curiosity.”
—Jeff Goins
- Jeff is now a full-time entrepreneur and writer
- The Art of War by Sun Tzu on Amazon and on Audible
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield on Amazon and on Audible
- The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton on Amazon and on Audible
- Todd Henry, author, speaker, and past guest on The Busy Creator Podcast
- Writers writing about writing, aka meta-work
- Many creatives and artists are approaching their work the wrong way — it’s not all about passion
“Vocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world's deep need.”
—Frederick Buechner
“You can only connect the dots looking backwards.”
—Steve Jobs
“You've got to do some dot-collecting before you can do some dot-connecting.”
—Lindsay Katt
“What if hidden in your difficulties are opportunities”
—Jeff Goins
“Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I need to listen to my life telling me who I am.”
—Parker Palmer
- Jeff studied Spanish and worked as a musician before becoming a marketing copywriter within a non-profit (naturally.)
- Prescott hates the phrase “side hustle”
- 87% of the world’s workers are disengaged from work, according to Gallup
- Making money from blogs first seemed to Jeff like “catching a Unicorn”
- TribeWriters, Jeff’s first course which grew from his first eBook
- Forbes predicts “by 2020 over 50% of the US Workforce will be freelance”
- Jeff tries to [only] write 500 words per day, but consistently
- Jeff Goins on Twitter
- Jeff Goins on Facebook
- Jeff Goins on Instagram
- The Portfolio Life w/Jeff Goins on SoundCloud
- Jeff Goins on YouTube
Tools
- Notebooks
- Evernote
Techniques
- Listen to your life, look for themes and threads
- Don’t “take a leap”, instead “build a bridge” to your next role or job
- Do an “internal pivot”, find a new scope of work in your current organisation or help create a new department
- Change the way you’re approaching today’s work in preparation for what’s to come
- Listen to your body (pain, rashes, etc.)
- Use teaching to make an impact, connect with community
- Use the Three-Bucket Method (Notes/Ideas, Drafts, Edits) to write a book
- Use the Five-Draft Method to go from manuscript to completed work
Habits
- Take your ideas “up” rather than kvetching to co-workers who can’t make changes
- Use your “byproducts” — your blog posts and speeches can become a book if the ideas are sound
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