Meet Kathy Carlton Willis

I thought Kathy had some great advice...I totally agree with her about outsourcing! I have found that by hiring a virtual assistant and having someone come in to cook and clean a few times a week, I'm freed up to write, write, write!

Take it away Kathy...

Many are surprised I spin as many plates as I do. They advise me to let some drop. But the thing is, each one allows me to do the others better. I learned to face it a long time ago that I just love fiddling with words, whether it is writing, editing, speaking, publicity or other. So that's why I started Kathy Carlton Willis Communications...it lets me spin all those plates at once.

That said, there are many things I've learned to stop doing-or say "no" to doing:

+ I no longer have the Superwoman complex. I don't HAVE to do all things, I just need to do what I do WELL. This has really freed me from the expectations I used to have on myself, and freed me from the guilt trips others tried to place on me.

+ I don't shop as often as many women do (groceries or other). By limiting the amount of shopping I do, and streamlining it, I'm not behind a cart...I'm
behind the computer.

+ I set mini-goals and I don't check e-mail until I check off a task. Otherwise, I can rabbit track all day long and not have anything accomplished. Interruptions disrupt creative processing, whether it is writing, editing, pitching angles for PR, or whatever. By allowing myself to focus on the task at hand, I have better quality control, and it gets done in a more timely manner. THEN I check e-mail before going on to the next task. Same thing for answering the phone. I check caller ID and if it isn't a business call, I don't take the call. I allow them to use my voice mail if I'm in the middle of a task. I live in a parsonage, and so this is an important one. The church members are learning that my husband loves to take calls from them; they do not have to call me at home to take a message for him!

+ I delegate to others what I don't have to do. I have part-time or by-the-project help: a virtual assistant, an in-town assistant, a housecleaner and an accountant. I don't have to know how to do math to know it's better to pay someone else less per hour so that I can make more per hour on a different project. I don't have to be the one stuffing envelopes, which frees me to more
creative thinking for my projects.

+ I'm a pastor's wife, and I serve in a variety of capacities at church, but I don't allow myself to be buried by the "ought to" mentality many try to place on PWs. I know what I'm called to do, and my God, my husband, and my church welcome me to serve in those capacities, but I "just say no" to chores not a part of my calling, my giftedness, or my schedule. This is a big one. I used to think I had to be at everything and then I realized my husband doesn't come to work with me, and I don't have to go to work with him! I am faithful to church, but I don't have to travel with him to meetings.

This is a great topic!

Kathy Carlton Willis, TWV1 moderator
freelance writer, editor, book doctor, speaker, writer's coach, publicist and
MORE!


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