Jeff Goins (@JeffGoins) is the author of a new book titled The Art of Work. In researching the book, Jeff has realised that 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) and will be available soon as an audiobook. Check out ArtOfWorkBook.com for all info.
 
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
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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
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“You can only connect the dots looking backwards.”
—Steve Jobs
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“You’ve got to do some dot-collecting before you can do some dot-connecting.”
—Lindsay Katt
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“What if hidden in your difficulties are opportunities?”
—Jeff Goins
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“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
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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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Get You Are A Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins as a free audiobook
Get The Episode


Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 54 (MP3, 28:45, 14 MB)
Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 54 (OGG, 28:45, 25.4 MB)


 
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