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9 Tips to Help You Ingrain the Qualities of A Good Writer

9 Tips to Help You Ingrain the Qualities of A Good Writer

List of qualities of a good writer

Having thought of imbibing the qualities of good writing is itself a great start. Finding ways of improvising is the must-have caliber. With a great start, you all should be aware of a few basic pointers that will assist you in honing your writing.

“Writing is a simple task that anyone can win,” do you agree with this statement? If you do, please accept my apologies my friends; you may be mistaken. When people actually sit down to write down their thoughts, they fall blank. Have you had a similar experience? Maybe!

Even when writing, numerous thoughts come to mind, whether this is important or not. Is it true that I’m a good writer or not? Do I possess the qualities of a good writer? And so forth. Every good writer has craftsmanship that ameliorates their written pieces into a prominent one. Good writing is not an inborn talent. It’s a consistent and deliberate effort of an author that adds a “good” before “writer”.

So, what can be done in order to have the level of understanding and craftsmanship that a writer should have? It requires a continual effort and a lot of patience to ingrain the qualities of a good writer. Be prepared to adopt the basic yet effective methods that will help you become a better writer.

#What Do Good Writers Do?

What Do Good Writers Do?

A good writer produces good writing, that much is obvious. But there’s more to being a good writer than just making the words flow together smoothly. Below are some of the most important things good writers do on a regular basis.

The best writers write to be understood. They construct text for their audience and tailor every single line and sentence to their eyes. Complex topic designed for professionals? Break out the big vocabulary. Web writing about art supplies? Stay informal, stay fun. Good writers do this automatically when intuition allows, and study up on their target audience’s particular manner of speech when it doesn’t.

There are a lot of rules to writing, especially in English. Don’t end a sentence with a preposition. Don’t use the same word twice in close proximity. Restrict your adjectives to an absolute minimum. And don’t start a sentence with the word “and” (haha!).

Good writers know these rules are often important for being understood. They also know the perfect time to break those rules to make a connection with the reader. Grammar and punctuation play an important role in writing, but they aren’t the ultimate factors in winning your audience’s engagement.

Top-tier writers can gab on about any number of topics with a reasonable level of proficiency. But the best writers write about topics they’re already familiar with, and they write in their own voice. This one-two punch makes it easy to connect with like-minded folk and produces some of the best pieces of writing around.

What’s worse than writing the same type of content over and over again for months at a time? Well, nothing, really. Good writers know that rehashing what has already been said doesn’t do much in the way of attracting new readers. Instead, they take chances, they’re bold and imaginative. Sometimes those risks fall short of success, but when they land, they hit the target spot-on.

The best types of writing focus on one or two key issues. They don’t jump from topic to topic, they stick with the thesis and carry it through to the end. Writers who produce this type of content are generally focused themselves, though don’t be surprised if a scattered wordsmith creates pristine content from time to time.

Do you need a 417-word article discussing the pros and cons of at-home paint mixing, making sure to mention DIY car repair at least twice? A good writer can pull that off, and they can do it while adhering to all of the above criteria, too.

The most overlooked factor of what makes a writer “good” is consistency. Anyone who has written something in their life can work hard and create a respectable piece of writing. But can they do that twice a day, every day, for the duration of their contract?

A Guide to Becoming a Better Writer: 15 Practical Tips

A Guide to Becoming a Better Writer: 15 Practical Tips

If you’ve always dreamed of being the next Hemingway or Vonnegut (or even Grisham), or perhaps if you just want to write better essays for school or posts for your blog … you need to sharpen those writing skills.

It takes hard work. But it’s worth the effort. And if it seems like an insurmountable task, there are some concrete things you can do today that will get you on the road to improvement.

Personally, I’ve been a fiction, newspaper, magazine and blog writer for 17 years now, writing for a variety of publications … and I’m still trying to improve. Every writer can get better, and no writer is perfect. I think I’ve grown tremendously as a writer over the last couple of decades, but it has been a painful journey. Let me share some of what I’ve learned.

No matter what level of writer you are, there should be a suggestion or twelve here that will help.

1. Read great writers. This may sound obvious, but it has to be said. This is the place to start. If you don’t read great writing, you won’t know how to do it. Everyone starts by learning from the masters, by emulating them, and then through them, you find your own voice. Read a lot. As much as possible. Pay close attention to style and mechanics in addition to content.

2. Write a lot. Try to write every day, or multiple times a day if possible. The more you write, the better you’ll get. Writing is a skill, and like any other skill, you have to practice it to get better. Write stuff for yourself, write for a blog, write for other publications. Write just to write, and have a blast doing it. It gets easier after awhile if you practice a lot.

3. Write down ideas, all the time. Keep a little notebook handy (Nabokov carried around index cards) and write down ideas for stories or articles or novels or characters. Write down snippets of conversation that you hear. Write down plot twists and visual details and fragments of song lyrics or poems that move you. Having these ideas written down helps, because they can inspire you or actually go directly into your writing. I like to keep a list of post ideas for my blog, and I continually add to it.

4. Create a writing ritual. Find a certain time of day when you can write without interruptions, and make it a routine. For me, mornings work best, but others might find lunch or evenings or midnight hours the best. Whatever works for you, make it a must-do thing every single day. Write for at least 30 minutes, but an hour is even better. If you’re a full-time writer, you’ll need to write for several hours a day, as I do. But don’t worry! It helps you get better.

5. Just write. If you’ve got blank paper or a blank screen staring at you, it can be intimidating. You might be tempted to go check your email or get a snack. Well, don’t even think about it, mister. Just start writing. Start typing away — it doesn’t matter what you write — and get the fingers moving. Once you get going, you get in the flow of things, and it gets easier. I like to start out by typing things like my name or a headline or something easy like that, and then the juices start flowing and stuff just pours out of me. But the key is to just get going.

6. Eliminate distractions. Writing does not work well with multi-tasking or background noise. It’s best done in quiet, or with some mellow music playing. Do your writing with a minimal writer like WriteRoom or DarkRoom or Writer, and do it in full-screen. Turn off email or IM notifications, turn off the phone and your cell phone, turn off the TV, and clear off your desk … you can stuff everything in a drawer for now until you have time to sort everything out later … but don’t get into sorting mode now, because it’s writing time! Clear away distractions so you can work without interruption.

7. Plan, then write. This may sound contradictory to the above “just write” tip, but it’s not really. I find it useful to do my planning or pre-writing thinking before I sit down to write. I’ll think about it during my daily run, or walk around for a bit to brainstorm, then write things down and do an outline if necessary. Then, when I’m ready, I can sit down and just crank out the text. The thinking’s already been done. For a great method for planning out a novel, see the Snowflake Method.

8. Experiment. Just because you want to emulate the great writers doesn’t mean you have to be exactly like them. Try out new things. Steal bits from other people. Experiment with your style, your voice, your mechanics, your themes. Try out new words. Invent new words. Experimentalize everything. And see what works, and toss out what doesn’t.

Source:

https://iimskills.com/qualities-of-a-good-writer/
https://www.presslabs.com/how-to/good-writer/
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/a-guide-to-becoming-a-better-writer-15-practical-tips.html

Time management skills

Only a few are really complete (for example GTD is one of those, but in practice, people more often compose their own system from a few techniques that suit their personality most. With more than 50 time management techniques available, the selection is huge.

Time Management Skills

Time-Management Skills: Definition, Examples and Tips for Improvement

Being able to manage your time effectively can help you improve your productivity. Excellent time-management skills assist you to plan your daily workload and prepare for meetings. These skills also allow you to complete your deliverables on time. In this article, we define time-management skills, give examples of time-management skills, explain why they are important and discuss how to improve your time-management skills.

Time-management skills are the skills that help you organise your time effectively to be more productive. Learning to manage your time effectively will benefit your career as time-management skills are useful transferable skills that apply in any job. Time-management skills include:

Planning

Planning is a fundamental component of time-management since it helps you identify and plan your daily tasks, prepare for meetings and keep to your schedule. Planning also includes creating work plans to meet deadlines. For example, if you have to draft a research paper, you need to plan the distinct steps you need to complete the paper. These steps may include determining the research topic, deciding on the methods for gathering and analysing information, drafting the document and circulating it to your colleagues for input, before submitting it to your manager for review and sign-off.

Prioritisation

Prioritisation is part of the planning process. It involves assessing each of your tasks to determine their importance. Once you have identified these important tasks, you need to plan how you will spend your working hours making progress with these tasks. Prioritisation can also include saying no to additional work requests if you don’t have the time to fit them into your schedule.

Maintaining boundaries

Your time is your most precious resource. Learning to say no is a challenging skill to develop, as we always strive to maintain positive relationships with colleagues. Saying no is a critical time-management skill aimed at protecting your time. You will become more comfortable saying no if you practise it first. It is best to start declining small requests to build your confidence before you decline involvement with larger work requests that would impose significantly on your time.

Organisation

Good organisational skills support good planning. Organisational skills include scheduling appointments, updating your calendar frequently, filing documents effectively and taking detailed notes during meetings. Being well-organised makes it easier to find documentation when you need it.

Communication

Strong communication skills refer to verbal and written communication. Effective communication skills can help you explain your timelines and other expectations to your colleagues. This will allow your colleagues to align the completion of their tasks for supporting your timelines and expectations.

Delegation

Being able to delegate less critical tasks will help you focus on the urgent tasks required to complete your deliverables. Learning to delegate takes time. It is crucial to identify the right person to delegate tasks to. If you learn well, you can assign tasks to experts who can perform a particular task better and quicker than you could have done.

Stress management

Being able to manage your stress levels can help you remain motivated and perform at a high level. Taking regular breaks, exercising and meditating can help you relax and focus on maintaining your physical and mental health during stressful periods.

Self-discipline

Good time-management requires self-discipline. Self-discipline helps you deal with procrastination and distractions. Once you have created a work plan with priority tasks, you need to discipline yourself to keep focusing on these priorities until they are complete.

Skills are closely interlaced with techniques

A proper technique can guide you through acquiring a new skill or shows how to put a certain skill to practice in the best possible way. A proper technique or best practice recommends the right set of procedures and methods to follow and which tools to use.

Now that we know the important difference between time management skills, techniques, tools and personality traits, let’s analyze the core time management skills and how to acquire them. The five most important time management skills are:

How to create a
productive & organized
working place, where people
love to perform

The full list of time management skills

There are many other important skills when it comes to time management. We have put together a more comprehensive list of time management skills, so you can make a self-assessment of which skills you need to still develop to become really good at time management.

Asking for help – Sometimes when you get stuck, overwhelmed or there’s no way to outsource, your only option might be to ask for help. Some people find asking for help humiliating,and see it as a sign of not being good enough. But there’s nothing really wrong with asking for help. Actually, it’s more of a sign of strength than weakness.

Automating tasks – Wit hall the technology, there are many options for task automation, especially when it comes to email and social media management. Explore services like IFTTT and Zapier for more information on how to automate tasks.

Batching – There are many things you can batch together to become more productive. Types of tasks, meeting locations, telephone calls (you may use call handling services) etc. Batching can be a good antidote to multitasking and a great way to improve your productivity.

Clarity – Being confused or lost is a big enemy of progress and using your time productively. It means you are stuck and not moving forward. Having a very clear perspective of what you want and how you will get there is the core enabler of good time management.

Completion – Many people have difficulties actually completing a task. They complete a task to 90 % or even more, and then they have an emotional block preventing them from crossing the finish line. You definitely need to know how to get past such a burden.

Coping skills / Stress management – In a complex and stressful environment, you need to stay focused, sharp and immune to many outside distractions. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, you need to develop good coping skills. That includes capabilities such as overcoming stress and dealing with difficult people.

Creating routines – Our brains love routines and patterns. We see patterns even where there are none. But the good news is that when you get used to a routine, it takes almost no effort to follow it. Consequently, routines are a very important part of the time management. Your time management system should consist of a set of routines. For example, every morning you can write down the three most important tasks for the day. It’s a simple routine that can skyrocket your productivity. As an interesting fact: it usually takes 1 to 2 months to get used to a new routine.

Discipline / Beating procrastination – Discipline means that you do something whether you like it or not. It takes discipline to start a task, it takes discipline to follow through with the task, and it takes discipline to finish it. It also takes discipline to beat procrastination and to get things done.

Staying flexible – In reality, things never go according to plan. That means you have to stay flexible to maximize your output in any given situation. As we said, planning is really important, but then you have to stay flexible about how your goals will be achieved.

Focusing / Avoiding multitasking – Multitasking is a big enemy of good time management. Of course, there are times when you have to juggle several things at once, but in general, good time management skills require the mental capabilities to focus on one thing and get it done.

Goal setting – The better you know the direction for where you want to be, the better you can outline your strategy and tasks that need to be performed to achieve the set goals. In other words, your most important tasks are always closely connected to your life and business goals. If you don’t have clear goals in your life, there’s almost no need for time management.

Getting in the flow – “Flow” is one of the most productive states you can be in. You forget about everything and just create and deliver. If you want to get into the flow, you have to work in peace on a challenging task, while being empowered by intrinsic motivation.

Organizing things, including lists and notes – An important part of time management is organizing yourself and your environment in a productive way. That includes having a clean desk, a system for filing, note-taking, making and following checklists, and so on.

Problem-solving – When you work on your tasks, problems always arise. Your job is not to dwell on these problems, but to tackle them and solve them in the most efficient way. Never waste time.

Punctuality – If you are not on time, you are late. How could you be good at time management, if you’re always late. Being late is often a clear sign that you don’t have control over your time. A messy desk can be such an indicator, for example.

Authorship:

https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/time-management-skills
https://www.spica.com/blog/time-management-skills#:~:text=Time%20Management%20Skills%20-%205%20skills%20that%20the,wakes%20up%20the%20need%20for%20a%20coherent
https://www.spica.com/blog/time-management-skills
Time management skills

If this seems counterintuitive – it isn’t. The world’s most successful people know the importance of self-care . Warren Buffett plays bridge and practices ukulele in his spare time. Oprah Winfrey meditates. Simon Cowell climbs trees and watches cartoons! The point is, sometimes the best thing you can do is give your brain a break from the task at hand.

Aleksandra Makal

Time Management Skills: Definition and Examples

Time management is the method of planning and balancing your time between different activities. Good time management helps you to complete a given task in a specific time frame amidst challenges and tight schedules. When you manage your schedule and deadlines, strong time management skills help you better your reputation and move ahead in the workplace.

Time management skills are those that help you use your time effectively and achieve desired results. Time management skills can help you allocate your time properly and accomplish tasks efficiently. Some of the most important skills related to successful time management skills include:

Organisation

Staying organised helps you to keep track of your responsibilities and priorities, like what you need to do first and when to do the rest of it. An organised list of tasks acts as a map to guide you from morning to evening and helps increase your productivity. A well-organised plan helps you break down large goals into smaller, easily achievable tasks and enables you to complete those tasks on time.

Prioritisation

Prioritisation is the key to successful time management. When you prioritise your daily tasks, you ensure that you will complete the important tasks first. Write down every single task starting with the top priority. For instance, you can break down your tasks as the following:

Goal setting

Goal setting is the process of defining your aims and objectives with a certain plan to help you achieve the set goals. Setting goals is a key step in excelling as a professional. Without goals, you may find it challenging to complete your tasks in a well-organised manner. Setting both short- and long-term goals can lead to success in your career. An example of a short-term goal may be to increase sales in your department by 40%. A long-term goal could be something like completing law school or starting your own business.

Communication

Communication skills are a major component of success in life. Effective communication promotes trust and makes your plans and goals clear to people you work with. It plays a crucial role in resolving conflicts and preventing potential conflict situations. Strong communication helps you delegate more work, which lets you focus more on the important tasks

Planning

Planning is the core of time management. With a proper plan, you can prioritise your tasks accordingly, which can help avoid confusion and unnecessary stress. A planned work schedule helps you complete the tasks in the given time frame. For example, a plan for a project manager might include ordering supplies, scheduling labour, acquiring the proper permits and so on.

Delegation

It is an important process to manage multiple tasks satisfactorily. While managing a project, you can delegate some of the tasks to your subordinates. This will help in reducing your workload so that you can focus more on important tasks, such as planning, business analysis and others.

Stress management

Positively handling stress keeps you motivated and helps you complete tasks at the scheduled time against all adversities. Exercise, yoga or having snacks during breaks can help you reduce stress. In fact, including stress-relieving activities or self-care rituals into your daily schedule can positively impact your productivity on work-related tasks throughout the day.

Flexibility

It’s vital that you maintain some flexibility in your schedule. Often, a task will take longer than you expect or your supervisor will give you a priority task you weren’t expecting. Clearly note in your daily schedule where you have space to adjust in preparation for last-minute changes.

How to improve time management

Have you ever found yourself using the phrase, “There just aren’t enough hours in the day”? Everyone feels this way from time to time, whether you’re a working parent, busy entrepreneur , student or any other human in our fast-paced world. Now think about it this way: Everyone has the same amount of hours in the day. So what separates the Warren Buffetts and Sheryl Sandbergs from the rest of us? The answer is time management skills .

What is time management?

Time management is your ability to use your time effectively, be productive and accomplish not only your daily tasks, but your larger life goals. It means knowing the difference between being busy and being productive : When you’re busy, your mind is preoccupied with your to-do list, skipping from one task to another without focusing on anything. When you’re productive, you have a plan for tackling everything you need to do and you’re able to get laser-focused on your goals .

Real time management skills go beyond making a daily planner or writing an endless to-do list that only seems to get longer, not shorter. The first step toward learning how to improve time management is realizing that it’s a mental game that anyone can master – and that you will be paid back tenfold for your investment of time and energy.

Benefits of having good time management skills

There are many things in life that are outside of your control, but how you spend your time is not one of them. Using your hours to work toward the outcomes you value the most will help to not only bring you success, but will also sustain that feeling of fulfillment that comes from accomplishing your goals and bring you plenty of other benefits.

Greater freedom

What would you do if you had the time to do things you enjoy? Would you learn to play an instrument, dig a garden or play a sport? You can get your time – and your life – back. Because what is time management if not the ability to do what you want, when you want, as much as you want?

Time management skills aren’t just about time – they’re about your entire mindset. When you shift your perspective , let go of the beliefs that are holding you back and commit to living the life you desire, you’ll also unlock the sense of confidence that only comes from having a deep belief in yourself.

How to improve time management

To make the most of your time and achieve the life that you dream of, you must create a mental shift in how you think about time management. Stop thinking of time as a resource that’s out of your control. It’s true that there are only a limited number of hours in a day, but you can develop time management skills to focus your attention on what really matters. Use these 11 strategies to allow your brain to zero-in on your highest-value outcomes without getting swept up in distractions.

1. Align your focus

time management skills two people working with laptops and notepad

“Where focus goes, energy flows,” says Tony. The first step is getting clear on what it is you really want, and then aligning your ultimate goals with the actions you need to take today. If the tasks that you need to complete aren’t aligned with what truly matters to you – your core values – then you’ll never find the time to do them. This is the methodology behind Tony’s Rapid Planning Method – by focusing on an outcome, you develop the organization needed to meet your goals.

What do you consider your ultimate goals? If you’ve listed many things, take pause. An endless list of goals is the same as having no goals. Ask yourself: What actions produce the most value? What outcomes align with your purpose in life ? Once you have a direction to move in, you’ll get a better sense of what actions deserve your attention and which ones don’t.

2. Use chunking

Better time management skills start with zeroing in on what you really want – whether that’s strengthening your relationship, accelerating your career, starting your own business or living a healthier lifestyle. From there, create smaller goals that all “ladder up” to your desired end result. Tony says, “Most of your stress is because you’re thinking about too many things at once.”

If you’re facing an overwhelming number of tasks around an outcome, remember that you can create better to-do lists by chunking all related tasks into smaller groups so that they are easier to manage and tackle. That way, you can better visualize and identify the steps you need to take to reach your goal.

3. Determine your priorities

How do you know where to direct your energy in order to see the results you want? How do you know if you’re working toward your core values? Conduct a core values audit: T rack your activities for two weeks, taking note of which core values your actions connect with, and audit yourself with a keen eye as you evaluate how to move closer to your goals.

Once you have several weeks of progress written down, take an objective look at how you’ve been spending your time. Eliminate any activity that’s not connected to your core values and goals. Replace these activities, like checking social media too frequently, with something that serves your ultimate plan, like cooking healthy meals or regularly exercising . After several weeks of practice, you’ll find you don’t miss the time-consuming tasks you eliminated.

4. Set smart goals

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and anchored within a Time Frame. Be clear with the outcome you plan to achieve and designate the time needed to reach your goal. Rather than telling yourself you want to lose weight this year, set a clear goal: one pound per week or five pounds per month. Don’t forget to be realistic. If you tell yourself you’re going to go from middle manager to CEO at your company, that’s an incredible goal to set, but realize it might take longer than six months.

By being specific with your outcomes, and having clarity on what they are and why you want them, you can have the laser-guided focus you need to achieve them. Not only that, but you’ll feel a greater sense of fulfillment when you do hit your objectives.

learn when to say no to improve time management

5. Learn to say no

One crucial element of learning how to improve time management is getting comfortable with saying “ n o” to things that don’t help you reach your goals. When you say “no” to something that isn’t adding value to your life or supporting your core values or goals, you are saying yes to something else that is: time to be with family, exercise or enjoy some much-needed sleep.

Authorship:

https://in.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/time-management-skills
https://www.tonyrobbins.com/importance-time-management/time-management-skills/
https://resumelab.com/resume/time-management-skills
Time management skills

Unfortunately, poor time management and too much screen time can result in fatigue, moodiness, and more frequent illness. To reduce stress, reward yourself for time management successes. Take time to recognize that you have accomplished a major task or challenge before moving on to the next activity.

Time management skills that improve student learning

Know How You Spend Your Time

Identifying your most time-consuming tasks and determining whether you are investing your time in the most important activities can help you to determine a course of action. Having a good sense of the time required for routine tasks can help you be more realistic in planning and estimating how much time is available for other activities. Many apps exist to help you keep track of your time, as mentioned in Strategy 3.

Managing your time effectively requires a distinction between what is important and what is urgent (MacKenzie, 1990). Experts agree that the most important tasks usually aren’t the most urgent tasks. However, we tend to let the urgent tasks dominate our lives. Covey, Merrill, and Merrill (1994) categorize activities into four quadrants in their Time Management Matrix: urgent, not urgent, important, and not important. While activities that are both urgent and important must be done, Covey et al. suggests spending less time on activities that are not important (regardless of their urgency) to gain time for activities that are not urgent but important. Focusing on these important activities allows you to gain greater control over your time and may reduce the number of important tasks that become urgent.

Creating a "to do” list is an easy way to prioritize. Whether you need a daily, weekly, or monthly list depends on your lifestyle. Be careful to keep list-making from getting out of control. List manageable tasks rather than goals or multi-step plans. Rank the items on your “to do” list in order of priority (both important and urgent). You may choose to group items in categories such as high priority, medium priority, or low priority; number them in order of priority; or use a color-coding system. The goal is not to mark off the most items, but to mark off the highest priority items (MacKenzie, 1990). A prioritized “to do” list allows you to set boundaries so you can say “no” to activities that may be interesting or provide a sense of achievement but do not fit your basic priorities.

What is time management?

1. Goal-setting

It’s almost impossible to use time well if you don’t know what to do with it. Students can benefit from having short- and long-term goals. For example, a short-term goal might include completing their homework early each day, so they have ample time to practice music. Their long-term goal could be to play in the school or church band, or the Australian Youth Orchestra!

2. Prioritisation

By assessing what needs to be achieved within a given timeframe, tasks can be rated according to their importance. Setting priorities for each day, week, month and year can help students accomplish their goals. It also helps to ensure activities that are vitally important but not urgent – such as personal devotions, adequate sleep and exercise – are given precedence. Some people like to prioritise easy tasks for early in the day and use the boost to move forward. Others prefer to tackle bigger jobs first.

3. Organisation

Once priorities are set, it’s important to have a plan for getting them done. Some people are naturally well-organised, and others need some help. Strategies like maintaining an up-to-date calendar and keeping a tidy study environment help. There are many useful software programs and apps to aid organisation.

4. Managing stress

Nobody performs at their peak under excessive stress. Students need healthy ways to manage the pressures of study while maintaining productivity. Getting enough sleep and exercising are all great ways to keep stress at bay, and actually make learning more efficient.

How to strengthen your time-management skills

Strengthening your time-management skills will improve your work performance and can be to your advantage when you search for new job opportunities. Use these steps to enhance your time-management skills:

1. Set short- and long-term goals

Planning incorporates goal setting. Setting goals helps you understand what you need to complete for a specific outcome. When you set longer-term goals, try to identify short- and medium-term milestones that support your long-term goal. For example, suppose your goal is to get promoted to a senior management position. In that case, you need to identify the requirements you would need to meet to qualify for the promotion, such as completing a leadership qualification or improving a specific skill. When you set goals, ensure they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based (SMART).
Related: 13 Leadership Styles and Their Characteristics

2. Determine your priorities for the week

To prioritise tasks, you need to know their due dates and impact on other parts of your organisation. Prioritisation becomes easier with practice. Once you have identified important tasks, you can create a weekly and daily task list to ensure that you focus on these priority items until you complete them.

3. Create a schedule

Create a schedule with the tasks, responsibilities and other activities which need your focus. Having a schedule is essential, but so is ensuring that you adhere to your schedule. You can create a schedule by using your calendar to allocate sufficient time to each of your tasks, meetings and other responsibilities. At the end of each day, you need to review the day to determine if you are still on track with your schedule. If deviations from your plan occur, it may affect your goals and work tasks, and you need to reassess your schedule.

4. Delegate less important tasks

You can delegate activities that are not urgent to your team members. Delegating ensures that you use their skills and abilities. It makes them feel like they are part of the team. If you delegate tasks, you reduce your workload and you can focus on your priority tasks. After you have delegated a task, you also need to follow-up to ensure that the task gets completed to the required standard.

5. Practice stress management techniques

You need to take frequent breaks during working hours to manage your stress levels and maximise your productivity. Frequent breaks enhance mental well-being and performance. Make sure you get enough exercise, sleep and time to relax to allow you to perform optimally at work.

6. Focus one task at a time

Focusing on multiple tasks may cause a loss of time when switching between tasks. It is better to concentrate on one task at a time. Focused work increases productivity and improved concentration. Concentrating on one task at a time can help you complete tasks faster.
Related: How to Stay Focused When You Work From Home

7. Limit distractions and interruptions

To enhance your focus on a single task, develop strategies to avoid distractions and interruptions for giving it your full attention. Turn off anything that can distract you, including notifications from your phone, email and social media. For example, if you want to spend 40 minutes writing a document, do not answer your phone or read emails during this time.

8. Incentivise yourself

Think of incentives you can use to reward yourself for completing challenging tasks. For example, you can allow yourself some time on social media when you take a break after spending an hour drafting a document.
Related: Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation

9. Use meetings productively

Usually, meetings take a lot of our time. To improve your time-management skills, you can make sure meetings are productive by collaborating with colleagues on the meeting agenda and assigning a note-taker and timekeeper beforehand. Also, you need to ensure that the session ends with specific action items.

10. Become self-aware

A simple way to improve your time-management skills is to become more self-aware. Knowing when you are most productive can help you focus on tasks at the right time of the day. For example, if you concentrate better and are more creative in the mornings, it may be more productive to focus on writing tasks in the morning. If you know your energy levels are lower in the afternoons, consider tasks that require little energy, such as reading documents.

Authorship:

https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1042
https://www.acc.edu.au/blog/time-management-skills-student-learning/
https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/time-management-skills

Educational apps | Top 10 apps for students to check out!

udemy app screen and logo

Top 10 educational apps

1. Google Classroom

Wanna study the new way? You can access some of the best educational apps to make your learning fun!

Students are regularly required to submit homework and assignments. Teachers are then expected to evaluate and grade them at the earliest possible time. But this process is not as easy as it sounds due to the student-to-teacher ratio in modern classrooms. Google Classroom is the answer to such needs of streamlining the processes in education. It is, as the name suggests, a virtual classroom (sort of).

2. Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a very popular online learning library replete with courses ranging from Math and Statistics to Psychology and Languages. It has a learner-first ideology and was founded to disseminate knowledge and teaching. This online education app aims to provide free and world-class education for curious minds across the planet.

3. edX

Give your profile an edge by learning skills from some of the best education apps and getting certified.

How many of us do not dream of studying in top universities like Harvard, MIT, or Stanford? Hardly any of us, right? However, we also know that it is supremely difficult to get into those schools. Worry not- edX helps you achieve those dreams armed with just a smartphone and some good internet. You can practically learn everything under the sun with this online education app and get certifications from the top universities for the same.

Whether it’s Computer Science or Linguistics; Business or Engineering, edX has got you covered. Completing edX courses can also get you university credit. A combination of this with your professional degree can skyrocket you to your dream employers’ payrolls in no time!

4. Sololearn

Do you think the scope of programming and coding would ever go down? Nope, never. With an increasingly digital and virtual world, one who is good at talking to these computing machines is as good as a wizard. And if you wish to become one, SoloLearn could be your Hogwarts. Sololearn is considered the starting step for most coding enthusiasts and boasts of a very interactive community of coders.

Tutorials about the latest technologies and frameworks with interactive features are abundant on Sololearn. Whether you are a beginner looking to start, or a pro looking to polish your skills, you can get your coding juices flowing on this app. It is considered one of the best educational apps as it has a top-notch collection of courses surrounding Python, Java, C++, Javascript, HTML, CSS, etc. Psst! It also has a free mobile editor!

5. Photomath

Teaching and learning are no more confined to classrooms. These educational apps are a learning curve for both teachers and students.

Another name on the list of one of the best educational apps for students is Photomath. For a lot of students, math is puzzling subject. The formulae might be too complex or the concept might be too abstract. Say goodbye to those days! Now, anyone can learn to solve complex math problems with Photomath.

It’s very simple – you click a picture of the question (it can be handwritten or printed), and then the app analyses the image and teaches you how to solve the question using step-by-step video instructions. These explanations can sometimes also feature multiple methods of solving the same problem, interactive graphs, and animated instructions. It also boasts a built-in scientific calculator, and all of this can work without the internet! Pretty cool, right?

6. Remind

Remember when everyone used to sit together after class and call it group studies? Group learning is a very effective way to fill in gaps in one’s understanding (as they say, two heads are better than one). During COVID, it has become increasingly difficult to get multiple students to assemble under the same roof and study together.

Enter, Remind. Remind facilitates parents, students, and teachers to stay connected with each other like a community. You can get regular updates on everyone’s activity within your community and can use Remind collaboratively. Teachers can message a whole class as a broadcast, share photos, and handouts, while students can submit assignments and clear doubts with their friends. What’s more? The app also supports chat translation in 70+ languages!

7. Duolingo

Key takeaways

Educational apps can make learning more interactive and activate better engagement between the student and the content. Besides the paid apps, the free educational apps for students are also helping them explore the world of learning.

From apps that support creative writing and collaboration to learning libraries, virtual classrooms, and online blackboard apps, there are a plethora of resources to help anyone with their educational journey. Want to know more, or have questions? Reach out to us or drop a comment down below!

Answer- Educational apps not only offer a personalized learning plan but may also help parents conquer their kid’s strengths and weaknesses. Teachers can also utilize learning apps for kids as a supplement to further aid their students’ development, particularly in virtual learning environments.

Top 10 Free Learning Apps For Kids

1. YouTube Kids

youtube kids logo

Features of YouTube Kids

Download on the Google Play Store

2. Epic

epic education app logo with some book

Features of Epic

Download on the Google Play Store

3. Hungry Caterpillar Play School

hungry caterpillar play school

Features of Hungry Caterpillar Play School

Download on the Google Play Store

4. PBS Kids Play and Learn Science

play & learn science

Features of PBS Kids Play and Learn Science

Download on the Google Play Store

5. Quick Math Jr

quick math jr

Features of Quick Math Jr

Download on the App Store

6. Khan Academy Kids

khan academy kids

Features of Khan Academy Kids

Download on the Google Play Store

7. Goodness Shapes

goodness shapes

Features of Goodness Shapes

Download on the App Store

8. ABCMouse

abc mouse

Features of ABCMouse

Download on the Google Play Store

9. Read Along

read along

Features of Read Along

Download on the Google Play Store

10. ClassDojo

classdojo

Features of ClassDojo

Download on the Google Play Store

The Advantages Of Educational Apps

If you need to develop such student-friendly and personalized educational apps, Mindster is a perfect choice for you. We’ve got the experience, expertise, resources, and everything else required to become a top-notch mobile app development company. Our 400+ Android and iOS apps will speak for themselves in that regard.

contact us

Author Bio

Thejes Udayan

Thejes Udayan, is the Technical Content Writer at Mindster, with an extensive experience in covering the latest developments in software and mobile technology. He specializes in writing to client-specific needs through intensive research on topics. He also has an arts background that adds to his creative style of presentation.

Related Posts

some colour pencils on a white background

Montessori Crosswords

Montessori Crosswords best crossword puzzles app icon

Starting with three-letter words, kids advance through four levels, eventually completing multi-word crosswords in thousands of different combinations. One parent of a 6-year-old tester said this app was much easier than having her son sit at the table and sound out and write words. "He’s the type who doesn’t love reading and writing and really needs some sort of incentive—apparently a cute animation is enough—and this seems to be doing the trick." Ages 3 to 7

Our top picks

best apps for kids abcmousecom

This pick is an overwhelming favorite among all of our testers. ABCmouse.com is available both as an app and a website. It uses fun storyline-based videos, quizzes, and activities — there’s even a virtual map outlining your child’s learning path to keep kids and toddlers engaged. Our parent testers said they loved ABCmouse.com even before we started testing the best apps for kids!

best apps for kids

Teachers, parents, and kids are all a fan of the Khan Academy app that features thousands of free resources on everything from early math to art history. From preschool to high school, children of all ages can enjoy and learn on this non-profit’s platform. All of its programming is entirely free, so you don’t have to worry about subscription fees. Parents of our testers say that the videos helped each kid learn at their own pace. For those with kids under 4, check out their child-friendly counterpart, Khan Academy Kids on iOS or Android, which features a lot of the great elements of the older app at an age appropriate level.

Best Apps for Kids- Epic!

Epic! is an app for kids with an e-book library that contains over 35,000 children’s books (and it includes a read-to-me feature for little ones who are still learning to read). One of our parent testers says it’s “a great app to have when the kids want screen time, but you don’t!” This app is a perfect way to take reading wherever your device goes, and it’s great for families with kids of various ages.

Best Apps for Kids- Nick Jr.

Nick Jr.’s app offers parents the chance to let their kids enjoy their favorite shows on the go — no TV required! The app has videos from all of Nick Jr.’s shows and a collection of games (both educational and not-so educational) based on Nick Jr. shows that feature your kids’ favorite characters.

To unlock some parts of the app, you’ll need to enter your cable provider’s information. Even without it, your kid will still be able to use the features they’ll be most excited about: full episodes and lots of games!

Ages: 2-7
Cost: free, some content requires cable provider information
Get it for: iOS, Android, or on the Amazon App Store

Best Apps for Kids- Quick Math Jr.

Kids know that math can be boring, but this app transforms numbers into something more creative and interactive. Quick Math Jr. is an app for kids with 12 different math games that feature fundamental math skills and concepts. It has unique graphics and buildable characters to keep kids engaged, and all answers are handwritten or drawn on the screen so kids can also practice handwriting.

Best Apps for Kids- Duolingo

The Duolingo Owl (the app’s mascot and icon) has been popping up as a meme all over social media in recent months, so chances are your high schooler knows what Duolingo is. Encourage them to take it one step further and download the app so they can learn a different language.

They can practice through audio, word identification, and oral exercises for over 30 languages — it’s a great way for your child to keep their language-learning skills sharp over the summer. P.S.: Parents can use this app, too!

Best Apps for Kids- Starfall ABCs

This app gives kids a fun, animated introduction to learning letters, vowels, and words. It also includes the sign language alphabet. If you upgrade to the paid version of Starfall ABCs, you’ll get some extra perks like lessons on math and social skills — but the free version is still pretty impressive!

best app for multiple kids homer learn grow

Resources:

https://ischoolconnect.com/blog/top-educational-apps-for-students-to-check-out/
https://mindster.com/free-educational-apps-students/
https://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/gadgets/best-educational-apps-for-kids/
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/electronics/g28212386/best-apps-for-kids/

Sell me this pen: How to answer one of the toughest interview questions

The interviewer wanted to test Adam’s approach to the question. The interviewer could have replaced the pen with something else like a pencil or an apple. Regardless of the type of object, the approach determines if you answer it correctly.

Hand pointing with pen on table

Sell me this pen: How to answer one of the toughest interview questions

Sell me this pen: How to answer one of the toughest interview questions

“Sell me this pen” has become a common interview question that can fill a candidate with dread. This blog will fill you in on what an employer is looking for and how you can ace the answer to this question.

If you’re looking for a job in sales, it’s a good idea to be prepared for this question. There are good approaches and bad approaches to this question and if your interviewer asks it, your response could be a game winner or a deal-breaker.

How to respond to “sell me this pen”

If an interviewer can get a good sense of your personality and motivation from a single question, why wouldn’t they ask it? Believe it or not, “sell me this pen” is not as much of a brain-bender as it seems. By following the tips below, you’ll be prepared to sell your heart out and show the employer what you’re made of.

1. Do not decline to answer.

You may find the question objectionable, as you are probably not a pen salesman. You might be tempted to say, “I don’t sell pens, I sell real estate.” You might be tempted to pass on the question, saying, “I don’t really feel comfortable trying to stage a demonstration of my sales skills right now.”

Neither of these is a good reply. Interviewers ask this question for a reason, and they expect an answer. They want to see if you’re comfortable in your salesman skin pitching a product. They want to see what approach you take, and how much you focus on the pen vs. how much you focus on the potential buyer.

2. Act like you love this question.

You may actually dread a question like this, but you will win points if you embrace it enthusiastically. If you’re in sales, you have to love selling, so your eyes should light up at the prospect of doing what you’re good at.

If you look blindsided and stressed, saying, “Oh, boy,” taking a deep breath and running your hands through your hair, you’ll be sending signals that the prospect of selling something makes you uncomfortable. This is not encouraging to a company looking for a salesperson.

3. Ask questions about the client’s needs.

Let’s ask Jordan Belfort, the inspiration for The Wolf of Wall Street, how he would answer this difficult question . Belfort served 22 months in prison for fraud, and he’s probably never sold a pen, but there’s no question he’s an ace salesman. Here’s a video in which Piers Morgan asks Belfort to sell him a pen:

Belfort says: “ ‘How long have you been in the market for a pen? … And what type of pen do you typically use when you use a pen?’ … The idea here is that when you’re selling something, you need to be asking questions first, to find out what their needs are.

4. Remember to pivot from questions to statements.

When selling a pen, at some point you have to sell the pen. So once you’ve done your due diligence by feeling out the client on his or her needs, you need to transition to making statements about the product you have for sale.

Belfort rightly emphasizes that you shouldn’t launch straight into a description of the pen. But once you’ve learned more about the client’s needs and wants, you should be well-versed in the features of the pens you sell.

You may want to mention its sleek, sophisticated look, its refillable cartridges, the lightweight size, how easily the ink flows, etc. Again, don’t lead with this, but you need to be prepared to describe the excellent features of the product you’re selling.

How to respond to “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

Most job seekers are unsure of what exactly they want out of their next role, let alone what lies in wait five years from now. This question is an interview staple for good reason. It will shine a light on your suitability and motivation.

5. Offer the client something for free.

It might seem counterintuitive to give away something you’re trying to sell, but it can also be an excellent sales technique. There’s a reason Baskin Robbins gives away free samples – there’s no obligation, but it makes people want more.

Toward the end of your sales pitch, offer the interviewer the pen and say that he or she is welcome to use it for a week for free. After that, you’ll come back and see if the pen has met the client’s needs. If it hasn’t, you’ll be prepared to offer a range of other pens. Or if it has, you’ll be happy to close the sale.

6. Be prepared for refusals.

Dealing with objections effectively are part and parcel of good sales tactics. Sometimes people will want something without needing it. Sometimes they don’t want it because they don’t know how much they need it. And maybe with a little more information about your price structure, they’ll find they can afford it after all.

But when all is said and done, if a client doesn’t want to buy the product you’re selling, you also need to be prepared to take no for an answer. But maybe the person who doesn’t want the pen could still be useful for generating leads to colleagues who might.

7. If possible, close the sale.

If your sales pitch hasn’t gone badly, you may have a person sitting in front of you who’s actually prepared to buy the pen. If so, don’t forget the crucial step of closing the sale. Don’t say, “OK, let me get back to you in a week.” Say, “Can I go ahead and write up a bill of sale?”

What the Interviewer Wants to Know

It’s not always a pen in this interview question. Apples or pens are traditional picks for this question, but interviewers may ask you to sell any product on the spot, including one that the company makes. The interviewer’s goal is to find how well you can sell and what sales techniques you use.

You might be asked to sell the interviewer a pen, a pencil, a stapler, an apple, or some other everyday object. As with other hypothetical questions, there will be no right answer, but the employer will be interested in the sales process that you follow, your verbal communication skills, and your enthusiasm and creativity.

Be Positive and Enthusiastic. Make sure that you are positive and excited about the product as you introduce it. You might say something like, “I am excited to tell you how this pen can help you to write in a legible, attractive, and efficient manner.” The nonverbal elements of your presentation will be as critical as your words, so make sure you pitch the product with an enthusiastic voice and facial expressions. Animation can help you to convey excitement and underscore your confidence in the value of the product.

Emphasize the Features the Interviewer Will Value. An essential phase of the selling process is getting to know your customer, so you might try asking the interviewer for some clarification about their potential uses of the product.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask a Few Questions. The more you know about your interviewer’s needs, the better your pitch will be. Play off the interviewer’s responses to emphasize some features of your pen that might help them with their activities. For example, if your interviewer mentions taking notes at meetings as a priority, then you might say that your pen has a fine point and non-smearing ink, which would enable them to take legible notes. If your interviewer was frustrated by pens that didn’t write on certain surfaces or quickly ran out of ink, you could emphasize how freely the ink flows from your pen and the large capacity of ink available.

Be Ready to Sell. Some interviewers may not play along with your effort to assess their preferences. So be ready to sell the product without their input. Emphasize the features of the product and the benefits that the customer will derive from owning and using it. Think about your own experience with the product and the possible experiences of other users as you craft a response.

Probe for Reservations About the Product or Service. Eliciting and overcoming objections to a product is a critical element of the sales process. After making some statements about the benefit of the product, check back with the interviewer to determine if they have any concerns that would stand in the way of a purchase.

Make an Attempt to Close. Salespeople who are willing and effective closers are in the highest demand. Don’t hesitate to ask the interviewer for their business at the end of your presentation. Make an enthusiastic final statement that includes a request to serve the customer. Your ability to close this sale will help you get hired for the job.

Don’t Be Afraid to Employ Some Creativity. Interviewers won’t expect you to be 100% factually correct when coming up with an answer on the spot, so feel free to be creative with your response as long as your assertions are plausible and delivered convincingly. Remember that confidence in the quality of your product is fundamental to effective sales.

Examples of the Best Answers

To help me to understand better how my product might help you, I would love to learn more about how you use a pen during your daily routine. When do you rely most on a pen during the day? When was the last time you used a pen? What was satisfying about the experience? What was lacking or frustrating?

Why it Works: You’ll need to follow-up with a “sell” once you hear the interviewer’s response, but starting your answer with questions indicates that you realize an essential part of being a good salesperson is understanding the customer’s needs, and using listening skills.

My customers are finding that our apples make an excellent healthy snack for families on the run or to pack with your children’s school lunch. Our apples are fresh and crisp since we source them weekly from local orchards. We only sell apples that are grown organically without pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Our apples are loaded with beneficial fiber, vitamins, and nutrients. So, in addition to being sweet and tasty, they are great for your health.

Why It Works: This candidate is prepared to make an off-the-cuff persuasive argument in favor of the apples that mentions different positive qualities (customer appreciation, health, tastiness, and so on). This answer is confident and reveals the candidate’s ability to make a strong sale.

I would love to be your preferred provider for the highest quality pens. I will work hard to justify the confidence that you would place in me and our product and make sure you are thoroughly satisfied with the product. Can we move forward with your first order?

Why It Works: Ultimately, an interviewer wants to hire a salesperson who can land the deal. This candidate makes a strong close! No need to shy away from a confident conclusion to your attempt to sell the widget—that’s a quality interviewers seek in candidates for sales roles.

Sources:

https://resume.io/blog/sell-me-this-pen
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/interview-answers-for-sell-me-this-apple-2060976
https://learn.g2.com/sell-me-this-pen

How to Write a Follow-Up Email After No Response

If you know the person professionally, you have greater freedom when following up on an email. You may choose to send a professional request quickly, with the understanding that this won’t damage your reputation or relationship.

polite follow up email sample

How Long Should You Wait Before Following Up?

The vast majority of emails are opened the day they’re sent, and if the recipient’s going to reply, they’re probably going to do that the same day, too. That means it’s pretty safe to assume that if someone doesn’t reply the day you send your original email, they’re not going to reply at all.

Percentage of emails opened and replied to by time

So, How Long Should You Wait Before Sending a Follow Up Email?

As a general rule, two or three days is a good amount of time to wait before sending your first follow-up email. You should then extend the wait period by a few days for each subsequent email following your first message, especially depending on the number of follow ups you’re planning to send.

Follow Up Email: Best time to send a follow up emails.

You can and should experiment with timing for subsequent follow ups, but that schedule is as good as any until proven otherwise. You want to follow up without annoying your targets with daily blasts. Efti’s suggested timetable works out to six emails – the initial contact and five follow ups.

Setting Up for Success

Writing down your goals and workflows is beneficial on many fronts: It creates consistency amongst everyone on your team, it keeps everyone on the same page, and it actually helps you achieve your goals better than if you didn’t write them down.

Diversify Your Channels

Explore an omni-channel approach that includes email, video, social media, and the telephone – especially if you’re not getting a response from just one of them. Companies with an omni-channel engagement process see a 9.5% year-over-year growth in annual revenue – almost 3x more than those that do not – in addition to increasing the engagement itself.

Which channels do they seem to prefer and/or where did you first engage with them, what do they do on each (just shooting the breeze on social, business on email, vice versa)? Take your cue from them. Engage with them where and how they seem to prefer.

Decide What You Want to Achieve

I can’t help you much here since every situation is unique. Exactly what you want and need to get out of a follow up email will likely change with each campaign you work on and, potentially, even between each follow-up you send.

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Before drafting or sending, consider the user experience (UX). It’s already a pivotal element of your business success, and it’s poised to become the key differentiator in the next year or two. More than price. More than the product or service itself.

Mistakes made in polite follow-up emails and what to do instead

Mistake #1:
Using “follow-up” in the email subject line

When writing a polite follow-up email, most people tend to naturally use “follow-up” in the subject line. While this email is a follow-up, that subject line doesn’t add any value and will likely be ignored. It can also cause the reader to feel like you’re pointing blame because you didn’t answer, which doesn’t make the reader feel very good or interested in reading your email.

Instead, write a subject line that’s relevant to the topic or purpose of the email. To do this, ask yourself what the email is about or what you want them to do. Continue reading for polite follow-up email subject line examples.

Mistake #2:
Starting with “just following up” and not adding value

Another common mistake made when writing a polite follow-up email is starting with “just following up” and sending an email that doesn’t add any value. People are busy and don’t have time to read an email that they have to decipher the meaning of or what action is required.

Instead, when writing your polite follow-up email, focus on adding value. For example, give them options, share how you can help them solve their problem or what you can do for them, or add more details or context.

Mistake #3:
Not including a call to action

Instead, when writing a polite follow-up email, be clear about what you want the person to do after reading your email. Do you want them to reply? Call you back? Fill out a form? Be clear and specific so they know what you want them to do. You can do this while still being polite. Keep reading to see the polite follow-up email samples and learn how to incorporate this into your follow-up emails.

Mistake #4:
Not following up quickly

Instead of waiting 10+ days to follow up, consider sending a reminder sooner like 3 days. This ensures the recipient still has the topic and request fresh in their mind. If you wait too long, there is a chance they’ve already forgotten about your call to action and the steps you asked them to take. As an example, if you were a real estate agent, you know time is crucial! So it’s best to only wait a couple of days and send a polite and gentle reminder to either respond with a timeline or an assurance that the task was completed.

8 Polite follow-up email samples

Scenario 1:
Following up after meeting at a networking event

It was great meeting you at [name of event]! It was really interesting hearing about [something they mentioned they’re struggling with.]. I’d love to help you [problem you can solve] so you can [benefit they want to achieve].

Tip: Include an intro that triggers their memory. Include how you can add value by offering something that they want/need or solving a problem they have. Then finish with a call to action letting them know what you want them to do.

Scenario 2:
Following up after being introduced (ex. referral)

[Name of referrer] mentioned you’re looking for [a problem you can solve or service you can offer]. I’d love to chat about [problem they’re looking to solve] and how I can help you [benefit they want to get].

Tip: When following up in this scenario, be sure to let them know who referred you to them and what you can do for them. Focus on the value you can add and adding credibility such as your social media accounts or website portfolio. Be sure to finish by including a call to action for next steps.

Scenario 3:
Following up after a meeting or call to move to next steps in doing business together

It was great meeting you the other day and chatting about [something they mentioned they care about]. I’d love to get started on working on [project or deal you’re working towards] so you can [benefit they want].

Tip: Include something personal and give them context about who you are. People are often so busy that just seeing your name in their inbox may not be enough to remind them of who you are. Focus on adding value by reiterating a problem you can solve for them or benefit/goal you can help them achieve. Finish with a call to action telling them what you need them to do and why it’s important.

Scenario 4:
Following up after sending something that requires action and waiting to hear back

Tip: Keep the follow-up email brief. Ask if they’ve looked over the thing you sent them and if they have any questions to confirm they’ve received it and understand what’s needed. Finish by including a call to action about what you want them to do.

Scenario 5:
Following up after sending an invoice and haven’t received payment

Tip: Be brief but direct. Ask a question instead of pointing out the obvious that you haven’t received payment, for example asking to confirm they’ve received it and whether or not they have questions about it. Finish with a call to action telling them what you want them to do.

Scenario 6:
Following up after sending an estimate/quote

Have you had a chance to look over the quote I sent you [date you send the quote] for [project you’re working on]? Would love to get started on [project or service you’re providing] so you can [benefit they want].

Tip: Be brief and ask a question instead of saying you’re just following up on the invoice. Remind them of the value you can add or problem you can solve to emphasize what’s in it for them. Finish with a call to action by being clear on what they should do next.

Scenario 7:
Following up after asking someone to do something and no response

Tip: Be brief. Be polite by asking if they’ve looked it over rather than accuse or point out that you haven’t received it yet. Add value by giving them context for the urgency if needed or urgency about the next steps. Finish with a call to action so they know what you want them to do and why it’s important.

Scenario 8:
Following up after no response from the last email

Tip: When you’ve followed up and had no previous response, be brief and ask them why, while making it easy for them to answer by giving them options. Finish with a call to action letting them know what you want them to do.

Summary

Hopefully, you find these polite follow-up email samples helpful when writing your own follow-up emails. The main things to keep in mind when writing a polite follow-up email is to be brief, focus on adding value, and include a call to action. If you follow these tips you can avoid wasted time sending follow-ups that don’t get responses and start getting answers!

Quick tips

About the author:
Kristie Holden is an online marketing consultant. She helps startups get more leads by clarifying their message and creating a marketing strategy to attract and convert their ideal client. Connect with her on Instagram.

Follow-up email template – the Flowrite way

Flowrite is an AI writing tool that turns short instructions into ready-to-send emails and message. However, for emails such as follow-ups after no response it can write the whole email for you. Take a look at the example below to see how to follow up on an email with click of button thanks our follow up email template.

Are you feeling more confident about how to follow up on an email after reading the blog post? We hope so. The next time you need to write a follow up email after getting no response, just remember best practices we covered in this guide or turn to our follow up email samples. Better yet, give Flowrite and our follow-up email template a try.

Want to learn how to end an email? Discover professional email sign-offs and learn the email closings to keep away from. By the time you’ve done reading you’ve learned all ways to end an email you need to know.

References:

https://mailshake.com/blog/follow-up-email-strategy/
https://marketcircle.blog/8-polite-follow-up-email-samples/
https://www.flowrite.com/blog/follow-up-email
https://www.yesware.com/blog/follow-up-email-template/

Check out my new review article about Acad-Write business to know about its pros and cons!

Acad-Write.com is a writing service company that claims to be in the business of ghostwriting for 13 years straight. Because many people may wonder whether this writing company is a scam or not, I decided to write a review about it.

For this review, I checked some customer reviews that I found on the Internet and I read some testimonials on Acad-Write.com. In addition to this, I compared the prices of this service with other competitors in its category and checked for some discounts or special offers. Therefore, with no further introductions, let’s begin this review.

Its Services

To begin with, the Acad-Write’s website is originally written in German, but it can be translated into English with only one click. The company also prides itself on having offices in countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland and, of course, Germany. However, the call centers can only be found in Switzerland and the UK.

The main focus of Acad-Write is to deliver writing services at the university level, including dissertations, theses, research papers and more. Therefore, if you are an undergraduate student, then Acad-Write.com is not an option for you because it doesn’t offer services at this academic level.

I find this awkward because I believe that if you can provide writing services for the upper academic level, then you should be capable of writing for the undergraduate level too.

 

The Quality of the Services

The feedback coming from former customers is mixed, with some reviews complaining about the quality of the writing while others were not satisfied with the high prices. Therefore, it is quite impossible to say whether the services offered by this writing service company are all good or all bad.

However, one thing is for sure: Acad-Write.com is a very expensive writing service company. But do the prices match the quality? We’ll find this out pretty soon.

On the positive note, you can communicate freely with the writer, but some of the writers are barely interested in what you have to say. So, no matter what you may add to your order, they will finally do it in their own way. The order though is usually delivered on time, few people complaining about any late delivery.

So, the quality of this company’s services is average, and this might make you think if you want to risk ordering from this company or not. I can also recommend you to watch this great video from professional writing company: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTQaoaC4lTU

The Prices

The pricing system practiced by this company is very interesting because it is done depending on the order. Every order is considered individually, and the price is calculated only after all the details are offered to the writer.

Therefore, you will not find any prices published on Acad-Write.com. However, from my point of view, students have all the rights in the world to complain about the high prices of this company, because it is really hard for a student to afford this service. A 10-page term paper, for example, can cost you at least 920 dollars. This means almost 100 dollars per page. This is definitely too expensive.

Moreover, there are no discounts of any kind for new or former customers whatsoever. I wasn’t able to find any information about coupon codes or a promo code.

 

Final Thoughts

To conclude, Acad-Write.com is very expensive and I believe that very few students can afford it. If you add to that the fact that the writing is not so exceptional either, then you may have to consider finding another writing service company to help you.

 

Latest analysis on all of benefits of OvernightEssay.com freelance writing company

From the beginning, OvernightEssay.com was intended to assist supply an additional group of hands to students struggling to find academic composing organizations. Regardless of whether the student must have piece of paper freelance writing, business options, CV-writing or thesis/dissertation consultation. We were actually impressed by the wide array of services they offered customers, as well as grade they constantly aim to offer. With a purpose to carry out this analysis, we put to use the content material from OvernightEssay, their reports, and trials, but in addition of the customer reviews of OvernightEssay we observed on different alternative web sites. We additionally ordered a college-stage report to check out for ourselves the level of quality that they produce. Checking its rate on each and every review website, we will try to check whether or not this service is safeguarded to work with.

Services Gave

OvernightEssay.com supplies almost everything starting from scholastic services to career and business composing. So whether you want a document to complete the term, a brand new cover letter to add to your resume or copywriting offerings, they will be effective to provide a vast selection of offerings. As to grade, we can say that we were not distressed. The document that we requested even though easy to complete was faultless. We spotted no sentence mistakes, no format mistakes, no unusual phrasings – it was evident that the person who created this document was a native in the English language. We didn’t also wish to turn for a revision as it was truly flawless! As well as, we had the opportunity of talking to our copywriter – and we in fact held close contact. She would frequently describe to us the condition of our document, would respond without delay and would consistently be pretty well mannered.

 

The User Staff

Numerous times we examined the user support of particular websites. We were responded by grumpy cats that slightly were familiar with what to say to us answered at a slow pace or were being hazy. All the time, we were feeling that they were enthusiastic to log off the line and evade the annoying clients that kept annoying them. This wasn’t the case for OvernightEssay. The user aid employees were consistently well-mannered with us and exceptionally tolerant whatsoever we demanded. We asked them a number of questions, and they always appeared to be on top of things – because their answers were very comprehensible and advantageous. It’s no wonder that many people kept praising their customer staff on an assortment of review articles – they’re most definitely top notch.

 

What about the Prices?

On first look, the costs could appear to be pretty frequent for a freelance writing website. But if we took into mind the quality of the service that we received, the price range we received was most definitely a great deal. We were asked to pay out $15 for a page, which we considered desirable – but there’s a lot more. In addition to the this fantastic cost, OvernightEssay.com supplies lower price rates for newcomers, together with a promo code and discount coupons for coming back users.

 

 

Consequently, do we recommend OvernightEssay? Absolutely. Up to date, this service is among our favorites, and we can enjoyably declare that it’s not fraud or scam. If you have got an academic emergency, you can in safety get hold of them, as they will surely not fail to meet your demands.

My Top 5 Services Worth of Your Attention

Students frequently imagine copywriting options on the subject of their tough school jobs. Have you truly taken into account making use of them for support with scholarships, admissions, and personal statements? Whilst nearly all feedback and testimonials normally target research articles and documents, very few examinations the admissions offerings side of academic copywriting firms.

That’s why a large number of wish to get assistance along with scholarship documents, personal statements, and admissions pieces of paper. There are lots of freelance writing websites that provide aid with this. But, how would you opt for? I can guide! I have read reports, researched costs, browsed through consumer reviews, and accomplished several other investigation. We’ve actually consulted with customer confirming organizations to figure out to confirm that websites were not a fraud or scam.

Soon after a mindful assessment of each one copywriting provider, I have established that the subsequent 5 services satisfy our rate standards. If you come to feel confused and overwhelmed by the admission activity, examine the next 5 content and articles businesses.

  1. EssayPro

This scholastic writing organization supplies students support with all 3 admission services wishes. These are scholarship documents, personal statements, and college application essays. Regardless of whether you have to make your document from scratch, or are using widespread application questions they can help meet your needs. As many customers claim in their feedback on EssayPro – it is a truly reliable, multi-purpose scholastic freelance writing website.

  1. EssayShark

A good number of college students don’t have lots of income to give up. This is on the list of primary motives I have them on our top 5 checklist. Aside from doing fantastic tasks, they offer excellent pricing and price reductions. This is why students struggling to find application and scholarship document support can constantly have confidence in this company with good ratings of EssayShark to deliver a promo code or exceptional sale to make things a little more budget friendly.

  1. MyPaperWriter

Quite busy high school seniors have a great deal going on. They’re studying for finals, planning for graduation, visiting schools, and usually doing the job and involved in school routines. In some cases items get postponed, possibly even overlooked. The good news, reported by past customers testimonials on MyPaperWriter is, this composing organization does a crack task of concentrating on urgent admissions needs. Assuming you have a scholarship piece of paper that is due inside of a few days or an application paper that is getting close to its final target time, check out this penning supplier.

  1. BestCustomWriting

High school graduation students applying to university and unfinished university graduated pupils searching for admission to graduate programs typically have something in common. Not one of them has a surplus of cash to invest. Thankfully, this is a freelance writing service that presents fantastic price levels combined with grade copywriting, as well as good quality of services as reported by numerous reviews of BestCustomWriting on various 3rd party platforms. Go with them to frequently have a promo code or many other wonderful features to save university students cash.

  1. GrabMyEssay

This written content copywriting organization has made a spot here because they have indicated themselves to be an all-around exceptional firm for university students in search of college admissions options. They are unquestionably worthy of an additional glimpse, as ratings of GrabMyEssay from past customers are very high.

Summary

Every one of these companies has a proven background of gaining positive college students the results they need. They deliver careful offering and assist learners achieve their academic aims. Many also deliver extras for example coupon codes, exciting blogs and forums and essays, or heightened levels of customer service.

Learners who are attracted to these options ought to do some study independently. Whilst each and every is clearly respectable and large quality, every student has diverse necessities. In spite of this, I am convinced that almost every student can obtain a very good admission options firm outlined gave in this article.

Top 5 Services That I Wouldn’t Recommend in this Review

We came across this website when we searched for companies that focus exclusively on theses and dissertations. DissertationCapital.com claims to be in business since 2004, which means that they 12 years of experience in this field.

For this Dissertation Capital review, we used the same criteria that we generally apply when evaluating a company that provides writing services. We checked the content of their websites, read DissertationCapital testimonials, as well as any drafts or samples published by them. We also searched for customer reviews and professional evaluations on other places on the Internet, such as specialized platforms and social media. We verified their score rating, prices, and discounts, and also ordered one of their “free drafts”, and tried to contact the customer support department.

The Services They Provide

As the name itself implies, the company is specialized in thesis and dissertations works and provides writing, editing and proofreading services. Therefore, a customer will not be able to order a basic essay or a career-related product, such as a CV, from this company.

However, this should not be a disadvantage, because it supposes that the writers have a lot of experience in what they do and are all experts.

The Quality of Dissertation Capital Products & Services

As it was already mentioned, the company claims to be active in this field for a long time now. But on the website we also find a worrying piece of information, which is that since Dissertation Capital is in this industry since 2004, it has already an experience of 6 years. As we are in 2016, it seems that this description has not been updated since 2010. As we looked closer, we could also notice that the copyright on DissertationCapital.com is 2010.  Therefore, we are concerned that none of the other information has been updated since then.

When we searched for customer reviews in other locations on the Internet, we were overwhelmed by angry and even desperate students who have many complaints regarding the papers they received from Dissertation Capital. They say that their thesis or dissertation are poorly written, loaded with grammar mistakes, and clearly not written by an expert or even a native speaker. In a nutshell, their papers were unusable, and they claimed their money back.

We have not come across a single positive customer review. All of them were negative and signaled a multitude of serious problems.

We ordered a “free draft”, which consisted in a one-page summary of a topic we chose. Unfortunately, all of the issues mentioned above were confirmed by this draft.

Prices, Discounts, Coupon Codes & Other Benefits

The prices depend on the urgency of the dissertation, and it can be calculated on the company’s website. For a work of 140 pages with an urgent deadline, you should pay $4040. This price already includes DissertationCapital discounts, which seems to be provided for any order.

When it comes to coupon codes, they also have a system, with discounts ranging from 10% to 21%, depending on the number or pages.

On the other hand, we did not find any information about promo code deals.

In conclusion, we do not recommend DissertationCapital to anyone, and we consider that this company is a fraud or scam. None of the customer reviews was positive, and all of them complained that they could not use at all the paper they received from this company.

Review on DissertationCapital.com writing service

We came across this website when we searched for companies that focus exclusively on theses and dissertations. DissertationCapital.com claims to be in business since 2004, which means that they 12 years of experience in this field.

For this Dissertation Capital review, we used the same criteria that we generally apply when evaluating a company that provides writing services. We checked the content of their websites, read DissertationCapital testimonials, as well as any drafts or samples published by them. We also searched for customer reviews and professional evaluations on other places on the Internet, such as specialized platforms and social media. We verified their score rating, prices, and discounts, and also ordered one of their “free drafts”, and tried to contact the customer support department.

The Services They Provide

As the name itself implies, the company is specialized in thesis and dissertations works and provides writing, editing and proofreading services. Therefore, a customer will not be able to order a basic essay or a career-related product, such as a CV, from this company.

However, this should not be a disadvantage, because it supposes that the writers have a lot of experience in what they do and are all experts.

The Quality of Dissertation Capital Products & Services

As it was already mentioned, the company claims to be active in this field for a long time now. But on the website we also find a worrying piece of information, which is that since Dissertation Capital is in this industry since 2004, it has already an experience of 6 years. As we are in 2016, it seems that this description has not been updated since 2010. As we looked closer, we could also notice that the copyright on DissertationCapital.com is 2010.  Therefore, we are concerned that none of the other information has been updated since then.

When we searched for customer reviews in other locations on the Internet, we were overwhelmed by angry and even desperate students who have many complaints regarding the papers they received from Dissertation Capital. They say that their thesis or dissertation are poorly written, loaded with grammar mistakes, and clearly not written by an expert or even a native speaker. In a nutshell, their papers were unusable, and they claimed their money back.

We have not come across a single positive customer review. All of them were negative and signaled a multitude of serious problems.

We ordered a “free draft”, which consisted in a one-page summary of a topic we chose. Unfortunately, all of the issues mentioned above were confirmed by this draft.

Prices, Discounts, Coupon Codes & Other Benefits

The prices depend on the urgency of the dissertation, and it can be calculated on the company’s website. For a work of 140 pages with an urgent deadline, you should pay $4040. This price already includes DissertationCapital discounts, which seems to be provided for any order.

When it comes to coupon codes, they also have a system, with discounts ranging from 10% to 21%, depending on the number or pages.

On the other hand, we did not find any information about promo code deals.

In conclusion, we do not recommend DissertationCapital to anyone, and we consider that this company is a fraud or scam. None of the customer reviews was positive, and all of them complained that they could not use at all the paper they received from this company.