Clients and students often ask me, “C.J., you always seem to have a million things going on. How do you keep track of it all?” Their questions imply that they believe I am more organized, focused, or productive than the average bear. Personally, I’m not so sure that’s true. You should see my desk, for example! But I do have a system, and in honor of New Year’s resolution-makers everywhere, I’m going to share it with y’all. Read more (members only)

My wife and I were driving home from a camping trip when we pulled up behind a car and I noticed an array of bumper stickers. I couldn’t quite make out what message the owner was trying to get across. My wife picked it up right away — they were isolationists. Read more (members only)

Successful entrepreneurs know who they are, what they’re good at, and who they want to serve. Even if you really, really want to serve anyone who asks for your assistance, you simply don’t have time to, especially if you’re good at what you do and your service is in demand. Read more (members only)

C.J. Hayden speaks to a live audience of career services professionals, including coaches, counselors, and resume writers. Does it seem like your marketing gets “stuck” somewhere and doesn’t produce the results you think it should? Here’s what you’ll learn Read more (members only)

The 3 D’s for greater productivity are defer, delay, and delegate. I read, with great glee, these words in Brian Tracy’s Time Power. My work is all about getting focused on your priorities so you can stop, doing, doing, doing — the other 3 D’s. Now I’m happy; Brian Tracy is saying it too. Read more (members only)

What made you decide to go into business for yourself? Did you want to make more money, gain more freedom, enjoy yourself more, or make more of an impact on the world? For many independent professionals, the desire to help others as well as themselves plays a significant role Read more (members only)

The end of each quarter is the perfect time to review what you’ve accomplished so far this year, what you have learned, and where you would like to go next. Set aside some time each quarter to conduct a review of your life, career, or business with this thoughtful exercise. Read more (members only)

Even the best marketing doesn’t always pay off quickly. In the lag time between when you launch a marketing campaign for your business and when you start to see results from it, it’s easy to become discouraged. Especially when you work mostly solo, it can be a difficult task Read more (members only)

I’ve been asking successful independent professionals lately what it was they did that launched their success. What activity helped them the most to stop struggling to market themselves and start finding clients with more ease? Read more (members only)

We sometimes look with awe and envy when we see someone who we consider has made it. Why? Because we believe they must know something we don’t know, have something we don’t have — and maybe they do. They had a vision they were willing to fund with their time, energy, Read more (members only)