Document Editing: Time Management Rule #1

The most important time management practice is list-making.

You are already multitasking when you become aware of something more that you are required to do.  You cannot do it now, but you also cannot afford to have it on your mind -- because it will take up too much memory in your brain computer and slow your processing speed. 

How can you avoid letting your brain computer get knocked offline when an additional task is added?

Step One: Write it on the list that you keep in your pocket.
 
Step Two: Completely forget about it and get back to what you were doing. In this way, you skillfully fend off interruptions.
 
Step Three: Do not keep it as a file or email message to yourself. Keep it in your pocket (see step 2)

***Special Warning: Do not let yourself become intimidated by your list of things to do. It's lucky you are even keeping it.

***If you need to delegate some work to professional writers (starts at $40), click here.

Lost List of Things
I write the list of things to do.
Weighing the sum of the whole lot.
I might have missed half of that shit
If I never polluted the pad with my burdens.

Responsibility weighs me down.
But I keep my head down in the work.
I don’t even look at that stupid pad
Until I have to add an entry or see what’s next.

I hate that pad that keeps me okay
With its things to do and its
Condescending ways
of talking to me.

But when I lost it one day,
And I had no idea what things there were to do
Or what was required of me…
I think something snapped sideways in my mind.

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Document Ninja Training Session #1

The first ninja training session is about quickening your attention. There is no such thing as quickening your attention, because attention is neither fast nor slow. Attention hovers in a steady way, but you can slow down your activity so that your attention becomes quicker relative to what you are doing.

We'll send you a document that can help you quicken your attention and hone your document ninja-ing skills. Reading this document will help you to be more methodical with your written and verbal communications.

Stylistic Concepts for Email Communication
Crash Course in Neurolinguistic Programming
Feeling Your Words
Covert Hypnosis
The Power of the Topic Sentence in a Paragraph
The Power of the Topic Sentence in Argument
Say It, Explain It, and Say It Again

Now do you feel inspired to make a donation and receive a document? Thanks for your interest!

Ghostwriting in the Information Age

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He lives in a creative haze that smells like incense and coffee,
Delivers a document, somebody pays – in a sense his lifestyle is carefree.
Nevertheless, he is uninsured and preoccupied with projects,
And the I.R.S. is always snooping and trying to take his paychecks,

“Five large and empty” are not real at all.
Our important concerns are fleeting like a dream.
He just turns his attention to the project that pays
And helps that client follow in folly the story of life situations.

The ghostwriter has no need for contracts.
Clients pay each week on a given day.
Nobody ever asks for money back,
But if they do, they can take it and go away.

At the time of this writing, approximately seven million Americans are unemployed.  I am not one of them; I make my bread by spewing the sacred word.  I don’t know any words that are particularly sacred; all words are sacred, because they are the tools of my trade and the product I provide.  With words and my laptop, I can always be okay and have some extra money for family. 

If you want to get involved with ghostwriting, we can help!  It'll cost you $40 if you want us to assess your skill and provide consultation.

Some projects are very difficult, but not as difficult as submitting the authority of some foolish manager or superior officer.  People can just leave me alone. I write documents, and nobody needs to tell me when and how to do that. And if you need a document written or edited, please send it to support@DoctorMyDocument.com

Public Speaking Ninja

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Speaking to multiple listeners is like fighting multiple opponents.  You don't have to worry about all the opponents, because only one can invade your personal space at a time. Knock out one after another as they trip over each other's feet.

When speaking in front of a group, you can have similar bold confidence. Speaking to one listener is no different from speaking in front of several.  Just talk slowly so you can use a rhythm you like, and speak from the belly instead of from the throat.  Smile. Look at all the faces like so many interesting fish in a fish tank.  Smile. You are a public speaking ninja.

Need help? We are Document Ninjas. We can write a powerful speech about anything. 

What is the correct way to use a semi-colon?

 
Some writers use a dash when they should use a semi-colon, and others do the opposite.  There are actually several uses for each. You can Google around to find out all the details, but these two ideas are very useful and easy to remember:

1.) Connecting independent clauses with a semi-colon
A semi-colon is used the way a period is used:  to connect independent clauses.
"Jose won the contest. Everyone expected him to win."
"Jose won the contest; everyone expected him to win."

**An independent clause is a group of words that could be a complete sentence if they wanted to be, even though they might choose to be part of a longer sentence. Do not use a dash to connect independent clauses. Use a semi-colon!

2.) A dash works like a comma, but a really big one.  A dash is very useful for managing long sentences, especially ones that already contain a few commas -- this sentence being an example -- because using a set of 2 dashes can help you to avoid using lots of confusing commas.    So, a dash is like a really big comma that takes itself too seriously.

Another example:
Jose won the contest, an impressive accomplishment, and although he felt good about the victory he could not help thinking about the disappointment his opponent must have felt.
This could be written with dashes:
Jose won the contest -- an impressive accomplishment -- and although he felt good about the victory he could not help thinking about the disappointment his opponent must have felt. 
If the sentence needed to be longer, the dashes would be extra helpful for keeping the sentence clear:
Jose won the contest, an impressive accomplishment, and although he felt good about the victory he could not help thinking about the disappointment his opponent must have felt -- because this contest occurs only once every four years.  
In this last example, you can see that the dash works just like a comma.  It is useful, though, for helping the reader to compartmentalize the many parts of the sentence and think about it in an organized way.  Part of being a good writer is the ability to accommodate the reader's quirky attention.


NOTE: This is not a complete explanation for the uses of the dash and semi-colon.  There are other uses; for example, a semi-colon is often used to separate items on a list. In this blog, we just wanted to share the insights above and leave you with this easy-to-remember concept:

"A dash works like a comma that takes itself too seriously, and a semi-colon works like a period that does not take itself seriously enough." 

DO YOU NEED SOMETHING WRITTEN OR EDITED? 

Readers love figuring things out on their own.

Use brevity.

I value brevity so much that I sometimes say, "Medium regular!" even though I actually prefer milk instead of cream.

Brevity is important, because "less is more" when writing Web content. Less information is more fun. Same as in school. Readers don't really want to hear what I have to say, so I just say something rhythmic, and their minds imagine images. Chicken finger. Readers love figuring things out on their own. Uncooked, Chinese chicken finger dough takes ten minutes to chew.

Every sentence is work for the reader. It's just like toxins in food. You cannot eat without getting toxins, and you cannot write sentences without detracting from the reader's experience.  The best way is to not write anything at all and instead leave the reader alone to enjoy bliss in the present moment.

But if you must write something, use brevity.

Mindfulness practice is all about multitasking - meditation while doing something.

If you want to practice meditation, you can do it!

Don’t say you don’t have time for meditation. There is a kind of meditation you can practice while doing things. It’s mindfulness practice. Mindfulness practice is meditation while doing things. It’s like multitasking. Read about it in a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, or Google around about various forms of meditation-in-action, such as the Japanese tea ceremony, Zen archery, Iaijutsu, Ikebana (flower arranging) and any of the “do” (i.e. “Way): Shiatsu-do, Kendo, Judo, Karate-do, Shodo -- and likewise, we are developing our own mindfulness art: the “Step Aside" of writing and Document Kung Fu.

Meditative art forms are based on mindfulness practice. It's physical practice done in a meditative way.  Jon Kabat-Zinn has written that to look at something in a meditative way is to look at it without judging it. That means the voice of the mind is silent, and 100% of your attention can be directed toward enjoying the clear, hypnotic experience of the present moment.

Doctor My Document philosophy is influenced by the teachers of this kind of meditation-in-action....
Look at Thich Nhat Hanh’s books about mindfulness; look at Eckhart Toll’s The Power of Now; look at the famous book by Eugene Herrigel, Zen in the Art of Archery. Do you know the one I’m talking about? Herrigel writes about his meditation training in Japan, which began with the practice of Zen Archery. Anyway, the point is that meditation can be ongoing. You can meditate while you do things.

The idea is not as esoteric as some people think. It's just good, old-fashioned concentration.  Can you feel the material of your shirt on your shoulders right now?  Are you aware of the clear, sharp detail in the scenery of your peripheral vision?  I am not, but as I become more skilled at meditation in action I will become more mindful of these things.

The practice starts with awareness of your breathing. Breath meditation is something usually done in a seated position.  Be aware of the breathing. Be aware when you swallow saliva. Be aware of the stability of your posture, and be aware enough to know whether you are holding unnecessary muscle tension as the result of emotional duress. Be aware of the upright, relaxed posture and the looseness of the elastic lungs.

Bring all your awareness into the body. That means you need to temporarily forget about the crap or your life situation. Now, in mindfulness practice, or meditation-in-action, you simply add one more thing to pay attention to.  It's the action.  Use a simple action over which you can pour your whole attention. Try meditation while walking first, because that is one of the most profound mindfulness practices.  Mindful of the breath, the body, the penetrating sensation of relaxation and energy filling the body like a balloon, relaxing it.

It’s a simple matter of multitasking. Do your work, but keep some attention on balanced posture, profound breathing, and electric relaxation that penetrates all tension, down to the bone.

If you need help completing a writing project, let us impress you with a $40 trial service. 

Doctor My Document Meditation

If you want to practice meditation, you can find the time to do it!

Don’t say you haven't enough time to practice. There is a kind of meditation you can practice while doing things. It’s mindfulness practice. Mindfulness practice is meditation in action. It’s just requires a little multitasking.

Read about it in any book by Thich Nhat Hanh. And another thing to read about is the Japanese tea ceremony, Zen archery, Iaijutsu, Ikebana (flower arranging) and any of the “do” (i.e. “Way) because those kinds of art are based on mindfulness practice. Shiatsu-do, kendo, judo, karate-do, Shodo…and I we are developing our “way” of document doctoring.

Doctor My Document philosophy is influenced by the teachers of this kind of meditation in action. Look at Thich Nhat Hanh’s books about mindfulness, Eckhart Toll’s The Power of Now, and that famous book by Eugene Herrigel, the one about Zen Archery. Do you know the one I’m talking about? Herrigel writes about his meditation training in Japan, which began with the practice of Zen Archery.

Anyway, the point is that meditation can be ongoing. You can meditate while you do things.
It’s a simple matter of multitasking. Do your work, but keep some attention on balanced posture, profound breathing, and electric relaxation that penetrates all tension, down to the bone.

The bad vegetarian: DoctorMyDocument's nutrition rant.

The only meat my person eats is the imitation crabmeat in crab cangoons. My person is a bad vegetarian. He eats cheese, and he would eat eggs if he wanted to, but he doesn’t like eggs.  But he does eat eggs sometimes. And he eats salmon sometimes, so I guess crab rangoons are not the only meat. 

Anyway, the point is, my person knows better than to eat the shit food.  Sneaky people have built big businesses based on selling shit food to people dumb enough to eat it. WATCH OUT!!  Seriously.  Wake up and smell the capitalism.

Lately, I have been eating a lot of vegetables and fruits in the morning. I drink soy milk and almond milk. I drink a wicked lot of water every day, one ounce of water for every two pounds of bodyweight (Deepak Chopra’s recommendation, I think). So a 200 pound person needs 100 ounces of water every day.  It’s good to drink a giant glass of water as soon as you wake up every morning.

I can hardly believe my person has almost stopped eating meat, and I am not going to press my luck by asking the person to switch to an all raw food diet, or a vegan diet, or anything like that. And also, Andrew Weil says it’s important to eat some fish to get Omega 3 fatty acids, so I eat salmon. I think I can just go to the store and get an omega 3 supplement, though.  I don’t need to eat the salmon. My person is a bad vegetarian!  

Academic Ninja (book #2): Scholarship & Admission Essay Strategy

"Long-term goals are for wussies. They are goals you believe are impossible in the short term. 

A long-term goal does not make you feel a sense of urgency, but a short-term goal needs to be attacked right now. Short-term goals are the mark of a truly motivated person."

Academic Ninja (book #2): Scholarship & Admission Essay Strategy $8.50

SEE A PREVIEW of the book (it's just a screenshot...)


Writing this essay is a powerful exercise in self-analysis.  The student is trying to express what is important to her, what she wants to do to contribute to society. This essay is an important milestone in her personal development, because it is necessary for the student to communicate her PLAN for making a big splash in this world.

I don't care if the student gets accepted to her first choice college or even if she goes to college -- and neither should you, and neither should she.  College does not guarantee learning, and it does not guarantee a job.  However, it provides a lot of opportunity to explore one's interests and values so that the student can be the person she wants to be.  That is most important. Students should not be "rejected" by learning institutions; we should not even think that way. No matter what happens during this application process, she can stay focused on her goals and prevail.

And if the student is really determined to attend a particular college, we promise that this short ebook will give her an advantage.  How?  The kind of essay that makes the reader feel a real desire to provide every opportunity also happens to be the kind of essay that makes the student visualize a future as the kind of person she wants to be.  This is profound self-expression.

After getting through this ebook (20-30 pages of reading), the student can experiment with the techniques and improve her writing forever.  It only requires a few hours to read, and it only costs $8.50, so please make this small investment to provide her with a meaningful, memorable experience while she prepares to write these college essays and/or scholarship essays.

We will be so happy if you support DoctorMyDocument by making this small purchase. Also, please let us know if you run into any problems in the process of paying and getting your link to the product page.  After you pay, you should be automatically redirected to a page with a link the product and a password that enables you to access it.  (Share it with your friends!)

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