Not in opinion/blogging sense, but the ‘Dear diary, this is how my day went down’ sense?

It’s the closest thing we will probably see to a time machine in our lifetimes, if ever (and today we even got good news on the real possibility of flying cars).

Pick up a journal from a few years back and see exactly who you used to be from an interesting perspective, who you are right now.

Pick up an old diary from a relative and learn just what life was like way back when. You know, from the stories they were trying to tell you while they were still around but you were too young or full of yourself to pay attention? It’s all in the pages, and possibly with less embellishment. Or maybe even more.

But one of the unexpected benefits of having a small side hustle around the work you do every day is you can let the side hustle claim credit for doing anything that isn’t related to the 9-to-5 job, and sometimes even get the credit for 9-to-5 contributions outside of the normal scope.

You just have to follow one basic rule: put EVERYONE you are doing work for on a list of clients, but you may or may not want to claim this as your ‘list of clients.’ Sound confusing or possibly unethical? It isn’t on both counts.

What you will end up with is a list of people you have done some sort of work for, and if you are like me, you do a lot of work for people who had no intention of paying you when they asked for your help. This is why they asked you for help and did not request a statement of work. If you do work for people and they don’t pay you for that work, the IRS doesn’t particularly care. But other potential clients may care if they have a project similar to something you’ve already done, and you can use that work as an example.

There are some other rules that should be followed to make this work:

- The whole idea of having a padded client list works better if the client knows they are on the list. They don’t have to have any knowledge of being on this special list, but you should not use their name directly is you don’t think they would approve (and some of your paying clients may not want their names publically linked to your company, for plenty of good and not-so-good reasons). You to should  show that respect.

- If you know you are not getting paid, ask for endorsements and referrals. An endorsement from the right friend/client or a referral to the right potential client from the right friend/client could be worth more on the backend than cash upfront from the client/friend, or the hassle of the chase to collect on credit from the client/friend.

- You can claim any similar work you have don’t and put it in your portfolio, but you still must get permission to share past work with potential future clients. Mostly because it’s the right thing to do (even if you were doing work for a mooch), but there could be legal and ethical issues if a past client comes up with claims of confidentially or propriety information in the complete work that you now want to share as an example.

I personally have more people that sing my praises than my ego can handle. I wish I had more people padding my bank account, but it is my reality. Using the padded client list can give you a quick ego boost if you are motivated by the amount of work you have accomplished. It might also be that spark that has been lacking in your business to turn more padded clients into paying clients.

Which is why I’m not exactly proud of the forthcoming rant in with I hate both the game, and a growing number of its players. No one reads the thoughts that are published on this ‘Blog That No One Reads,’ so I don’t expect much to come from this. But I am willing to put myself on the record, and willing to be called on it if I decide in the future to act in the exact same way. Even if I happen to forget this little missive exists.

As a frustrated writer and not-quite published author of dozens of book ideas that I can’t figure out how to turn into real books, I know the importance of getting that book out there. I know that once the book exist, it is crucial to get as many people to buy it. I know that a great way to promote a book is to give advance copies to people who have influence on people who buy books, and have them share thoughts on what the book is all about and why it should be purchased.

As a frustrated online marketer of products and services that do exist but are similar to hundreds (if not thousands) of other people’s products and services, I know the importance of smaller marketers catching a break and getting on the radar of larger marketers. I know that a great way to promote an online product, service, or ongoing program is to get other marketers who have influence on people who buy online products, services, or ongoing programs to take a look at your program and share thoughts on what the program is all about and why it should be purchased. And even throw in a few personal ‘freebees’ from their own collection, since they are going to get a small cut from the sale of the currently promoted product, to sweeten the deal.

But when you add the two together, it gets a little weird.

The concept of the launch team is a mainstay for online marketers. You have a product to launch, you get as many of the big names as possible to promote your stuff to their large audience, and you get some up-and-comers that may not have the name recognition, but have a loyal enough fan base that their opinions will reinforce the opinions of heavy hitters. But this tactic is now becoming the hottest trend in book publishing, as what looks like a new way to game the system and get a number one best-selling author ranking.

And that doesn’t make it a bad thing. But I am bothered by two weird aspects of the trend:

1) Because it looks like a trend, it is now trendy to have a launch team. So instead of being a brilliant marketing tactic, it’s now ‘what you’re supposed to do.’ This distracts me from the idea that your book is good, great, or not really worth the lives of the trees sacrificed to print a truly horrible tome. Everybody is now in the game for your success because it is now the book launch team’s success. And you will all go down together in defending the title if need be. And…

2) While reading honest reviews help, reading a string of reviews with similar disclaimers makes me a little skeptical. A real example is the new book Jesus Is: Find a New Way to Be Human by Judah Smith. The link takes you to the Amazon.com page for the book (and yes, it is an affiliate link. Old habits die hard around here), where I spent a few hours reading reviews. All of the negative, most of the positives. The only reason I know this book exists is because I work in radio studios with televisions on mute all day, and Smith was doing the morning show rounds being hyped as, ‘Justin Beiber’s pastor,’ and the ‘Biebs told his millions of Twitter followers to buy the book. Since I haven’t gotten around to mastering lip reading, I went to the Amazon reviews from book buyers to see what the fuss was all about. I learned the basic premise of the book, a little background on Pastor Smith, and that Thomas Nelson was the publisher of the book. I learned that Thomas Nelson was the publisher of the book, not from the product details, but from the constant disclaimer in the reviews the ‘BookSneeze® has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.’ BookSneeze was created to give bloggers complimentary and advanced reading copies of Thomas Nelson-published books in exchange for honest reviews.

Again, not exactly book publishing felonies, but just slight problems that I have had to reconcile in my head. If people much more successful that I am can use tactics that I can’t pull off, so be it. I’ll admit to a little professional jealousy for some authors, especially the ones who are writing similar (or the same) things I am. And especially for the ones who seem not to have the same level of talent that I in my mind think I have, only without whatever break that brought the world to them and not to me.

No apologies for the rant because this is honestly how I feel, and no one is reading this anyway.

Did you get anything accomplished in the second month of the year? Did you attempt to get anything accomplished in the second month of the year?

2013 has 306 days left. If you want to complete a major task or reach a certain goal before the year is up, you have you now 59 less days in which to get the work done.

So get to work, and get the work done.

Rule Number 1 is you’ve got to believe.

You’ve got to believe that what you want to achieve is possible.

You’ve got to believe that where you want to be does exist.

You’ve got to believe that everything you do from sun up to sundown matter to more people than you will ever personally know.

You’ve got to believe in the power of good and evil.

You’ve got to believe in the emotions of love and hate.

You’ve got to believe you have every right to do what is in your power, and every right to refrain from attempting what is not in your power.

You’ve got to believe you have power to begin with.

You’ve got to believe in yourself.

You’ve got to believe in your team, and everyone you choose to allow yourself to spend time with is on your team.

You’ve got to believe that just because you are a little paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t actively working against you.

You’ve got to believe that just because you are a little overwhelmed doesn’t mean you didn’t bite off more than you can chew.

You’ve got to believe that being grammatically correct or spellchecked is a powerful intensifier, but not an obstacle

To play the game of life, you must first know the rules…

And if you’re breathing today, you’re playing the game.

If you’re eyes woke to see the sunrise today, you’re playing the game.

If your ears shook you awake with the sound of a rooster crowing, or traffic zooming, or just the silence of a quiet room, you’re playing the game.

Most of the rules are simple. Much more simple than you might think. To be honest, most of the rules are actually made up as you go along.

But Rule Number 1 is constant and key. Rule Number 1 is you’ve got to believe.

Few people want the responsibility of organizing for that party.

Fewer people want to show up early to set up for that party.

Even fewer people want to stick around until the party is over to clean up after the party.

The last three statements are what keep party planners, caterers, and housekeeping services gainfully employed. The first statement is the driving force that creates the need for so many party planners, caterers, and housekeeping services.

I did some party DJing in my later years in college. As I began to learn that I didn’t enjoy parties but did enjoy money, I stopped attending as many parties as I did in my earlier years. My friends didn’t get it. The rationale was abundantly clear to me: if I wasn’t working the party and I didn’t like being at a party, what would I get from attending the party? Since my answer to myself was, ‘not terribly much,’ it gave me little incentive to go to the party.

And the common counter argument was of course, “But that means your going to miss what might happen at the party…”

It was rare at this point in our college lives that anything of note would happen at the party. But that didn’t mean the possibility was not there. So my friends kept going to a lot of parties I didn’t go to.

The point I’m trying to convey is not that I am lame for hating to go to parties (I am lame for so many other reasons). The point is that everyone wants to be a part of the big event, and the easiest way to be a part of it is to actually be a part of it, and put a little effort into putting on the event itself. I personally get more satisfaction from an event I helped promote or produce than one where I just pay for a ticket to get the right to attend.

Although it is nice to not have to work some events and to just relax and enjoy the fruits of other people’s labor. But buying that ticket doesn’t necessarily give me the right to complain when things go slightly awry. Horribly awry, yes. Slightly, not necessarily. It is often possible that I am disappointed in results because I have some inside knowledge of the industry and I actually know how something should turn out, not just think I know what should be pleasing to me. But I am often disappointed in my own work as well. I get over it, and quickly get over a bad experience at a bad ‘party’ I bought my ticket for. But I rarely complain.

If you’ve done me so wrong that I feel I need to complain, you’ve really done me wrong. And I will burn you for it. But not so much out of ego, but out of the knowledge of what goes into throwing the ‘party.’

Did you get anything accomplished in the first month of the year? Did you attempt to get anything accomplished in the first month of the year?

2013 has 334 days left. If you want to complete a major task or reach a certain goal before the year is up, you have you now 31 less days in which to get the work done.

So get to work, and get the work done.

And now I am about to give you the secret to attracting readers to your blog.

‘But wait,’ you ask. ‘Didn’t you say you were about to give us the secret to attracting readers to my blog? How can you when you can’t attract readers to your blog?’

Here’s the deal: I am going to give you the key components to getting readers to your blog, or for that matter, general traffic to your website. And I am going give this to you for free. But don’t thank me yet, because just like most straightforward solutions, it’s never that simple, and you are almost sure not to like it. Until you see it works.

Just like the only effective way to lose weight is the combination of eating less and exercising more than you are right now, it is not the advice that is magical. It is having the ability to follow the advice that’s magical.

So what is my advice for web traffic?

Have A Website – This may seem obvious. Of course, you have a place on the internet for people to go and get information about you. No, you need to have some sort of website that you can call your own, with a private domain name and everything. Your Facebook page sends traffic and potential revenue to Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) and can be censored or shut down by the Facebook at its whim. Plus, posting for all your Facebook friends to see isn’t exactly ‘blogging.’ But I am not here to judge, especially Facebook, because my second piece of advice is . . .

Connect With Social Media – Yes, you need sites like Facebook and Twitter and whatever picture and thought-poster -site that still exists despite the two before mentioned attempting to buyout and control their rivals. The growing reality is that Facebook is looking more like a mall every day. A mall can be defined as ‘a large, often enclosed shopping complex containing various stores and businesses, usually accessible by common passageways.’ Your website would be one of those stores and business that can be accessed by anyone wandering the mall.

Have Something To Say – As an introvert, I personally can find joy in not talking for long stretches of time. I am not fazed by silence and find a need to fill it with random words just because no one else chooses to. But you don’t have to sit in silence if you don’t want to. You just have to have something to say worth saying, or no one is going to bother to listen to you for very long, or ever again. Being relevant, being topical, and being factual are key factors that insure that you want to say gets a better chance of being heard.

Say It With Feeling – Readers can feel the passion of your writing just as easily as they can feel the passion of you speaking. And if you feel you lack power of delivery, you can easily learn to master basic tenants. It is not about writing masterpieces; itis about writing pieces that master the art of pulling the right emotional responses from your readers. And not all readers will get where you are going every time they read your work, but your fans will always see the effort you are pouring in.

Be Consistent – You may not have a steady following now, but you will never keep a steady following if you are not keeping a regular publishing schedule. It’s not about frequency, it’s truly about consistency, giving your readers new and fresh (and they don’t automatically mean the same thing) information to devour on a regularly scheduled basis. Whatever you can personally manage that doesn’t oversaturate your website or burn you out personally will work fine for your faithful followers. They will even forgive the occasional dry spell, assuming you have given them enough relevant and well-written content to make you worth the wait.

Brag A Little (But Not A Lot) – Coca-Cola spends billions of dollars annually in global advertising to ensure you do not forget about them when you’re feeling a little thirsty. You don’t necessarily have to call a marketing agency or set aside an advertising budget, but it won’t hurt you to think like Madison Avenue –type when it comes to the art of self-promotion, because if you are not proud enough of your work to sing your own praises, why should anyone else? Just be sure not to overdo it.

Except Lower Traffic As You Work Your Way To Higher Traffic – I mentioned that the only effective way to lose weight is the combination of eating less and exercising more. At first, finding ways to eat healthier meals may seem difficult with your hectic schedule and the availability of faster and less healthy convenience foods. And increased exercise may bring you mild physical pain once you start to increase the intensity. But with time, improved eating habits become a part of an overall healthier lifestyle and you will blast past fitness milestones. As you continue to write while no one is reading, your skills will improve. You’ll gain a better understanding of what topics resonate better with your readers, how to manage the flow of your emotions in your writing, and most importantly, grammar and spelling. You’ll find consistency becomes less of a problem, and bragging begins to come a little too easily. Your work will get better, and with some promotion of yourself and a little social media magic, your following will begin to look like a following.

By now, it should be 2013 wherever you are. Congratulations on making it another 525,600 minutes into the future. You’ve earned a day of celebration followed by a day of rest, so I hope you work schedule allows for just that.

But when you do sober up, and come to the realization that its that time of year where resolution are hastily made, only so that peoples hopes and dreams can be shattered weeks–if not days–from now, do not fret. I offer you a end of the / beginning of the year gift that may help you plan those dreaded resolutions now, or any dreaded self-improvement goal that may come in a future 524,160 minute of the year.

Download Five Things Not To Do For Those Planning Your New Year’s Resolutions for free. It is advice for yearly resolution makers or just general goal setters, and I’m not even asking for an email address to track downloads. If you like it, just send me an email to jclevelandpayne@gmail.com. If you don’t, you can send an email to the same address as well.

- Five Things Not To Do For Those Planning Your New Year’s Resolutions