Interview with Steve Pavlina

If you like to read personal development blogs and articles, you must have read Steve Pavlina's blog. His posts like How to Give Up Java and How to Become an Early Riser are definitely pop amidst the self-development blogs. He started his outset business, Dexterity Software when he was 22 years former. Now he has moved on his career on writing about personal development. His life is very organized and I am interested what created a man like him. So I prepared a few interesting questions and organized a time to interview Steve.

Lifehack.org: Would you lot tell me more most yourself? I read from your Nearly page that you were in game publishing, and now y'all take moved to writing and speaking full-time on personal development. What makes the change of career?

Steve Pavlina: I've had a long-time passion for personal growth which pre-dates my game publishing business. In fact, I started the games business concern in 1994 largely considering I wanted a challenge.

As I ran the games concern, I began writing articles on game development topics. I wrote a couple dozen articles to help boyfriend game developers, and I also spoke at manufacture conferences. Over time these articles became more than motivational in nature, and I soon learned that people who didn't even work in the gaming industry were coming to my site to read them. In the long run, I found I enjoyed writing and speaking more than developing and publishing games, mainly because I saw that I was providing more value to others.

I started the games business when I was 22 years sometime. At age 33 later publishing about two dozen games, I had accomplished much of what I had originally set out to do. Plus I had grown a lot and wanted to do something more meaningful than putting out amusement products. At showtime I tried to stretch the business to grow forth with me, but it was the incorrect kind of medium for that and was holding me dorsum. I realized the all-time thing would be to transition to a whole new career, one that would be based around my interest in personal growth and my increasing desire to contribute.

I did a lot of cocky-cess and planning to effigy out what kind of career would suit me best. I didn't desire something that would exist inflexible, since I was concerned I'd outgrow information technology likewise quickly. And so I opted to build an data business based around writing and professional speaking on personal development. I felt this would be much harder for me to outgrow, since I could always adapt the topics every bit I grew older.

Lifehacks: From the older articles on "Practise it now" and "How to go more done in less time", to the recent "Self-discipline" and "The significant of life", I must say you are pretty good at personal evolution. How exercise you become your fabric to write all those articles?

Steve: Shortly I boilerplate at least 1-2 hours a twenty-four hours soaking up new ideas. This includes reading books, manufactures, and blogs (including lifehack.org); listening to audio programs; going to seminars and club meetings; and request questions of people more knowledgeable than me.

I estimate I've read about 600 books and listened to dozens of audio programs on some attribute of personal development.

These sources give me plenty of ideas — every day I'm taking in far more ideas than I tin can perchance share with others.

I accept no involvement in regurgitating ideas from these sources though because then I'm not producing whatever new value. So I focus on making new connections that other people oasis't already figured out (or at least I'm unaware that they have). This normally results in me going through many perspective shifts — I think nigh old ideas in new ways and detect links between them that I never saw before. If I call back the ideas have merit (unremarkably significant that they've worked for me), I plow them into articles or speeches to share with others.

I keep flooding my brain with new ideas on a diverseness of unlike subjects because I'm constantly looking to grade these new connections. I'yard always request questions such as: What's the connection betwixt self-discipline and motivation? What'due south the relationship betwixt selfishness and selflessness? What would an optimal time management arrangement look similar, given the mode human beings really deport under real-earth weather? Why is procrastinate such a hard trouble for people; are we perhaps looking at it the wrong manner?

Lifehacks: Similar "The meaning of life" series, you are able to deliver heavy content article everyday with quality. Are at that place any quick writing skill tips you want to share to lifehack.org readers?

Steve: I average almost iii-five new articles per calendar week, just I definitely don't write every day. I do have some tips to share though.

one) Keep your ideas ahead of your writing. I maintain an ideas list for new blog entries on my PC. It currently has over twoscore ideas listed, any of which could be developed into a new article. Whenever I come up with a new thought or receive a suggestion via electronic mail, I add it to this list. If the list always drops below twenty, I'd exercise a brainstorming session to bring information technology back up once more. Having an abundance of ideas means that I'grand never stuck trying to think of a topic.

2) Invite topic suggestions from readers. A few weeks ago, I made a "Advise a Topic" post and received lots of suggestions for future topics. This as well helped me see which topics were in the highest need, then I could crash-land those to the top of my listing. For example, I received many suggestions for an commodity about self-subject, so I wrote a half dozen-part serial on that topic.

3) Write manufactures in batches and set them to post throughout the week. I oft write a week's worth of articles on the weekend and then gear up them to exist posted at various times throughout the week. This is easy to do with WordPress. This allows me to practice my blogging in a single session each week while readers see a steady menstruum of new posts. It also allows me to capitalize on creative bursts while giving myself a break. So even though visitors might see a new mail service every twenty-four hours one week, it's possible that I've taken six days off from blogging during that fourth dimension.

4) Write starting time, then edit. Writing a new article is similar giving birth. Merely get the matter out first, and worry near cleaning up the mess afterwards. I oft write a very sloppy beginning draft just to capture all the ideas, then I ready information technology bated for an 60 minutes or a day and make another editing laissez passer. I find that writing and editing at the same time is very dull. When I write I want to get all the ideas out of my caput. When I edit I ameliorate the construction of those ideas and make them comprehensible.

Lifehacks: Too writing manufactures for your blog, what else are you doing during your normal day?

Steve: I work at domicile, so on a typical day, I become up at 5:00am, get dressed, and exercise (normally running or weight preparation) for 30-45 minutes. So I shower, connect with my married woman, and have breakfast. At 6:30 I start my workday while my wife handles the kids and takes our girl to preschool. I spend the forenoon writing (weblog entries, articles, speeches, or my book), and then I bank check web log comments. At noon I have tiffin and feed my son (who's almost 2). And so I usually work on other projects in the afternoon, like improving the web site, marketing, reading, etc. My son is playing in my office during this time, so information technology's harder to do artistic work similar writing. At iii:30pm I selection upwards my daughter from preschool (she's in summer schoolhouse now), and and so from 3:45 until about 5-6pm, I handle my routine tasks similar email, checking my stats, processing my inbox, filing, and planning my next day. So my family and I take dinner together, and my wife and I spend time with the kids and put them to bed. In the evening I'll read, go to Toastmasters meetings, spend fourth dimension with my wife, play games, piece of work on personal projects, or sometimes run errands. Yesterday was the 4th of July, then last night nosotros all went to a nearby park with a smashing view of the Las Vegas Strip and watched the fireworks. I usually go to bed around 10-11pm.

Lifehacks: Would yous tell me more than almost the book you are writing? What sort of topics are you writing?

Steve: The volume is chosen Personal Development for Smart People. This is for people who seek a deep understanding of how they tin can abound and improve as human beings, not those seeking simplistic solutions to complex problems.

Mainly the book is about how to take witting control over the dissimilar parts of your life in order to amend your results across the board — better health, better relationships, a meliorate career, etc. The capacity are organized conceptually, then each chapter dives securely into a particular concept and so explains how to apply it to the diverse parts of your life. I include plenty of personal stories and examples.

For instance, in that location'due south a whole chapter on backbone. This is a subject that I feel has been terribly overlooked today, yet it's essential for personal growth. This chapter explains why courage is and then important and how you tin can build your courage. Fear holds people back far more than than they realize, and courage is the antidote. But about people don't even know it'south possible for them to become braver, nor practice they have whatever thought of how to do so intelligently. What could greater courage practice for your relationships, your career, your finances, your self-esteem?

Other topics include perception, self-discipline, focus, motivation, emotions, action, and purpose. Once again, these are all loftier-level concepts, so each chapter begins with something very abstract and drills down to the level of practical application and existent-world results.

Most personal evolution books I've read don't take a conceptual approach. They typically apply either a topical or a chronological structure. For example, yous might see a book with capacity on health, relationships, career, money, etc. I opted not to write a volume like that because I call back it'south more of import that people understand and primary the high-level tools of personal evolution and acquire how to utilize them to different areas. I want people to sympathize why something works and empathise the logic behind it, so they'll accept skillful reason to apply it. It likewise forces me to explain why I look a certain arroyo to work from the top down.

If you understand the concepts, yous tin can accept conscious command of your own personal growth. If I teach you a way to brand more than money, that's not going to help you straight improve your health or your relationships or your spiritual growth. And someday that method of making money may go obsolete anyway, or information technology might non even work for y'all. But if I can evidence you lot a way to build your cocky-subject area, that tin benefit you in every area of your life, and the benefits will be permanent.

Lifehacks: In your contempo article of "Vi months of Goal-mongering", you have categorized your accomplishments through Concrete, Work/Career, Toastmasters/Speaking, Mental/Skill-Edifice, Social, Financial and Personal/Domicile. How are those aspects affecting your life? Which ane would be the well-nigh critical aspect for your success in life? How do you manage all those different tasks together?

Steve: I retrieve all these areas are important. If I put any of them ahead of the others, my life would be out of balance. But since my primary value is growth, you'll notice that the areas represent dissimilar aspects of my own growth, and then that's the guiding strength behind them.

I've written previously well-nigh how I manage these dissimilar goals. I maintain a Personal Accountability System to keep myself focused.

And I also employ a heavily modified version of David Allen's Getting Things Washed system to manage my goals, projects, and tasks as explained in this article – More on planning.

Lifehacks: What are your futurity plans on your home page?

Steve: My curt-term plans include adding more than costless content and releasing my book. Long-term I intend to add more books, audio content, and probably some video as well. I'm keeping my long-term plans flexible considering as technologies like podcasting and RSS mature, unforeseen opportunities may arise, and I don't want to exist stuck with overly rigid goals. The main goal of the site will remain the aforementioned — to be a strong resource for those who want to take conscious control of their lives. Simply the precise media involved are probable to evolve considerably over the next several years.

Lifehacks: Besides writing your book, do you have other projects coming upwards on your plate?

Steve: Yes. My book is my primary project, but I take two large secondary projects. The first has been the most visible — edifice StevePavlina.com's content and growing it's traffic. The site is loaded with free content now, and traffic has increased 600% over the by six months, then that's been going well.

The other significant secondary project is launching myself into professional speaking. I've spent over a year just building my skill in this expanse. I'm too learning the business side of speaking to prepare myself for going pro.

I'grand keeping my project options open for after the volume is done. If it sells well, I'm probable to develop an audio programme based on the same material. But I'll determine which primary project to tackle adjacent afterward the book is released and I get feedback from the readers.

Lifehacks: Thanks for your time, Steve. It is my pleasure to interview you lot. Looking forrard to your book and more than manufactures in your blog.

Steve: Thank you, Leon. And go on up with the great work with Lifehack.org!

About Steve Pavlina
Steve Pavlina's Blog

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Source: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/interview-with-steve-pavlina.html

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