Lunchtime Links: There’s Still a Way Without a Will

Sometimes things still need to get done, even if you're feeling completely unmotivated. Also: Your lack of marketing shouldn't be a badge of honor.

It happens: You can’t seem to get going on something that needs doing. It may be a task that annoys you, or you may think you can’t do it justice. But maybe the problem is your mindset—something one business expert hopes to snap you out of in today’s Lunchtime Links:

Working against your own will: On Harvard Business Review, Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson of the Columbia Business School Motivation Science Center offers some advice for getting going on tasks you’re less than excited about. When you lack motivation, she offers this blunt advice: Man up. “Somewhere along the way, we’ve all bought into the idea—without consciously realizing it—that to be motivated and effective we need to feel like we want to take action. We need to be eager to do so. I really don’t know why we believe this, because it is 100 percent nonsense. Yes, on some level you need to be committed to what you are doing—you need to want to see the project finished, or get healthier, or get an earlier start to your day. But you don’t need to feel like doing it.” Think she has a point?

Less isn’t always more: Don’t really market your association at all? That’s a recipe for disaster, argues Association Executive Management’s David M. Patt. “Some organizations don’t do any marketing,” he writes. “They may even brag about that, as if it were a sign of excellence. But if you don’t tell anybody about your organization, nobody will know anything about it. They won’t join, or donate, or volunteer.” Patt suggests that associations focus on marketing in as many places as possible—not just the one you think is optimal for your messaging to be effective.

Press release pride: If you’re trying to get some fresh attention for your association, more new-school efforts like social media and email marketing might seem worthwhile. But don’t count out the press release, writes public relations pro Alexi Turbow on the Small Staff, Big Impact blog. For one thing, releases actually get noticed by the journalists you’re trying to reach—though they may not necessarily do exactly what you want with them. “Sure, there are other ways to get a story out, but the press release allows you to give more detailed information and craft the angle you would like the media to represent when telling your story,” she writes. “The ideal scenario is one where the outlet you send the release to republishes at least part, if not all, of your release; however, republishing press releases word-for-word is extremely rare.” Read Turbow’s breakdown to get some solid tips on press releases.

How do you get journalists to notice your press releases? Got any tricks of the trade? We’d love to hear about them in the comments.

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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