WHAT I'M DOING NOW
This update was written in March 2024.
APPROACH
I have been rethinking how I communicate and market by books, courses and writing. I have never been comfortable with the new online marketing strategies that involve getting people to sign up to mailing lists by offering various ‘free gifts’ and then using these lists to push products and monetise the audience. There’s just too much digital information at the moment, and I think people are tired of the information overload pushed at them daily. People can sign up for my Substack newsletter, which I hope they will find useful, but otherwise, I keep communication to a minimum. I have also removed my social media usernames from my website and will not include them in the new versions of my books or courses. I no longer use social media and don’t want to encourage others to use it either. This makes publicising and marketing my books and courses a little difficult, but I have found that if you produce genuinely helpful content people will find you, trust you, and spread the word.
WRITING
My main focus this during this period of time is writing new editions of my two books (Overcome Anxiety and Overcome Social Anxiety and Shyness). Alongside this, I am developing a course on public speaking and communication. I aim to make this course available in-person and online by October 2024. I am also still teaching a module on exercise psychology to Masters students at Northumbria University.
BLOG WRITING
I have moved my blog from my website to Substack, and I am publishing weekly articles on psychological stoicism. This philosophy has impacted my personal and professional life over the last five years or so. I also record audio versions of each article, as I am often contacted by people with visual problems who struggle to read written articles. You can view my Substack blog HERE and also sign up to receive the articles by email.
TEACHING
I initially left my full-time contract at Northumbria University in the summer of 2015 to focus on building my own business. I returned to the university in September 2019 on a teaching only part-time contract to lead the Exercise Psychology module in the Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology programme. Physical activity is such a key contributor to mental health and growth. I love exploring research around the physical and mental benefits of exercising and teaching behaviour change theories that encourage people to move their bodies more. I have continued to teach this module over the last few years and I’m still teaching it during this 2023-24 academic year. I have found this module very rewarding to teach, especially now that I can purely focus on teaching and not get bogged down in the normal extra duties of a full-time university lectureship. The enthusiasm and commitment of the Masters students on this module have made it a joy to teach. Their efforts throughout the pandemic, when the course was online, were phenomenal. They are an amazing group of people. I have been nominated for a student-led teaching award by the Students Union.
READING
The psychology / science books that I have recently read or currently reading are:
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport
Reasons Not to Worry: How to be Stoic in chaotic times by Brigid Delaney
The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence by Ros Atkins
The Human Mind: A Brief Tour of Everything We Know by Paul Bloom
The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection by Michael Singer
The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Study on Happiness by Robert J. Waldinger