Iliyana's Blog

You have a great idea in your head and you really want to share it with the world. You think you should write a book because you feel like you're an expert in a certain field but you have no idea how to get started and what to do.

Writing a book sounds like such a complicated process and it'll probably take you years but you can't afford that because the world moves so fast. How do you make this happen?

Since I published my book in April, that's exactly what a lot of people ask me.

I run a learning session at HubSpot to answer those questions and as always, I don't want to hide this behind closed doors but I want to share it with the world. 

Instead of writing a nice, long post I thought it might be cooler to record a video where I go through the slides I used at HubSpot for that learning session. 

I cover 3 things:

Disclaimer: By no means do I claim to be an expert on writing and publishing books. I simply want to share with you my experience and what I've learned while I was going through this process.

How I Wrote a Book in 2 Months [Video]

This is a guest post by my HubSpot colleague Samantha Dillon.

Are you someone who feels as though they frequently ‘burn the midnight oil’ at work only to feel continuously exhausted?

Are you someone who constantly has to manage between the multiple distractions at once (phone, email, instant message communication…) while still trying to focus on a task at hand?

I’d say one or both apply to almost everyone these days, so I encourage you to read-on!

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a half-day session with The Energy Project at our Cambridge office at HubSpot and came to learn more about the energy dimensions that are impacting us all in our professional and personal lives as well as how to manage them better.

Over the last few years, various people who wouldn't know each other have called me "the machine" on certain occasions.

I suppose I should take it as a compliment as it refers to my ability to complete a ton of work quickly and also to manage a very active personal lifestyle at the same time.

I'm not going to lie, I've learned how to get a lot of stuff done, systematically and well. And to be honest, it's all about time management. That's the secret.

Which is why today I'd like to share with you how I manage my time. Hopefully, these time management tips will allow you to boost your productivity and peace of mind too.

5 Secrets to Better Time Management for More Productivity

Admit it, you love TEDTalks. 

I do too. I'd love to have the opportunity to do a TEDTalk one day. In fact, this is in my 30 before 30 list where I've added things I want to do or achieve before I turn 30. 

Lately, I've been traveling a lot (pretty much every week) and as such, I've found a new way to spend the spare time at the airport. Instead of working on my laptop and dealing with emails or reading the next business book, TED has been a saviour. You all know how we've moved to interactive content formats - video has probably become the most favourite learning and entertainment vehicle for us. 

So what I want to show you today are two rather unorthodox TEDTalks that I saw recently because I believe they can both inspire and provoke you personally and professionally. 

The lines between work and personal life are blurring and as I always say, I believe we should be striving for work-life integration and not work-life balance. If you are not happy at home, you are not going to do well at work. Conversely, if you have troubles at work, you'll probably bring these back home. 

The two speakers are very much opposites in pretty much every aspect so watching the two videos one after another is quite impactful in two different ways. You'll see what I mean.

Let's start with happiness; then we'll get to the leadership lessons from war. 

I recently finished listening to The Coaching Habit: Say Yes, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier. (It's funny to say "listening" instead of "reading" but hey, in our busy lives we optimise everything and so when I walk to work, I often listen to books. Thanks, Audible!) 

The book was written for managers to help them be better leaders, communicate more effectively with team members, provide better support and coaching and so have more impact. Achieving this comes down to seven key questions that the author identifies as the essence of leading. 

I believe, though, that these seven questions can be an effective technique in any business relationship that requires communication. 

When speaking to customers (especially over the phone or Zoom or skype), these seven questions can help you get to the bottom of what the problem really is and how you can help. The same applies to consulting. I've always said that the best form of consulting is question-asking.