There's something weird about trying to think and do at the same time.

Brainstorm a list of articles to write? Easy.

Write an article on a topic you've previously listed, or one someone else has given you? Maybe not easy, but doable.

Brainstorm an article topic and then write it in the same session? Absolutely im-bloody-possible it seems.

At least for me and a lot of people I've spoken to.

Somehow separating the thinking (of topics) from the doing (writing the article) makes it all work much smoother.

Perhaps it's the mindset you need to be in for each phase. Or perhaps the process of choosing which one to do rather than being given just one topic allows you to over-think and procrastinate.

The exact same is true when it comes to nurture marketing.

Brainstorm a list of nurture activities you could do on a regular basis?

Sure: you could get back in touch with old clients to ask them how things have progressed since your work together. You could send a link to an article to contacts you met in the last week or so. You could give your views on industry news to ex colleagues. etc etc – the topics just flow.

Execute a pre-defined nurture activity?

Of course: ask me to get back in touch with an old client and I just bring up a list of them, see who I haven't spoken to in a while who I might have something useful to say to, then I ping off a message. Job done.

Brainstorm a nurture activity to do and then do it straight away?

For some reason I get stuck. I can't make up my mind which one. I procrastinate.

That's why when you set up a Golden Hour for key activities like nurture marketing you should always list out in advance what you're going to do in that hour.

Never go into your Golden Hour with a blank sheet of paper.

You don't need all the details. You just need a solid list of activities you can work your way through without having to think about what to do next.

The list of activities depends on your priorities, but for a Monday morning Golden Hour it could be something like:

• Message 3 ex-clients to see how things are going
• Pick one contact you met in the last 2 weeks, search for an article you think they might find useful and send it
• Try to schedule a 1-1 call with a potential client where your nurture activities have progressed well

Those activities are something you can easily do in much less than an hour, yet they'll help you take big steps with nurturing your relationships and getting people closer to being ready to buy.

Of course, you might not do the same activities every week. All you need to do is check out your Golden Hour activity list a few days in advance and update it if needed.

Then when you get into your Golden Hour you can focus on execution, not umming and ahhing about what to do,