I publish an article on my blog every Sunday. It’s some of the most pleasurable, rewarding work I do all year. And this year I wanted to share my 10 best articles, based on popularity.

I found it interesting to discover which articles were the most popular and which, well, weren’t. I hope you also find this list worth exploring.

Before we get to the list, I want to say how much I appreciate the emails and comments (even ones about spelling mistakes) and when you share one of my articles. Before this blog, I didn’t know I would enjoy writing as much as I do.

My 5 AM sprees have become one of the favourite times of my day. And I feel so blessed you find the results worthwhile.

In 2017, I’ll continue to write about two things: the business of speaking and productivity.

Here we go with my 10 best articles of 2016. Enjoy.

1.  Why $100,000 a year won’t make you rich

I’m always surprised to see a “get rich” article at the top of the list, but this one is worth reading. This is a core principle I teach in the BOSS program – how to leverage your expertise into profit-making products. Hard work, to be sure, but the best change I ever made to how I think and how I earn an income.

2. Organize your life with multiple Google calendars

If you’ve ever missed a family appointment, or maybe want to see major projects on your calendar, but not all the time, this article will sort you out. And it obviously hit a chord – Search Google for “organize with google calendars” and this is on page one. I show you how we organize all our projects and how easy it is to share a calendar with you team.

3. 15 mistakes you should never make on stage

This was an easy one to write – I just started with a list of all of my on-stage faux pas. This list includes: thanking the host, looking at your slides, checking your watch, and saying “I” more than “you”. Even for the most savvy, it might be worth a review.

4. Three easy ways to turn a dull, boring, uninspiring speech into gold

If you need to craft a new speech or revamp an old one – this article will help. I share the three strategies I use every time to get an audience to lean in and learn. They are: start with a problem, tell a story, and make them…

5. 11 incorrectly used words that make you look bad

In this first list of incorrectly used words I went for the most obvious bad boys, like: every day and everyday, already and all ready, regardless and irregardless, and then and than. I have to admit it was a bit of a lesson for me as well!

6. 9 stupid things speakers do on stage

Okay, now this was a fun project. To create this list of on-stage goof ups I randomly reached out to a private Facebook group of speakers. Within a day I had my top 9 “stupid things”, from some 22 speakers. If you want a visual version, I built a Slideshare deck as well.

7. Younger Next Year [book review]

If you need a motivation boost to get your booty out the door in the New Year – this is a good article to start with. In this article I summarized some key principles from the runaway best-selling Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Dr. Henry Lodge. My favourite is “We are designed to hunt and hibernate. Hunting is good.”

8. Nine hacks guaranteed to make your next speech world class

Once you’ve read #4 above, I have 9 ways to put some polish on a tired speech and make it world-class. My favourites include the 2/4/8 formula for slides, get social proof, and deliver less content better.

9. How I got rich (and 6 ways you can as well)

Before you get the wrong impression, this article isn’t about being rich – it’s about creating wealth so you can have a great life and do great work. Maybe you want to build a school in Nepal (like I did with my youngest daughter), go back to school, travel more, or simply get out of debt. That’s what I’m talking about.

10. How to find awesome, free images for your blog

I get asked this a lot: where do you get the images for your blog? In this article I explain the rather boring nuances of Creative Commons and share the more exciting sources of great, free images. A time-saving, aggregate site (pulls images from 47 free stock photo websites) I’ve started using is www.librestock.com.

Two thoughts come to mind when I look over this list: 1) how the hell did I write this many?, and 2) I’m so glad I wrote all of these.
Writing daily has been the best way for me to dig deeper into life’s stumbles. It’s also become hugely important as a speaker and communicator. Whatever you have on your list for the new year, I hope taking time to reflect, meditate, walk outdoors and writing is on your list.

“Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens.” —Ray Bradbury, WD

Be your best,

Hugh