Simple things you can do right now.
What you’re about to read isn’t perfect.
And when you see the fifth item below, you’ll know why.
Here are a few simple things you can do to overcome your perfectionist tendencies…
1. Define “perfect” without a reference to results.
What does it mean to make something “perfect?”
Most perfectionists struggle to define the term or define it based on outcomes and metrics that will never be in their control.
For example, what does it mean to write a “perfect” blog post?
Does it mean it gets read by lots of people?
That it attracts lots of newsletter subscribers or sales?
That someone tells you they like it?
…
Plus more secrets of successful creators!
Here’s the latest edition of my For The Interested newsletter, a collection of inspiration and actionable ideas to help you produce, promote, and profit from your creations.
Lots of people seek advice.
Few act on it.
All the prep work in the world won’t help a filmmaker if she never calls, “Action!”
Now, on to this week’s ideas…
1. How To Get Your First 1,000 Subscribers
“Before you get too hung up on building an audience, first ask if what you’re writing is actually interesting.”
There’s no one way to grow an audience so it’s helpful to study how different creators have done so.
Stewart Fortier interviewed a…
Plus more secrets of successful creators!
Here’s the latest edition of my For The Interested newsletter, a collection of inspiration and actionable ideas to help you produce, promote, and profit from your creations.
That thing that seems like such a huge deal right now?
Someday soon it won’t.
Now, on to this week’s ideas…
1. How To Make Your To-Do List Less Overwhelming
“The infinite nature of your To-Do list makes it as likely to remind you of what you failed to do as it is what you did.”
To-Do lists have a fatal flaw — they never end.
In this post I explain how to make your To-Do list less overwhelming by incorporating an…
Try an “Enough List.”
To-Do Lists have a fatal flaw —they never end.
No matter how much you get done in a day, there’s always new stuff to do.
As productivity expert David Allen famously said, “You can do anything, but not everything.”
The infinite nature of your To-Do list makes it as likely to remind you of what you failed to do as it is what you did.
No wonder you feel overwhelmed when you look at it.
An Enough List can help.
How To Create An Enough List
An Enough List is essentially a mini-version of your To-Do list, but with a slightly different focus.
While a To-Do…
Plus more secrets of successful creators!
Here’s the latest edition of my For The Interested newsletter, a collection of inspiration and actionable ideas to help you produce, promote, and profit from your creations.
Every discovery, improvement, and breakthrough begins the same way.
With someone saying, “I don’t know.”
Amazing things happen when you treat “I don’t know” as a green light instead of a red one.
Now, on to this week’s ideas…
1. How I Write Clearly
“You can’t write clearly until you’re clear in your own mind about what you want to say, why, and who you want to hear it.”
Everything I write has the same main goal: To…
In five steps.
Everything I write has the same main goal:
To be understood.
Because if a reader doesn’t understand my message, there’s no chance they’ll get value from it or act on it.
Here are five steps I take to ensure my writing is as clear as it can be…
1. It has to be clear to me first.
You can’t write clearly until you’re clear in your own mind about what you want to say, why, and who you want to hear it.
This seems obvious, but is often overlooked.
That’s why so much writing wanders, fails to attract the intended audience, or is simply misunderstood.
I don’t write anything…
Discover the secrets of successful creators!
Here’s the latest edition of my For The Interested newsletter, a collection of inspiration and actionable ideas to help you produce, promote, and profit from your creations.
It’s been a month since I launched The Daily Graph, my one-paragraph daily newsletter.
906 people have subscribed.
87 have unsubscribed.
That means there’s a 90% chance you’ll dig it.
You can get it here or check out what I’ve shared in it so far here.
Now, on to this week’s ideas…
1. Six Ways To Market Yourself Without Marketing Yourself
“Selfish doesn’t spread.”
I originally wrote this a couple years ago, but recently updated and expanded it to include the expertise…
This week’s secrets of successful creators!
Here’s the latest edition of my For The Interested newsletter, a collection of inspiration and actionable ideas to help you produce, promote, and profit from your creations.
It’s easy to get frustrated.
And your frustration is probably justified.
But the question is, what are you going to do with that frustration?
Or, what are you going to allow it to do with you?
Now, on to this week’s ideas…
1. The Five Ways I Make Money From My Creations
“You can’t just offer more, you have to offer something different.”
Simon Owens recently interviewed me for this deep dive into exactly how I earn money as a creator.
It doesn’t need to be uncomfortable.
Marketing yourself doesn’t have to make you feel uncomfortable.
The secret to getting more attention for your work lies in improving its quality (and quantity), serving those who consume it, and being willing to share your expertise with the world.
Here are six simple ways to do that…
1. Make (a lot of) things and put them into the world.
Your work is your greatest marketing tool.
People may ignore what you say, but they’ll pay attention to what you do.
The more you make, the higher its quality, and the more willing you are to share it with the world, the more people will discover and spread the word about you.
…
Josh Spector
I run the For The Interested newsletter and help clients use social media and newsletters to grow and activate audiences. ForTheInterested.com/subscribe
