The days are long but the years are short
Hey friends,
It was just yesterday we were planning about new year resolutions but today we are almost at the middle of January 2024.
I once heard a phrase which has stuck with me.
“The days are long but years are short.”
Indeed, while living through the day sometimes it feels that the day is just dragging along. We work at a job and we wait for weekends while at the same time within a blink of an eye years pass by.
However, when you are working on something you love, the day doesnβt seem to be slow and boring. The days too are spent like a breeze. You wish there was more time. Perhaps, that is what flow state feels like (read more about flow state in this Twitter Thread).
Updates on My Creative Projects β¨
The past week really went by very quickly. I was engrossed in working on my course portal and I was quite active on Twitter. The first episode of Podcast was received well by the people and now Iβm off to record another episode of it. Listen to the first episode of Podcast here. I have also become active on Medium again and am planning to post at least one article per week. I feel as if I was in a flow state the entire week.
My Views about Engagement on π (Twitter) π€
During the past edition of the newsletter, I had mentioned about π not pushing my content to the right people. I doubted whether taking a premium subscription of π was worth it. This week I realized that π will push the content based on the cluster of users (as per their algorithm). This cluster is determined based on your engagement rate. I started engaging with content and am pretty much satisfied with the growth. Iβm at 480+ followers and will surpass 500 followers by the end of next week (hopefully).
Following is the posting schedule that Iβm following as of now:
- Quote – Morning
- Writing Advice / Thread – Afternoon
- Snippet from Podcast or Newsletter – Evening
- Personal Creative Process – Night
How to never run out of content to write about? βοΈ
I have embraced the idea of having a content bucket. We often wait for an idea to strike like lightning. But in reality ideas are like a slow drizzle. They keep pouring on us and we do not even realize it. Only when we mindfully observe it hits us that we are walking amidst drizzle. We are surrounded by content ideas. We just need to be mindful of those. I note down my ideas on the Google Keep app. There is no coherence, there is no structure. It acts as my thoughts dump. I later revisit it, refine those ideas and make them a part of my newsletter.
I recommend that you start maintaining your content bucket. Name it whatever you want – content bucket, thoughts dump, ideas repository. The logic is to be aware of your thoughts and write those ideas down. It does not matter whether you are a creator or not. Do it and you will feel your thoughts are more clear.
How to write a better newsletter? π°
One of the readers of my newsletter replied that I should write a newsletter as if Iβm talking to a single person and use such pronouns. I used to write as if I am writing to a group of people. This is very valid advice that I felt was worth sharing with you. If you publish a newsletter or want to start it please use it to add a touch of personalization with your reader.
In case you want to start a newsletter and are struggling with it, feel free to reply to this email and ask your doubts. Iβm happy to help you. π
Sneak Peak Into the Course Portal π
As I said, Iβm working on launching my courses on my own portal instead of gumroad or skillshare (at least that is the plan as of now). I spent the week figuring out designing the website and payment integration. Here is a sneak peak into the landing page. I welcome your suggestions on it.
PS: Please do reply to this email if you have anything to add / any questions. I reply to all emails from my readers.
Your Friend,
Rohit Yadav