Nobody Wants To Read Your Sh*t | Thinkwell issue #3
The perfect winter retreat for a digital nomad, how I deal with overwhelming pressure and the hard truths that every writer must accept.
Geia sas!
I’m sorry I missed last week! 😓 I had a friend visit for a week, and it threw me off of my schedule. Writing this newsletter is a habit that I’m still establishing, and I ended up not getting around to it.
But I’m back! And my goal now is to never miss another week.
A new issue of Thinkwell will be in your inbox every Sunday evening so that you can wind down, catch up and think about how some of my ideas might change how you tackle the next week.
On thriving as a nomad 🍃
This weekend I packed up and left Athens behind, now I’m in Heraklion, Crete. It’s still Greece so things are familiar to me, but there’s still a night and day difference between the two places.
Athens was alive, bustling and electric in the way that only capital cities can be. Crete during off-season on the other hand? Eerily quiet. Many of the tavernas and shops are only open during high season, so it feels nearly abandoned.
And that’s perfect.
In Athens I was 15 minutes away from everything thanks to the metro. Google maps was pinpoint accurate and there were a hundred things to do.
In Heraklion, I can’t find a public transport timetable anywhere, but I’m 100m away from a golden beach, it’s still warm in December and I can hear crickets through my open window at night.
Getting woken up early by an actual rooster and jogging barefoot down the beach feel like paradise. It’s quiet, it’s full of nature, there’s no distractions at this time of year. It’s the perfect place to bunker down for the winter months and create.
On building a business of one 🤹🏾♂️
I stopped earning money in October. That’s when I technically became a full-time freelance writer. Since then, I haven’t made any money.
I have a runway up until the end of March to make this job work, and that quickly approaching deadline and lack of tangible success amounts to overwhelming pressure. It gives me serious anxiety and makes it difficult to be motivated.
Here’s 2 sayings which help me keep going:
1. Motivation doesn’t get you to do the work. Rather, doing the work gets you motivated.
The main idea from Jeff Haden’s “The Motivation Myth”. Do the work every day, feel grateful for small successes and you generate the motivation to keep going. You can’t rely on external forces to motivate you. Sometimes I find pressure motivating, sometimes I find it overwhelming.
But if you wake up and write 100 words, you find the motivation to write 900 more. You can count on that.
2. Success is like boiling water
When you boil water, it does nothing. Then it simmers just a little. Then it explodes into violent energy.
Success is the same. When it happens, it can feel like “it happened overnight” but that’s rarely the case- we forget about all the single degree increases that came before because they didn’t seem to do anything.
I have a daily checklist of tasks that help me to turn up the heat by one degree, every day. It’s a Notion template that you can grab here. My list looks like this:
· Write 800-1200 words
· Play 1-9 games of MTG
· Tweet from @sultanjosh21
· Tweet from @ChatterstormPod
· Send 1-3 pitches
Doing this every day means I’m developing my skills, building my portfolio, and looking for oportunities. I feel successful for getting it done every day, and that feeling is critical for keeping my sanity under all of this pressure.
What’s putting pressure on you? How do you deal with it? Reply and let me know 🤗
On creating content that impacts 💥
Nobody wants to read your sh*t.
That’s the title of Steven Pressfield’s book. The book is full of great writing advice but that’s the main message.
You must make it interesting or informative, you must give them a reason to read it.
That’s why this newsletter isn’t just a recount of my personal experience- nobody would want to read that! I’m always thinking about what lessons or entertainment I can provide.
This advice applies anywhere. It’s a tough-love reminder that nothing is certain, you’re not special and the world owes you nothing. Bear that in mind and you’ll build a resistance to rejection and failure, because you reframe your thinking.
Start asking “How can I make this more entertaining or informative?” and “Is there anything I can give my readers, that they actually want?”.
I mentioned in issue #2 that I’m building a habit of cold pitching for writing opportunities. Cold pitching is tough, and when you’re on a runway like mine you’d better get great at it, fast. The thought at the forefront of your mind should be that NOBODY wants to read your cold pitch.
You must give them something to make it worthwhile.
I have some ideas about that, but I’m still working on it. You can bet I’ll share once I’ve figured it out. For now, check out this article, which I’ll admit I don’t love (it’s a bit copywrite-y) but it has some good ideas.