This week, I tweaked the format of this newsletter ever-so-slightly. For each tip, you’ll see a quote from a piece of content I found online that I think you’ll love, followed by a short thought by me and a link to the article. Let me know what you think!! Here are my 5 Tips of the week:
- The perfect plan for building your successful career as a creator.
“Your career depends on your ability to build a system. Because a lack of a system leads to random acts of creation and promotion, which leads to…not much of anything. The good news is while each creator’s system is unique to their abilities and needs, the mechanics of each system are basically the same.”If I’ve had one thing during this pandemic, it’s that I’ve had a bit of time to reflect on how I am going to move forward with my life and career. One thing that I need more than ever is a system that I can consistently tackle. Too often, I set goals that are too ambitious, setting me up for failure.
Josh Spector shares his system here, which includes three simple elements: Discovery Mechanism, Connection Mechanism, and a Monetization Mechanism. I love the idea behind this straight forward system and I encourage you to check out the post. - How to plan for bumps in the road.
“The purpose of this guide is to combat the mindset of learned helplessness by promoting simple, level-headed, personal preparedness techniques that are easy to implement, don’t cost much, and will probably help you cope with whatever life throws your way.”
There is a lot of uncertainty these days, and while I’m not a doomsdayer or conspiracy theorist, I do think there is value in being prepared for things that come your way, especially things that may ultimately be out of your control.
This post, titled Disaster Planning For Less Crazy Folk, is an incredibly relevant and thought-provoking read about simple ways we all can be better prepared for anything that comes our way. - Keep it positive.
“I’ve always felt like one needs to be able to justify their optimism. Which is stupid… the whole point of optimism is being able to think and dream beyond whatever your current situation is.”
I live my life through the lens of positivity and eternal optimism. By default, I choose to believe that tomorrow will be a better day. Positive thought has helped me be more productive and motivated to tackle the day.
Trevor McKendrick created, Optimism2020: A Manifesto, to help all of us stay positive with 15 actionable steps to being optimistic in the year 2020! - Design your workweek.
“Time has always been a more important currency for me than money, and I can’t achieve balance without having a good workweek design that prioritizes efficiency in my work. Understanding how I will spend my team each day and week allows me to be more present for my children and wife, do my best at work, and feed a deep desire to create.”
If I don’t have a plan for how I will get through my week, I waste time and generally feel unproductive. I’ve found that careful planning is the best way to combat the feeling that I didn’t get enough accomplished during the day.
Last week, I spent some time talking about my workweek design on my podcast. Listen to and read about it here. - It’s time for a check in.
“How are you doing? Are you remembering to care for yourself? Take a moment of self reflection, and check off the statements below that apply to you”
I’m a huge believer in conducting an environmental scan of your life and career before taking any corrective action. Looking at all aspects of your life with open eyes is the best way to assess and move forward with a plan.
Johnny Webber created the Life Assessment Checklist for this very reason, to take your entire life and career into account and identify ways to improve. Check it out and see where you might need to do a little work on your life and career.
Things I Loved Last Week!
- Jess Graves can rock a playlist. Check out one of her many playlists here.
- This video crushed me! Hang in there, everyone.
- The results of the election may not be certified for days but at least we have this.
- I knew it!
- I was able to VOTE EARLY in CA! What’s your plan to VOTE today?
Invite Your Unrelenting Friends!
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