You are as prolific as anyone on Substack that I follow. Constant content of the highest level with unusually deep insight on the topic of progress. Thank you!
Yes, Substack can be addictive. It’s easy to fall prey to vanity metrics outside of your control. I’ve set the goal for myself to publish 100 pieces to see if I still enjoy writing here.
500 drafts!!!! Wow! That's a massive amount of unfinished ideas! When makes you pull the plug from publishing it? Feeling you don't have enough information?
Occasionally, but I try to write exclusively about topics that I know off the top of my head. I do not have time for true research anymore, so I rely on what I have researched over the last 40 years.
It is usually because there is another article that I am more excited about. So the article just waits in the "Draft" queue until I feel like finishing it.
I have a few rules that work well for me:
1) When I get a new idea for an article, I create a page with a title and enough information so I can later remember what my idea was. Otherwise, a few hours later, I will have already forgotten my idea. I also include links to sources and graphics.
Then I write as much as I feel like.
2) I only continue writing when I feel like it. Sometimes I finish the article and publish it the following week, but usually not. Since most of my articles are based on inter-connected ideas, I often find that I need to write another article that I can link to.
3) Every once in a while, I go through my old articles to see which one I want to publish in the next few weeks. I try to keep my published articles to a few themes so I can create an entire series on the topic. I also try to have more than 2-3 topics going per week because my readers have different interests.
So you're not still reading books, only other Substacks? You can write off the top of your head always (with a few fact checks, etc)?
I can't do this, even though I'm semi-retired, write fluently, and have definitely accumulated some large bodies of knowledge. Maybe it's because I don't stick to one topic or mission for my writing, even multidisiplinary.
How would you reorganize your time, if you were still reading lots of books or diving into new areas of interest?
If I were still reading books, I would be doing it 60+ hours per week and doing no writing at all! Reading books is so time-consuming that I would really have no time for anything else.
I would learn more, but I would also have no time to share my learning with others. So when I die, a lifetime of learning will just suddenly vanish without a trace.
You are as prolific as anyone on Substack that I follow. Constant content of the highest level with unusually deep insight on the topic of progress. Thank you!
Yes, Substack can be addictive. It’s easy to fall prey to vanity metrics outside of your control. I’ve set the goal for myself to publish 100 pieces to see if I still enjoy writing here.
500 drafts!!!! Wow! That's a massive amount of unfinished ideas! When makes you pull the plug from publishing it? Feeling you don't have enough information?
LOL.
That number is already out of date. It has now already gotten up to 547!
Occasionally, but I try to write exclusively about topics that I know off the top of my head. I do not have time for true research anymore, so I rely on what I have researched over the last 40 years.
It is usually because there is another article that I am more excited about. So the article just waits in the "Draft" queue until I feel like finishing it.
I have a few rules that work well for me:
1) When I get a new idea for an article, I create a page with a title and enough information so I can later remember what my idea was. Otherwise, a few hours later, I will have already forgotten my idea. I also include links to sources and graphics.
Then I write as much as I feel like.
2) I only continue writing when I feel like it. Sometimes I finish the article and publish it the following week, but usually not. Since most of my articles are based on inter-connected ideas, I often find that I need to write another article that I can link to.
3) Every once in a while, I go through my old articles to see which one I want to publish in the next few weeks. I try to keep my published articles to a few themes so I can create an entire series on the topic. I also try to have more than 2-3 topics going per week because my readers have different interests.
I hope that answers your question.
Lots of wisdom here. Club a baby seal, huh? 🤔
So you're not still reading books, only other Substacks? You can write off the top of your head always (with a few fact checks, etc)?
I can't do this, even though I'm semi-retired, write fluently, and have definitely accumulated some large bodies of knowledge. Maybe it's because I don't stick to one topic or mission for my writing, even multidisiplinary.
How would you reorganize your time, if you were still reading lots of books or diving into new areas of interest?
Sorry for the late reply. I just noticed it.
If I were still reading books, I would be doing it 60+ hours per week and doing no writing at all! Reading books is so time-consuming that I would really have no time for anything else.
I would learn more, but I would also have no time to share my learning with others. So when I die, a lifetime of learning will just suddenly vanish without a trace.
That is why I write instead.