What do you do when things don’t go according to plan? Do you try and will it to be the way you thought it would be, the way you hoped it would be? Or do you lean in to what is? I had hopes this summer heading into fall to slowly get ahead of your reading with my writing. You see, for the past several months, I have gotten up early and written on Saturday mornings. When I first started, I experimented with different days and times (including evenings) but soon found that I came to cherish my quiet Saturday mornings with you.
You didn't let anyone down, including yourself, Bryce. You're human! Hopefully, you were enjoying your travels and being present in the moment. Your health is the highest of priorities. I hope you're fully on the mend. I pre-load my posts (6-8 weeks in advance...shhhh, don't tell), because I know my schedule is unpredictable, I want my weekends peaceful, and I know my history of burnout. If you love your Saturdays writing, keep them. Post old material when you need a break/are away. But this should be a pleasure, not a chore. Ever. xo
Thanks for confirming I didn't let anyone down. I did enjoy my travels (and may be posting about some of them) and strive to be present in the moment. Health is a priority and, if I'm being honest, I tend to take it for granted and am trying to get better about that. I aspire to be able to pre-load posts as you do to provide that buffer for life but that will be a longer-term thing. A pleasure, not a chore. Ever. What a great comment to end on. Thank you!
At the time of writing this, I'm a week behind with my latest newsletter! And while I'm allowing myself to beat myself up about it for self-motivating purposes...as someone wise said elsewhere, I think the MAIN reason people tune out is because something lands in their Inbox and it isn't that good: like, it sounds as if the author didn't care about they were writing about. This is the main reason people fall out of love with a newsletter. Not because it doesn't arrive perfectly on time every time, but because when it DOES arrive, it isn't a proper banger of a thing.
So I'm always happier going a bit over schedule, as long as I end up writing something that's trying to be good.
NOTE: I'm saying all this while feeling almost none of it, because my newsletter is late and I am absolutely sure that in a matter of hours everyone will march online to tell the world what a disappointment I am. Yes. Ghagh.
Mike, you are amazing and your voice comes through so clearly when you write. Thanks for sharing this perspective. It helped me be okay with not rushing to write last week -- and also started me worrying what if what I write isn't any good? I will find solace in knowing that when I write, it will be something I care about. Oh, and you are definitely not a disappointment. Quite the contrary. A delightful part of the Substack community if I may say so!
"I feel like I’ve let you down — and myself. I’ve strived for consistency and have published every week this year until this pause." There's simply no way, Bryce. Life happens and on this platform we have the freedom to write when we want and pause when we need. I hope you can release yourself from any pressure, while also working towards goals - when they're attainable. We'll enjoy your words when they arrive :-).
Thank you, Sue, for the re-framing. Life does happen and it's been harder to find time to write over the last several weeks than it has been year-to-date so I appreciate the grace and perspective. Onward.
You didn't let anyone down, including yourself, Bryce. You're human! Hopefully, you were enjoying your travels and being present in the moment. Your health is the highest of priorities. I hope you're fully on the mend. I pre-load my posts (6-8 weeks in advance...shhhh, don't tell), because I know my schedule is unpredictable, I want my weekends peaceful, and I know my history of burnout. If you love your Saturdays writing, keep them. Post old material when you need a break/are away. But this should be a pleasure, not a chore. Ever. xo
Thanks for confirming I didn't let anyone down. I did enjoy my travels (and may be posting about some of them) and strive to be present in the moment. Health is a priority and, if I'm being honest, I tend to take it for granted and am trying to get better about that. I aspire to be able to pre-load posts as you do to provide that buffer for life but that will be a longer-term thing. A pleasure, not a chore. Ever. What a great comment to end on. Thank you!
At the time of writing this, I'm a week behind with my latest newsletter! And while I'm allowing myself to beat myself up about it for self-motivating purposes...as someone wise said elsewhere, I think the MAIN reason people tune out is because something lands in their Inbox and it isn't that good: like, it sounds as if the author didn't care about they were writing about. This is the main reason people fall out of love with a newsletter. Not because it doesn't arrive perfectly on time every time, but because when it DOES arrive, it isn't a proper banger of a thing.
So I'm always happier going a bit over schedule, as long as I end up writing something that's trying to be good.
NOTE: I'm saying all this while feeling almost none of it, because my newsletter is late and I am absolutely sure that in a matter of hours everyone will march online to tell the world what a disappointment I am. Yes. Ghagh.
Mike, you are amazing and your voice comes through so clearly when you write. Thanks for sharing this perspective. It helped me be okay with not rushing to write last week -- and also started me worrying what if what I write isn't any good? I will find solace in knowing that when I write, it will be something I care about. Oh, and you are definitely not a disappointment. Quite the contrary. A delightful part of the Substack community if I may say so!
"I feel like I’ve let you down — and myself. I’ve strived for consistency and have published every week this year until this pause." There's simply no way, Bryce. Life happens and on this platform we have the freedom to write when we want and pause when we need. I hope you can release yourself from any pressure, while also working towards goals - when they're attainable. We'll enjoy your words when they arrive :-).
Thank you, Sue, for the re-framing. Life does happen and it's been harder to find time to write over the last several weeks than it has been year-to-date so I appreciate the grace and perspective. Onward.