FTI #214: Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.

What if you treated everything we do as an experiment?

Not as something that "can't fail" or "will never work."

Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.

Either way you learn...and get to experiment again.

Sounds good to me.

Now, on to this week's ideas...

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1. Take Back Five Minutes Of Your Day With The 5-Minute Challenge

"Singular focus is hard at first, but doing it for even a little bit can be addictive (because it feels great)."

If you're in the mood for a challenge with a 100% guaranteed success rate, this one's for you.

In this post I explain how to take back five minutes of your day based on a simple exercise I stumbled into and have done for the past couple weeks.

It involves setting aside a five-minute block of time to focus on one thing with no distractions and while it sounds incredibly simple (it is), you'll be amazed what you get out of it.

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2. Neil Gaiman's Top 13 Writing Tips

"Your voice is the stuff you can’t help doing."

Author Neil Gaiman's Masterclass is packed with advice about how to improve your writing and tell better stories.

This summary of Gaiman's top 13 writing tips includes to use lies to communicate truths, get the bad stories out of your pen, and separate feedback from advice.

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3. How To Identify And Get Rid Of Your Idea Debt

"Idea Debt is when you spend too much time picturing what a project is going to be like, too much time thinking about how awesome it will be to have this thing done and in the world, too much time imagining how cool you will look, how in demand you’ll be, how much money you’ll make. And way too little time actually making the thing."

Every creator needs to read this because every creator struggles with it at some point.

Jessica Abel breaks down how to identify and get rid of your idea debt, including ways to overcome perfectionism, decide to take the jump or skip it, and stop being weighed down by your ideas.

Btw, I found this in Elisa Doucette's newsletter.

Related: You don't have to do it.

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4. 17 Non-Negotiable Things Your Newsletter Needs

"Count the number of yous in an email newsletter. If you run out of fingers… you’re doing great."

If you've been paying attention, I'm sure you're not surprised I recommend you write a newsletter - but you may be less sure what your newsletter should include.

Ann Handley shares 17 non-negotiable things your newsletter needs including a clear point of view within a niche, a non-neutral voice, and a lot more insight than promotion.

Btw, I found this in Marc Eglon's newsletter.

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5. How To Sell T-Shirts Online

"Product descriptions are one of the most important things you need to get right to guarantee you get sales."

This is about more than just selling shirts.

Jason Weiland's overview of how to sell t-shirts online will give you step-by-step instructions on how to set up a store, create a product, and use social media to drive sales.

But the lessons are applicable to any kind of merchandise or products you want to sell and it's worth a read if you're interested in monetizing your creations.

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My Final Words Of The Week

It's been a month since I launched my This Is How I Do It newsletter and subscribers are loving the behind-the-scenes look at how I do things (and I'm loving sharing them!).

I've already broken down things like how I use email to communicate ideas, how I decide what to include in For The Interested, and how I use Twitter lists.

This week's email is a particularly valuable one since it's a breakdown of how I use blog posts to get clients, which is why I wanted to mention This Is How I Do It here.

If you have any interest in using blog posts (or for that matter, videos or podcasts) to drum up business I highly recommend you subscribe to check it out.

It will likely more than pay for itself.

Sign up to get my This Is How I Do It newsletter here.

Have a great week.

Josh

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