Hi Reader,

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How do you judge the quality of your work?

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Tiago Forte posed this question in the Executive Coaching Session of Building a Second Brain this week, and it stuck with me.

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We all have a quality bar in our head that we're trying to meet, consciously or unconsciously.

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That's where many ambitious professionals get stuck (at least I did for a long time). Our own expectations are so high that we exhaust ourselves trying to satisfy them.

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As a result, we never publish that essay or video, or we abandon the project.

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How do we escape this?

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One answer is embracing the 80/20 rule. What are the qualities that matter most to you and will likely lead to results? And what are the things that you can let go?

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(H/T Kevin Shen for bringing this up.)

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Example: Here's what I came up with for my atomic essays.

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Important (80%)

• Topic: Relevant for my audience
• Headline: Enticing readers to click
• Speed: Moving quickly from idea to published essay
• Distribution: Publishing it in different formats on different platforms

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Not so important (20%)

• Perfect word choice
• Perfect grammar
• Length
• SEO

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Having defined this for myself, I can now consciously let go of worrying about the not-so-important 20% and focus on nailing the 80%.

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Try this exercise! How would this look like for you?

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Now, here are a few more things I want to share with you this week.

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✍️ Marketing & Copywriting

Jeremy Enns 🚢 🇨🇦 @iamjeremyenns Quick Podcast Tip #25 Magic happens when you commit to 1 thing. 🔎 1 topic you explore better than anyone else 🙋‍♀️ 1 specific audience you speak to intimately 📈 1 marketing channel you devote all your time into Early stage growth rarely comes from further diversification. November 17th 2021 8 Retweets 28 Likes

This applies to course creators, too. Commit to one thing!

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​5 new ways to get powerful, authentic testimonials​

One way to get testimonials is to simply ask for them. That puts the burden on the other person, and the result is often not what you hoped for. Here are 5 new ways to get testimonials that you probably haven't thought of.

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​How to construct reverse testimonials for your cohort-based course​

Here's how Jonathan Woodruff collected 61 pages (!!) of testimonials for a cohort-based course. Best thing: These testimonials actually answered the questions that future students would inevitably raise.

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🤓 Online Courses

Andrew Barry 🦁 @Bazzaruto I chatted to @RobinMWaite recently about: // How to Position & Price Your Course // Here is everything I learned 👇 October 5th 2021 5 Retweets 23 Likes

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​The crucial step you can't miss at the end of your online course​

I'm talking about the offboarding or completion survey, of course. Here are 3 reasons why you shouldn't miss surveying your students as your cohort comes to a close. And the questions you need to ask.

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​DIY Course Creation Made Simple 🚀​

Want to package what you know into a profitable course? Instructional Designer Alexandra Allen released a free guide to help you analyze course needs, design your course, develop all content and materials, and implement it. Check it out!

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📈 Productivity

Julia Saxena 🚀🚢 @julia_saxena I've been interstitial journaling for a full year 📝 Here's what I discovered about procrastination, decision-making, and productivity 👇🧵 November 27th 2021 4 Retweets 25 Likes

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Have a wonderful weekend,

Julia

Your Copywriter & Online Course Specialist

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PS: I'm speaking on the Disco Creator Series this Wednesday, December 8th, at 12 pm ET (view in your timezone).

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We'll chat about...

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💻 Why I decided to jump from the corporate world into the online learning space.

📝 What I've learned about copywriting and crafting messaging that stick.

🤯 Simple steps to take your learning transformations to the next level with your courses.

✅ My top recommendations from my new Course Creator Lab resource that has over 135 templates, essays, and checklists.

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Can't wait!

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​Sign up here to join me. (This is free, of course!)

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PPS: Missed the last newsletter? I wrote about the cognitive bias you should take advantage of as a course creator, when you should hire a copywriter or write yourself, and wisdom from Kung Fu Panda. Read it here.

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PPPS: The river I cross every day on the way to the gym froze ❄️I'm really enjoying this winter weather in Quebec City.