“We do not have to improve ourselves; we just have to let go of what blocks our heart.” 💓~Jack Kornfield

By Jessica L. Williams • Issue #268 • View online

This week felt overwhelming, probably for a few reasons. I had more meetings than usual (lots of stuff happening on a few fronts) but wore out my inner introvert. I haven’t been getting good deep sleep. And caregiving had its challenges. Suffice to say; my mental health has not been the best.

One bit of good news, though, is that I realized that my health insurance covers acupuncture visits!! Huzzah. 🎉 I’m hoping to see one in a couple of weeks. I’ve done acupuncture a couple of times to help with pain, anxiety, and sleep, so I hope to get back on track with that soon.

In other news, I received some questions in my survey (thank you) that I’m planning to answer throughout the coming months. So this week, I’d like to focus on this question:

Q: What do you do if you just can’t -for any number of possible reasons- get an issue out?

A: Let me start by saying a bit about my process for creating my issues. I try to work on my newsletter every day or every other day. So after #jesspicks goes out on Saturdays, that following Monday or Tuesday, I’m going in there, duplicating the previous issue and setting up my draft for the next week.

Wednesdays, I make sure I have info for sponsorships for that week. Or following up with folks to make sure I have text/images/etc. for anything needed to go out that week. I’m also adding ideas for things I might want to include in different sections and notes on what I might like to discuss in the intro note. Then I have an hour (or two) set aside every Friday to pull it all together, make final edits and schedule it to go out.

Working on it a little bit throughout the week helps me be in better shape. But if, for some reason, things go haywire that week or I’m just not able to do it all by Friday, I can do one of two things:

If I have zero time to pull something together and it’s just not happening for whatever reason, I’d skip that week. I try not to do this if I can help it. Because I know my readers are expecting it. And if I have a sponsor, that can cause issues as well.
I can put together a short issue. This could look like a brief intro note and maybe pulling in some favorite resources from prior issues without adding new articles.

If there are situations where I feel like getting issues out are harder a few times in a row, I might decide to take a planned break for a couple of weeks and then let my subscribers know. I believe in being as transparent as I can. And just saying, “Hey, I’m feeling really burnt out, and I need to take a break.” I did this last year. This way, I can notify readers and sponsors that I’ll be away for a bit.

If you can’t get an issue out for some reason, can you send a short and sweet issue? Can you skip a week? Of course, and address it in your next issue. But also, please check in with yourself to see if you need to plan a proper break. Your readers will understand and support you.

Being a creator is not easy, and sometimes we need time and space to fill up our cups to continue to do our best work.

I hope that answers your question, and please hit reply with any follow-up questions if you have ’em.

On to the picks!

P.S. If you need a smile, watch this 43-second clip. Thanks, Brandy!

Note: This email may contain affiliate links. If you click through my link and make a purchase, that means I may receive “thank you money” at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I use and love.

#loves 😍

🎧. Listening: Made By Monday 🐸 On Content “Frog” Batching. I like Jenny Blake’s idea of doing content batching on Mondays of every week. This process helps her get her creative stuff done early in the week, and then she can focus on the rest of the week without worrying about it. I am learning more about batching lately and trying to see how I can better incorporate it into my process.

📺. Watching: Single ~~Drunk~~ Female. This new Freeform comedy is about a 20-something recovering alcoholic, and I love it? It’s only a few episodes in, but I find myself rooting for the character and hoping she can get her life back on track.

🧘🏾‍♀️. App: Breathwrk. On Thursday, I felt extremely overwhelmed and like everything was happening at once. This app came through for me, and after doing a Recharge breath session, I felt so much better. I need to prioritize those reminders to breathe throughout the day.

#reads

let my people glo ✨

@MichellCClark

affirm:

i see beautiful experiences in my future. i see aligned opportunities right around the corner. i know better days are coming.

6:07 AM - 9 Feb 2022

5 Tiniest (Yet Seriously Impactful) Strategies To Upgrade Your Life in 2022

“We didn’t grow up in a day — We underwent many phases of life: infancy, the toddler years, childhood, puberty, older adolescence, adulthood, etc., taking micro-steps. Likewise, your life also improves when you take baby steps each day for 12 months.”

All of these are great strategies. I especially love the idea of getting rid of a couple of things every day to declutter. Even one thing would be huge. Baby steps, ftw! What’s a strategy that speaks to you?

betterhumans.pub • Share

35 Lessons from 35 Years of Newsletter Publishing

As a newsletter creator, I always love to see lists like this, as there is usually a new tip or two that I can apply to my life. C.J. has some gems in this list. A few that grabbed me:

The best metric is replies.
Your newsletter is the byproduct of your process. Focus on improving your process and everything else works itself out. This is where you learn how to stay consistent and avoid burn out.
Creators don’t want to admit they’re in the entertainment business, but they are. What makes you entertaining? What is entertaining to your audience? How can you make this all a little more fun for everyone?

www.cjchilvers.com • Share

#icymi

😍. Last issue’s top pick was: How to monetize your newsletter with less than 1000 subscribers?

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