My Newsletter Is Destroying My Medium Writing
The fix was right in front of me
Back in August, I had open-heart surgery to replace a valve.
As a part of my recovery, I began walking outside every morning. Aside from the physical benefits, there was also the mental aspect of being outdoors for an hour without being glued to a phone or a computer.
That's the time when the brain solves problems.
I've been deciding where to focus my writing efforts for months. Should I write more on Medium or concentrate on this weekly newsletter? I could write a book. How is my time best spent?
I couldn't figure it out.
On my walk today, it was suddenly obvious. I can only write a newsletter aimed at helping people decode Medium and make money there if I'm on Medium more than most people. I enjoy writing a weekly newsletter, but it takes up bandwidth that used to be entirely focused on Medium.
I didn't want to part with a weekly newsletter because I'm stubborn and resistant to change.
Today, it dawned on me that I was doing a disservice to myself and anyone who reads this newsletter. The content here comes from Medium writing, and I need to do more of it. To that end, this newsletter has to become monthly instead of weekly.
It's a simple fix that has eluded me for months.
Perhaps more accurately, it didn't elude me as much as I knew the answer all along. I felt like changing anything about my writing was a type of failure. I have to remind myself that learning and making changes isn't failing.
Failing is avoiding change when circumstances warrant it.
The newsletter will now come out on the first of each month. At that pace, I hope to be able to write three Medium articles for each newsletter I send out. That allows me time to explore new publications and dive deep into what's new with Medium.
I don’t expect everyone to agree with all of my views on Medium, views like you shouldn’t be writing an article each day or begging for claps. But I hope everyone who reads this knows that I want you to crush it on Medium. You can make four-figures there each month.
If you read this newsletter, know I appreciate you. I hope you stick around as it evolves.