AL #86: Why I Write Weekly (About Crypto)
The one habit that saves me time instead of eating into it.
In April 2023, a few months after starting to tweet more frequently. I embarked on writing a weekly newsletter.
Truth be told, this wasn't the first time.
In 2018 I was writing a small newsletter called Around the Block to make sense of crypto ahead of joining the industry.
If some of you original subscribers are still around – send me a note!
For some reason, however, this time we're writing the 86th issue with no signs of stopping.
A couple of people have asked me recently about keeping a writing habit and I realized that the reasons and processes that sustain this now are very different than I had back then.
I'm sharing this in the hope that it may help you decide if a weekly writing habit is something you'd want to commit to.
Around the Block
My idea with Around the Block was that I’ll keep doing it if it takes very little work.
The idea was to create a compilation of crypto news items succinctly distilled (before LLMs could do it).
(I miss 2018 crypto.)
It didn't take much time at all but after a busy work week it always bled into weekends and I simply got bored of writing it.
It felt like a chore and as my parents will attest no matter how small I don't enjoy chores.
Habits that save time
So why do it now?
The most common question is “how do you find the time”.
I think it is the wrong question.
Most of us are busy with packed calendars, not enough time for hobbies and exercise, endless content to read, consume and collect sitting in our reading lists.
Forcing another thing into that equation is not a recipe for sustainability.
Instead, the weekly newsletter actually saves me time.
Here’s how:
1. It reduces my content consumption.
I used to feel like I had to follow up with everything that’s happening in crypto.
I had X lists to scroll through, podcasts to listen to and after becoming a dad I had very little time to do any of it.
Now, I pick 1 topic a week and go deep on it.
As I do that, I will immerse myself in podcasts, videos, articles, tweets and any other content I can get hands on as long as it teaches me something about the topic.
By virtue of writing about the topic I retain more information despite spending less time reading.
2. It removes the need to do sales.
I hate doing sales.
I prefer when our work speaks for itself.
As a dad, I don't have time to run around conferences and corner potential clients.
When I do, it will be more impactful as a result of the writing. Interacting and connecting with people asynchronously through ideas is more powerful than it may seem.
And we’re not looking for more clients anymore, we now have a waitlist.
3. It simplifies social media.
If all I had was X, my head would explode trying to come up with new things to write every day.
The newsletter’s weekly pacing allows me to use X as a way of promoting the ideas in the newsletter rather than as a hamster wheel.
4. It takes away the need to explain things over and over again.
When I'm asked to advise on a specific topic, occasionally it’s something I've written about already.
It’s much easier to point to a thorough article than to do a poor explanation on the spot.
5. It reduces the need for research.
In client work, I frequently tap into all the ideas we've developed over 80+ issues.
Often I’ll pick topics by speculating on future themes we need to get smart about.
For many years, I felt chronically underprepared to tackle certain areas and that list is a lot smaller now.
Which reminds me that we need to do an issue on Fully Homomorphic Encryption…
In short, saying yes to the newsletter helps me say no to many other things.
Interesting articles, new products, rabbit holes and just concepts I'm confused about often get queued as a newsletter topic and that way I feel less guilty exploring them.
So while I can't promise that starting a weekly writing habit will help you reach your destination immediately, it’s a much more efficient way of getting there.