💌 That hard thing is exactly what you need to do
On focusing, reading your work, and making money outside of nursing
Hi friends and new subscribers,
If you know me in real life, you'll know I thrive on doing multiple things simultaneously.
The consequence is slower growth in everything I do, and I've usually been okay with that.
But I remember experimenting in 2020, asking myself, "what would happen if I solely focused on writing for six months?" I stopped trying to be on Instagram and YouTube. I mainly focused on writing on Medium.
It was one of the best decisions I've made because I fell in love with the platform, which snowballed into writing on Twitter, where I wrote as part of Ship 30 for 30 and then became a freelance writer.
*breathes*
Lately, I've been frustrated with my growth on YouTube, so this year, I decided to commit to YouTube. I asked myself again, "What would happen if I solely focused on YouTube for the year?" My main problem with YouTube is inconsistency.
I was uploading two videos per month which I thought would be enough. But like Nicolas Cole always says about content creation, volume wins. Yes, quality matters too.
So this past month, I've been focusing on systemizing my process so I can upload every week. So far, things are going well. I've created a routine that has let me film consistently. I've also stopped posting on LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok consistently.
I decided to pick up a nursing assignment in May to give myself 2 months of focus.
As I’ve shifted my focus, I've been learning how to channel the identity of a 100K YouTuber so that I can show up consistently, even in the smallest way possible.
Whenever I don't feel like doing anything YouTube-related, I ask myself, "what would a 100K YouTuber do?" and answers like editing a thumbnail for 10 mins or a video for 5 minutes would be enough to get the ball rolling.
I don't have the results I want yet, but honestly, it's the identity shift I've been missing because focusing on one thing is very hard for me.
But sometimes, doing that hard thing is exactly what you need to do.
Focusing on one thing at a time is hard.
Read your writing out loud.
In school, we learned to use words like “however” or “thus far,” but these words don’t work in the online world today.
Why? Because you don’t normally talk that way.
Writing that sticks (at least for me) is when I can hear the writer’s voice in their writing.
And if I hear (or read) words like “thus far” or “however,” I get weirded out.
It’s one thing if I’m reading a journalistic writing style like a newspaper or a medical journal. I edit reports for a psychologist, and she uses tons of passive voices and words like “moreover” or “in addition,” but that’s normal in the medicine world.
But if you want to be read online, writing like you talk will get you farther. One simple exercise you can do is to read your writing out loud. Then, ask yourself, “would I say this in real life?”
When I skip this process, I see so many more mistakes in my writing, which can be embarrassing.
But I also remember that English is technically my third (!) language. So I give myself some slack.
So if you ever feel like your writing is awkward, give this exercise a try.
Sprinkled Thoughts 🍩
Latest work on the internet in different mediums. I hope some of it resonates with you.
🎬 How I Make Extra $2,000/month (Outside of Nursing) - A general overview of how I went from being a nurse to making $2000 (CAD)/month by working as a freelance writer.
If you need help in your writing journey, there are 2 ways I can help you:
Learn how to show up, create and make money in your own way with this digital workbook.
A 1:1 consultation call if you're a beginner creator struggling to create content online. Book here. (Only booking for April).
Take life one sip at a time ☕️,
J