Lifelog

Never set goals without cost constraints:

I want to start a business… without spending more than $10K
I want to make $100K… without working more than 2hrs/day
I want to get promoted… without sacrificing my family
… and so on.
Else you become a slave of your goals.

~ @dvassallo

So, applying constraints to my $5k MRR goal:

• I want $5k MRR by end of 2021, without working more than 4h per day.
• I want $5k MRR, without sacrificing my daily family time in the evenings.
• I want $5k MRR, without having to trade-off my daily exercise, and lose fitness/health.
• I want a profitable business, without burning out.
• I want multiple income streams via a portfolio of small bets, without feeling pulled in too many directions.
• I want to enjoy working hard, without forgetting to have fun.

So what constraints would you add to your goals?

Also edited and posted it as a thread on Twitter

Day 4 #100daysofmarketing
• more SEO-ing - new blog post (but doesn't really address search intent or keywords)
• "build once, sell twice" - repurposing old content from 200wad in new ways, as blogpost and Twitter threads

I learned about how @dvasallo was using the forced concision on Twitter to articulate ideas in an information-dense manner. Tweets which he then uses as a springboard to writing ebooks that he sells on Gumroad.

The way he explained it: High information density leads to good quality content, which in turn results in a high quality info product.

That’s a fascinating use of constraints, isn’t it?

The 280 character limit constraint makes for economical expression. The most bang for buck in the shortest, least amount of words possible. Like poetry. Poetry for work, entrepreneurship, health, productivity.

• Scheduled "good morning" tweets for the next 1 week,
• Scheduled author quotes about goals for the whole of Sep

This is the last of the Twitter threads turned blogposts. Next, will scour through my old 200wad writings for writings about writing, streaks, and writing habits!

Day 3 #100daysofmarketing - more SEO-ing. Added meta data to my blog so that social previews show up better.

More content to answer search intent about "how to make daily writing habit easy"

Day 2 #100daysofmarketing
- learned about using forced concision on Twitter to articulate ideas in an information-dense manner. High info density leads to good quality content.
- so instead of fleshing out the Twitter thread with fluff when writing out this blog post, I tried to not mess too much with it, and just added words where it wasn't as clear or concise.
- title headlines are the most important piece of attention real estate. I rewrote it 4-5 times to end at something that communicates the "during writing" part of the content well

• Hit $100 MRR, continued
• Start #100daysofmarketing
• Build on the organic growth of Plugins For Carrd
• Home desk setup

Day 1 #100daysofmarketing ! Setting intention, building in public

💵 Revenue:
– MRR: US$60 [No change]
– One-off revenue: ~ US$1515!

📈 [Highest growth product] Plugins For Carrd:
– added 43 users, sold 9 plugins (US$150), launched a new Nomadlist-style card listings plugin

🏑 [Most viral product ever] Tech for good
– Made safedistancing.sg in under 2h using good ol’ Carrd! Fastest ever in getting a MVP out, and it went VIRAL.
– Around $1k in patron support, 275k users, 466k page views, 4 new monthly patrons, 2 radio interviews

🐣 New products
– Created 2 new communities (5am creators, Carrd Chat) based off philosophy of community-first product development.

So overall, an August that went on to achieve much more in all other areas than the one area (Lifelog) that I initially wanted to achieve.

Mixed feelings about that.

Happy to have any growth at all, delighted at the unexpected growth in other products especially in tech for good, yet exasperated over failing to crack the Lifelog growth mystery.

Meaningful materialism. Invest in things that help me make more money.

So here’s some tools I’m considering investing in with my next pay cheque:

• A mesh office chair from Ergotune - cooling for tropical climate, and minutely adjustable for the right height
• I recently bought a seat cushion from Aliexpress that comes with fans built in - great for sitting longer! But still gets warm after about an hour. Considering getting a Moona as a water-cooled seat cushion!
• An adjustable sitting/standing desk, either from IKEA or local brands
• A mechanical keyboard from Keychron (probably the V7) - for better typing experience since I write sooo much (be it code or words)
• A monitor stand to raise the height of my laptop/desktop
• A better microphone, speakers and clip on webcam for Zoom calls/workshops
• Considering paying for subscription for Zoom and Miro, since I spend so much time on them now anyway
• Considering a new desktop iMac and M1 MBP, but likely won’t be possible till later this year or next

What else should I get?

• Converted a Twitter thread and fleshed it out further in a longer form blog post
• 1000+ words this time
• For SEO - based on search intent, answering search key word questions like "How to motivate myself to write daily"

One version of confidence is: “I’ve got this figured out.”

Another version is: “I can figure this out.”

The first is arrogant and close-minded. The second is humble and open-minded. Choose the latter.

Be humble about what you know, but confident about what you can learn. ~ @JamesClear

• checking analytics - doing better on all fronts compared to last mth, but profile clicks are lesser
• scheduling tweets for Sep
• commenting, RTing on big accounts

Counterintuitive but true. Agreeableness is overrated.

Since young we’re always schooled to be nice, polite and agreeable. Be convenient children. Likewise as adults, as co-workers, as subordinates.

But the problem with that is it builds up resentment. Is that the kind of life I want? To be a resentful person?

Agreeableness is overrated. Be disagreeable.

New things I learned about sleep biohacking from the Rise Sleep app:

• Sleep debt is a better indicator of how you’ll feel and perform on any given day, rather than REM sleep, deep sleep or amount of sleep. I’m at 7.4h sleep debt.
• Grogginess and morning peaks - it takes 90min to clear out the sleep hormones in the morning, and for your alertness to peak.
• Energy dips through the day - mid-day (12noon-1pm) dips are inevitable. Plan your schedule around them rather than fight it. The app even adds slots into your calendar to show that!
• Evening peaks - I never knew this but there’s typically an evening peak around 5-6pm.
• Melatonin windows - the app estimates your melatonin window, an ideal period of time to hit the sack - you fall asleep faster and have less restless sleep.

• Scheduled tweets for Sep
• Left comments
• RTs from good accounts

When people talk about traveling to the past, they worry about radically changing the present by doing something small, but barely anyone in the present really thinks that they can radically change the future by doing something small." ~ just-shower-thoughts

Question for reflection:
What would your future self thank your present self for doing, or not doing?

• sent out personal thread about goals
• scheduled more tweets in Sep
• comments, RTs, likes

“Most goals are borrowed.

Borrowed from friends and family.
Borrowed from coworkers and peers.
Borrowed from society.

May your goals be your own.
If nothing else, may you think for yourself.”
~ @JamesClear

"Me: I’m about to break.

God: Why do you think that is?

Me: Because life just keeps getting harder.

God: Then you need to become softer."

~ john roedel (johnroedel.com)

“Be like water, my friend”. - Bruce Lee

• did a thread on personal account today
• scheduled some tweets for Sept
• comment, RT, chat