WORK LESS WEDNESDAY
WLW #101
Ep. 13 – The 3 Phases Of Solopreneurship
In this episode, I cover:
- 3️⃣ My brand new “3 Phases of Solopreneurship” framework
- 🧠 The 3 most powerful resources you have as a solopreneur: your money, your time, your mind
- ⏰ 4 things you must do if you’re just getting started (and have more free time than money)
- ❌ The two massive mistakes people make when they get a little bit of money.
- 💸 How to buy back your time so you actually have more freedom (instead of just more work).
🔥 1. How I Escaped Newsletter Hell (Using Gmail’s Filters)
I love newsletters.
But I’ve got a problem.
I’ve got newsletter overload.
Friends, colleagues, acquaintances – they all have newsletters.
And I love reading them.
But not when I’m trying to quickly get through my work email.
But they still get me every time.
So I created a workaround.
I created a custom filter in Gmail.
When a newsletter comes in, it:
- 📭 Marks as read
- 🗃️ Archives it
- 🏷️ Tags it in my new “!Newsletter” folder
That way, I don’t even see it until I’m ready to read it.
Now I batch check all the newsletters every Saturday for the week.
Saves me time and decisions.
Highly recommend.
🏖️ 2. True Leisure vs. Total Work – Article by Michael Ashcroft
True leisure is ceasing to exist.
At least, that’s what Michael Ashcroft thinks.
German philosopher Josef Pieper calls it “Total Work.”
“Total Work is a state of being where work is the central and defining focus of life.
Put another way, Total Work is what happens when leisure ceases to exist.”
Total Work means that EVERYTHING in life is designed in relation to work.
Don’t believe me?
How many times have you done a “leisure” activity, to be better at work?
“Leisure is not studying in order to be better at work.
Leisure is not meditation performed in order to be more relaxed and effective at work.
Leisure is not exercising in order to be more energized for work.
And leisure certainly isn’t a “power nap” between meetings.”
So it’s clear this is a problem.
One of the reasons I send this email and share my story online is to help people redefine their relationship to work, and create businesses that don’t rely on them 24/7.
I think we could all benefit from more leisure. What do you think?
📚 3. How To Sell 1,000,000 Copies Of A Book – Article by Charlie Hoehn
As my journey to write, pitch & sell a book is plodding along, I came across this mindblowing article in Jay Clouse’s Newsletter.
In WLW #92, I talked about “blockbuster content.”
Charlie Hoehn has helped Tim Ferriss, Ramit Sethi, and James Clear to market their bestsellers.
And this article spills all his juicy secrets.
A few tidbits:
- Less than 0.003% of books published will ever sell a million copies.
- Your publisher will not help you sell a million copies. They are very good at getting your book into retail stores, but they won’t help you get customers to buy it.
- Mainstream media will not help you sell a million copies. I know authors who sold fewer than 10 copies during appearances on national TV shows, such as Good Morning America.
- Selling a million copies won’t happen overnight. One of the most successful non-fiction authors, Michael Pollan, sold nearly 2 million copies of the wildly successful Omnivore’s Dilemma… and it took TEN YEARS after its release.
If you’re interested in what it takes to create a bestselling book, this article is a fascinating read.
🤩 4. 100 Ways To Live Better – List by LessWrong
I love a good list.
Here’s 100 ways to live better.
Enjoy.
🤑 5. What To Say When The Client Asks For Your Hours – Tweet by Stephen Olmon
I think Martin has been reading “Implementing Value Pricing” by Ron Baker.
Price is based on value, not inputs.
Bravo.