Clarity Lab Issue 87

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Hey there, friend.

I’m going to try something a little different today. Something…shorter in flavor. (Can a flavor be short?)

My commentary can stretch to the long end of the spectrum sometimes. I suppose I have more to say about things than I admit.

I’m curious to hear your thoughts about a shorter format.

With less writing room, I might be less funny, but…maybe you’re not here for my wit?

1
Fail Whale

There are many reasons our business can fail. Those reasons are easier to see in the rear view mirror. Dan Norris lays out 9 Reasons Your Business Idea Will Probably Fail in an attempt to help us figure these things out before we fail. I read this one twice. (And took notes.)

2
Dox, Stock, and Barrel

I don’t mean to alarm you, but there’s an insane amount of information about you just sitting out on the web, openly available to anyone who does a little Googling. Most of us are aware of the problem to some extent, but it’s deeply unsettling to really look the issue in the eye. Here’s The Verge with How To Make Your Offline Self Harder To Find Online.

3
The Great Resignation

Millions of people around the world took some time during the pandemic lockdowns to take an honest look at their work life and how it’s affecting their quality of life in general. The result? Millions are quitting their jobs to start something new. If you’re in this camp, Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup, has some encouragement for you. Now might be the best time to make the jump you’ve been wanting to make.

4
10,000 Birds Per Day

Fancy yourself a writer but having trouble finding time to write much? What if there was a methodical structure you could use to help you let 10,000 words per day flow out of your hands? Nicolas Cole, author of one of the best books I read in 2020, called The Art and Business of Online Writing, takes you through the structure of a typical day for him and shows how he’s able to write 10,000 words per day. My best so far is 12,000 words in one 6 hour writing session. One day an ebook just poured out of me. It was euphoric, but sadly my son didn’t appreciate having to read a book on 47 Reasons To Keep Your Room Clean.

5
S.E.Ohhhhhh Yeah I’ll Get To That Later

Search Engine Optimization. SEO. The art of getting pages on your site to rank in the top 3 search engine results so that you can get “free” organic traffic. It’s a fascinating skill set but can take months to learn. If you’re the DIY type and you’re looking to flesh out your traffic sources for leads, bookmark this insanely in-depth, free SEO learning resource. That page is full of free, curated SEO learning resources. Dive in and get going. You’ll rank me later.

Okay, I think that’s a record for “Shortest Newsletter By Forest.”

What do you think? Is shorter better, or, does length actually matter? (What…you didn’t think I was going to not take advantage of that set up, did you?)

Get out there and…you know what…don’t crush it, because we’re not in a hyper masculine startup culture here.

Go get things done at your own pace. Take breaks. Go walk in nature and give yourself time to think. Then come back and get some more work done.

Balance is good.

Your friend on the entrepreneurial journey,
~Forest 🙂