So relatable. Every period in my life where I was a full-time writer taught me that I did not want to be a full-time writer. I think we love it partially because it is an outlet.
I believe this is something that happens far more often than we tend to realize, especially when it comes to specific projects. Pausing to reflect and discern what one truly enjoys feels crucial, and I think the example you shared illustrates this beautifully. It’s a genuinely thought-provoking issue, touching also on why we begin certain activities and continue them in the ways we do. One practice that helps me in this regard is setting aside periodic moments of reflection, so I can pause and gain a clearer sense of what I am actually doing and why.
As always, C.S. Lewis nails it: “We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man. There is nothing progressive about being pig-headed and refusing to admit a mistake. And I think if you look at the present state of the world it's pretty plain that humanity has been making some big mistake. We're on the wrong road. And if that is so we must go back. Going back is the quickest way on.”
This is probably timely for so many people. Often in life we look at where we are and extrapolate forward and assume all the other variables be they people or advertising rates will remain the same. But the landscape is always changing
So true. I think of it like freestyle swimming in an ocean. You have your head in the water just flutter kicking away in a direction, once in a while you want to pause, look above the water, recalibrate priority/direction and continue the grind. System 1 vs System 2 thinking!
This resonates across all forms of creative expression. Felt the same way when I was running video, and now with writing, and you realize that the same control of having ad sponsors over your head is the thing you were trying to avoid (having a manager/someone telling you what to do). But you've felt it, and now you pick your poison...
That’s a very good point about needing experiences to create deeper writing. Your new path is going to teach you a lot which hopefully you will share with us.
This hits on something I’ve been thinking a lot about with the optimization trap. The danger of confusing the means with the end. You were optimizing for subscriber growth, but what you really wanted was writing + income + optionality. Once growth detached from those ends, the whole system started to feel hollow. I call that drift: when the original context gets stripped away and you’re left optimizing a metric for its own sake.
It's also so funny that the ambition never wanes. Like, 2023 Jack was already top of the world. Doing better than millions and millions of people the same age. And you've just been continuing to crush in the years since (and I don't see that trend reversing anytime soon). You're an inspiration to us less accomplished folk.
Earning money through ever changing platforms is going to require constant adapting.
The breakfast thing I thought of while having admiring one of the better hotel breakfast I'd seen in a bit. What's to stop just anyone from coming in and joining the guests? Some places would be easier than others of course. I was on my way to run a half marathon so I'd actually packed my own very specific breakfast. An even better one was in the hotel we stayed at in Portugal but they checked a list for people who had paid the extra for breakfast. You might pull that off but much harder. The lunch idea doesn't seem much different than a dine and dash with a bit of distraction.
The interesting play I came across in a podcast was a guy that found a new tinder date every night, invited her to an expensive restaurant and then disappeared after eating leaving her with the bill. The police found it hard to charge him with anything and in a big city like NY it could go on indefinitely. Of course they did eventually track him down and somehow it came to an end.
Def resonated with the tripling down and diminishing returns.
Recognizing when an opportunity is legitimately good and it’s worth going all in on versus getting lucky by hitting on an untapped opportunity at a specific given time (like Twitter growth hacks to email subs) is an earned skill, usually only earned by getting kicked in the teeth once or twice (or three times).
Resonated a lot with this as a creator. Subscriber growth is addicting to chase but doesn’t always lead to the outcome you’re looking for. Think most ppl are ultimately looking for some combo of money + freedom to work on what excites them, and audience growth is simply a tool to get there.
So relatable. Every period in my life where I was a full-time writer taught me that I did not want to be a full-time writer. I think we love it partially because it is an outlet.
I believe this is something that happens far more often than we tend to realize, especially when it comes to specific projects. Pausing to reflect and discern what one truly enjoys feels crucial, and I think the example you shared illustrates this beautifully. It’s a genuinely thought-provoking issue, touching also on why we begin certain activities and continue them in the ways we do. One practice that helps me in this regard is setting aside periodic moments of reflection, so I can pause and gain a clearer sense of what I am actually doing and why.
As always, C.S. Lewis nails it: “We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man. There is nothing progressive about being pig-headed and refusing to admit a mistake. And I think if you look at the present state of the world it's pretty plain that humanity has been making some big mistake. We're on the wrong road. And if that is so we must go back. Going back is the quickest way on.”
This is probably timely for so many people. Often in life we look at where we are and extrapolate forward and assume all the other variables be they people or advertising rates will remain the same. But the landscape is always changing
So true. I think of it like freestyle swimming in an ocean. You have your head in the water just flutter kicking away in a direction, once in a while you want to pause, look above the water, recalibrate priority/direction and continue the grind. System 1 vs System 2 thinking!
This resonates across all forms of creative expression. Felt the same way when I was running video, and now with writing, and you realize that the same control of having ad sponsors over your head is the thing you were trying to avoid (having a manager/someone telling you what to do). But you've felt it, and now you pick your poison...
That’s a very good point about needing experiences to create deeper writing. Your new path is going to teach you a lot which hopefully you will share with us.
This hits on something I’ve been thinking a lot about with the optimization trap. The danger of confusing the means with the end. You were optimizing for subscriber growth, but what you really wanted was writing + income + optionality. Once growth detached from those ends, the whole system started to feel hollow. I call that drift: when the original context gets stripped away and you’re left optimizing a metric for its own sake.
It's also so funny that the ambition never wanes. Like, 2023 Jack was already top of the world. Doing better than millions and millions of people the same age. And you've just been continuing to crush in the years since (and I don't see that trend reversing anytime soon). You're an inspiration to us less accomplished folk.
Earning money through ever changing platforms is going to require constant adapting.
The breakfast thing I thought of while having admiring one of the better hotel breakfast I'd seen in a bit. What's to stop just anyone from coming in and joining the guests? Some places would be easier than others of course. I was on my way to run a half marathon so I'd actually packed my own very specific breakfast. An even better one was in the hotel we stayed at in Portugal but they checked a list for people who had paid the extra for breakfast. You might pull that off but much harder. The lunch idea doesn't seem much different than a dine and dash with a bit of distraction.
The interesting play I came across in a podcast was a guy that found a new tinder date every night, invited her to an expensive restaurant and then disappeared after eating leaving her with the bill. The police found it hard to charge him with anything and in a big city like NY it could go on indefinitely. Of course they did eventually track him down and somehow it came to an end.
Def resonated with the tripling down and diminishing returns.
Recognizing when an opportunity is legitimately good and it’s worth going all in on versus getting lucky by hitting on an untapped opportunity at a specific given time (like Twitter growth hacks to email subs) is an earned skill, usually only earned by getting kicked in the teeth once or twice (or three times).
Resonated a lot with this as a creator. Subscriber growth is addicting to chase but doesn’t always lead to the outcome you’re looking for. Think most ppl are ultimately looking for some combo of money + freedom to work on what excites them, and audience growth is simply a tool to get there.