Thank you so much for the mention Astrid, that’s so kind. I have many feelings around consistency - and I think a lot of it is rooted in the performance world. ‘You must work hard, otherwise you don’t want it enough.’ I also agree with the fact that, for me personally at least, it can feel really restrictive to know I have to follow a certain schedule. Writing is a creative pursuit of sorts, and creativity doesn’t always work well when it’s so regimented. As I say - many thoughts are coming up!
Yes, you're right, consistency is so tied to productivity! Things only *count* if we're consistent, much like we only *count* if we're suitably productive (sigh). Time to kick that way of thinking to the curb :) Have a good weekend Anna and thank you for commenting! x
Another great newsletter Astrid! I hear the word consistency around it a lot too, and the shame behind it for the 99.9% of people who cannot remain consistent. It's interesting that we're ashamed we're not robots. Only programmed bots can remain consistent over time (and even those break). Our greatest gift is our humanity, and being human means having the freedom to be inconsistent, changing our minds, having sick days, vacation days, grieving days, mental health days.
On most days, I meditate, reflect, and read first thing in the morning. But this morning, I woke up to find that some clients had fires I needed to put out first. A meeting needed to be rescheduled, a booking link was wrong on cart close, a webinar needed to be prepped. And I was okay with doing it, because I'm not a robot. I can be agile and flexible, and most days there are no "fires."
I started doing a Substack writing power hour most evenings, and I'm really enjoying that. For years I tried to wake up early to write, only to find it impossible to get enough sleep to do that. I've finally embraced that I have a really clear head for an hour or two in the evenings, and it's better for me than a 5 a.m. or 6. a.m. start.
Thanks for challenging premises like consistency. It feels very freeing to read your thoughts.
Thank you for your comment Janelle! I love how you write that our greatest gift is our humanity--I absolutely agree :)
I'm glad that you've found a way that works for you with the writing too: I'm not much of an early riser either, so writing early in the morning is usually not my thing, although I've recently found lots of joy in doing a little bit of journaling before or after breakfast, especially if my mind feels frazzled. Have a lovely rest of your week! x
Hi Astrid, I've just joined substack after seeing you on Connected Artists. I love what you said about consistency as I really wanted to make this my space for writing and not adhere to any more rules! I'm going to get a few more posts up and then ease my old mailchimp audience in. My mailchimps were VERY sporadic and only really when I had a shop sale or when I got a kick up the arse from Connected Artists so this will be different to what they have received before - I guess they can always unsubscribe and I will slowly build a new audience. This already feels like a much more natural space for me. Thanks!
You're welcome Francesca, and thank you for getting in touch! Your newsletter subscribers can indeed always unsubscribe once you've moved them over but my guess would be that most will just be pleasantly surprised that you're writing more often. Here's to making our own rules! ✨
Thank you so much for the mention Astrid, that’s so kind. I have many feelings around consistency - and I think a lot of it is rooted in the performance world. ‘You must work hard, otherwise you don’t want it enough.’ I also agree with the fact that, for me personally at least, it can feel really restrictive to know I have to follow a certain schedule. Writing is a creative pursuit of sorts, and creativity doesn’t always work well when it’s so regimented. As I say - many thoughts are coming up!
Yes, you're right, consistency is so tied to productivity! Things only *count* if we're consistent, much like we only *count* if we're suitably productive (sigh). Time to kick that way of thinking to the curb :) Have a good weekend Anna and thank you for commenting! x
Another great newsletter Astrid! I hear the word consistency around it a lot too, and the shame behind it for the 99.9% of people who cannot remain consistent. It's interesting that we're ashamed we're not robots. Only programmed bots can remain consistent over time (and even those break). Our greatest gift is our humanity, and being human means having the freedom to be inconsistent, changing our minds, having sick days, vacation days, grieving days, mental health days.
On most days, I meditate, reflect, and read first thing in the morning. But this morning, I woke up to find that some clients had fires I needed to put out first. A meeting needed to be rescheduled, a booking link was wrong on cart close, a webinar needed to be prepped. And I was okay with doing it, because I'm not a robot. I can be agile and flexible, and most days there are no "fires."
I started doing a Substack writing power hour most evenings, and I'm really enjoying that. For years I tried to wake up early to write, only to find it impossible to get enough sleep to do that. I've finally embraced that I have a really clear head for an hour or two in the evenings, and it's better for me than a 5 a.m. or 6. a.m. start.
Thanks for challenging premises like consistency. It feels very freeing to read your thoughts.
Thank you for your comment Janelle! I love how you write that our greatest gift is our humanity--I absolutely agree :)
I'm glad that you've found a way that works for you with the writing too: I'm not much of an early riser either, so writing early in the morning is usually not my thing, although I've recently found lots of joy in doing a little bit of journaling before or after breakfast, especially if my mind feels frazzled. Have a lovely rest of your week! x
Hi Astrid, I've just joined substack after seeing you on Connected Artists. I love what you said about consistency as I really wanted to make this my space for writing and not adhere to any more rules! I'm going to get a few more posts up and then ease my old mailchimp audience in. My mailchimps were VERY sporadic and only really when I had a shop sale or when I got a kick up the arse from Connected Artists so this will be different to what they have received before - I guess they can always unsubscribe and I will slowly build a new audience. This already feels like a much more natural space for me. Thanks!
You're welcome Francesca, and thank you for getting in touch! Your newsletter subscribers can indeed always unsubscribe once you've moved them over but my guess would be that most will just be pleasantly surprised that you're writing more often. Here's to making our own rules! ✨