Yup, just like the title says. I’m posting this to web only to see if it appears on the RSS feed and to check if the Letterly Agent detects it, converts it into social media posts, and reports back to me.
Cya!
Here’s some mock content to feed to the Agent:
Why Most Productivity Advice Is Backwards
Everyone tells you to wake up at 5am, batch your tasks, and time-block your calendar. I did all of that for two years. My output went up 15%. My creativity went to zero.
Here's what I learned after throwing out every productivity system I'd ever tried.
The Deep Work Myth
Cal Newport's "Deep Work" changed how a generation thinks about focus. But there's a problem nobody talks about: deep work assumes you already know what to work on. Most people don't. They spend 4 hours in a perfectly blocked focus session building the wrong thing. I've started doing what I call "Shallow Exploration" — 20-minute bursts of unstructured thinking before any deep work session. The results have been dramatic. My best ideas now come from the 20 minutes before the "real work" starts.
The Data Nobody Shares
I surveyed 340 newsletter creators last month. The results surprised me. 73% said they spend more time planning content than creating it. The top 10% by subscriber growth? They plan less than 30 minutes per week. The bottom 10%? Over 4 hours of planning per week. The correlation was almost perfect: more planning, less growth. My theory: planning feels productive but it's actually procrastination wearing a suit.
Three Things That Actually Moved The Needle
After talking to 50 creators who grew past 10,000 subscribers in under a year, three patterns emerged. First, they all publish on a predictable schedule — same day, same time, no exceptions. Second, they write for one specific person, not an audience. Third, they share their process, not just their conclusions. Nobody cares about your polished take. They care about how you got there.
Tool of the Week
I've been testing Readwise Reader as my primary reading app for 3 months. The highlight-to-note pipeline is genuinely the best I've used. If you read more than 2 articles a day, this replaces Pocket, Instapaper, and half your note-taking app. Not sponsored — I just think it's that good.
What I Got Wrong Last Week
In Edition #46, I said email open rates don't matter. Several readers pushed back with good data showing that open rates correlate strongly with paid conversion rates for premium newsletters. They were right. Open rates don't matter for ad-supported newsletters, but they're critical for subscription-based ones. I should have been more specific. Lesson: absolutes make for good headlines and bad advice.
See you next Wednesday.
