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The Counterintuitive Secret to
Shipping Better Articles Faster
(Spoilers: it’s not “work harder.”)
Sam Julien
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The “Ultimate Guide” Trap
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“I’m going to start blogging!”
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Either you’ll ship it or abandon it, but either way…
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…and whether or not it’s successful…
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How can I consistently create useful, practical
content without getting burned out? 🤔
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@samjulien
Sam Julien
samjulien.com
Manager of Developer Relations at Auth0
Getting Started in Developer Relations & Guide to Tiny Experiments
Thinkster & egghead
@samjulien
Developer Microskills Newsletter
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Top Take-Aways 🥡
The value of a systematic approach to content
The secret to building any new skill
Practical tips on building your content system
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Consistent Small Wins: The Secret
to Building Any New Skill
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Creating Content as a Developer
Overwhelming to know what to create
Difficult to cross things off the list
Never-ending cycle
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Don’t think of content (or any other skill you’re
building) as a dictionary to memorize. 📕
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Think like an explorer. 🗺
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Wandering vs Exploring
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You make less progress wandering aimlessly.
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One reason for this is that we’re programmed to
seek comfort and familiarity.
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Comfort is the enemy of growth.
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⚠ Comfort !== Self Care!
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Predictable and repeatable growth
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What causes us to grow?
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We grow by doing challenging things
quickly and getting feedback.
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We grow by doing challenging things
quickly and getting feedback.
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Doing Challenging Things Quickly
Trackable
Measurable
Production-Focused
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We grow by doing challenging things
quickly and getting feedback.
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Getting Feedback
Learning in Groups
Learning in Public
Does it work?
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Getting Feedback
Learning in Groups
Learning in Public
Does it work?
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Build Your Content System
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Creating content is hard! 😫
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Gartner Hype Cycle
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@samjulien
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall
to the level of your systems.”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
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@samjulien
Systems > Motivation
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@samjulien
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@samjulien
Build a small but complete system.
Create
Draft
Promote
Publish
Garden
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@samjulien
Draft
Gathering notes
Creating an outline
First draft
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@samjulien
Build a small but complete system.
Create
Draft
Promote
Publish
Garden
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@samjulien
Create
Writing/Recording
Adding images
Code samples
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@samjulien
Build a small but complete system.
Create
Draft
Promote
Publish
Garden
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@samjulien
Publish
Publishing on your site
Adding social images
Cross-posting
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@samjulien
Build a small but complete system.
Create
Draft
Promote
Publish
Garden
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@samjulien
Promote
Twitter threads
Forums & Chat Groups
Talks
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@samjulien
Build a small but complete system.
Create
Draft
Promote
Publish
Garden
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@samjulien
Garden
Update over time
Maintain & Correct
Cross-link
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@samjulien
Build a small but complete system.
Create
Draft
Promote
Publish
Garden
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Tips for Building an Effective
Content System
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@samjulien
Build a small but complete system.
Create
Draft
Promote
Publish
Garden
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@samjulien
Build a small but complete system.
Create
Draft
Promote
Publish
Garden
Creation Phase
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Three Tools 🧰
Scratchpad, task manager, knowledge system
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“Heavy lift” 🏋 vs “slow burn” 🔥
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Scratch Pad 🗒
Eliminate the distraction of figuring out where to jot something down.
Examples: Notepad++, Google Docs, Drafts
Look for: speed, ease of use, ability to export
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Knowledge Base 🧠
Slow burn your drafts and link your ideas together.
Examples: Evernote, Roam, Notion, Obsidian
Look for: cross-linking, collections, multimedia
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Task Manager 📋
Ship things faster by determining the next action and context for a project.
Examples: OmniFocus, Things, Google Keep
Look for: works with your brain, ability to add context/tags
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Three Tips 🤔
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Tip 1: In the beginning, move fast to
define your process. 👟
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We grow by doing challenging things
quickly and getting feedback.
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The learning is in the speed of action.
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Do Tiny Experiments: run small
articles through the whole process. 🧪
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Tip 2: Start with what you know. 🤔
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Isolate the skill of learning to ship.
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Stuck? Try the TIL format. 💡
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The TIL Format 💡
I. Intro: 2 or 3 sentences describing the problem you had.
II. Body: A few sentences describing the solution and how you got there.
III. Final solution: The finished code someone can copy and paste.
IV. Conclusion: 1 or 2 sentences re-capping the problem and solution with
a link to your Twitter or a shout-out to your newsletter at the end.
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Tip 3: Don’t over-engineer too quickly. ⚠
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It’s not a failure, it’s a test!
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@samjulien
Build a small but complete system.
Create
Draft
Promote
Publish
Garden
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@samjulien
Build a small but complete system.
Create
Draft
Promote
Publish
Garden
Post-Publication
Phase
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Tip 1: Every piece of content
has a price tag. 💵
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Plan to spend equal time
promoting and maintaining. 🔈
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Tip 2: Provide direct value on
each platform. 🔗
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What’s their frame of mind?
What are people looking for?
How can you provide value on the spot?
Tip 2: Provide direct value on each platform. 🔗
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Tip 3: Be patient. ⏱
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Let’s Review
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Quick Recap: The Need for Consistency
Think like an explorer
Action + Speed + Feedback = Growth
Systems > Motivation
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Quick Recap: Tools
Scratchpad
Knowledge base
Task manager
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Quick Recap: Creation Phase
Move fast and scope small
Don’t over-engineer too fast
Start with what you know
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Quick Recap: Post-Publication Phase
All content has a price tag
Be patient
Provide direct value
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samj.im/shipping-talk
@samjulien
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samj.im/shipping-talk
Thank you!
@samjulien