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The Counterintuitive Secret to Shipping Better Articles Faster

The Counterintuitive Secret to Shipping Better Articles Faster

Sam Julien

April 02, 2021
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  1. The Counterintuitive Secret to
    Shipping Better Articles Faster
    (Spoilers: it’s not “work harder.”)
    Sam Julien

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  2. The “Ultimate Guide” Trap

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  3. “I’m going to start blogging!”

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  5. Either you’ll ship it or abandon it, but either way…

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  7. …and whether or not it’s successful…

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  9. How can I consistently create useful, practical
    content without getting burned out? 🤔

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  10. @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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  11. 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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  12. Consistent Small Wins: The Secret
    to Building Any New Skill

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  13. 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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  15. Don’t think of content (or any other skill you’re
    building) as a dictionary to memorize. 📕

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  16. Think like an explorer. 🗺

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  18. Wandering vs Exploring

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  19. You make less progress wandering aimlessly.

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  20. One reason for this is that we’re programmed to
    seek comfort and familiarity.

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  21. Comfort is the enemy of growth.

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  23. ⚠ Comfort !== Self Care!

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  24. Predictable and repeatable growth

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  25. What causes us to grow?

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  26. We grow by doing challenging things
    quickly and getting feedback.

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  27. We grow by doing challenging things
    quickly and getting feedback.

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  28. Doing Challenging Things Quickly
    Trackable
    Measurable
    Production-Focused

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  29. We grow by doing challenging things
    quickly and getting feedback.

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  30. Getting Feedback
    Learning in Groups
    Learning in Public
    Does it work?

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  31. Getting Feedback
    Learning in Groups
    Learning in Public
    Does it work?

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  32. Build Your Content System

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  34. Creating content is hard! 😫

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  36. Gartner Hype Cycle

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  37. @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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  38. @samjulien
    Systems > Motivation

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  39. @samjulien

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  40. @samjulien
    Build a small but complete system.
    Create
    Draft
    Promote
    Publish
    Garden

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  41. @samjulien
    Draft
    Gathering notes
    Creating an outline
    First draft

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  42. @samjulien
    Build a small but complete system.
    Create
    Draft
    Promote
    Publish
    Garden

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  43. @samjulien
    Create
    Writing/Recording
    Adding images
    Code samples

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  44. @samjulien
    Build a small but complete system.
    Create
    Draft
    Promote
    Publish
    Garden

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  45. @samjulien
    Publish
    Publishing on your site
    Adding social images
    Cross-posting

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  46. @samjulien
    Build a small but complete system.
    Create
    Draft
    Promote
    Publish
    Garden

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  47. @samjulien
    Promote
    Twitter threads
    Forums & Chat Groups
    Talks

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  48. @samjulien
    Build a small but complete system.
    Create
    Draft
    Promote
    Publish
    Garden

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  49. @samjulien
    Garden
    Update over time
    Maintain & Correct
    Cross-link

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  50. @samjulien
    Build a small but complete system.
    Create
    Draft
    Promote
    Publish
    Garden

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  52. Tips for Building an Effective
    Content System

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  53. @samjulien
    Build a small but complete system.
    Create
    Draft
    Promote
    Publish
    Garden

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  54. @samjulien
    Build a small but complete system.
    Create
    Draft
    Promote
    Publish
    Garden
    Creation Phase

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  55. Three Tools 🧰
    Scratchpad, task manager, knowledge system

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  56. “Heavy lift” 🏋 vs “slow burn” 🔥

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  57. 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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  58. 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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  59. 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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  60. Three Tips 🤔

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  61. Tip 1: In the beginning, move fast to
    define your process. 👟

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  62. We grow by doing challenging things
    quickly and getting feedback.

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  63. The learning is in the speed of action.

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  64. Do Tiny Experiments: run small
    articles through the whole process. 🧪

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  65. Tip 2: Start with what you know. 🤔

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  66. Isolate the skill of learning to ship.

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  67. Stuck? Try the TIL format. 💡

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  68. 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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  69. Tip 3: Don’t over-engineer too quickly. ⚠

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  70. It’s not a failure, it’s a test!

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  71. @samjulien
    Build a small but complete system.
    Create
    Draft
    Promote
    Publish
    Garden

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  72. @samjulien
    Build a small but complete system.
    Create
    Draft
    Promote
    Publish
    Garden
    Post-Publication
    Phase

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  73. Tip 1: Every piece of content
    has a price tag. 💵

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  74. Plan to spend equal time
    promoting and maintaining. 🔈

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  75. Tip 2: Provide direct value on
    each platform. 🔗

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  76. 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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  78. Tip 3: Be patient. ⏱

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  80. Let’s Review

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  81. Quick Recap: The Need for Consistency
    Think like an explorer
    Action + Speed + Feedback = Growth
    Systems > Motivation

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  82. Quick Recap: Tools
    Scratchpad
    Knowledge base
    Task manager

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  83. Quick Recap: Creation Phase
    Move fast and scope small
    Don’t over-engineer too fast
    Start with what you know

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  84. Quick Recap: Post-Publication Phase
    All content has a price tag
    Be patient
    Provide direct value

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  85. samj.im/shipping-talk
    @samjulien

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  86. samj.im/shipping-talk
    Thank you!
    @samjulien

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