How the founder of Medium went from college dropout to self-made billionaire
Blogger, Twitter, Medium — if you have either been blogging or micro-blogging, you’d have used at least one of these platforms at some point in your creator journey. What might surprise you is that the founder of all three platforms is the same person — Ev Williams. Yes, all three platforms.
These platforms have given voice to millions of bloggers like me and billion others who wish to express their ideas, thoughts and opinions.
Some may wonder — isn’t Jack Dorsey the founder of Twitter? Well, he is not the only founder of Twitter. In fact, Twitter was founded by…
You can do both — here’s how
“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinion drown out your own inner voice” — Steve Jobs
Social media influencers often talk about how they quit their job to pursue their dream. And then they try to sell that dream to you.
It is great if you hate your job, and you are passionate about something. But ask yourself — do you really hate your job? Or have you been gaslighted into believing that?
I am not saying that content creation or freelancing as a career option isn’t lucrative. But it isn’t for everyone. …
Here’s how to consider productivity in a different light
Each person is different. And so are their goals, fitness, and income levels.
Yet, most productivity advice doesn’t even acknowledge these differences. They provide the same run-of-the-mill advice to everyone — create a morning routine, focus on the most important tasks in the day, use the 80/20 rule, and so on.
I want to gouge my eyes out the next time I read something like this. Don’t get me wrong — I have nothing against it. I have written about productivity myself. But I have realized that what we preach and what we practice is very different. So I did…
Move towards a subscription-based business model, ability to monetize, preference to individual voice over a brand, and more
We are on the cusp of a major change moving away from the “attention economy” to the “creator economy.” The attention economy has ad-based revenue generation as a central part of its business model, whereas the creator economy democratizes the process providing a platform, marketplace, and tools to digital entrepreneurs to provide valuable content to other users.
Mark Adams, a Vice Media employee, says “audience is a liability whereas a community is an asset.”
The digital space has undergone a phenomenal change in the last decade in tune with the changing needs of the consumer, the competition, and the long-term…
Productivity
Work, Sleep and Leisure
This year when my husband and I travelled to New Zealand, on our way from Christchurch to Grey mouth in the south Island, we took this scenic Alpine train journey that took us through some stunning landscapes with live commentary on the struggles of the miners who worked there. How they had to fight for their right to 8-hour work life. And all that they desired was a simple triple 8 rule — 8-hours sleep, 8-hours work, and 8-hours leisure.
Five reasons that dissuade me from taking this bold step
Quitting that boring 9-to-5 job may seem like the crowning achievement in the content creation industry. But is it really what you are after?
I don’t earn a full-time income to have the privilege of waving goodbye to my corporate life. But even if I did, I am not sure if I’d call it quits.
You might ask, ‘why not pursue something you love that helps you earn as much money as in a full-time career?’
I get it — the bragging rights of being able to quit your job to pursue your passion can be tempting. But there’s a…
Centered on skills, mindset, clarity, fear, passion, and rejection.
Do you feel disheartened when the online platforms don’t reward you for your effort?
Do you struggle to maintain momentum and pace up with other creators?
Do you feel lost at times, not knowing if you are doing the right thing?
I hear you. And I understand your struggles, too, as I navigate through mine. Everyone has self-doubts, even the greatest creators of all times. Self-doubts are a sign of modesty. But it’s necessary to manage them before it impedes your journey as a creator.
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.”
― Suzy Kassem
Here are six self-doubts…
Avoid doing these 5 things that prove to be Counter-Productive
When you first start your online writing career, it is easy to get distracted with a million things such as reading about writing, networking with other writers, joining a bunch of Facebook groups, among others. It may seem the right thing to do, but it proves to be counterproductive.
It stops you from doing the one non-negotiable thing you had set out to do — Write.
Here are five things that you need to stop right away to focus solely on cultivating a writing habit.
1. Prioritize ‘reading’ and ‘socializing’ over ‘writing’
One article would lead you to another and another, and before you know it, there…
Most habits are designed to help us do things quicker. But let’s slow down and focus on some habits to improve our mental health instead.
In Aug last year, I had to train a large audience virtually on a subject I knew on the back of my hand. I could present it in my sleep. But when the day came, I was tongue-tied at several points throughout the session.
I was anxious — I was talking so fast, I couldn’t coherently put my sentences together.
Fortunately for me, I had my husband doubling up as my work partner. He observed my speech pattern, and he gave me a lot of feedback. One of them was to breathe and slow down every time I speak. …
It would only add to your misery — here’s what you can do instead
“Have you been gaslighted into believing that your corporate job sucks?”
“Have you been told that quitting your job is the only way to achieve freedom?”
“Have you been lured into the passion economy because it is the simple route to make money doing less work?”
If you answered “Yes” or “Maybe” to any of them, chances are you have seriously considered quitting your day job at some point.
But are you choosing it for the right reasons? …
