Easy Links, How to Read More, and the Inner Critic [Weekend WRAP 122]
Hey Reader, I spent most of this week with my team at HeyCreator. This was the first time that many of us were in person together, and I’m excited about what we’re cooking up for creators in 2024.
The first thing to look out for in early March is my new podcast! I’ll be hosting it with a rotating collection of friends and producer/co-host Tim Forkin. I’m also a regular guest on Darrell Vesterfelt’s upcoming show — lots of content coming to you this year!
💡 One Big Idea — The Easy Link
My annual guy’s golf trip is coming up soon and I’ve been brushing up on my game the last few weeks. Last year I took lessons for the first time, and this year I’m focusing on the “inner game” of golf too. There’s a book of the same name that I discovered because Tiago Forte recommended another book in the series, The Inner Game of Work.
The Inner Game of Golf is about much more than golf — it’s about how we approach the inner “mental” game of almost anything. One of the key ideas in the book is understanding the difference between Self 1 (analytical) and Self 2 (intuitive).
Both selves have an important role in performance and every day life. The problem is that Self 1 is much more likely to take control and analyze (then critique) every little thing Self 2 wants to do — often smothering Self 2 completely.
That’s another WRAP lesson for another edition, but the idea I wanted to pull out this week is Gallwey’s “easy link” trick. On page 64, Gallwey talks about linking a difficult task, like a 15 foot putt, with an easy task that’s almost impossible to fail at, like picking the ball up out of the hole.
When you create this "easy link” between the difficult and the effortless, it reduces tension and makes the process easier to complete. That doesn’t mean I’ll make every 15 foot putt, but I’ve found I get much closer than I used to with less stress.
Easy Links in Life and Work
One of the things we talk about often in the HeyCreator Community is getting over the resistance of creating content. Writing newsletters, filming videos, and recording podcasts is difficult — there are lots of details and steps just to do the thing — and then who knows if it’s going to be successful in the eyes of the viewer? That often leads to doubt and worry, which obviously limits output and success.
To overcome the resistance, create your own "easy links." Just like in golf, easy links can reduce tension and make the process easier to complete. For example, when writing a newsletter, start by brainstorming ideas or drafting an outline, i.e. tasks that are relatively easy to accomplish.
If you want to break it down even further, the easy link can be opening the document. Another more recent option is asking an AI assistant to outline ideas then adding your own perspective and experience to begin the writing process. For video, it can literally be pressing record.
By breaking down the larger task into smaller, more manageable steps, it becomes less overwhelming and more achievable. And with less stress and doubt, you'll be more likely to produce quality content.
👀 Video to Watch — How to Read More
Every month I read Ryan Holiday’s Reading List email and am blown away by how much that guy reads. It’s thousands of pages every month and over a book a week on average. What’s more is how much information he seems to retain from what he reads!
In this video he talks about his reading and note-taking techniques, it’s a really good watch (or listen in the background). I liked the section on how to read like a spy (at 5:23).
📰 Article to Read — Softening Our Inner Critic
The other person I first learned about the Inner Game series through is Nat Eliason, one of my oldest friends on the internet and a great writer. He wrote a great article about the conflict between his skill rising as a fast as his standards and how to deal with that.
It's a common struggle for many creators. We often fixate on how our work can be better instead of being happy about its current value. However, by applying the concept of the “easy link” from the Inner Game, we can find a way to navigate this inner struggle.
Just as Gallwey suggests linking a difficult task with an easy one to reduce tension and improve performance in golf, we can apply this principle to our creative endeavors and keep Self 1 (the critic) from limiting or controlling Self 2 (the intuitive creator).
This way, you sidestep perfectionism and allow yourself to enjoy what you’re doing in the moment, whether that’s writing a newsletter or sinking a 15 foot putt. Less stress, less doubt, and way less beating yourself up.
Ok, let’s “wrap” it there this week. Thanks for reading the newsletter and hit reply if you have any thoughts on have a story of how you got someone’s attention. I’ll share one or two in an upcoming newsletter.
All the best,
Matt
p.s. if you have a (literal) minute to share feedback, click here.
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