Hi Reader,

“I don’t have time to create content.”

I hear that one a lot.

And yet most creators and business owners know they should publish something. So, they slam their order into ChatGPT and wait for it to serve up some generic nonsense.

Post created. ✅

Play with AI enough and you’ll spot this type of content on social media.

You read the post and think they’re saying something useful, but what?! So you consume the post again only to walk away feeling like you scoffed the digital equivalent of a McNugget.

AI churns out content like McDonald’s churns out meals - fast, uniform, and forgettable.

The thing is you don’t need to spend hours every day creating content. Like a healthy protein-packed meal, great content can grow your business.

Enter the Zettelkästen Method.

That’s a German word for Slipbox. It's a 150+ year-old system for capturing ideas, seeing how they connect with others and turning your insights into published works.

AI can’t do it.

Ronald Regan, George Carlin and Anne Lamott all kept a type of Zettelkästen. And for good reason. It works for any type of creator, writer or business owner.

If you’re looking for viral hits (more on that in a moment) or AI shortcuts, this system isn’t for you. But, I can show you how to set your system up. It only takes 30 minutes a day.

Writing, creating and publishing is fun.
​But it won’t pay the bills. When I was a freelance journalist, I discovered the hard way that I can’t ever rely on one client. Even if it’s a national Irish newspaper or Forbes.

Effective freelancers do one thing for their business every day, too. If you’re freelancing, reach out to few past clients to see if they need help. If you’re a consultant or coach, send a few DMS over on LinkedIn. Grow your email list.

That way, you won’t scramble for paying work at the end of the month.

I could offer you a platitude like be consistent. But here’s the thing: you can eat McDonalds 7 days a week and give yourself a heart attack.

So, here’s what I do:

Every Friday, I log into my social media accounts and email accounts.

(For a few years, I checked Google Analytics too. Then, the niche-website hating engineers at Google wrecked that product. So I found a healthier alternative-a story for another email.)

I pull out key stats and find what content is and isn’t working. I also add the best pieces of content to a library of greatest hits. Tracking my stats once a week changed how I think about creating online.

Before doing this regularly, I chased vanity metrics like going viral. And one day it happened: I went viral!

I wrote a post on Facebook that got over 3 million views. But do you know what it did for bank account? Absolutely nothing.

So stopped trying to jack my business up on Slushies. These days, I only care about social media content if grows my email list or attracts the right client.

I spend 30 minutes once a week plugging my content week into a Notion database. I use this process to plan content for the week ahead. You can easily replicate my process using the Digital Writer’s Command Center.

I could go on, but I’m out of McDonalds metaphors. These are all ideas I teach inside three of my most popular courses:

1. The Zettelkästen Method for Writers
2. The Digital Writer’s Command Center
3. Freelance Writing Mastery

Normally, I sell these courses individually for $297. For Black Friday, you can pick up all three for just $97. You have till Monday night. Then, I’m taking the whole thing down and treating myself to a Big Mac salad, Guinness and fillet steak.

​Check it out​

Write on,
Bryan Collins