Burnout or Break? Could it be a choice?

E101: Lahaina, Is a strategically built-in break my secret sauce in creating a sustainable practice?

As a part of my wonderful life, I get to …
write and share a newsletter. And have so many of you continue to write, text and tell me where it is making a difference in the lives of those precious to you.

Takeaway for today: Burnout or Take a Break? It's a choice. Scheduling a deliberate break may — surprisingly — boost your work by enhancing its sustainability.

If you are starting a newsletter, this edition is written for you. Where else could we apply this learning?

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Lahaina

But first … the most devastating loss of life, economy, and culture in Lahaina, the former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The speed of the devastation was swift. The recovery is going to take years.

Climate features strongly in Tilt the Future because it is a vector. It amplifies unpredictability as we plan for the future. I’ve referenced Seth Godin-inspired The Carbon Almanac and The Carbon Alliance before. Members who reside in Hawaii have asked that we do at least one of two things, and quickly:

1. Non-monetary help: If you have a trip to Hawaii booked in the next month, delay it in the short-term. That way resources can be directed towards the rescue and rebuild. But remember that these areas rely on tourism in the long-term. Talk about Climate Resilience wherever you can.

2. Monetary help: Pick your charity. One member - Richard Brooks, who resides in Lanai - is trying to raise at least $100 for each person in Lahaina (equivalent to $1,000,000 USD by September 11). Every dollar donated here will go directly to families in Lahaina. Check out his page. If you have questions you can contact him RB@RichardBrooke.com https://www.younglivingfoundation.org/fundraiser/donate/maui-fire/

Numerous fundraisers, such as GoFundMe pages, are available for supporting disaster relief efforts. Check if your company or school matches donations. Be it fires in Hawaii or Yellowknife, or floods in Luzon, Seoul, and Hebei, choose how to donate your attention – time, money, and energy – to those affected globally by climate action's rapid pace.

© Andrew de Souza, Sunset on Oahu, Hawaii

The loss and devastation in Lahaina evoke an unsettling familiarity as I edit chapters on the 2004 Tsunami for our travel memoir. In January 2005, we postponed visiting the Maldives so they could concentrate on rebuilding. It remains a bucket list destination. Viewing travel photos of families enjoying PhiPhi and Phuket always tugs at my heartstrings, as I recall the food shacks, ice cream stores, tour boat operators, and the families who suffered great losses.

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Sustainability

I’ve launched four newsletters since 2013. Their remnants are strewn, hard-earned mailing lists now atrophied. What worked this time to get me to 100? And what could I learn from three failed newsletters?

The fault lines are different for different people. Some struggle with content (clearly not my problem!) Others find a challenge with audience. For me, it was sustaining the delivery of my newsletter within the rhythm of my regular life.

Could I preempt these failure points?

1. I realized that I get embarrassed when I do not publish on schedule. Once I lost momentum, I faltered. This shame is a “me” problem because I’d fractured my personal contract with my reader. My internal struggle resulted in burnout.
   But I am not Saturday Night Live. Analyzing my stats, I realized that my readers are not eagerly hitting enter, waiting to see my email pop into their mailbox on Friday at Five. I could program in some grace.

2. My biggest interrupts were trips to Europe to be with my parents. After that came conferences, illness, and consulting projects. Basically, I needed large, uninterrupted chunks of time to write. And I hadn’t evolved a fail-safe system to deliver that.

3. I say too much. Words are never my problem. Editing is. As a result, my essays were never prime-time ready on schedule. (Circle back to point 1!)

In an eerie parallel to climate, my solution lay in creating a sustainable system:

Put your own oxygen mask on first.

This a marathon, not a sprint. A pre-programmed break every 7th edition turned out to be my personal solution.

• I planned my exit strategy at the start. I originally committed to three cycles of seven (21 editions). Every subsequent seventh edition I re-evaluate whether I continue publishing, based on my engagement rate (h/t Ann Handley OWBR).

• I pace myself. Planning my next cycle of seven, I fold speaking engagements into the publishing schedule, repurposing my research into my articles. I maintain my rhythm while travelling by batch-drafting editions to auto-publish while I am away.

• Pay yourself first. It is brutal. But if you are an obliger like me, you have to be ruthlessly selfish in protecting your publishing hour(s). It is difficult. Like brushing your teeth, everything else comes AFTER.

Via Negativa

Linked with that last point was a realization - I have to pick a place to focus. Posting daily on LinkedIn was a great muscle to develop, but when I found myself doing it to feed the algorithm rather than build community it drained me.

I now invest in myself first. My other socials come later. I’m still figuring it out.

I cover many of these ideas in this YouTube playlist and related edition

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx8XaZS1fQqvUYrFOQaa1I8s3bnZBY3Lu

E73: When the Muse Refuses to Talk to You

Next week: “Brick by brick” - how one idea changed my mindset on publishing.

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Wow! Our Tribe Tilt is growing! I recognize Nina Lockwood who helped me discover the phrase “As a part of my wonderful life ..”

Beatrice Hope

joining from Kenya and

Russell John

are launching their own substacks. Jack and Patrick are big-thinking co-conspirators from

Vicky Zhao

’s amazing “Thinking in Frameworks” cohort (inspiring the Via Negativa section) And my cousin Russel - an amazing creative director (also brand & product designer) who recently relocated from Seoul to Ottawa .. and searching for a remote design role based in North America.

This is a community that believes in the best of humanity - connecting people, sharing ideas, and exploring thoughts respectfully. And we believe we can make a difference to the people and places that are precious to us.

The best idea can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time. You have permission.

Stay healthy. From there all else becomes possible.
Karena