Summary

The article advocates for "satisficing," a content creation approach that prioritizes acceptable quality over perfection to sustain long-term audience building.

Abstract

The article emphasizes the challenges of content creation and the mental fatigue that comes with the pursuit of constant perfection. It introduces the concept of "satisficing," which encourages content creators to aim for a "good enough" standard rather than an unattainable ideal. This approach is presented as a way to alleviate the pressure of creating content, allowing for consistency and the joy of exploration in one's work. By adopting this mindset, creators can focus on the process of creation and sharing their thoughts authentically, leading to a more sustainable and fulfilling content creation journey.

Opinions

Content creation is often seen as an endless and exhausting cycle, but it doesn't have to be.
"Satisficing" is a strategy that involves accepting B+ work instead of striving for A+++++, which is more realistic and sustainable.
The market, not the creator, is the ultimate judge of content, so creators should focus on output and iteration rather than perfection.
Overthinking and over-editing can lead to a lack of output, which hinders improvement and feedback.
Lowering expectations allows for more frequent and less pressured content creation, fostering authenticity and depth.
Consistency in content creation is more crucial than perfection, as it enables learning, growth, and the development of a loyal audience.
The joy of content creation can be found in the act of exploring one's curiosity and sharing authentic thoughts, not in chasing virality.
To start and maintain a consistent content creation habit, creators should set a manageable cadence, use a timer to manage writing sessions, and aim to publish regularly.

The Most Powerful Audience-Building Trick That Nobody Tells You About

The mental game of building

You’d be forgiven for chewing your cheeks over content.

It feels like an endless pursuit right? A treadmill of sorts. Wake up, write content, do life, repeat. It’s never-ending.

It’s never enough, there’s always more and more. There are always people better, faster, smarter. Some days you can get yourself into a tailspin just thinking about the content world.

But, there’s some good news.

Writing content on the internet doesn’t have to be like that, in fact, you can reframe the entire thing with a few mental tweaks.

Here’s the most powerful one I use and how it works.

Welcome to the world of ‘satisficing’

Satisficing is a decision-making strategy that aims for acceptable not optimal. In other words, you’re aiming for B+ not A+++++.

In a world full of decision-making, competing priorities, and the never-ending now, you’ve gotta get comfortable with the phrase ‘good enough’.

It means:

Rewriting your headline 3 times, not 17
Editing your work for an hour, not 12

You know in the perfect world, you’d go A+++ but that’s not the world we live in.

The game is about longevity, about pace and about staying in the game long enough. If you’re constantly aiming for A+++, you’ll rarely press publish. And here’s the kicker, the market is the judge.

You can’t think your way through it

Most people do the equivalent of reading the recipe for 2 hours before they start baking the cake.

Most people forget that it’s the market that judges, not them.

It’s perfection to their undoing.

Lack of output = lack of good input.

AKA you have to make stuff to get better at making stuff, without pressing publish you’re hypothesizing without ever testing.

It allows you to finally get out of your own head

Satisficing lowers the bar.

It means there is little pressure every time you sit down to make content.

It’s not like you’re trying to hit it out of the park, you’re just trying to write something you found value in.

The best way I think about content: it’s an extension of my thinking.

The outcomes don’t matter so much as my ability to show up and put in the work. The reward comes from the work not as a result of it.

And then you can explore your mind authentically

The game changes when you’re not focused on going viral.

A+++ is a lot of pressure.

To write the best thing you’ve ever written, every single time you sit down to write? Jeez.

Instead, if you’re focused on exploring your curiosity, your authenticity shines through. And that allows for depth.

It allows you to burrow down rabbit holes. You can start following your thoughts because you’re not bogged down by concern.

And that makes for magic and most important of all, it creates space for joy.

How do you accept that B+ is good enough?

Well, it starts with facts.

Most people don’t get great overnight, they show up, fall in love with the craft, find joy in it, and then strive to be better.

Consistency is the first challenge to master.

You get there by lowering the bar and lowering your expectations. Your goal is to show up and be ‘good enough’.

Set your cadence (once a week, once a day whatever)
Set a timer (whatever your schedule allows)
Get writing & aim to pressure publish

Sure formatting, flow, voice, brand all that stuff is important but the most important feature, especially at the beginning is starting and never stopping.

To iterate, you must begin.

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