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1924

Abstract

at the second marketplace.But what happens if other people also discover the price difference? Then your advantage disappears after a short time.Other people will also buy at the first market, which could lead to rising prices. On the second market, only a limited number of apples is needed — nevertheless, everyone tries to sell their apples there. Prices settle down, and boom, the business opportunity is gone.But what does that have to do with the ideal topic for writing now?What happens in the apple market is called arbitrage. It can occur in any market, and online writing is also a market.It feels like everyone on Medium started writing about writing a few months ago. Just check out the published pieces of your favorite content creator. I’m sure you’ll find what I mean.But writing about writing hasn’t been a goldmine for a long time — the advantage has been arbitraged away by stronger competition.In theory, there is no topic that “works better” than other topics. If success in writing about that topic increases, so does the competition. The popularity of a topic is always proportional to the competition.But just because there’s no “generally” best topic doesn’t mean you can find a personal one. Here’s what matters.<h1 id="deaa">Why Your Relationship to the Topic Matters Most</h1>I love when I’m involved in projects I enjoy. It enables me to work from morning till the evening. Even though I hardly have any free time, I’m not overloaded.I’m in a flow state. Flow is a strange thing. It’s like your body is putting all its energy into surviving, but it’s all about self-actualization, actually.A few months ago, I was writing exclusively about technology. I didn’t enjoy it. It wasn’t self-actualization

Options

for me, and so I was constantly exposed to distractions.Only when you don’t love what you do, you get distracted. It’s like looking around for alternatives. As a result, it took me way too much time to write. On top of that, it was all the more exhausting.The individual topics that you can write about vary greatly. Above all, they differ in how you cope with their challenges.<h1 id="7b70">How To Find What Uses the Least Energy</h1>I know that sounds so cliché. But focusing on what consumes the least energy will boost your productivity. Nevertheless, you can put this tip into practice. Here’s how.Take a few days to write and try to create the same initial conditions. Having slept enough and being in a quiet environment are the most important things.Set yourself a time window — for example, 1 hour for writing a piece. Instead of a time window, you can also note how often you were distracted while working.The stronger the flow, the less you find distractions attractive.When you’re done writing, note how much remaining energy you have. Of course, it’s difficult to quantify but can be roughly described as either “tired” or “just as energized as before.”Repeat these steps and write about different topics. In the end, you will find out what your strength is.I discovered that I should write much more about personal topics. They give me back energy, and I am more satisfied than when I write about tech—wondering if it’s still going so well despite my switch? No, not at the moment, to be honest. Don’t expect to write about every topic the same way. Different audiences expect different writings.But because I know there is no “best topic,” I prefer to learn to adapt, writing about what uses the least energy.</article></body>

Writing / Marketing

Why It Might Not Matter Which Is the Best Topic To Write About

Basic market mechanics play a huge role

A good friend of mine recently started to write online. I felt like it’s my time to shine.

I gave him some tips, and he asked a lot of questions. One of them really made me think:

“What is the best topic to write about online?”

I had to think about that for a while. My first instinct was to start some research. Yeah, it’s easy to determine which topics get the most attention online. It wasn’t until the end of my research that I realized I wasn’t answering the question correctly.

No, it doesn’t matter which topics work best when writing online — because we’re neglecting a few essential factors. Here is why.

Writing Topics are a Game of Arbitrage

Imagine you buy an apple in a marketplace for $1. In another marketplace, a few miles away, such an apple is sold for $2.

Congratulations, you’ve discovered a price difference.

You can use this to your advantage because you can sell your apple for $1 profit. Because you’re smart, you’ll buy as many apples as you can in the first marketplace and make a bunch of profit at the second marketplace.

But what happens if other people also discover the price difference? Then your advantage disappears after a short time.

Other people will also buy at the first market, which could lead to rising prices. On the second market, only a limited number of apples is needed — nevertheless, everyone tries to sell their apples there. Prices settle down, and boom, the business opportunity is gone.

But what does that have to do with the ideal topic for writing now?

What happens in the apple market is called arbitrage. It can occur in any market, and online writing is also a market.

It feels like everyone on Medium started writing about writing a few months ago. Just check out the published pieces of your favorite content creator. I’m sure you’ll find what I mean.

But writing about writing hasn’t been a goldmine for a long time — the advantage has been arbitraged away by stronger competition.

In theory, there is no topic that “works better” than other topics. If success in writing about that topic increases, so does the competition. The popularity of a topic is always proportional to the competition.

But just because there’s no “generally” best topic doesn’t mean you can find a personal one. Here’s what matters.

Why Your Relationship to the Topic Matters Most

I love when I’m involved in projects I enjoy. It enables me to work from morning till the evening. Even though I hardly have any free time, I’m not overloaded.

I’m in a flow state. Flow is a strange thing. It’s like your body is putting all its energy into surviving, but it’s all about self-actualization, actually.

A few months ago, I was writing exclusively about technology. I didn’t enjoy it. It wasn’t self-actualization for me, and so I was constantly exposed to distractions.

Only when you don’t love what you do, you get distracted. It’s like looking around for alternatives. As a result, it took me way too much time to write. On top of that, it was all the more exhausting.

The individual topics that you can write about vary greatly. Above all, they differ in how you cope with their challenges.

How To Find What Uses the Least Energy

I know that sounds so cliché. But focusing on what consumes the least energy will boost your productivity. Nevertheless, you can put this tip into practice. Here’s how.

Take a few days to write and try to create the same initial conditions. Having slept enough and being in a quiet environment are the most important things.

Set yourself a time window — for example, 1 hour for writing a piece. Instead of a time window, you can also note how often you were distracted while working.

The stronger the flow, the less you find distractions attractive.

When you’re done writing, note how much remaining energy you have. Of course, it’s difficult to quantify but can be roughly described as either “tired” or “just as energized as before.”

Repeat these steps and write about different topics. In the end, you will find out what your strength is.

I discovered that I should write much more about personal topics. They give me back energy, and I am more satisfied than when I write about tech—wondering if it’s still going so well despite my switch? No, not at the moment, to be honest. Don’t expect to write about every topic the same way. Different audiences expect different writings.

But because I know there is no “best topic,” I prefer to learn to adapt, writing about what uses the least energy.