A baker's dozen minus one

Rain, rain go away, come again when it’s more convenient

Sloppy gets the job done

If this sounds like a rerun of your favorite TV show then it’s an episode worth rewatching. Sloppy drafts are the way to go to get your ideas out and get that first draft dooNe. See what I did there?

-John

Moving Forward

Episode 464: The art of the sloppy first draft

I’m afraid the lead up to writing your first draft has been hyped up like a Star Wars sequel from the 2010s. To spare you the disappointment, and hopefully alleviate some of the pressure, I’m going to lift the curtain, so to speak. The pre-planning steps we’ve covered thus far aren’t meant to turn you into a perfect scribe. On the contrary, it’s time to let perfection syndrome go like winter 2024.

Hopefully, you’ve gotten some hints of this over the past few weeks with our look at writing tools, reasonable schedules, and ideation mapping. Your goal with a first draft is simple: get it done, which means don’t edit while you write. What this requires, as Yoda once so eloquently said (in one of the good Star Wars movies), is to “unlearn what you have learned.”

Editing while you write is like trying to decorate a cake while mixing the flour, eggs, water, and whatever else goes into the bowl. It’s the right thing at the wrong time.

I’ve said this before on issue 🖐, which also happens to be the number of the aforementioned Star Wars sequel, keep your drafts sloppy to 1) get the ideas out, 2) draw connections, and 3) stay nimble so you can make radical changes once you get to the redrafting and editing stages.

Admittedly this is easier said than done. So like anything else, practice makes perfect iMperrfact.

Learn more on this week’s episode, now playing on Spotify.

Moving Forward is also available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, iHeart, CastBox, Pocket Casts, Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor), and Audible.

What else on this week’s episode:

• How pen and paper, voice can give you a first draft edge over using your computer.

• Considerations for each writing tool category to maximize your first draft output.

• Why editing while you write can be hazardous to your first draft’s health.

Hacks

Use your smartphone as a nagging assistant

I’ve longed since stopped using my brain to keep track of everything I have to do, especially as that list continues to expand like a bloomin’ onion at an Outback Steakhouse. Of all the memory and efficiency hacks out there, I find to do lists to be the best way to stay on top of tasks, big and small.

The problem is that I hate writing things down, especially given my atrocious handwriting, which would baffle Dr. Robert Landon in trying to decipher.

Thus, I rely on my smartphone as my personal assistant. Whatever the task, big or small, I simply call out “Hey Siri” (you can do this on Google Assistant too), followed by: 1) a CTA such as “set a reminder for __ day @ __ time,” 2) insert <task>. Below are some common and quirky tasks that I set reminders for:

• Reply back to this email / text / call.

• Finish your taxes.

• Cancel this subscription (this is especially useful for those trial subscription end dates, which can sneak up on you).

• Contact ___ about ___.

• Finish that fruit / vegetable before it goes bad.

• Write that newsletter. ✅ (see this works!)

Here’s an advanced hack that is for the highly self-aware. If you’re reminding yourself of a task that you know you’ll procrastinate on, set the reminder early and ask your smartphone to make it recurring on a daily basis. This way you can hit “snooze” and have it pop up again until you finish it.

Try it and see for yourself. Here are a few reminder prompts that you can test out.

• Read this newsletter.

• Listen to Moving Forward podcast.

• Share both to everyone you know.

Pretty soon, you’ll be so on top of things that you’ll inevitably be seen as the most responsible one of your weird circle of friends or colleagues such that you’ll inevitably be saddled with more tasks to be reminded of. At that point, you need to monetize being a taskmaster to make it worth your while but we’ll save that for another day.

Weekly quirky news

G-📧 2️⃣0️⃣th 🎂, 🐻🍫, 🤖🍔🍟, 🗑🏡🗑, ☕️📈🧸😂.

• Gmail is almost old enough to legally drink.

• A shoplifting bear that’s very polite and considerate.

• Robots are flipping burgers at some fast food locations due to rising minimum wage and inflation.

• A “trash house” in LA spirals out of control prompting the mayor to order an emergency cleanup.

• Coffee joins chocolate in becoming an expensive luxury commodity amidst rising costs, shortages, and inflation. [Tomorrow’s news prediction: shoplifting bear now adding a cup of hazelnut to his nightly haul.]

• Flying animal dummies (including non-shoplifting bears) are really funny.

Grab this doom scrolling literary classic for your coffee table (also makes a great gift)

Available now at my bookstore on Pangobooks

Resources

Teach a man to fish, you know the rest (if you don’t, check these out).

• Book a coaching call with me on Clarity.

• Follow me on Goodreads for book recommendations.

• Check out one of my favorite daily newsletters Morning Brew (affiliate referral link).

Books

I wrote most of these so spruce up your home library and look smart in the process.

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Paperback, Kindle, Audible) 

• The Poshmark Guide for Individuals and Small Businesses (Apple audiobooks)

• The Poshmark Journal for Individuals and Small Businesses

• The Corporate Cliches Adult Coloring Book

• I Am a Professional Metalhead (audiobook) (Audible affiliate link) written by Angelo Spenillo, narrated by John Lim

Support the newsletter and podcast

“What are you selling?!?” -actual quote from a b-school classmate

• Books! Check out my used bookstore on Pangobooks.

• Try out Audible (affiliate paid link).

• Try out Amazon Prime (affiliate paid link)

Affiliate disclosure

Note: Links to Amazon and Audible products are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.