Today’s quote of the week comes from Aristotle:

“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”

1. How to avoid burnout

You’re working on an ambitious project. You don’t get the results you dreamed of immediately. You know to remain persistent and just do the right thing every day. Still, you see someone having a breakthrough with less time and/or effort.

‘What do they have that I don’t?’ you ask yourself.

Maybe you chose the wrong path?

It’s totally normal to find yourself falling into thought traps.

To keep going through tough moments takes a lot of fortitude. Burnout can hunt you down as soon as you lose focus.

Did you know that 7 types of rest are needed to keep your mind and body able to perform?

Learn about them from this great post by Ben Meer.

2. Learn anything 2x faster

You know by now that it takes more than just 10 000 hours to master a skill.

Common sense suggests asking ’10 000 hours of what?’.

When you want to become a piano virtuoso, is it 10 000 hours of sitting by the piano and pressing random keys, hoping to develop an understanding of music theory?

Or is it structured work with tutors, wisely placed and motivating checkpoints, collaborating with peers on your level, and taking mindful steps to ensure learning feels fun?

The beloved productivity Youtuber Ali Abdaal summed up 9 factors you should incorporate into your learning process to optimize your learning curve when mastering any skill.

3. Life advice from Bill Gates’ mentor

Ray Dalio is a legendary investor, who started playing the markets at age 12 and now runs a hedge fund that manages more than $15 billion worth of assets.

You may not know his name, but he’s been one of the most influential mentors of Bill Gates and Tony Robbins.

Here is a breakdown of his book “Principles” with 22  life philosophies that have guided many all-time greats. Lucky for us, we can learn them in no more than 10 minutes.

4. Email conversion tips for sales

Email marketing should be fun. But at the end of the day, you need to stay in business and must get certain results from investing your time in this channel.

Follow these 8 email conversion tips from Henneke Duistermaat’s blog post to convert more readers into buyers:

1. Don’t sell before the prospect is ready. Become a friend and trusted source of information first, and your readers will more readily buy from you.
2. Highlight benefits. Don’t sell your product. Instead, sell the benefit it offers your customer.
3. Show what readers will miss. Most people are risk averse. They want to avoid inconveniences, glitches, and complications. Consider rephrasing the benefits of your offer as a problem you’ll help to avoid.
4. Don’t follow a strict formula. Because formulaic messages that follow strict email marketing tips sound robotic and are boring as heck.
5. Work toward your aim. Tell interesting stories that lead to your sales message.
6. Present a clear deadline. It prevents people from procrastinating.
7. Insert multiple links (to the same page). Because it increases your chances of people clicking that link.
8. Have an impeccably clear call to action. Tell your readers exactly what you expect them to do next, and remind them why it’s in their best interest to buy.

See you again next week.

Whenever you’re ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. If your agency, company, or marketing team struggles with creating your weekly content and finding new clients on social media, I’d recommend considering my course:
   ​Content Production Masterclass: A 7-step system to attract a steady stream of clients online by writing a high-impact newsletter and outstanding daily content in less than 8 hours a week.
2. If you’d like me to coach or consult you in private, I offer a 1-on-1 coaching program and a 1-hour consultation call. Learn more about my services here.