My friend and marketing advisor Billy Broas visited me at my home studio last week...

Where we recorded a video about Simple Marketing for Smart People – the book we're writing together.

At the core of Billy's marketing philosophy is that your customers need certain beliefs to embrace your product. Without these beliefs, no amount of discounts, free content, or tactics will suffice.

You have the power to instill these beliefs and that’s what Simple Marketing for Smart People is all about.

You can pre-order the book on Amazon now and it will be delivered to your Kindle automatically on June 7th, 2024.

Pre-order the book

Slow Burns vs. Heavy Lifts

Have you ever stopped and considered the pace of your work? I've found that people generally work in two modes: slow burns and heavy lifts.

Slow burns involve a gradual, consistent effort over time. You're incubating ideas, gathering material slowly, and letting projects simmer in the background.

Heavy lifts, on the other hand, are about intense, focused efforts over a short period. They require deep concentration and can often feel like a sprint to the finish line.

I can think of a few heavy lifts such as the writing retreats to finish my book that were necessary to complete projects.

What's crucial is that I had already accumulated a rich collection of ideas, insights, examples, and stories through slow burns that I could rely on when it came to the heavy lift. I can't even imagine going in there unprepared, essentially having to start from scratch. That's a recipe for frustration and burnout.

Think about this concept when you're planning your work: Do you have a heavy lift coming up? How can you start preparing now with a slow burn so you're ready when the time arrives?

Why We're Moving to Valle de Bravo, Mexico

When I was 14 years old, my parents pulled my three siblings and me out of school, packed up our house and our bags, and left the US.

Instead of starting 8th grade in a wealthy Californian suburb, I attended a public school in a working-class neighborhood of Campos do Jordão, a mountain town in Southeast Brazil a couple of hours outside São Paulo.

Looking back, this was one of the most pivotal decisions my parents ever made. With the benefit of 26 years of hindsight, I find it hard to express just how dramatically that one year shaped my future.

I’ve spent a lot of time recently reflecting on what kind of childhood I want my kids to have, especially now that they’re leaving the baby stage. And I’m determined to recreate the same kind of experience I had as a kid for them.

There is no greater gift I can imagine giving them than a new language, a connection to their heritage, and the knowledge that they can adapt to anything.

Which is why we’ve decided to move next summer to a small mountain town called Valle de Bravo, about two hours outside Mexico City.

Keep reading on the blog

The PARA Method: How to Organize Your Digital Life

I want to share with you a guest talk I gave for the Ultraspeaking community. It's an introduction to the origins and how-to of the PARA Method.

I cover...

The origins of PARA during my experience in the Peace Corps in Ukraine
The top mindset shifts to optimize your digital productivity
How to align and structure your digital world around your tangible projects and goals

Watch on YouTube

If you haven't heard of Ultraspeaking, it's a powerful course and community all around learning to speak effortlessly in any situation. Here's my blog post about what it's like to work with a speaking coach and the power of self-expression.

Asking For a Quick Favor

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Step 1: Think of one other person who would enjoy this newsletter. Maybe it's a friend, family member, or co-worker who would benefit from organizing their digital life and building a Second Brain.

Step 2: Forward this newsletter with a message like: "Check out this newsletter and subscribe if you find it interesting." and this link https://optin.fortelabs.co/profile. (They can also read previous newsletter issues to get a taste.)

Step 3: Imagine their gratitude to you when they do!

Thank you 🙏