Tinkering With Ideas #073: Keep the ideas flowing


Hello, fellow tinkerer ๐Ÿ‘‹

Happy Wednesday. Yet another pre-scheduled newsletter while I recover from brain surgery. Although the reason sucks, it was kind of nice to sit down and prep a bunch of newsletters in one sitting. Maybe I should do that on purpose in the future!

1) Reflection:

A lot of my content wasn't a big deal to pre-write and pre-schedule. It's not time sensitive (other than landing in someone's inbox). But it was important to me to post updates to my blog throughout my recovery.

That meant I had to ask for help. I've always written and published content entirely on my own. But to make this happen, I relied on Elisa Doucette for help with editing and my virtual assistant to publish to my blog. To make that happen seamlessly, I had to come up with a process, which you can read about here.

2) Product

This week's Product comes from Sneh Ratna Choudhary, Chief Repurposing Officer at Scaling Rad Content.

Sneh says:

"I created a Calendly for my personal appointments, so everything gets logged there. If I need an appointment, like a doctor's appointment, I have my assistant call the doctor's office, and they can look at my Calendly. It checks all of my calendars so there are no conflicts.

I also make my friends schedule appointments with me using the link! They know when I'm available and can book a time so I know we have to get on a call. They'll text me, and tell me something, and ask if I have the bandwidth to talk. Scheduling really helps because I don't have to be caught off guard and I can be mentally prepared. It's made my life so much easier."

3) Tip

This week's tip is from Rachael Gaibel is a career and life coach, consultant and content writer. You can find her on LinkedIn, her Website and Substack.

Rachel writes:

"Have you been dealing with a challenging situation recently?

We all encounter obstacles and setbacks; itโ€™s what we do in the face of them that makes a difference. If it feels like you are in the middle of something tricky, reframe it by focusing on what you can control.

In every situation, there are aspects both within and outside of your control. If someone is caught up in what they canโ€™t control, it can keep them stuck. Instead, people can choose to focus on whatโ€™s in their control to move forward and navigate the situation as best they can. Examples of whatโ€™s in your control: mindset, how to show up for the challenge, self-care and wellbeing and next action steps.

Ask yourself: Whatโ€™s in my control about this situation? Whatโ€™s out of my control about this situation?"

Want more ideas?

โ†’ How has your relationship with work changed over the years? Some of my friends answer this question.

โ†’ Want to get more mileage out of your content? Here's how to automatically extract text from image posts.

โ€‹

That's it for this issue of Tinkering! See you again in two weeks.

Cheers,
Anna

โ€‹

113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
โ€‹Unsubscribe ยท Preferencesโ€‹

Anna Burgess Yang

Practical tips to make your day better & make your life easier.

Read more from Anna Burgess Yang

Hello, fellow tinkerer ๐Ÿ‘‹ Happy Wednesday. My kids have a countdown going of the number of days left in the school year before winter break (now 8). Which is basically the same as the number of working days I have left. If you, too, are in a countdown to the holidays, I hope the days pass quickly and then you can relax with friends, family, or however you spend the holiday season. ๐ŸŽ„ 1) Announcement I'm hosting my first webinar since my brain surgery this July. Woo hoo! I've partnered with Alt...

a whimsical illustration of a light bulb

Hello, fellow tinkerer ๐Ÿ‘‹ Happy Wednesday. If you're in the U.S., you're likely gearing up for Thanksgiving and the Black Friday Cyber Monday shenanigans that stores try to push on consumers. My friend Angela has the following advice: Stop checking your email. Stop checking your texts. Stay off the internet. Heck, just close your laptop until December 3rd. You don't need that thing. 1) Reflection: Since I returned to work from brain surgery a few months ago, I've talked a lot about what it was...

a whimsical illustration of a light bulb

Hello, fellow tinkerer ๐Ÿ‘‹ Happy Wednesday. I'm co-hosting a panel next week: How to Take Long-Term Leave as a Freelancer. What happens if you work for yourself and need to take extended time off? Medical leave, maternity leave, sabbatical? I ended up taking about two months off after brain surgery this year. This panel includes me and three other people who've actually taken long-term leave. This free workshop includes conversations, breakout sessions, and practical tips. Join us on November...