I came across an article from nearly a decade ago that talked about how one writer 5X’d her writing speed.

She came up with a with a triangle method. Here are the three sides:

1. Knowledge
2. Time
3. Enthusiasm

Alone, each method can boost your numbers quite a bit, but combining all three will yield profound results.

While originally designed for increasing writing speed, these methods can be adapted for content creation in general. That’s what we’re talking about today.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, it’s very likely one or more of these methods will unlock things for you.

So far in going through this book, each chapter has provided good insights, and I haven’t had to look hard to find them.

I’m struggling with Chapter 13, The Brain.

It’s an extremely short chapter, and I’ve read it twice in the past few days to see if I’m missing something. I’ve done my best to glean any wisdom and gold mine what nuggets I can from each chapter, but I’m still finding Chapter 13 difficult to parse.

I’m not sure what to make of the comments on “telepathy”:

“The actual existence of telepathy and clairvoyance now seems to some scientists enormously probable as the result of Rhine’s experiments. Various percipients were asked to name as many cards in a special pack as they could without looking at them and without other sensory access to them. About a score of men and women were discovered who could regularly name so many of the cards correctly that ‘there was not one chance in many a million million of their having done their feats by luck or accident.”

The book goes on to say, “The reader is not asked to accept any of these conclusions unless he finds it necessary,” which is encouraging, but I’m still left wondering what to take away from this chapter.

The last paragraph of the chapter also contains somewhat of a cryptic message:

“By adopting and following a similar plan any student of this philosophy may come into possession of the famous Carnegie formula briefly described in the introduction. If it means nothing to you at this time, mark this page and read it again after you have finished the last chapter.”

I’ll keep an open mind and revisit it after reading the last chapter!

I wrote this excerpt before Ryan and I spoke about the chapter, so we’ll see what he has to say about it—he’s been through the book more times than I.

Content is the key to building your brand, increasing your influence, and growing your audience.

Maintaining consistency is the most important but also most difficult part.

Weekly output is good, but daily output is the ultimate.

But how in the world can you create daily content?

It can definitely be overwhelming. That’s why today, I want to share the system I’ve created for seanwes media (the client services branch of seanwes). This is our system for producing daily social media video content for our clients.

If you’d like to just show up once a week, hit record, and then have us produce and distribute daily content for you on the big 5 platforms, feel free to get in touch.

Otherwise, tune in to hear our process and get ideas for streamlining the creation, production, and distribution of daily content.

Your subconscious mind works day and night.

Thought impulses reach your mind without you even realizing it. Some are positive and some are negative. You have to shut off the flow of negative impulses, the book says. Everything you create at one point began as a thought impulse.

This chapter connects with one of the earlier chapters on Desire as well as Persistence.

“After you have accepted, as a reality, the existence of the subconscious mind, and understand its possibilities, as a medium for transmuting your DESIRES into their physical or monetary equivalent, you will comprehend the full significance of the instructions given in the chapter on DESIRE.”

Writing is a common theme on the seanwes podcast, so I’m a big fan of this admonishment:

“Make your desires clear, and to reduce them to writing.”

We’ll discuss the book’s claim that the subconscious mind is the link between finite and infinite intelligence as well as talk about The Seven Major Negative Emotions and The Seven Major Positive Emotions.

The hike of a lifetime did not go as planned.

But the trip went better than I could have expected.

From waterfalls and cliffs, to helicopters, 360° rainbows, beaches, and canyons, I recount my experiences in Kauai and Oahu.

As amazing as this trip was, I talk about how the occasional vacation isn’t enough. Vacations simply aren’t restful. You need regular sabbaticals for deep rest and rejuvenation.

Dan and Ben are back once more while Sean is in Hawaii! Hear about his epic hike in 444: The Hike of a Lifetime: Kalalau Trail. Sean returns to the podcast next week.

In Overlap, Sean talks about defining your “New Zero”: figure out how much money you’d need to cover all your expenses for six months. Until you have that much money in the bank, think of your account balance as being in the negative.

But what if your balance already is in the negative? What if you’re already in debt?

The first thing you need to do is get rid of that debt. But how can you? One way or the other the debt built up, and it’s not like you stop needing to spend money…

Debt is a trap, and it’s one that, for all our best intentions, we’ve fallen into more than once. By sharing how we defeated debt—and the scarcity mindset that walks hand-in-hand with it—hopefully we can help you do the same.

Dan and Ben are back while Sean is in Hawaii! Hear about his epic hike in 444: The Hike of a Lifetime: Kalalau Trail

“I don’t want to be rude.”

“It’ll make them feel bad.”

“This is just what’s expected of me.”

You work hard and you fulfill your commitments. It’s just the way you are. And that’s what makes you effective! That’s why people know they can trust you. When you say you’ll do something, you do it.

But sometimes, that’s the problem.

We’ve talked a lot recently about rest. About avoiding burnout. About the dangers of being over-committed, and about your *non-negotiables*.

A lot of those ideas sound good but seem out of reach. After all, you don’t have time, and there’s no time on the horizon, either. Just when you’d scheduled a free hour to focus, **something came up**.

Something *always* comes up. Why is that?

Well. When was the last time someone asked you to do something… and you just said, “No”?

Today we’re talking about “no”. It’s a critical tool for preserving your time, energy, and happiness. It’s also a word a lot of us struggle to say.

We’re out to make it a little easier.

I was born in Hawaii, and I’ve been aching to return ever since we moved away when I was six years old.

As a teenager, I decided I would work hard for all of my 20s so I could travel in my 30s.

Now I’m 30 years old, and I’m about to go on vacation for the first time in years.

There’s been no doubt in my mind as to where I wanted to go: Hawaii.

I chose the island of Kauai for our vacation because it is home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. It’s known as the garden island. Parts of Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park were filmed on Kauai.

I love beaches, and I love mountains, and Kauai is everything in one package.

But we’re not going to just any beach.

We’re venturing on a multi-day, epic hike along what is considered to be one of the most beautiful and difficult trails in the world.

The 11-mile Kalalau Trail also makes the top 10 list of most dangerous trails, but your courage is rewarded with unparalleled views of the dramatic Na Pali Coast which can only be described as “out of this world”.

If the scenery doesn’t take your mind off the grueling 8-hour hike (which includes a gain of over 5,000 feet in elevation each way), reaching one of the most exclusive beaches in the world at the end of the trail with your own private waterfall surely will.

To view more photos, visit sabbatical.blog to read my Kalalau Trail post.

Non-negotiables are things you’ve decided you will not negotiate on. They’re not up for debate. They’re happening and that’s final. Everything else can work around them.

Your non-negotiables can be anything you want.

Here are a few of my daily non-negotiables:

• Write
• Stretch
• Read a book
• Sleep 8 hours
• Recite Definite Chief Aim
• Close my Apple Watch Rings

I also have other non-negotiables that don’t happen every day:

• Record seanwes podcast on Tuesdays
• Seventh Week Sabbaticals
• etc.

These are the things I’ve decided I will do no matter what. It’s not that I “have” time for them. I “make” time for them because I’ve decided they are important to me. I start my day with these things as a foregone conclusion. Everything else has to work around them. That’s what makes them non-negotiables.

It starts with a decision: decide the things that are important to you.

Next comes ordering. Begin with your non-negotiables and build everything else around them. This may require a complete reset.

By intentionally setting your non-negotiables, you can shape your day, your habits, and your life.