Will That Work newsletter #28

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Every week, I?teach you about making work easy, solopreneurship & the future of work.

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This week's edition:

• ???How to Write Without Writing
• ?? How to Start a Podcast in Three Steps
• ?? When to Have Your?Last Cup of Coffee

This issue is brought to you by:

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??How to Write Without Writing

I've been writing for a long time, but I still get stuck sometimes.?

It happens when I have more things to write than ideas to write about.

Maybe you know the feeling.?

You sit down at your computer, ready to write something brilliant, but nothing comes out.?

You stare at the blank screen, and the cursor blinks back at you, mocking your lack of inspiration.

Some people say there's no such thing as writer's block.?

They say it's just an excuse for being lazy or unprofessional.?

They say writing is not about waiting for the muse, but about working hard and practicing your craft.

They have a point. Writing is a skill that can be improved with practice.?

But sometimes, practice is not enough. Sometimes, you need a different approach.

That's what I learned from listening to a podcast by Tim Ferriss.?

He interviewed an author who wrote dozens of books without typing a single word.?

He used a software called Dragon Dictate, which turns your voice into text.?

He would just talk into a microphone, and the software would transcribe his words into a document.?

Then he would edit it and publish it.

That sounded like a GENIUS idea to me.

But there was a problem.

It didn't work for me.

The reason was simple: I don't speak like an American.

Most of these software are designed for American users, with American accents.?

My accent is different.?

It confuses the software.?

It makes mistakes.?

It turns my words into gibberish.

So I gave up on that idea.

But that was years ago.

Things have changed since then.

Technology has advanced. Artificial intelligence has improved. Voice recognition has become more accurate and more adaptable.

And new tools have emerged.

Tools like?AudioPen?and?OASIS.

These are apps that let you record your voice and turn it into text.?

But they do more than that.

They also let you choose how you want your text to sound.?

You can pick the style of your favourite writer, or describe your own style.?

You can make your text formal or casual, simple or complex, funny or serious.

You can write without writing.

All you have to do is talk.

Talk as if you were having a conversation with someone.?

Talk about anything that interests you, excites you, or annoys you.

Don't worry about grammar, structure, or logic.?

Just talk.

In my latest attempt, I talked about the recent 7-0 loss by Singapore football team.

It turned my ramblings from this...

into a NY Times-styled article ??

That's how you write without writing.

Of course, talking is not enough.?

You still have to edit, revise, and polish your text.?

You still have to do the hard work of making your text better.

But talking can help you get started.?

It can help you find your voice, your angle, your message.

It can help you write.

But what if you don't know what to talk about??

What if you don't have anything interesting to say?

That's where other tools can help you.

Tools like ChatGPT.

This is an app that can generate questions related to any topic you want.?

You can use it to brainstorm, outline, or draft your text.

You can use it to find something to talk about.

For example, I used ChatGPT to generate some questions about Singapore football team losing 7-0 in a match. Here are some of them:

• How did Singapore football team lose 7-0?
• What were the main factors that contributed to their defeat?
• How did the fans react to their performance?
• What are the implications of their loss for their future prospects?
• How can they improve their skills and strategies?

These questions can help me start a conversation with myself or someone else about this topic.?

They can help me generate some ideas, opinions, or stories to talk about.

They can help me write without writing.

This is incredibly useful if you want to write consistently on platforms like LinkedIn and have trouble keeping up with the demand.?

Just one conversation a day and you have your daily post!

If you want to try this method yourself, here are some steps:

1. Choose a topic that interests you, excites you, or annoys you.
2. Use ChatGPT to generate some questions related to that topic.
3. Use AudioPen or OASIS to record your answers to those questions.
4. Use AudioPen or OASIS to turn your voice into text.
5. Edit, revise, and polish your text.
6. Publish your text.

Give it a try and let me know if it works for you.

P.S. I also teach a course on how to scale your LinkedIn presence.?Check it out here.

?? How to Start a Podcast in Three Steps

I love podcasting.?

It's a great way to share your ideas, stories, and insights with the world.?

It's also a great way to learn from others, connect with your audience, and maybe even make some money.

But I'm not podcasting right now.

My personal podcast is on a long break, because I'm working on a book.?

My other podcast, Work IT by CNA, is also on a break, but it will be back soon with new episodes and guests.

So while you're waiting for me to return to the mic, I thought I'd share with you how easy it is to start your own podcast.

Maybe you have something to say, too.?

Maybe you have a passion, a hobby, a skill, or a message that you want to share with the world.?

Maybe you want to start a podcast.

If so, you're in luck. Because podcasting has never been easier.

You don't need a studio, a producer, or a lot of money. You don't need to be a tech wizard or a professional speaker. You don't need to spend hours editing or promoting your podcast.

You just need three things:

• A good microphone
• A recording platform
• An editing tool

That's it.

Let me explain.

A good microphone?is essential for podcasting.?

You want your voice to sound clear, crisp, and natural.?

You don't want any background noise, echo, or distortion.?

You don't want your listeners to strain their ears or switch off your podcast because of poor audio quality.

A good microphone doesn't have to be expensive.?

I use the?Samson Q2U, which costs less than $100.?

It's a dynamic microphone, which means it captures sound better than the built-in microphone on your phone or laptop.?

It also connects easily to your computer via USB.

A recording platform?is where you record your podcast.?

If you're doing a solo podcast, you can use any app on your computer that can record audio, such as Audacity or GarageBand.?

If you're doing an interview podcast with a guest, you can use any online meeting software that can record audio, such as Zoom or Teams.?

They're good enough for most purposes.

But if you want to take your podcast to the next level, you can use?Zencaster.?

Zencaster is a web-based app that lets you record high-quality audio with your guest.?

It also records each person's voice on a separate track, which makes editing easier later.?

And it does all this without requiring any downloads or installations.

An editing tool?is where you polish your podcast.?

You want to remove any mistakes, pauses, filler words, or unwanted sounds from your recording.?

You also want to add some music, sound effects, or transitions to make your podcast more engaging and professional.

An editing tool doesn't have to be complicated.?

I use?Descript, which is a game-changer for podcasting.?

Descript transcribes your audio into text, and lets you edit your audio by editing the text.?

You can cut, copy, paste, delete, or rearrange your audio by simply editing the text.?

You can also use Descript to remove silence and filler words automatically.?

And you can use Descript to enhance your audio quality with Studio Sound.

Zencaster and Descript both have free versions that are enough for beginners.?

You can upgrade later if you need more features or storage.

The last thing you need is a place to host your podcast.?

This is where you upload your podcast files and make them available for listeners to download or stream.?

You can host your podcast on?Spotify for free.?

Spotify is the most popular platform for listening to podcasts, and it also lets you create and distribute your own podcasts easily.

You may also want to create an image for your podcast.?

This is the cover art that shows up when people search for or browse podcasts.?

You want your image to be eye-catching and relevant to your podcast topic.?

You can create an image using Canva (check out this library), which is a free online design tool that has hundreds of templates and graphics for podcasts.

That's it.

You're ready to start podcasting.

You have everything you need:

• A good microphone
• A recording platform
• An editing tool
• A hosting platform
• An image

Now all you need is something to say.

And I'm sure you do.

So go ahead and start podcasting.

And let me know when you do.

??Recommendations

How Vulnerability Can Make You A Better Leader

Vulnerability is not something we usually associate with leadership. We often think leaders should be confident, decisive, and in control.?

But in this article, I argue that vulnerability is actually a key ingredient for effective leadership and how it can benefit you and your team.

Scalar Insight

Something that started as a joke by some shitposter on Twitter get turned into an actual app.?

By connecting it?to your?Google Calendar, HR system (or upload a CSV with employee cost per hour), you can immediate insights on how much each upcoming meeting will cost.?

This may make you consider turning that meeting into an email instead.?

Fun Fact: going by his compensation (albeit most from stock options),?an hour of meeting with Elon Musk will cost $1.15 million!?

When to Have Your Last Cup of Coffee

This came from a recent issue of Arnold's Pump Club, the Terminator's new daily newsletter.?Research suggests that coffee can significantly harm your sleep — but you can prevent the damage if you know when to enjoy your last cup.

In general, caffeine reduces total sleep time by 45 minutes. Just as important, it damages your sleep architecture, meaning you spend less time in deep, restorative sleep.?

The researchers provided some helpful guidelines for determining when to have your final cup of coffee based on a review of 24 studies. They found that

• 47 mg (half a cup of coffee) of caffeine is unlikely to affect total sleep time.
• 107 mg (approximately 1 cup of coffee) should be consumed at least 9 hours before bed to prevent sleep issues.
• 217 mg should be consumed at least 13 hours before bed to prevent sleep issues.

In other words, if you go to bed at 10:00 p.m., consider having your last cup of coffee for the day around 1:00 p.m. When you master the timing of your coffee, you can still have an afternoon boost and avoid any sleep issues.

??Thanks For Reading

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