30 Minutes a Day Keeps the Boss Away

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Okay.

Before we get started on today’s issue.

At the end of last week’s Storey Time newsletter, I told you this newsletter was going to be about how I earned my first dollar online in 2019 (with zero followers).

Not gonna lie, I completely forgot about that (and then wrote a totally different newsletter as you’ll see below).

Sorry! 😅. I’ll make sure to share that one with you next Monday.

There. I set it as a reminder in my calendar app so I don’t forget. 

There’s a lot of gold in that story as it’s when I actually started making money online.

Anyways, back to the show…

10,000 hours.

That’s what it takes to master anything.

Michael Jordan.

Lionel Messi.

Tom Brady.

Ever heard of these guys?

Of course you have.

Everyone has.

But, there was a point in time when nobody had a clue who they were.

Imagine this…

At one point in time, nobody had ever heard of Michael Jordan (except for his mom and dad).

They never saw Jordan take flight.

Nobody knew of Lionel Messi.

They didn’t see him run through defenders like they were leaves in the wind.

Nobody could tell you who Tom Brady was.

They didn’t see him fire a pigskin from his arm like a WWII sniper.

But now…

• You can’t think of “basketball” without seeing Jordan. 

• You can’t think of football (soccer) without seeing Messi. 

• You can’t think of American football without seeing Brady.

They’re synonymous with the sports they’ve dominated.

And their championship titles and individual awards are proof of their mastery.

But… at some point in history… these guys were nobodies.

They didn’t go from zero to hero overnight, though.

These guys did what most aren’t willing to do:

They practiced their craft when no one was looking.

Few are willing to do that.

You know what even fewer are willing to do?

Put thousands of hours into something.

Day after day.

Month after month.

Year after year.

Without any visible success.

These guys are special, I’ll give them that.

But the secret to their success is their dedication to practice.

• The commitment to a goal bigger than themselves.

• The discipline to devote thousands of hours to mastery.

• And sacrificing all the other pleasures of the world to make it happen.

The same is true for your goal.

If you want to earn thousands per month as a digital creator.

You have to learn to live in the shadows.

To love living in the shadows, like the greats did.

If you want to get paid to work from your laptop as a writer.

You have to write daily.

Below, I’ll show you a quick sneak peek into my life in the shadows…

Before I ever made a dollar online as a content creator.

Every single day, I would write for 30 minutes straight in a Google Doc.

I found my entries from early 2019 (when my journey had just begun).

Here’s one of my early ones…

Prepare for cringe in:

3….

2…

1…

So proud of that. 

You know why?

Because it got me to where I am.

There’s plenty to dissect in that screenshot alone, but I’ll stick to the plumbline.

Developing a daily writing habit was the number one thing I did to reach a full-time income.

It was the thing that allowed me to eventually quit my job.

It was the thing that gave me the freedom I was after.

There’s no other way to do it.

Every morning for months on end, I’d wake up at 5 or 6 am.

And write for 30 minutes straight.

That’s it.

And I did it while I was still at my 9 to 5.

I used to wake up at 7 am for work.

But, I started waking up earlier because I wanted it that bad.

I knew the only way I was going to make it work was if I gave up some of my sleep.

Looking back, it really wasn’t much of a sacrifice.

It was simply one of the many things I did to make it work (like my secret hack I did at my day job to accelerate learning. But… I’ll share that tip with you another time).

Here’s a screenshot of my Google Docs from early 2019 (with my daily 30-minute power writing sessions).

I had no rules on what to write or even how to write.

Here were “The Rules”:

1. Open your Google Doc.

2. Put a 30-minute timer on.

3. Start typing (and don’t stop, even for a second).

4. Close your laptop when the timer ends.

I didn’t police myself on spelling or grammar.

And, I tried to not hit the backspace at all.

Even if I amde a dumb mistake (like I just did a second ago in this newsletter by spelling “made” wrong).

I’d just keep going.

That’s it.

The point of it was this:

You need to exercise your writing muscle.

There IS a writing muscle.

There’s something that happens when you start writing.

And you don’t stop for anything.

You just write.

Even if it looks like this… 🤮

It doesn’t matter how good or bad you think your writing is.

Just do it. It’s about practice. Getting in the reps.

Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school basketball team.

On the outside, it looked like a clear failure.

But, it didn’t stop him from taking shots at home.

Instead, it fueled him to double down on his game, practicing even more in the shadows.

You’ve got to get comfortable hitting the digital gym.

Which in this case, looks like a Google Doc, Microsoft Word, Notes, whatever.

Not only does a 30-minute power sesh improve your overall writing ability.

It helps you write for longer.

To write more words in a short amount of time.

***Efficiency. It’s one of the keys to earning more as a writer***

This daily habit (on its own) will be enough to help you go from beginner to intermediate very quickly.

Very.

Quickly.

It’s not difficult (just requires discipline)

And you’ll get to a full-time income quicker (than those who sit on the sidelines).

This habit won’t make you an overnight success.

However…

If you do this every day, you’ll be hireable within months (or even weeks).

No doubt about it.

Especially when you combine it with daily learning (books, podcasts, courses, etc.).

If you want to write for a living as a creator…

But, you can’t find a half-hour time slot every single day…

Writing isn’t for you.

And the creator life isn’t for you.

And that’s okay.

This isn’t for everyone.

But, if you do this long enough (and keep learning)...

Something will happen.

Something will click.

And eventually, you’ll make a simple trade.

Your daily writing habit turns from writing for yourself (for free)…

To writing for clients (for money)...

Remember this:

Daily writing doesn’t stop when you become a full-time creator.

You just start getting paid for it…

It’s a pretty sweet deal, if I say so myself.

But, if you’re not willing to put in the reps now for free…

And stay committed to doing this for months on end…

You’ll never be able to make a living online as a writer.

If you’re serious about becoming a full-time creator,

Start doing 30-minute power sessions.

Do it.

And commit.

Every. Single. Day.

Until it pans out.

Those 30-minute power sessions I’d do in the “early days”?

I never stopped doing them.

I simply upgraded those sessions to:

• Writing for clients

• Writing for my own blog

• And getting paid to do it

-Brandon “I will teach you to be cringe in Google Docs” Storey

P.S. I just realized next Monday is Christmas (I send the Storey Time newsletter on Mondays).

I’m still hitting send.

Because what better gift can I give you…

…Than a Merry Christmas kick-in-the-pants to help you quit your job quicker?

P.P.S. Merry Christmas 🎅 and remember to follow me on X for daily tips.