300 words for 300 posts

I thought about jokingly doing 300 thoughts for 300 posts, but realized only 300 words was harder.

2,792 days ago, I sent the first issue of this newsletter. I didn’t have any goals, I just sensed that it was something I should be doing.

A little secret first: this is technically issue #304. I don’t know why I feel I need to disclose this, but at some point, I made a mistake. When I backfilled the archive, I ended up with issues 27a, 27b, 27c, and 27d. Oops. On top of this main newsletter, I shipped about 140 issues of a separate newsletter, starting in 2016, first called Top Reads, then The Sunday Five, and then Boundless Reads. Go check them out if you want some older Goodreads. I stopped that, however, because this main newsie slowly sucked up my weekly attention.

I believe all creative people need a consistent practice, and this newsletter has been mine. I come here when I feel lost and when I am overflowing with ideas. I don’t always ship perfection, but looking back, I’m satisfied with the result: hundreds of posts that led to new friends, delightful conversations, and two books.

At many points, I thought about doing something simpler. Five bullets like Tim Ferriss or 1-2-3 like James Clear. I had some structure early on, but whenever I sat down to write, I’d write as long as it took. I trusted my instincts and kept going.

This newsletter has never felt like work, and I’ve never worried about keeping a streak alive or growing subscribers. Despite this, I’ve just hit 30k subscribers. While most of you are new, many of you have been here for years, pushing me, supporting me, challenging me, and sharing my work.

Thank you, I am absurdly grateful.