The one thing, above all else, I urge you to do
Easy Read
I kiss my wife, sling my bag over my shoulder (wave at my cat in the window) and start the car.
I glance at the clock. 8:10 am. I’m late for work.
Why I’m bent on self destruction, I’ll never know.
I figure, the hell with it, I’m already late, I may as well enjoy the journey.
I put on an episode of the Copywriters Podcast with David Garfinkel. It was on What You Need To Change To Write Copy.
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(work on my punctuality for starters it seems)
Unfortunately for me, this was a pretty juicy ep. And that meant…ideas.
“Oh! What if I write about that” I thought at 40mph.
‘Shhi….I need to write this down, but I’m frickin’ late.”
“Okay, just repeat it till you get to work then write it down”
Then, idea number two joins the party. (Literally dripping with juice)
“Right, you can do this. Repeat em both now. Write em down in the office.”
Then, of course…idea three. Hi idea three. I needed to take evasive action.
I pull into a carpark. 8:23 on the clock. Put the car in neutral. Take out my phone and tap out my ideas.
Idea one, done. Idea two, done. Idea three …
I was 40 minutes late that day. But it was worth the side-eye from the ‘boss’.
Lemme tell you why.
You remember every good idea that ever comes to you—until you don’t.
I learned this from Eddie Shleyner. It’s perhaps the most valuable thing he’s taught me.
Look, I could’ve gone the other 20 minutes to work. Maybe I would’ve made it, ideas intact. But I wasn’t willing to risk it.
And you shouldn’t either.
You see, I would be 40 minutes late EVERY-DAMN-DAY if it meant recording my ideas.
Because I’m happy to be late if it means not forgetting, not regretting writing down that thought.
Every idea I have I enter into The Cortex.
(my page on Notion that has the roots of all my thoughts and posts.)
I guess what I’m trying to beat home is…
Get good at writing down your ideas.
I’ve made writing in The Cortex a bulletproof habit.
Jordan (My wife) knows this all too well:
I pause movies.
Zone out in conversations.
Sit up late at night blinding her with my phone light.
It’s a sacrifice, yes.
But when it comes to writing, I have the beginnings of articles. The seeds I need to get me started.
It saves hours of bum-in-chair futzing about. A payoff good enough to be a little late for work.
“Aw bossman, you wouldn't BELIEVE the traffic!”
When ideas pop into your copywriting head. Do what you do best.
Write.
