Thread by @nathanbarry

The difference between you and the creators you follow is they are creating while you are consuming.

Here are 13 tips to kickstart your creator journey:

Set a Daily “Make Something” Goal

Grab a sticky note and write “make something today"--stick it to your computer monitor.

Your goal is simply to make something--anything--every single day.

Set the bar low and make it achievable.

Creation will start to become a habit.

Document What You Make

Start documenting your daily creation.

Post it online with a few sentences about what it means to you.

Was it an idea floating around in your head for months? A mini essay you've been meaning to write? Code that you finally figured out?

Document it.

Decide Before You Start

Too often I sit down at my computer and wonder what I should work on. That’s dangerous.

The Trick: Decide what you are going to do beforehand.

Write a to do list beforehand, then immediately jump into that first task.

Remove the guesswork.

Separate Creation & Consumption

Computers are for creating, not consuming.

Go to all your social sites and sign out. Set up your computer as your creation hub.

Use your phone or tablet for consumption.

One device is used for creating, the other for consuming.

Know Who You Serve

If you try to create for everyone you’ll quickly run out of both ideas and motivation.

Instead figure out exactly who you are serving.

Identify your audience and niche. Develop an understanding of your "customer" and what they need.

The ideas will flow.

Schedule Time for Creation

Take control and reserve time for creating.

Go to your calendar and set aside 30 minutes blocked for focused creation.

Then when you get the notification you already have the time set aside and it is clear what you should start on.

Quit Slack

At ConvertKit we have a simple shorthand for informing everyone else you are entering focused work: cmd + Q.

It means "I’m quitting Slack to focus for a while."

I always underestimate the cost of maintaining conversations while creating. It’s hard and I’m bad at it.

Teach What You Just Learned

Teaching everything you know can be intimidating, so let’s start by teaching what you just learned.

Create a new 30 minute event every Friday that says, "What did you learn this week?"

Look back at your week and share something that you learned.

Build a Streak & Don’t Break the Chain

I built my entire blog through one habit: writing 1,000 words a day.

That turned into writing 3 books and many blog posts.

The key: I built a streak that I didn’t want to break--650 days in a row!

Build a streak of creating every day.

Block Troublesome Sites

If simply signing out isn’t enough, you can use software to block an entire website.

The SelfControl app for OSX will block a series of sites for a set amount of time.

Signing out is usually enough of a barrier, but this app takes it to the next level!

Know Your Outcome

Don’t just create for the sake of creating.

Work towards something.

Whether it’s launching the course, reaching 500 YouTube subscribers, writing a book, or launching a new feature--have a specific goal to chip away at.

Vision keeps you on track!

Create a Deadline, Raise the Stakes

It’s not a real goal without a deadline.

Set your launch date in advance. Then give $50 to a friend and have them only give it back to you if hit the goal.

Put some skin in the game. Make sure you feel the pain if you miss your goal!

Go Public

Even better, make it a public challenge.

I started ConvertKit through The Web App Challenge: my public challenge to build a web app to $5,000/mo in 6 months.

My community rallied around me to help make it happen. All because I took my journey public.

Those are 13 tips for kickstarting your creator journey. I hope you find a few that are useful.

Follow me @nathanbarry for more threads on writing, creators, startups, and business.