My 1,100-View Reminder to Just Start
Sometimes the smallest win is all you need to get back on track
I’ve started seeing ‘Back to School’ ads online already.
I’m not sure why this surprises me, when my kids were little, their school district was on what is called a ‘modified traditional’ school year.
They’d get out of school the first week in June and return as early as the end of July.
Besides the shorter summer, they had a two-week fall break at the beginning of October, and their Spring break was always two weeks.
Even so, I always wished they could have had the 3-month summer I had growing up.
We never went back until after Labor Day (the first week of September in the States), and by then, we were excited to see our friends whom we hadn’t seen all summer.
With my kids, it always felt like as soon as we got settled into a summer routine, it was time to go back.
I think that, as business owners, we need the same kind of decompression that comes from a summer break, regardless of how long the break is or what we do.
I get in the pool most afternoons with a novel. Getting lost in another world and characters is such a simple act of kindness I gift myself.
I’ve been having so much fun with what I’m doing that I’m working a lot. Which always leads to hitting the proverbial wall.
And I crash.
This is what happened to me this week.
I managed to restore my site and add back the functionality I had previously added and still wanted (but lost because the restore point was prior to those additions). Still, I couldn’t quite regain my enthusiasm.
And that’s O.K.
I’m super grateful for the ability to work from home (or anywhere in the world), but at the same time, there’s an odd pull because the internet is always there.
Best practices, algorithms, consistency, engagement, connection, creating…
It.
Never.
Ends.
The irony about it ‘never ending’ is that’s also what I like about what I do (I know, sounds like I’m serving up a contradiction sandwich).
I love that there's always more to learn, new people to connect with, and different tools to try.
In a conversation with a friend earlier this week, she was sharing that she had a bit of a mini-meltdown (questioning what she was doing, the strategy, her content plan, all of it), and I just nodded my head because we’ve all been there (and will be again at some point).
This friend (along with a few others) has shared that her Substack traffic is down or stalled (summer?), which is where the questioning and self-doubt crept in.
All of this is simply part of the process (which can be super annoying when you’re in the thick of it, am I right?).
But it’s true. Knowing it’s a process also means there are steps to take and an end in sight.
Speaking of processes (thought it would be a good time to end the ‘Dear Diary’)…
I shared a few months back that I had relaunched my YouTube channel. I hit pause for a few weeks while I did this insane dive down the rabbit hole with vibe coding. I knew I was evolving in a new direction and gave myself the grace I needed to get clear.
Well… that little break was everything I needed (and then some).
I have a solid plan for the content I want to create (primarily sharing this journey as I delve deeper into what I’m doing with AI) - and more importantly, this feels way more fun than just deciding to ‘jump back into YouTube’ because it’s a good traffic source.
*By the way, I’m starting to get Substack Subscribers from YouTube! Substack provides the traffic source - I always link to the newsletter in the comments.
Then yesterday I caught up with someone I’ve known online for years, Gideon Shalwick.
Gideon has created several video software tools, and his latest is called “Vubli.” Gideon emailed his list, seeking to speak with people to gain insights into their use of YouTube and Shorts.
I told him I’d be happy to talk to him, that I'd just started my channel again, and that I’d share my thoughts on shorts. I had only posted two on YouTube, a handful on TikTok - but knew in my gut I needed to go for it with my new strategy.
I didn’t overthink this.
I used Descript, created 5 clips from a long-form video, and posted them last night (and botched it… didn’t know I need to post a thumbnail with shorts, lol).
Re-posted to YouTube with the thumbnail last night and… ready for this?
Drumroll please…
What the what?!?! Over 1100 views in less than 24 hrs.
Here are the views from my ‘WisprFlow’ video, in 24 hrs:
I’m pleased with 258 in less than 24 hours - but you better believe ya’ girl is going to put more effort into shorts (along with long-form, because I genuinely enjoy it).
This little win from the shorts results was all I needed (thanks to Vubli!).
I’m not “raring to go” again (yet), but it was like the Universe said, “Girl, you’ve got this.
Be easy about it.
It will all be here… go take care of you.”
Spotlight 🔥
I mentioned this above, but it warrants a little more info.
Introducing, Vubli.
Vubli automatically generates video titles, descriptions & tags, then posts your videos across all major platforms with a single click!
This is the ONLY way I’m going to be able to create and manage consistent posting of shorts across all the platforms I use. I am super impressed with the descriptions, titles, and tags. Try it FREE for 7 days!
A Little Brainpower 🧠
I’m always looking for non-social media ideas, lol. “14 NON-Social-Media Ways to Promote Your Business.”
Google is indexing Instagram? “The Google-Instagram Game Changer: What Every Business Owner Needs to Know,” from
.Did you know Perplexity launched a web browser? “Introducing Comet.”
Tool Time 🛠️
Claude: Introducing Claude Connectors. A small (for now) list of tools you can connect directly to Claude (how about sending an entire thread into Notion to organize?). Check out Claude Connectors here.
AI Image & Video: Create and edit visuals. Turn them into videos and add voice. Check out Mitte.ai here.
AI Voice: Convert text into high-quality, human-like voices with AI text-to-speech & AI voice generator. Use Murf.ai free here.
Vibe coding: Another option I’m looking forward to trying (and if you’re new here, vibe coding is essentially coding via prompts with AI). Try Emergent free here.
Now I want a “feelings wallet” 😂
And that’s the story of my little universal nudge.
It wasn't a lightning bolt of motivation, but more like a quiet whisper saying, "See? Just start."
Here's to taking the small, imperfect steps and finding your own surprising "1100 view" moment. And sometimes, those imperfect steps are floating in the pool, going for a walk, or taking a nap.
Go easy on yourself.
With coffee & kindness,
Kim
Hi Kim! KISMET that I "just happened" upon this, exac when I need it! Thank you - I hope you are well.