(Includes a free template you can use to start your list) — What I’m about to share here is probably something you’ve heard of before, whether in a secular, spiritual, or religious context. But before I talk about this gratitude template, I want to briefly get into the inspiration behind it. The first times I read about the activity of simply listing…

Keyboard shortcuts for more efficient writing sessions (and ‘friendlier’ writing) — For many of us writers, writing scripts for videos, emails for our newsletter readers, or long captions for our Instagram posts has become a part of our job. And for me, it’s been interesting to observe how different writers balance the conversational quality of social media ‘content’ with their signature…

Here’s How I’m Planning to Pay My Parents Back. — Long story short, I got mixed-up bank information, wrote down the wrong account number, and had money from our family fund sent to the wrong guy (though, in a spiritual sense, was he the wrong guy?) Anyway, by the time Mom and I rushed to the bank to see if…

Immersive language learning feels like being the only 4-year-old in a room full of adoring but distant adults. — Growing up, dad sent my sisters and me to international schools attended by other foreigners’ children in Saudi Arabia. So, I had quite a few opportunities to learn new languages. Still, the once-a-week French classes I attended for one year proved to be useless, and the little Urdu I managed…

Save Yourself Some Time & Energy — The phrase ‘content creation’ gives me the ick — I don’t enjoy calling the drawings, videos and writing I pour hours of my time into ‘content.’ I think Campbell Walker (aka Struthless) better describes my sentiment in his video on art vs. content. But I don’t know a better umbrella…

A fun alternative to scrolling on your phone for the next time you’re stuck in a boring meeting — Drawing is one of the most efficient tools of communication out there. We humans are biased toward visual information, so learning to communicate visually can give you an edge in any setting. Making quick doodles with your notes can also help you retain more information than when you only use…

It Helped Me Publish More Frequently Than Ever — Following my journaling template’s warm reception, I decided to share another one of my templates here. I haven’t been using this setup for very long, but if you’re a writer who wants to keep all of your essay ideas in one place, keep track of your progress in each piece…

A Case Study in Online Course Creation — To get the question in the title out of the way, here’s how much Skillshare paid me for the minutes watched in my classes. But this doesn’t include the Engagement promotions, the Teach Corps Class Production Fund, or the different contests I’d participated in.

‘This Service is Not Available in Your Region’ — Indians, Ethiopians, Philipinos, Yemenis, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Somalis — you guys would probably know about this, even if you’re based elsewhere. If you’re in an emerging economy nation, being unable to access vast swaths of the internet is the norm. But, based on how some of my favorite, often well-informed, online…