How To Write More On Substack (The Astonishing Truth)
Top writers on Substack all say the same thing: to succeed, you must post often. At least once per week. Tim Denning emphasised the importance of this consistency in a recent note:
And yet…
Most writers don’t prioritise this advice. Instead, they’d rather explore other advice and rabbit holes like a starving fox. I’m talking SEO mastering and finding your niche type-of-advice.
I was one of these time-wasting foxes not so long ago. Until I discovered the biggest mistake holding me back:
Having Substack Installed On My Phone
I’m not sure about you, but I’m a huge advocate of writing posts via laptop. For the following reasons:
•It's quicker to type on a keyboard.
•Grammarly extension can be on standby to fish out errors.
•You’re forced to write in the same place at the same time every day . A tactic recommended by the bestseller ‘Atomic Habits’.
Put simply, Laptop > Phone
Yet, for the first few weeks of my Substack writing career, I had it on my phone too.
Why This Is BAD…
Having Substack on my phone made it accessible to me at all times. As a result, I'd check my stats several times a day (as normal humans do), and then end up doomscrolling. It's social media after all…
This created an unhealthy relationship with the platform as I began consuming more than I was creating. For those who don’t know, this is a big no-no. Frequently discouraged even by the G.O.A.T himself: Nicolas Cole.
There are many reasons why this behaviour is harmful. Consumption distracts creation… You compare yourself to others… But the biggest reason I found this behaviour so bad is this: When you're consuming content, you subconsciously think you're being "productive". After all, you’re still spending time on Substack, right?
This is delusional…
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with consuming content — especially from the right people. Anyone following Derek Hughes understands this. But when you do it for more than 30 minutes a day without intending to, the ROI becomes non-existent.
The Solution?
Uninstall Substack from your phone. This allows you to use it more intentionally. And intentionality is king!
I recently posted 3 major benefits I experienced from deleting Instagram (here). I’ve summarised them for you below. Curiously, they are the same benefits gained from deleting Substack too:
•I use the time I'd spend scrolling to do something productive instead (e.g. Duolingo or reading).
•I compare myself to others less often, which is great for my mental health.
•I procrastinate less.
Given the transferability of these points, I strongly recommend you approach Substack with the same caution as other social media platforms. This could be the difference between you "making it" sooner rather than later, or whether you "make it" at all.