Relevant To Your Interests #4

My best recs for the things that make my life more productive

Happy Sunday! If you’re new here, welcome to A-Mail. I’m Anna Codrea-Rado, a business and culture writer, and this newsletter is my attempt to make sense of the chaos of modern work. If you’re a regular reader, thanks for having me in your inbox again.

Relevant To Your Interests is a round-up of my best recs for the things I’ve been reading, listening to and otherwise doing that make my life more productive.

» Financial Feelings Analysis™️

In case you missed it, I wrote about how I’m making my money right now as a freelance writer. (Tl;dr: over 90% of my income currently comes from two commercial clients; I’ve only written one piece of journalism so far this year, and while my book royalties are tiny, that income is truly passive).

Most of that post is free to read, but only paying readers can access my income report and see the actual figures.

You also still have time to read me spill the juice on that time a “future of work pioneer” tried to underpay me for a silly little job, before the auto-paywall goes up.

» HubSpot Academy

I’ve had lots of questions from readers about getting commercial work. Most of the questions have been on how I find these opportunities (network), but there was something else I did that helped. I freshed up my skillset.

As a journalist, my skills in interviewing, writing, editing, and researching are easily transferable to marketing and communications. But I wanted to up my game and move into content strategy work, so I sent myself off (I did it on my sofa) for a little learning and development recently.

I researched the different kinds of courses and training out there and I discovered that HubSpot has a massive library of free online courses on marketing and sales.

I took a couple of courses in content marketing and I learned things that I’ve been able to directly use in my client work. I really recommend it to anyone who’s serious about building out a commercial writing or content strategy revenue stream.

» Freelance Writing Jobs Priority Membership

Every week, Sian Meades-Williams scans Twitter, jobs boards and other secret corners of the internet that only she knows about to round up all the best PAYING writing opportunities out there. These include calls for pitches from magazine editors, but also part-time copywriting gigs, writing grants and prizes.

If you get a priority membership, which is only £4/month, you get the newsletter a day early. You can board the pitching plane first and get your emails out to editors before everyone else. It’s a no-brainer IMHO.

(For anyone who doesn’t know Sian, she’s the brains behind Freelance Writing Awards, the media awards we ran in 2021 to celebrate the work of freelance writers and journalists who otherwise don’t get a look in with the main media awards. She’s good people!!)

» Bard

I’m a writer and I’m not afraid of ChatGPT. (Rani Molla wrote a great piece recently for Vox challenging the narrative that everyone is freaking out about generative AI; lots of knowledge workers are keen to hand over their shallow work to the robots.)

Personally, I’m just as excited by the impact of AI on my career as I am scared of it. Support and scepticism aren’t mutually exclusive. I can be a fan of something while still being critical of it. (I kinda feel that way about Substack, but that’s for another time).

I recently heard someone describe AI chatbots as “interns” and I love that analogy. It’s a great way to describe how I’ve been using Bard (Google’s version of ChatGPT) – I give it my drudge work, but still need to check over it.

And just like an intern, I wanted to try giving Bard something more interesting to work on, so I asked it to critique my writing. I gave it links to my favourite stories I’ve written lately and this is what it had to say, which I present here without comment:

The writing you linked to is a collection of articles from various sources that explore the complex and often contradictory nature of work, productivity, and society.

The common thread between these stories is that they all deal with the struggle to find balance in life. In each story, the protagonist is faced with a challenge that forces them to confront their own values and priorities.

The articles are all well-written and informative, and they provide a valuable perspective on the issue at hand. They show how these systems can be both fair and unjust, and how they are often shaped by social and political factors. The articles also raise important questions about the role of these systems in our lives, and they challenge us to think critically about how we can create a more just and equitable world.

» Cosy af wfh socks

I’m sure some of you will be able to relate to this, but I can’t write if my feet are cold. Now, I don’t know what possessed me to pay 20 quid for a pair of men’s socks, but I ended up loving them so much that I’ve bought another pair.

I don’t know what to tell you, they’re the cosiest, comfiest wfh accessory ever. They wash in the washing machine perfectly. I sleep in them in the winter. They’re also great for trips away with friends in your mid-30s when you’re not quite ready to take your slippers with you but still need something to keep your feet warm. I can’t believe how much I love these stupid socks.

» Cinematic Pomodoro Playlist

And lastly, I have something so niche that I’m kinda embarrassed to share it. Long-time readers will know how much I love the Pomodoro Technique. Well, I’ve made myself a Pomodoro playlist. It’s got songs from soundtracks, which are divided into 25-minute chunks, with 5-minute breaks in between. You’re either going to think this is bonkers, or it’ll change your life.