Jessica Williams's Blog, page 5

Hobbies Don’t Need to Become Hustles

Now don’t get me wrong, I make part of a living talking about what’s possible with side hustles. And I stand by that. But not everything has to turn into a hustle, as Molly Conway reminds us:

“We don’t have to monetize or optimize or organize our joy. Hobbies don’t have to be imbued with a purpose beyond our own enjoyment of them. They, alone, can be enough.”

She also talks about the larger issue of busyness and hustle culture. Do things purely for the joy of it. I wouldn’t want to turn my reading, work on jigsaw puzzles, or even dance into a business.

I do those things because they make me happy and help me recharge.

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#jesspicks #loves 2020

This resource is a roundup of all of my favorite things that I shared in the #loves section of my newsletter in 2020.  It includes things I’m reading, watching, listening to, and tools I’ve found helpful in my own life and business.

Self CareToolsInstagram AccountsSubscriptionsTV / MoviesMusicVideosBooksPodcastsSelf Care Shine . This app is a combo of inspiration, meditation, and a podcast. My self-care sidekick. And even more so lately with all, that’s going on.
Marketing Personalities – I adore personality-based stuff especially in recent years because it helps me understand myself sooo much better. Brit helps you figure out how to market in a way that feels good based on your personality type. For example, I’m an ISFJ so an insight for me is that I find flow when I’m able to support folks in a high-touch, high-impact way.  How about you? Don’t know your type? Take this free test. Peace Treats – my gurl Tiffany makes these amazing CBD-infused bath salts. I soaked in some this week which was like heaven for my muscles. And you can redeem a free sample of her body butter too!
Recess. I never thought I’d jump on the CBD water bandwagon. But Recess has changed my mind. Besides having really great marketing and branding, it tastes pretty good (my fave flavor is Peach Ginger). And it’s a bit woo for sure, but it really does keep me calm and help me focus. It’s a nice “beat the afternoon slump” sidekick for me. Get 15% off your first order.
Make Me a Cocktail : One of my mastermind squadmates told me about this site. You basically put in a list of the ingredients you have at home and it’ll give you cocktail recipes. I was able to experience a Barbed Wire which is whiskey + apple juice. And I added a bit of lime juice. Delish. Tools Grammarly – this tool has been my spelling and grammar sidekick since 2014. I use it as a Chrome extension and activated it in Google Docs to catch the errors as I type. #winning Dosh – Whenever I buy coffee from Dunkin Donuts, I get 11 cents back through this app.  May not seem like much, but every little bit helps. All you have to do is download the app and link your credit/debit card. If you end up using your card at any one of their locations, cha ching! Digit. I love getting reminders that $$ has been moved to my new IRA account. Yay for retirement savings. Digit helps me adult by pulling $1 here or $2 there to build a rainy day fund. I am also using it to help me funnel money away towards credit cards and phone bills. Great saving sidekick. Get $5 to get started. Honey. Your coupon-finding sidekick when you are ordering online. It’s a free extension that lives in your browser and it’ll pop up when you are checking out to see if you can find a better price before finishing your order. 
Rakuten – I love getting cash back on purchases I would be making anyways. #winwin This one is active in my browser as a Chrome extension. When you sign up with my link you’ll get a bonus of $10! Ibotta. Love this app that helps me earn money from my grocery receipts, even Instacart. You pick your store, go through the list and add rebates for anything you purchased. Then scan your receipt and cha-ching! Also! If you open Ibotta and click through to order from places like Uber Eats and Macy’s you can earn cashback on those. I’ve earned almost $400 since 2017! Libby . this app has been so great in helping me borrow books from the library. And I can even send most of them to my Kindle.   And if you are an audiobook fan, you can borrow those too.  SaneBox . If you are finding it hard to manage your email (me!), you might love this tool. I’ve been using it for a few months and it really helps me focus more on my inbox and schedule times to check out newsletters and stuff that is not as urgent. Give it a try and see how you like it and you can get $25 off here.Teleparty. If you want to watch a movie virtually with friends and have it synced along with group chat, check out this free Chrome extension. Me and my friends tried it last night and it was awesome. We watched Always a Bridesmaid and had a blast! Wegotchu.cards . My &yet team created this amazing app. You can pick a digital greeting card and then pass it around to the rest of your group to sign even if you’re not in the same physical space. If you want to celebrate someone’s birthday, send a group thanks, or send a get well message, check it out! Krisp helps to fight background noise on video calls. I’ve been using it with my Zoom meetings and it makes a big difference in muting grandma’s tv and radio (#wfhlife) when I’m on calls. Get one month free using my link. 404 Illustrations . These are some fun illustrations to put on your 404 pages. relatedwords.org. My Lighthouse Squadmate Saya mentioned this during our meeting as another website you can check out to look for other words you can use in your writing. Like a Thesaurus but better and simpler. Workout for Women: Fitness App . I enjoy these short workouts and just started the “Intro to Fitness” program. Highly recommend. The music and instructions are great. And you can do a lot in 7 minutes. Shorby . I love this tool for creating multiple links for your Instagram bio. If you’re wondering how to set up your page, check out mine or these use cases. WindowSwap . You click one button and then you can see what the view looks like from someone else’s window. Some mornings I’ll grab my coffee and sip it while looking out of a window in London or somewhere in Germany. It’s really cool and different. CleanMyMac . I always forget about this tool but after running it this week, I reclaimed 26 GB of space on my Mac. It’s already running so much better! Readwise . This is a fun tool that lets you revisit your reading highlights. You can sync up your Kindle account or iBooks account and they’ll send you an email every day featuring your highlights. It’s a good way to review quotes that you loved from books you read years ago. Get an extra free month with my link. Buy Me a Coffee. If you are looking for a way to monetize your creations even if you are just getting started, this is the perfect way to go. You can set up a page in a few minutes, share your link with folks and give them the opportunity to support you. And I have to plug my page too, right? It’s here. HelloFax. You upload the files you want to send (you can even set up a cover sheet), enter the fax number, and voila! Fax sent. And no need to even print any paper. I use their sister product, HelloSign, all the time too for e-signing documents. Hecto . Once I started thinking about classifieds, I knew I needed to find a solution to manage the process and Hecto is working really well for me, at the moment. You can list your ad types, link up your payment system, and get everything through there. It’s a fairly new tool but good for us newsletters just getting started with advertising.Instagram Accounts @doitfortheenneagram – love this Insta account that’s all about Enneagram goodness. What Enneagram type are you? I’m a Type 2. Tip: LT in the City Weekly @ p ieladybooks. Because who doesn’t love pie that looks like a book?  @illustriousvoices . My gurl Brandy has started this amazing project highlighting diverse voices (including mine!) and it’s such a wonderful thing to see. She’s in the process of adding more people, so give it a follow and stay tuned!Subscriptions StitchFix – it’s so nice to be able to send a note to my stylist and say things like “Can you send me a pair or two of black jeans and a vest?” And then they send that. It makes shopping for clothes so easy. And I love that they send me things I’d never buy for myself, but normally it’s a great look. Here’s $25 if you want to give it a try! Pixistock Annual Membership. This is the one Black Friday deal that I bought and loving it already. Thousands of diverse stock photos, a social media content calendar with prompts for 2021, quote templates, social media images, and more. Looking forward to diving into all the things. And it’s great to support a fellow black woman entrepreneur. Book of the Month . I found this week’s read through this awesome book subscription service. Each month they curate 5 reads for you, and you pick one to get in the mail. Easy peasy. Get your first book for $5. TV / Movies Haunting of Hill House . So I was chatting with my dance crew about this show and I finally took the plunge. It’s sooo good. And yes I had to watch it in the daytime because I’m a big scaredy-cat but I loved it! Westworld . I finally took the plunge and started watching this show. It’s pretty awesome. I finished season one in a couple of days and season two is already getting really intense. If you haven’t watched it yet, and looking for an escape, check it out. The Magicians. I started watching this show when it first started a few years ago but then fell behind so I’m rewatching from the beginning. It’s definitely a nice escape from everything going on in the world. And magic!  Tell Me a Story. I watched the very first episode of this show a year or so ago and wasn’t sure about it, but decided to give it another try. And it grew on me. The premise is fairy tales twisted into psychological thrillers. Obsessed. Why Women Kill. Such a fun dark comedy following three women over three different decades dealing with betrayal. I binged this in 2 days. It was that good. And looks like there will be a Season 2.  24 . My gurl Deena is watching this so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m only 3 episodes in but OMG intense. So much happens in an hour! Dead to Me. This show is so topsy-turvy, kinda dark but funny and good! Supergirl . While recovering and feeling the need to escape the world a little bit, this is my show. I had watched the original season years ago but fell behind. Now a rewatch is in order. And yay #gurlpower. The Good Place. This show is definitely a favorite. Eleanor Shellstrop (played by Kristen Bell) dies and finds herself in the Good Place but then she realizes that she is there by mistake. I’ve probably watched season 1 three times at this point but it’s just that good. And the final season just dropped on Netflix. Umbrella Academy . My gurl Shenee and I have been enjoying this show.  Big fans of season one. Season two is a bit out there, but different, and the music is funnn. Who else is watching? Sundance Now. Just do it. I just finished “The Secrets She Keeps”. One woman is obsessed with watching another woman’s life and you find out why at the end of the first episode. But both women are keeping secrets. One Tree Hill. I have probably watched this show over a dozen times. (And there are 9 seasons). I feel like right now, it’s nice to be able to watch it again and get that feeling of nostalgia all over again. Brotherhood and basketball is the main theme. And the music is so good. Locke & Key. So good. Premise: Family loses their dad and their mom moves them to their dad’s childhood homes. There are magical keys. And there is a dark force who wants them. But of course, right? Can’t wait for season two! The Flight Attendant. Girl, that drinks a lot, wakes up to find the guy next to her dead. Cue all the shenanigans. Highly recommend. Little Voice. An Apple TV series about a young woman struggling to find her voice. With original music by Sara Bareilles.  It was just glorious and inspirational and love the music. Favorite song: King of the Lost Boys. Sanctuary. Apparently, I’ve been sleeping on Sundance shows. Found this one accidentally while browsing on Apple TV and I am hooked. A sister goes to visit her twin in a mental hospital. Her twin steals her identity and leaves her behind. She is trying to convince everyone that she is not her sister. Good times. Discovery of Witches. Seriously, I’m geeking out on all the Sundance shows. This one was pretty good. Witches, vampires, demons. A mysterious book that everyone is after. Romance. I think I may also read the trilogy that the series is based on. Defending Jacob. Chris Evans as an Assistant District Attorney who then has to help defend his son who has been accused of killing a fellow classmate. INTENSE and nail-biting for sure but I enjoyed it for the most part. I saw the end and had sooo many questions. Still do. Have you watched it? Let’s discuss! Animaniacs. If the phrase “hellooo nurse” means anything to you, join me and watch the rebooted cartoon all about the Warner Brothers (and their sister Dot) on Hulu. And then you can go back and watch the original episodes from the 90s. Gotta find joy where we can find it! The Morning Show. I resubscribed to Apple TV just to start watching this Emmy-winning show. Reese Witherspoon. Steve Carell. Jennifer Aniston. Need I say more?  All about the ups and downs of running a morning show amidst a scandal and recovering from it. Intense but so good! Obsession Thrillogy on Lifetime. It was a three-night thriller movie event. Boy and girl become roommates, then lovers, then there is obsession, danger and deceit. Oh my! So excited for my friend of a friend Melissa Cassera who wrote all three scripts. Hamilton. The theatrical release of Hamilton is coming to Disney+ on July 3rd. And I cannot wait for it. The trailer gave me all the chills. The good kind.  Knives Out. If you love a good whodunit, this movie does not disappoint. Great cast and just a fun murder mystery with a great ending. And it’s now included as part of Amazon Prime. The Descendants. It follows the story of the children of some of the famous Disney villains. Purple hair. Great music and dance routine. Just fun and lightness all around.Music Don’t Give Up . This cover with John Legend and P!nk speaks to my soul. Underdog . I have had this Alicia Keys song on repeat lately. And she sang it as part of the iHeart Living Room Concert which was just amazing. evermore . Taylor Swift has released another album – so that’s two in one year.  I must admit I haven’t really listened to her new music lately but digging this latest magic. Current fave: gold rush. I Love Me by Demi Lovato . I had heard this song before but one day I really listened to the lyrics. It talks about how hard we can be on ourselves and asks when will loving ourselves be enough. This acoustic cover by Cimorelli is also amazing. Will – Remix . Will Smith dropped a verse on Joyner Lucas’ song and it is FIRE. Side Hustla! I MADE A PLAYLIST FOR US.  I curated a mix of inspirational and upbeat tunes that you can listen to while working on your passion projects. You Are the Champions . Love this version with Adam Lambert & Queen. Little Voice soundtrack. I am loving this Apple TV show and the music, written by Sara Bareilles, is incredible. “It’s just my little voice that I’ve been missing…” Sara Bareilles . She recorded her own versions of the songs on the Little Voice show. And she liked my tweet! Hamilton Act 1 but it’s Muppets. Just listen. Trust me. It’s good for your soul. Seal IV . This is my favorite Seal album. I remember my first time hearing it at a Border’s bookstore back in the day. Who remembers Border’s? Spotify’s Time Capsule . This new curated playlist is taking me back in time to listen to some old hits. And it looks like it’s updating every day. What mine sounds like? A lot of Christina, Britney, NSync, Backstreet Boys, Michael Jackson, P!nk to name several. Who is in your Time Capsule? Family Dance Party . Discovered this Spotify playlist one winter day and it was the perfect sing-a-long dancing-in-my-chair happiness that I needed.  2020 Wrapped. If you are a Spotify listener, check out your musical year in review. I’ve already been moving and grooving along to my Top Songs of 2020 playlist this week. Who is your top artist? Mine is Meghan Trainor (probably because of this song )!Videos Fitness Marshall . If you like dance workout type stuff, I heart this guy. He does workouts to popular songs and has the funniest facial expressions. I’m pretty sweaty after one of his 3-minute videos (lately been doing Lizzo’s Truth Hurts). #babystepsThis veteran dances to Justin Timberlake’s“Can’t Stop the Feeling” song on his porch and I just couldn’t smile any wider. Lizzo! I think at least once a month, Lizzo is trending on Twitter. This awesome inspiring video about why she works out was one of the reasons. This clip of the Magicians singing“Under Pressure”. Such a great and powerful scene. And the song itself is timeless. Also magicians. singing.  Nia Long’s powerful message for Queens . It’s less than a minute and incredible. THE HOOD INTERNET Presents 1993. This is 3.5 minutes of 90s music nostalgia. I dare you to watch it and not smile.Books The Money Tree . I read this book in 2 days because it was so good. It’s cool that Chris Guillebeau turns so much of what he teaches into fiction. It tells the story of Jake, who is in danger of losing everything: his job, his apartment, his girlfriend. And how that sets him on the path to start learning about creating a side hustle for himself. It’s a book told in story form but has so many great actionable lessons for creating financial freedom. Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning. Loved this book by Leslie Odom Jr. (probably better known as Aaron Burr’ in these parts!) I may have highlighted over 60 things in this book, it was so great. Thinking about writing a blog post about it soon too. Highly recommend. break your glass slippers (You Are Your Own Fairy Tale) by Amanda Lovelace. A wonderful read.  The book tells the story of Cinderella in poem form and “is about overcoming those who don’t see your worth, even if that person is sometimes yourself.” I think I may have highlighted most of the book.   Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide . I have been bullet journaling for a few weeks now and I’m really liking it so far. Mostly taking advantage of the daily lists and symbols. This book is already giving me inspiration for other things I can add to my process. The Dip. This is one of those books that I have seen popping up in my universe a few times over the past couple of weeks. So I took it as a sign to start reading it. It’s a book about making it through the challenging times (the dip) of any journey and how sometimes the best strategy is quitting. Chosen Ones. Veronica Roth’s book written for an adult audience (she wrote the Divergent series). Quick description: “They were the Chosen Ones. Saving the world made them heroes. Saving it again might destroy them.”  The School of Good and Evil . Basically, the main characters Sophie who wants to be a princess, and her friend Agatha who wants to just be left alone, end up taken to the schools of good and evil but put in the wrong houses. Or were they? Get Out of My Head: Inspiration for Overthinkers in an Anxious World. I definitely struggle with overthinking and this book has tips for stopping the thoughts and “protecting the head.” Presence. This is a book I’ve tried to read twice before and only got a few chapters in. I’m trying it again. Maybe the third time’s a charm? And this quote made me feel so attacked: “Sometimes you have to get out of the way of yourself so you can be yourself.” Vampire Royals Series . Think Twilight + Hunger Games + The Bachelor. I started reading the first book and devoured it in 2 days. One of Us is Lying . 5 teenagers end up in detention, then one ends up dead. Dun dun dun. Think The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars. It’s twisty-turny in the best way. Found it via this list.  The ending was a shocker.  And of course, I had to read the sequel: One of Us is Next. It’s about Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated Into Your Greatest Advantage. This one has been on my list for a while. I’ve been following Arlan Hamilton, the founder of Backstage Capital on Twitter for a few years. And I love how she focuses her fund on supporting underrepresented founders. This book is all about finding your voice and knowing that “you deserve to walk through the door of any room you want to be in.” The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done. Already in love with this magic question: What can I do now to make life easier later? “Life” can be anything from laundry to writing a blog post. And there are some great tips in here if you are also a parent. Without Her Consent. A woman who has been in a coma for the past 12 years delivers a baby out of the blue. What the what? Yepppp… Zone of Genius. I have read about zones of genius in The Big Leap (another good read) before but this one is pretty good too. I also like how she talks about purpose and how there is an emotional connection there. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Great guide from James Clear on thinking about and building habits. Pairing them with something you are already doing. And finding ways to reward yourself when you complete them. Lots of tweet-able gems. A Spell for Trouble: An Enchanted Bay Mystery . Alex goes to visit her estranged aunt and cousins and she sense that something is a little bit, um magical, but is not sure. Then a murder happens. Dun dun dun. I’m only about a third of the way through it but I’m liking it so far. One By One . Sometimes I need a good thriller and this one did not disappoint. Claire and her friends are going on a 1-week camping trip but her van breaks down on the way. They are lost in the woods with no cell reception and then people start disappearing one by one. I finished it in 3 days! Playing Big. I’m reading this book a little at a time as I go through training to become a Playing Big Facilitator.  For the next few weeks, we are talking about the inner critic. And Tara has given us a new way of thinking about that sometimes nagging, negative voice in our head. She says, “it’s like a guard at the edge of your comfort zone” that activates when there is a threat to our emotional safety. And really we need to learn how to acknowledge it and say, “thanks but I’ve got this”. Powerful.  The Girl in the Mirror. Twins. One has everything. The other does…not. They go out on the family yacht. Only one returns and assumes her sister’s identity. How far will she go? What happened to her sister? Dun dun dun. Escaping the world works sometimes. Miss Mabel’s School for Girls. When Facebook ads got wind that I like their book recommendations, I get them ALL THE TIME NOW. This multi-book series caught my attention because curses, dark magic, all the witchiness. I definitely got Harry Potter vibes, but think if Hermione was the main character and her family was cursed and this Miss Mabel was the only one who could remove it. And she is an impressive villain. I am a fan. On to the rest!PodcastsA podcast episode with my career coach friend Martin McGovern. We talk side hustles, how to get started, how to find time, but also about how to use it as an advantage as part of your job search and career.Spotify’s Daily Wellness. Not usually a fan of playlists that mix podcasts and music but I have started integrating this one as part of my morning routine. The list starts out with a meditation from the Shine app and then moves into some curated music. Great way to ease into the day and have a mini virtual-commute before starting work. 6 Things You Can Do to Unlock Your Creative Self. This podcast episode lays out the keys to keep in mind to be your most creative self: time, space, matter, flow, diet and sleep. Love this quote to sum up the content: “If you’re doing your most, you’re not doing your best! Give yourself a break!” The Ten Things Saving My Life Right Now. While reading Lazy Genius, I also subscribed to Kendra’s podcast and I am loving it too. My faves from her list: 17-minute naps (need to try this!), Double Stuff Oreos (they are sooo good), and whiskey (I like mine with a mixer though, like apple juice). RomComPods . I am warming up to podcasts but audiobooks are hard for me to focus on. Maybe I can do a mix of the two? A romcom podcast with 30 minutes an episode. Maybe I can listen before bed? And if you love audio fiction type stuff, check out my gurl Shenee’s Fan Wars: The Empire Claps Back podcast. It’s so good. Next Level 7. Copyblogger’s Brian Clark created this free 6-day audio course about how he’s creating 7-figure businesses. He covers how to build an audience and why creating content is a waste of time. Curation is where it’s at. Which is right up my alley. How to grow to 10k, niching down, and top subscriber sources . As I think about 2021, the newsletter will continue to be a major focus for me, so I’m looking forward to this Newsletter Crew episode with Josh Spector. He covers how to grow from 0 to 1k (and from 1k to 10K) subscribers, newsletter resources, and more.Want more ideas like this?

Make sure you’re subscribed to #jesspicks for tips and recommendations for building your side hustle and having a life, delivered to your inbox every Saturday.

The post #jesspicks #loves 2020 appeared first on Tech Biz Gurl.

55 Things I Did, Experienced and Appreciated in 2020

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Most bloggers and creators do a version of a “year in review” to say goodbye to one year and make plans for another.

They are really great to read. You get inspiration and examples from other people for things to either celebrate yourself or put on your plans for the next year.

But I’ve found them incredibly hard to write. Which is probably why I haven’t really done one. Except this one – which is still not the typical format.

I was inspired by Joanna Hennon’s post highlighting all the things she did and experienced in 2020 and decided to create one of my own. This feels more me and gives me a way to look back at the year and really think about what happened, what I was able to accomplish, and give me some good information to carry into 2021.

So without further ado…here are the things I did and learned in 2020:

Signed up to do the Fear Experiment again. Think of it as an adult recital where you learn either Broadway dances, improv or storytelling, and do a big performance at the end. I signed up for Broadway (because I’m a dancer dangit, albeit an awkward one) and learned choreography to 4 Broadway songs. Our final performance was postponed due to COVID but save the date for September 2021!Rediscovered that working on jigsaw puzzles and coloring are both great self-care activities. Contributed to the Magic Puzzle Kickstarter campaign and excited to work on that soon.Speaking of self-care activities, I read 34 books – my goal was 36. See my Goodreads year in review here.Tried Yin Yoga using Down Dog’s Yoga app. I tried to make this more of a daily habit.  But right now, it’s an “I need to stretch out and release some tension” habit.Published the 200th issue of #jesspicks (!!) and shared some lessons I’ve learned along the way from doing a weekly newsletter for the past 4 years.Talked about side hustles and how they are good for your career with Martin McGovern.Took my twists out and started wearing my natural hair. This started mostly with ball caps (#becausequarantine) but now it’s more of a ponytail poof situation with headwraps which works.Tripped in the house and managed to break my ankle in two places.  I needed to have surgery and had to struggle with my mobility for a few months.  A lot of firsts there. First broken bone, first surgery.  First bad reaction to anesthesia.  But on the mend and super grateful for my mobility. Went off again and on again with morning pages.  I did longhand for a spell and then did typing on 750words.com for a spell. I think longhand actually works a lot better in terms of just getting all the mind gunk out.  But typing is more efficient. Something to think about for 2021.Celebrated the 9th anniversary of my blog and my 39th birthday.  Tried 3 meal kits from and that was a fun experience. #1 learning? I love to zest. Can I just do that all day? Zester in Chief has a nice ring to it!Started bullet journaling in a super simple way that works for me.  Most bullet journaling tutorials are all about the design and stuff which is sooo not me. This article helped. Sidenote: I may not know what my zone of genius is, but I know it’s not design. Participated in an incredible mastermind experience, called Lighthouse Squad, with amazing humans. We laughed together, cried together, celebrated, supported, and bonded.Taught two I Can’t: Side Hustle workshops with my gurl Saya Hillman and helped over 40 people get started with their business which was amazing.Became an #IAmRemarkable facilitator for Google and ran my first sold-out workshop!Talked with Tara McMullin about being a newsletter curator. We talked about how it got started, my workflow and process for getting it done every week, and how it’s helped build my confidence as a writer.Participated in Elizabeth Goddard’s Christmas Goody Bag and included my 10-day challenge on getting started with affiliate marketing. Over 400 people signed up!Met my initial goal of reaching 500 subscribers for my #jesspicks newsletter and my 750 stretch goal. Next stop: 1K. Want to join? Sign up here.Put together a few tiny LEGO projects like this one and embraced my inner builder.  Wrote a post about how dancing on stage changed my life.Guested (is that a word?) on a podcast with my gurl Taylor and we talked about my best tips for side hustlers, why it does not have to become a full-time hustle, and what I’ve learned. It was a great time! Received Book of the Month as a 1-year anniversary gift from &yet and I’m a huge fan. It is nice to read physical books sometimes and get away from screens. And their curated picks are so good.Watched One Tree Hill for probably the 10th time.  All the nostalgia. All the music. Who knew I’d fall in love with a show about basketball?Discovered CBD water and ordered a few cases. So good.  If you want to give it a try, get a discount with my link.Realized I needed some help dealing with caregiving and my mental health. So I signed up for Talkspace. It has been really helpful in giving me space to just vent or talk or share what’s going on in a no-judgment way. Will also be looking into some caregiver specific resources soon.With being home all the time and getting ready for the winter, I bought a light therapy lamp to help with the winter blues.  I try to sit in front of it for about 30 minutes every day. It does wonders for my mood.Mimosas in a can.  ‘Nuff said.Instagram ads really got me this year. So much so that I bought these shoes.  They are quite comfy and support my newly healed ankle very well.Saw so many rainbows – whenever I needed a reminder that everything would be OK, I saw one.  Even sometimes in places other than the sky.Hamilton.  I saw the Chicago version but the original cast version on Disney+ was completely life-changing. Immigrants get the job done.Morgan Harper Nichols.  Seriously I love everything she puts out.Adopted the mantra: Tomorrow is another day.Discovered Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) and had virtual watch parties of shows and movies with friends. It’s the 2020 way to hang?Used Make Me a Cocktail to discover a new drink: apple juice + whiskey.  aka “Barbed Wire”.Created a 7-10 minute lightning talk with Mel McSherry’s Speaking bundle. This has been on my list for YEARS. And then delivered it to a group of women and it was awesome! Updated my website with a fresh coat of paint. So fresh, so clean vibes. The site feels fun, approachable, and helpful.  Shout out to Little Theme Shop for the theme and the help getting it set up. Earned a tiny bit of money as part of Medium’s Partner program. You earn money from your writing. That was pretty awesome.Started offering ads in my #jesspicks newsletter and PEOPLE BOUGHT THEM.Featured as part of the #illustriousvoices project on Instagram and listed in the directory.Signed up and started the Playing Big Facilitator Training. As part of an exercise, I met my inner mentor, a version of me 20 years in the future. And that was such a powerful experience.Sang and hummed and thought about this song. A LOT.   Also found a great dance routine for it.Took an Instagram stories class with Saya. If you want to check out some of the things I learned how to do, check out my “I Can: Story” highlight on my profile page. I even danced! On the internet. I like the idea of using stories more just in general as I feel like they give me the chance to be my weird, quirky self.Had way too sugary milkshakes with my bestie on Galentine’s Day.Wrote a post about COVID and the feelings and opportunities it presented.  Wrote a side hustle tip every day in April on my Instagram. Check out #30DaysofSideHustle.As part of Pam Slim’s Tiny Marketing Action class, I created a Spotify playlist for my peeps. Feel free to listen and follow.Realized that breaks are necessary and required. So sometimes I take a 5-minute break and cry it out if I need to or take a shot of tequila. Or a 17-minute nap. Just like our computers need to be shut down and rebooted often (instead of simply “sleep mode”), we need that too.Featured in Josh Spector’s list of newsletters for creators.Attended a self-care retreat hosted by Kandice Cole. She reminded us that self-care is not only needed when we are feeling bad or run down. We can practice self-care even when we are feeling good. And I forget that sometimes.567 Broadway.  Dance fitness to Broadway songs?? Yes, please.  Already learned a routine to “Good Morning Baltimore” from Hairspray.   Next up, “Bend & Snap”. Any guesses where that is from? Won a lifetime membership to Newsletter Crew – a community for newsletter creators.  Thank you universe.I finally saw an allergist and realized that I am not, in fact, allergic to nuts as I suspected.  There is something that causes this weird itching reaction every once in a while but we still don’t know the culprit. In the meantime, we are managing it with allergy meds. Two Allegra a day keeps the doctor away?#jesspicks was listed as an essential newsletter for makers and creative entrepreneurs. Thank you Wolf Craft! Led a teaching session in our mastermind group about my newsletter, how it started, my process, and things I pay attention to. And then turned that into a mini product with Loom videos. You can grab it for free.Survived the pandemic, the election, my injury, and ALL THE THINGS.

I am incredibly grateful and blessed to be walking into 2021 on both feet.

How was your 2020? What did you do or experience or appreciate?

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Your Purpose is to Design Your Life

I love, love, this post from Tim Denning. You can choose the lifestyle you want. In fact, you can design it. I’m working two jobs and I have a side hustle and that’s working for me. There is not only one way to live. Or a one size fits all approach to your job or your business. You can decide what works best for you.

This quote sums it up well:

“Lifestyle design can be as simple as writing down how you want to earn a living, what your hobbies will be, how you’ll spend your money, who you will spend your time with, what you will believe, how you will act, where you will live, and how much time you dedicate towards your family.”

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4 Lessons Learned from Writing 200 Issues of a Newsletter

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When I first started Tech Biz Gurl, it was a blog that then morphed into offering services and later tutorials.  But at the time, I had a day job where I had a little bit more free time on my hands. 

After a layoff and then picking up a demanding job for a couple of years, I was at a point where I wasn’t happy with the time I was putting into my business. And I was feeling extremely burnt out.  Then in late 2015, I started a new job which was a lot more aligned with what I wanted to do career-wise and had a more predictable schedule. 

After taking about 9 months to get ramped up, I felt like I had the time and the brain space to really think about my business again.  But the thought of doing all the things I had done before (services, tutorials, marketing, discovery calls, you name it) just seemed so overwhelming. And because I only had at most 2-3 hours a week to dedicate to the business, I realized that something had to change.

I started to think about things I could do in the time I had available that would help me show up for my people but also provide value.  And that’s where the idea of #jesspicks started. I had played around with the idea of starting a curated newsletter for a while but never really took the plunge.
It was something I could do every week that could fit within that 3-hour block and the best part is that it took advantage of something I was doing already: which was reading and sharing articles on social media.   And the best part is that I had already purchased a subscription to Revue which became the tool that delivers my newsletter.  

I took my existing list from Mailchimp, which at the time was a little over 50 people, imported them to Revue, and on July 23, 2016, I sent out my first issue:

Fast-forward 4 years and I just recently sent my 200th issue!!  In that time, I’ve learned about being a newsletter creator and about myself and I hope these lessons are helpful to you as you build your own creations.

1. Find one thing you can do… consistently

#jesspicks started because I was looking for one thing I could do consistently for my people in the time that I had.  It started out as me sharing 5 things that I had seen that week to help my audience become more productive or have more fun.  

Since then, I’ve gotten clearer on what to share, who I want to help and how I can best serve them.  So the newsletter now is about sharing curated tips and resources for side hustlers.  Because ultimately I want to help people start and manage side hustles without the overwhelm.

And even that is still a work in progress. As I continue to write this newsletter every week, I get more and more information about who I’m serving and what they care about.  That way I can continue to refine and evolve my messaging and my content.  

As Khe mentioned,

“good enough over and over again makes you great.”

So if you find yourself struggling to get started with a creative project or side hustle. Or if you are feeling overwhelmed, see if you can find one thing you can do consistently for your audience. That way, you can start building momentum for everything else.

2. Find your tech stack

I mentioned earlier that I use a tool called Revue for #jesspicks.  I bought it because it was made for curated newsletters. And it makes that process so much easier.  It’s easy to add content to your queue for possible inclusion in your newsletter.  You don’t have to do too much formatting which is really great for me, because design is not my strong suit.  And it saves you time because it makes it easy to add elements like headers, links, and images.

Other tools that are part of my #jesspicks stack are:

Feedly for collecting all of my favorite blogs to read in one placePocket for saving articles and posts to read laterBuy Me a Coffee for getting donations / financial support from readersApple Notes for taking notes and jotting down ideas for issues

Once you decide what to create or how you’d like to show up for your audience, see if there are technology tools that can make the process a little bit more efficient and save you some time along the way.  

3. Find your medium

While the topics that I curate and organize has changed a bit over the years and gotten more focused, I’ve always included a personal note at the beginning.  That has always been so much easier for me to write than a blog post. Which has been something that has bugged me for some time. 

I even shared that struggle it with a friend a few years ago and she said, “Maybe you struggle with writing blog posts because it makes you vulnerable. And it is more out there for people to see.”  I know that there is some truth to that.

But I didn’t fully get it until I read this quote in Gather the People:

“I prefer the more intimate feel of sending an email to the more“public” feel of writing a blog post. Every artist has their preferred mediums; email is one of mine.”

When I read it, it was like a weight had been lifted.  It made me realize that email was my preferred medium. And that was OK!  To me, it feels more like a 1 on 1 conversation.  Reazling that has been a huge gamechanger and made me lean into it even more.  Not that I won’t do blog posts because you are reading one, after all.  But maybe I could focus on emails as my primary and blogging as a secondary medium.

Find your medium. Or do some experimenting to discover it.  It could be writing, audio, video, something else.  Whatever that is, something that feels right for you and your art.

Find your squad

I am a huge fan of surrounding yourself with others who are doing the thing that you are doing.  I encourage side hustlers to find other side hustlers to chat with, because we get what you are going through in ways full time entrepreneurs don’t quite understand.

The same goes for newsletters or other creations.  I have gotten so much advice, support, and examples from being a part of communities like the Newsletter Creators group, the Unemployable Initiative, and the RadReads Slack community. 

It is great to be able to share struggles and accomplishments. But also to see what others are doing for inspiration or to share what you are doing as well.   And it pays off.  My newsletter has seen so much growth since joining those groups.  The education that I get alone is so worth it.

Find others who are doing things you want to do and join them.  Or if you’re not able to find an existing community, create your own.

These 200 issues over the past 4 years have been some of the best learning experiences of my business career.  And because of it, I have been asked to do podcasts, workshops and have become a go-to resource for side hustlers.

All because I made a decision to do this one thing consistently.

What is something you do consistently in your business? What has it taught you?

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Podcasts for Side Hustlers

I am starting to get more into podcasts (if I can listen on Spotify and at 1.5x speed!) so this is a great list to check out!

Two that have been in my ears recently are:

Creative Pep Talk – tips and actionable advice galore on being a creator. And it’s so fun listening to Andy. His Instagram graphics are awesome too.
Lazy Genius – I recently read Kendra’s book and I love her approach about “being a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.”



What are some of your favorite podcasts to listen to?

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How to Build a Community Around Your Blog

I am a big fan of surrounding yourself with others who are doing the thing you want to do. I encourage side hustlers to find other side hustlers to chat with because we get what you are going through in ways full-time entrepreneurs don’t quite understand.

If you’re not able to find that squad of people, you can create that type of community. I hadn’t really considered building a community around my blog before but the idea of doing a challenge (#5) and spotlighting readers (#7) sound like fun things to do.

“You need to build your readers up, serve them, pay attention to them, make them feel noticed, and do whatever you can to make them feel like they belong.”

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Collection of Tips for Newsletter Creators

I read (almost) everything that Josh Spector writes about especially when it comes to newsletters. He put every article he’s written, tip he’s shared, and everything under the sun he’s done on newsletters in one collection of tips. He’s unofficially one of my newsletter mentors!

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Your Hobbies Don’t Have to Make Money

Don’t get me wrong, side hustles can be great. And I love mine. But Patia Braithwaite at SELF reminds us why our hobbies don’t have to make money. Sometimes it’s good to have hobbies we do just for the love of it. Because oftentimes when we try to monetize it, it’ll take all of the fun out of the process and experience for us.

Do the thing that brings you joy (and impresses your friends and family) without turning it into something you can sell. A hobby that helps you feel good is probably more valuable than the extra cash.

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How to Have Meaningful Days

Kara Cutruzzula talks about how important it is to prioritize meaning in your day and that starts with figuring out your “why”.

“Start each day by asking yourself: What can I do that will feel meaningful today?”

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