Hey Reader,

if you're anything like me, you regularly come across content, ideas, and statements that make you go like this:

I recently wrapped up a wonderful live cohort of my signature program Medium Writing Academy and one of the questions we discussed several times was how to decide what to include in an article on Medium and what to leave out.

When you write articles or blog posts, you don't have infinite space because readers won't spend a lot of time on your content if you don't get to the point and deliver on your promises.

As a writer, you always have to decide on the scope of your work.

When you write an article about confidence, you can't cover everything about confidence. Even if you write an entire book on confidence, you won't be able to cover everything.

Good writing has a clear message, and based on that message, you decide what to include and what to remove from your piece.

And you want to be aware of the fact that there might be different perspectives or a completely different context that you're not covering - simply because it's not the purpose of your piece.

I recently saw an illustration that triggered me because it lacks context and, in my opinion, communicates a wrong message:

If you've been following my work for a while, you'll know that I'm all about working smarter, not harder.

​I work less than 25 hours per week and switched to a 4-week workday this year.

I don't play the quantity game.

Instead of churning out endless amounts of content, I rely on proven systems and processes that help me monetize my ideas and knowledge with ease.

But I didn't get here by relaxing.

I'm here because I did work really hard when I started out.

I started with zero experience in writing, digital marketing, or entrepreneurship so I had to work hard to figure things out.

That's the problem with the tombstone above: Building great things usually takes more work than most people will admit.

But if you know why you're doing it, working hard for a while won't mean working yourself to death.

It means you're investing in your future.

And when you do that, your tombstone won't say "Worked really hard."

It'll say things like:

• traveled the world
• did whatever she wanted
• spent most of her time with her friends & family
• enjoyed her life because she could afford to do so

Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to romanticize working endless hours.

But I'm here to give you a realistic picture: Any form of success requires sacrifices.

You don't run a marathon without sacrifices.

You don't lose weight without sacrifices.

You don't end up with a caring and supportive community without sacrifices.

And you don't build a profitable digital business without sacrifices.

Attracting an audience, gaining trust, and making money by sharing your ideas, knowledge, or passion on the internet takes time because there's a lot to learn and do.

If you don't want to do it all by yourself, you'll like this:

I just opened 3 spots for my private membership, where we help you build a digital business that allows you to live your life on your own terms.

We provide a unique combination of actionable resources, a supportive community, and weekly live coaching so you can work on the right things instead of wasting your time by working hard for nothing.

​Apply now so we can figure out if this would be a good fit for you.​

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Big love from my screen to yours,
Sinem

👋 Want more?

1. 🎓 (FREE) Take my email course: Start writing on Medium.com
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2. 🎬 (FREE) Find video trainings on my Youtube channel.
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3. 🚀 Learn how to grow your audience & income inside Medium Writing Academy.