AI Burnout

One of the most beloved Italian restaurants in the Chicago area has a different take on menu technology. No QR codes. No over-the-top printing costs. The menu is written on the wall. If you want it on your phone, you take a photo.

Humanity is underrated.

Does AI decrease productivity?
Executives say the opposite is true, but employees insist AI is adding to their workload. Workers say their bosses don’t understand what productivity actually means and it’s burning them out.

44% of Substack newsletters are dormant?
Newsletter Circle analyzed 75,000 Substack newsletters and found that 44% hadn’t published anything since April. When you consider how easy it is to start a Substack, you realize how few will remain active and how easily you risk being associated with less-than-desirable newsletters (and their practices). 

45 years 45 words
Tom Peters, who was the Seth Godin and David Allen before Seth or David were famous, shares his life lessons. My favorite: “Hard” (Numbers) Is Soft (Abstract) = “Soft” (Relationships) Is Hard (Bedrock).

Why essays are the future of content
For AI scrapers, the less humanity involved, the more profit can be had — especially with advertisers who want to avoid controversy. Over time, that’s a race to the bottom. Essayists get to opt out of that race.

Email is the new email.
Once again, the relevance of email is being questioned. It started with Nate Silver, who’s marketing a new book and thinks we’re a year or two from “peak newsletter.” I’ve heard “peak newsletter” a half dozen times since the late 90s and it’s never been true. Example in the link: Author Paul Millerd got a mention in a big newsletter this month and he detailed how it led to hundreds of new subscribers and books sold. This is compared to a viral tweet he had that led to ~2 book sales and no subscribers. Boring old email is still the greatest ROI possible online.

Thanks for reading! – CJ

P.S. Just a reminder: the paperback and Kindle versions of Principles for Newsletters are now available on Amazon.

P.P.S. I said goodbye last week to my writing companion of 14 years. RIP Mia Puppia. She brought so much joy to everyone she met.