How I’ve kept the joy in my Substack journey
Lessons from 9 months of consistency with ADHD
Hey there, lovely friends! 😊
I am really excited about today’s newsletter.
As someone with ADHD, I often have the challenge of starting something new and sticking with it. The distractions, the endless ideas swirling around, and the struggle to stay on track—it’s a lot! But guess what? It’s been over 9 months since I started showing up on Substack constantly, and I’ve loved every moment of it!
From the beginning, I knew Substack was different to anything that I had experienced before—the quality of writing by other writers, the immediate connections that could be made, the freedom to express yourself, the list goes on and on. It's hard to put into words, but I felt a deep instinct to protect this space from the usual overthinking and perfectionism that I’ve wrestled with in the past. I made a promise to myself to keep things light and fun. Here’s what’s kept me sane and thriving over these past 9 months:
Instead of feeling down about having few subscribers, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to experiment—exploring what others were doing, discovering what resonated with me, and finding my own rhythm.
Instead of feeling alone and on the fringes, I left heartfelt comments on pieces that moved me, generously shared others’ work, and actively engaged in Notes.
Instead of feeling pressure to pump out a lot of content, I experimented and found a cadence that worked for me and my lifestyle.
Instead of feeling the need to be “on” or “show up” all the time, I embraced the moments when I needed to step back and take breaks.
Instead of being disappointed when my metrics dipped, I stopped looking at the numbers and redirected my energy toward activities that truly fulfilled me.
Instead of feeling like I should follow what others are doing to make money on Substack, I gave myself the time to figure out what feels right for me—even if it means my growth is slower than others.
Please remember, this journey is ours. There’s no boss here telling us what to do. We make our own rules. It’s perfectly okay to take our time, to feel a bit lost sometimes, and to say “not right now” when we need to.
Do you have any questions? I will go into more detail next week.
✍️ I would love to know, how’s your Substack journey been like so far?
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I appreciate your spirit and it shines through with your writing!!
I re-read this and it hit a different cord than when I first read it. Both times I resonated with how many times I’ve started something and then felt the need to pivot.
I’ve made some changes here and I know I will continue to make them as I’ve always done. Only this time I’ve catered to my changes by creating a name that can withstand the changes rather than the previous names I chose for my countless other websites. Cheers to awareness 🙌
This was wonderful to read. Thank you. You are truly amazing. One of the reasons I haven’t given up the my goal to start writing and sharing here. Trying to get past the block in the name of fear. This piece helps to bring the massive mountain down to size. Thank you.