My Content System

An inside look at my Notion dashboard

Author

Jay Yang
January 22, 2023

Read time: 5 min

That's right...

After being bombarded with DMs and messages nonstop...

I've decided to reveal the system that helps me create 35+ pieces of high-quality content each week (while balancing school, sports, and life).

It's pretty detailed - so I decided to break it up into 5 steps:

1) Ideation2) Research3) Writing4) Editing5) And publishing

Sound fair enough? Sweet, let's dive in ↓

I felt like I was drowning.

Kicking, flailing, gasping for air. It felt like I was alone in a vast ocean just trying not to drown. I could feel the weight of trying to balance school, basketball, and my online business dragging me down like anchors...

In reality?

It was 9:57 pm on a rainy Saturday night.

And I was sitting at my desk - writing my newsletter.

Kinda dramatic, huh?

But it was at that moment that I knew... something had to change.

And I completely transformed the way I create content.

You see, most people think consistency is born from monk-like discipline or sheer will.

But the truth is...

It's less about your mindset and more about your systems.

(Ooo... that's a tweet)

And trust me - I've talked with some of the top creators.

They aren't necessarily smarter or more gifted than you...

They're just better at creating systems, executing, and building relationships.

That's it! THAT is the game.

But you didn't open this letter for a mindset lesson, did ya?

Nah, you want the meat! And meat I shall deliver:

Welcome to my Notion Dashboard...

It's broken up into 4 main sections:

1) My North Star - The monthly and yearly vision for the future2) Content - The stuff I need to publish daily & weekly to promote myself3) Offers - My BTS systems & projects for monetization and systemization4) Self-Education - A collection of go-to resources to "upskill" myself

Now, the mistake I made in the past was spending all my time creating content, which left me no time to build my business.

And I don't know about you - but I'm not here just to be a "content creator".

I'm here to build a freakin' business.

So here are a few changes I made to avoid burnout, create better content, and spend more time building:

Step 1: Ideation

I used to focus on my output:

• 3 tweets a day• 3 threads a week• And 1 high-quality newsletter

What I didn't realize was:

You can only consistently produce that much output IF you prioritize your inputs.

Great content doesn't start with creation, it starts with consumption.

Dedicate at least 30 min a week purely for ideation.

No, really... I'm serious.

Block off 30 min just to browse the internet and jot down potential content ideas.

It doesn't have to be perfect - just WRITE IT DOWN!!

Step 2: Research

After you've ideated a few ideas, now it's time to research!

(AKA learning)

THIS is one of my favorite parts about being a creator:

You get paid to self-improve.

Throughout the week - If I come across something interesting...

I'll put it into my Research Bank and save it for the weekend (when I have more time to go through it).

This is also how you consistently see "Jay's Picks" at the end of my newsletter...

(Which you should totally check out if you haven't been doing so...)

Step 3: Write

Staring at a blank screen sucks...

So don't!

I have several frameworks and templates to make sure I always start from abundance.

• My PSUBS Warmup Framework (I'll share this in a future newsletter)• My 5A Outlining Framework (this too)• And my Twitter Thread Templates (Ooo... freebie alert! 👀)

Step 4: Editing

Here's what my writing process used to look like:

• Write → Publish

Here's what it looks like now:

• Write → Edit → Publish

This one simple addition has 10x'd my writing.

If Writing = Thinking

Then Editing = Rethinking

The act of editing will improve your thinking more than writing will.

Even the best writer's in the world swear by it:

• "To write is human, to edit is divine." - Stephen King

• "The first draft of anything is shit." - Ernest Hemingway

• "If you really want to think... you have to edit." - Jordan B. Peterson

Okay, okay... I know that was a lot. You still with me?

Good. Hang in there, we're on the last step...

Step 5: Publishing

I used to hit the "Tweet" button and then close the app.

But spray and pray doesn't work.

The top creators are obsessed with their analytics.

Remember... we're building a business here.

Document and track your content:

• What are you optimizing for?• Did you reach your goal?• Yes, Why? No, Why not?• How can you improve?• Can you replicate your results?

These are the kind of questions you need to be asking yourself.

If you want to grow - post consistently.

If you want to scale - always be iterating.

Example:

The other day I experimented with "reverse listicle" styled threads.

(Which basically means I order the thread numbers counting backward, 9,8,7, etc.)

How did it do?

Well, the jury's still out on this experiment - but so far, lots of interesting feedback:

Building online is a game of iteration.

Always be learning. Always be building. Always be evolving.

I’ll see you next week.

Jay "You need a better system" Yang

P.S. I got a quick question for ya...

If I turned my Content System into a digital product... would you buy it?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

LAST WEEK'S FEEDBACK

JAY'S PICKS: 🔥

New here? Wanna build a profitable solo writing business? Absolutely demolish that big button below to join us:

Join the conversation

or to participate.