A Little Update on Da Business #96
It's been awhile. So what's up?
Good morning from Lisbon! I'm Connor Swenson, and this is edition #96 of One Percent Wisdom. This is where I explore my curiosity, document my journey, and share simple practices for health, happiness, and sustainable productivity.
Hello!
It has been approximately 80 days since my last dispatch, and so much life has happened.
Most of my work energy has been going towards the Make Time universe, and I thought some of you might be interested to hear what’s going on in that realm.
So today’s edition of OPW is going to be a little business update.
Please enjoy.
Going All in on Make Time
In March, our business turned four.
What started as mostly a solo adventure under my name with a personal website (www.connorswenson.com) has evolved into something bigger.
Claire joined me full-time in 2022, we rebranded as Forgewell, trained other teachers, and last year had our first successful year of expanding our impact through this network of teachers.
And all along, there was a whisper in the back of my mind.
I knew that of all the programs and workshops we offered (Search Inside Yourself, Mixed Mental Arts, Sustainable Productivity, Rise Above), the Make Time offering was resonating the most.
So this year, we’ve decided to put as much energy and focus into Make Time as possible. Specifically, we’re running a bunch of experiments to engage more with a B2C audience, as we’ve been so focused on B2B the last few years.
That’s why I’ve been a little quiet here on Substack, as my energy has been going flowing into all things Make Time.
So what have we been up to?
#1 Make Time Newsletter
Since November, I’ve been helping write a re-launched version of the Make Time newsletter. There are ~20,000 folks subscribed, and it’s pretty fun to write to such a large audience.
We’ve been posting a Make Time tactic each week along with helpful tech tools and some quotes to stop and make you think.
Here are three of my favorite issues:
Fake the Sunset
One of the best default shifts I’ve made to improve my sleep has to do with lighting. Specifically, turning down the lights in-line with the rhythm of the day’s sunset. Turning off overhead lights, switching on “night mode” on my devices, kicking my phones of the bedroom, and even wearing blue blockers have helped me fall asleep and get a good night’s rest.
Clear Your Homescreen
I used to be incredibly addicted to my phone. One of the shifts I made that helped me regain control was to clear my homescreen of all distracting apps. This takes 2 minutes but can give you hours of your life back just by adding some friction into the experience of checking your apps. Of course, better to just delete those apps entirely, but this is a great starting point if you’re tired of being wired to your phone.
Why ‘inbox zero’ is a losing game
Being slow to respond is a counterintuitive way to regain your focus and reclaim your time. In our hyper-connected, always-on world of instant responsiveness, it can feel like everything is urgent all the time. By shifting my mindset from “as fast as possible” to “as slow as I can get away with,” I’ve been able to spend more time on my priorities and less time reacting to my inboxes.
#2 Make Time Courses
Make Time Self-Paced Course
In November of last year, we launched a refreshed version of “The Highlight Course.” We took the previous 5-week course and refined it down to a new, 5-day format to help folks master the fundamentals of the Make Time framework faster.
Check it out here.
Make Time Cohort Course
In 2020, Jake & JZ (the co-authors of the book) ran a live, cohort-based version of The Highlight Course. We haven’t done one since then. But I feel we could create something amazing, so we’re doing it! The course will run in Sept-Oct 2024.
Stay tuned for updates.
#3 Make Time Trainers
So far, we’ve trained three incredible individuals and as Make Time Certified Trainers: Ros Croad, John Puts, and Katie Stoddart. Working more closely with them has been a highlight of the last year.
We’ve run dozens workshops for organizations like Google, L’Oréal, Squarespace, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), and many more.
We’re continuing to work and collaborate together to improve the Make Time at Work training offering, and we’ll likely roll out some new workshop formats this year.
#4 Make Time Website
The Make Time website is the homebase and shop front for the world of Make Time, but we haven’t given it a new lick of paint since the book came out in 2018.
We're currently working with a talented copywriter to rethink the website and make sure it’s telling the right story in the best way possible.
I’m hoping we’ll have it live sometime this summer.
#5 Make Time on LinkedIn
Given we mainly operate as a B2B business, so much of our work is done behind close doors, in private workshops and group coaching sessions.
I spend a lot of time working with clients, and never quite enough sharing with the broader world.
This year, I’ve been making a concerted effort to invest more time, energy, and love into my expression on social media.
I’ve chosen LinkedIn as the main platform, as this is where most of our potential clients and customers for Make Time are hanging out.
Thanks as always for reading. This newsletter is a collaborative experiment so please hit reply (or comment directly on Substack) if this post was useful or interesting to you.
P.S. I’ve cleaned up some of my Substack archive that didn’t conver well from Mailchimp, and found some old posts that I think new (and old) readers might enjoy:
The Pathless Path, and whether money is my true metric for success
The Trap of Comparative Suffering | #71
On the dangers of comparing your suffering to that of your neighbor
Act first, get inspiration later
I've been loving the Make Time newsletters! Great to hear there'll be more content coming for this calmly productive community.
Congrats on a successful year. Your new team members sound like they'll bring a lot to your business. Cheers!