Hi Reader,

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[Note: This email was supposed to go out last week but I had a glitch with the link to the SEO course. So you'll get 2 Weekly News emails this week.]

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Last month, I held a one-day workshop for writers to get started writing their book. It was so much fun to do! I offered many opportunities to attend for free and had a good number of folks sign up. My plan was to then turn the recordings into a course that people could access anytime.

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Great plan. It worked. But not as expected.

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I had some technical snafus with the video recording that prevented me from recording only myself. To honor the privacy of the participants, I had to edit them out.

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It was one of those time-warp experiences. 🫨

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Eight hours later, I emerged with an edited replay fit for public consumption. (You can get the Books with Purpose Workshop here.)

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After shaking my head at the amount of time that had transpired, I thought to myself, If I were your boss, I’d have a talk with you about wasting company time. I don’t plan to promote this course widely (except for the link above). I don’t expect it to bring in huge revenue because it’s a low-price product.

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So the problem is, I’m the company and if I waste time I’m actually wasting my time. I wondered what would happen if I treated myself like an employee and expected only productive use of my time. Productive consists of two things: connecting with my audience (that’s you) or contributing directly to something that generates revenue.

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So, I’m trying this new thing: working only 2 hours a day. No fluff. Focus on my audience and the bottom line. If the work doesn’t support those two things, I don’t do it. I’m enrolled in a few courses right now (doing promotions for my book and business coaching) and writing my next book, so it’s not like I sit around all day eating bonbons outside of those 2 hours.

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I have to say this amount of focus is quite freeing. If you run your own business and want to try it, reply and I’ll share what I’ve learned so far.

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Also, if you want to check out my business coach for only $7, join her February Get It Done Week on SEO + AI. See the P.S. for details.

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What I'm listening to, reading, and watching:

​A Real Pain — This is one of those movies where you start out hating the obnoxious character until you start seeing the cracks in their facade and have tremendous compassion for what they are silently going through. The character’s face in the last scene is heartbreaking. (Hulu)

​Who Owns This Sentence: A History of Copyrights and Wrongs — David Bellos, Alexandre Montagu. Well well well. Imagine this: The history of copyrights started with protecting the rights of the wealthy printing press owners, or of jurisdictions “owning” the rights to sell goods that artisans who lived there created. Nothing about protecting the creators’ rights to what they have produced. I know! Hard to believe, right?

​Grandma’s Hands — Bill Withers. One of the most amazing lyricists and musical phrasists (is that a thing?). What I love about Bill Withers is that he didn’t give a shit about the music industry, did his own thing, and killed it.

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What are you listening to, reading, or watching that you think I’d like? Reply and let me know.

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I can't send this email without acknowledging the dismembering of morality and conscience that's going on in the U.S. right now. I don't have the words yet to express what I am experiencing. Just know that I am not ignoring it by not speaking about it here. Yet.

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Let me know if there's anything special you'd like to hear about in the coming weeks. Just reply and I'm on it!

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Wishing you focus and freedom in your life.

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Thanks for reading,

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Carrie

Author, So You Want to Be a Doula​

​​Website​​​

​See all past issues​

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P.S. Here’s the info on Kate’s SEO + AI Get It Done Week:

✨ What you’ll learn:

• The latest SEO updates for 2025 and how AI is reshaping search traffic.
• Step-by-step guidance on how to actually do keyword research (and if it even matters anymore).
• Actionable strategies to drive traffic, leads, and sales without endless trial and error.
• How to leverage AI to write blog posts faster, without getting penalized (and even how to show up in AI results and Google's AI Overview results).

🎁 What’s included (for just $7 with the code ROOMFOR7):

1. FREE access to Keyword Research Training videos ($44 value).
2. FREE access to a 25 Content Ideas Checklist ($9 value).
3. FREE customizable SEO Edit Calendar Spreadsheet ($44 value).
4. Kickoff training with Meg Clarke on February 11th at 1 PM EST.
5. Live Q&A and co-working on February 18th at 1 PM EST.
6. A private Slack channel for feedback, accountability, and daily homework prompts to make sure they actually get it done.

➕ And, HUGE PLUS, you also get a full month inside The Room, her weekly mastermind group. (I'm there every week!) That’s 30 days of coaching, co-working, and accountability in addition to everything above.

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Plus, anyone who completes the Get It Done Week tasks by the deadline (that’s the point) gets the following:

🏆Featured Email Promotion: Anyone who completes the challenge will be featured in our email list of 7,800 active leads (we have a 55% open rate and 5% click rate!).
​🏆$25 in KKCredit to spend in our shop, essentially making it like you’re getting paid to participate!

🏆Kartra will pick one lucky “Get It Doner” winner to receive 3 free months of Kartra ($297 value minimum).

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​Click here to sign up for SEO + AI, one month of The Room, and all those other goodies 👆 for just $7 with the code ROOMFOR7