EM #275 - We need more structure!
Making changes
Today’s Thoughts
Since I started this newsletter at the beginning of the year, a lot sure has changed! There’s been so much to write about and so many thoughts to put down that I haven’t had a chance to take a step back and make any major changes to the newsletter format.
But, while reading Sid Meier's Memoir! the other night, I was struck by this quote:
Efficiency is the goal, which means many iterations, but also getting as much information as possible out of each iteration. One of my big rules has always been, “double it, or cut it in half.” Don’t waste your time adjusting something by 5 percent, then another 5 percent, then another . . . just double it, and see if it even had the effect you thought it was going to have at all.
I’m definitely an incremental adjustor. I’ve been thinking for a while about how to make this newsletter more structured but haven’t implemented anything because I wanted it to be just right.
Well, enough mental iteration. Let’s make some material changes:
Title Numbering
As you can see, I wrote “EM #275” before this post title. That’s because this is the 275th post I’ve done this year (time flies). This should help readers get a better sense of where each post stands in the long timeline of ideas.
Four Main Sections
Today’s Thoughts: This section is basically what has always been the full body of the newsletter. It’s either an ongoing series of ideas or something random related to things going on in the world. In a sense, everything besides this section is the new structure and this is the classic newsletter core idea I’ve been doing for the last 274 posts.
Today’s Metrics: I’m really excited about this. This section has kind of been my long-term vision for this newsletter. Quick, easy-to-digest charts with very simple commentary. Basically, the goal is to produce lots of useful visual content that is supported by my daily writing. It’s sort of the justification for the “Endless” in the newsletter name. For now, it’ll just be a few charts each day but I plan to really ramp up the daily content here over time.
Quick Links: I’ve had a lot of new subscribers ask me where they should get started to catch up. This should hopefully help with that. I’ll add more stuff here as I think of other good things to link.
Sharing: I’m putting this at the very end because I don’t want to waste people’s time with sharing links if they aren’t interested. But, I’ve been hearing from a bunch of people that they want to help support the newsletter but aren’t sure how. To do that, it’s all about spreading the word to help expand the audience. If the content is good enough to read all the way to the bottom, maybe these links to share with others will be helpful!
For my consistent readers, these changes should only enhance the daily read. Get your usual content, check out a few cool charts in the next new section and you’re done! The quick links and sharing links are just there to help out the influx of new readers or for when you found something good you want to quickly pass on.
Hopefully you find this new structure helpful and, as always, I would love to get your feedback! I’m taking Sid Meier’s advice to heart, so I’m definitely open to making more changes and trying stuff out to continue evolving.
Today’s Metrics
The third estimate for 2020Q2 Real GDP came out yesterday and was revised up to -31.4% from the previous estimate of -31.7% (but is still historically terrible)
Tech stocks and the broader stock market have been moving relatively in line since July after a long period of tech outperformance
Quick Links
Most Popular Posts of All Time
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Written in New York, New York