“How do I know if investing in automation is worth it?” This was a question someone asked me after my talk at Podfest. And it’s a fair question. We don’t want to waste time and money on something that won’t pay off.

So in today’s episode, I tell you exactly how to know if automation and delegation are worth the investment.

Top Takeaways

• Understand Opportunity Cost: Opportunity cost is the value of what you give up when choosing one activity over another. For solopreneurs, this often means the lost income or time that could be spent on billable work.
• Automation Rule of Thumb: Automate repetitive tasks you’ve done at least three times and that require consistent inputs and outputs. But do the task manually first to ensure automation makes sense.
• Take Small Risks for Big Gains: Test delegation by hiring a VA or outsourcing small tasks. Even $50/week can help you reclaim time to avoid burnout or spend with family.

Show Notes

• Why You’re Losing Money when You Mow the Lawn

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This one might ruffle some feathers, but I’m OK with that. I think we NEED to disclose the usage of AI in creative work more. It’s less about signaling that you cheated in some way — on the contrary, I don’t think using AI is de-facto cheating. It’s about honesty, integrity, and transparency.

So my policy is simple: if you use AI to write, record, or produce something, it should be disclosed in the same way affiliate links or paid promotion has to be disclosed.

And today, I explore why I feel so strongly about that.

Top Takeaways

• Establish Clear Guidelines for AI Disclosure: I tell my readers how and when I use AI. If it contributes more than 5% of an article’s total word count, I write it at the bottom of the piece.
• AI Produces Mediocrity: As Jason Snell said**,** AI tends to average out content, making most of it mediocre at best. If you want to stand out, you can’t just rely on AI.
• Human Connection is Irreplaceable: In a world where AI threatens to erode personal connection, it’s up to us to keep our content human.

Show Notes

• My AI Manifesto: We Must Disclose the Use of AI
• My AI Disclosures Page
• Send Feedback

Halfway through writing nearly 24 articles for my Podcast Advent project, I started to wonder if I was wasting my time. Is this worth it? Am I writing what people actually want to read?

You’ve probably fallen into the same trap: spending hours creating content, unsure if it’s resonating with anyone. It’s frustrating, exhausting, and can feel like shouting into the void. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Today, we’re exploring a few things you can try to come up with content that resonates with your audience — plus I’ll tell you about my GAPS framework for content in 2025.

Top Takeaways

1. Let data lead the way: Your analytics are a treasure trove of insights. Tools like Google Analytics and Search Console can show you what content performs well so you can double down on those topics.
2. Ask your audience: Your audience is your best resource. Invite questions through email, social media, or a dedicated feedback link, and turn their questions into valuable content.
3. Experiment, but evaluate: Testing new ideas is important, but don’t forget to review the results. If something doesn’t work after a few tries, let it go.

Disclosure: ChatGPT has contributed more than 10% to the description and takeaways for this text, fully using the episode’s transcript.

Links

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