Is your ‘hustle’ just disguised inefficiency?

1. Marketing

4 email marketing mistakes to avoid

Last week, a follower asked me:

Sumit, what’s the biggest mistake you made when starting with email marketing?

I laughed. Just one?

I’ve made dozens.

But there are 4 specific mistakes I’m sharing with you (so you don’t repeat my expensive learning experience).

TL;DR:

The Wake Up Call

Picture this: Me, sitting in a coffee shop, crafting what I thought was the perfect email about productivity tools. Hours of work, multiple revisions, carefully chosen GIFs…

The result?

• 3 opens
• 0 clicks
• 2 unsubscribes

Ouch. 🥲

The Mindset Shift

You know what’s crazy?

I was so focused on writing “professional” emails that I forgot how to be human.

Ask yourself this: When was the last time you got excited about a corporate-sounding email?

Yeah, me neither.

So I made a decision: I would write every email like I’m talking to my best friend over coffee.

The Attention Loop Framework

Think of attention like water in a bucket with holes:

• The water is your subscriber’s attention
• The holes are distractions
• Your job? Plug the holes before the bucket empties

Here’s where it gets interesting…

1. Stop being perfect

Before: “I am writing to share strategies for optimizing your email marketing metrics…”

After: “Ok y’all, I totally messed up my last campaign and here’s what I learned…”

Result: Open rates jumped from 8% to 27% in two weeks.

Why?

Because people connect with real humans, not robots.

2. The Segmentation Paradox

Conventional wisdom says: “Segment your list for better results.”

But the irony is Over-segmentation can be just as damaging as no segmentation.

More Segments ≠ Better Results

Perfect Segments = Maximum Relevance + Minimum Complexity

My framework for perfect segmentation:

1. The Experience Layer
   • Novice
   • Practitioner
   • Expert
2. The Intent Layer
   • Problem-aware
   • Solution-aware
   • Product-aware

Think of it like a Rubik’s Cube – too many turns creates chaos, but the right sequence creates harmony.

3. The Automation Flywheel

Imagine building a perpetual motion machine. Impossible, right?

That’s exactly what most people think they’re creating with email automation. They set it up once and expect it to run forever.

Physics and email marketing share a fundamental truth: Everything tends toward entropy.

The Solution: The Automation Flywheel

Review → Update → Test → Measure → Learn → Review

Each cycle builds momentum, like a flywheel gaining speed.

4. Mobile-First

(This one’s probably costing you 81% of your readers)

Check this out:

81% of people read emails on their phones.

Yet most email marketers are still designing for desktop first.

BIG MISTAKE

Now I follow my “Thumb Rule”:

• If my thumb can’t click it easily
• If I have to zoom to read it
• If it takes more than 3 seconds to load

→ It’s not going out

The Bigger Picture

Email marketing is a microcosm of human psychology.

Master these principles, and you’ll understand more than just email – you’ll understand how people think, decide, and act.

Until then, ask yourself:

“What would happen if I treated every email like a conversation with a friend?”

How to write a good email: → Write your email → Delete most of it → Send.

— Dan Munz

2. Productivity

How to Conduct a Personal Time Audit

You think you’re spending hours on deep, focused work. But are you really?

Because I recently discovered something that shocked me…

Let me explain…

TL;DR:

• Most of us overestimate our productive time by 2-3x
• I recovered 130+ hours annually using a simple 3-day audit
• Below is my exact process

The Productivity Delusion

So here’s what happened.

There I was, convinced I was crushing it with 4+ hours of deep work daily.

Sound familiar?

But then I did something that shocked me: I actually tracked my time.

The reality?

I was getting less than 90 minutes of real focused work done.

The rest was what I now call “productivity theater” – looking busy without making actual progress.

Why This Matters (Like, Really Matters)

You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

And if you’re like 94% of professionals (according to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index), you’re probably falling into the same trap I was.

Want proof? Answer these questions honestly:

1. Do you finish most days wondering where the time went?
2. Are your biggest projects constantly stuck at 80% complete?
3. Does your to-do list keep growing despite feeling “busy”?

If you nodded to any of these, keep reading.

The 3-Step Time Audit That Changed My Game

Here’s exactly how I fixed this (and how you can too):

Step 1: The Reality Check (Day 1-3)

• Set a 30-minute alarm on your phone
• Write down what you’re ACTUALLY doing when it rings
• Be brutally honest (yes, even about those “quick” social media checks)

Pro tip: I use the free version of Toggl Track for this. Game-changer.

Step 2: The Four Buckets Framework (Day 4)

Sort every activity into these categories:

1. Revenue Generators (directly makes you money)
2. Growth Activities (builds future success)
3. Maintenance Tasks (necessary but not productive)
4. Time Vampires (adds zero value)

My shocking discovery?

45 minutes every morning went to “organizing” tasks that added zero value.

Step 3: The Optimization Phase (Day 5+)

This is where the magic happens.

I cut my morning “organization” routine from 45 to 15 minutes.

Result?

2.5 extra hours weekly for actual productive work.

That’s 130 hours annually – or like getting an extra MONTH of workdays! 🤯

The Challenges You’ll Face

Let’s be honest:

• The first few days feel weird (tracking everything is annoying)
• You’ll probably be embarrassed by what you discover
• Change is uncomfortable

Remember: Temporary discomfort beats permanent mediocrity.

Your 7-Day Action Plan

1. Day 1-3: Track everything
2. Day 4: Sort activities into the four buckets
3. Day 5: Identify your biggest time leak
4. Day 6: Create your elimination plan
5. Day 7: Implement new systems

A Final Thought

Time is the currency of life. We cannot make more of it, but we can spend it more wisely.

The question isn’t “Where does your time go?”
The real question is: “Where do you want it to go?”

Start your audit tomorrow.

You can only manage time if you track it right.

— Spica’s Team

3. Solopreneurship

Time Management Techniques

Last week, I asked in one of my communities about their biggest challenge as solopreneurs.

The response? Overwhelming.

Time management isn’t just a challenge – it’s THE challenge for most solo business owners.

I know because I’ve been there.

Why most solopreneurs struggle with Time Management

Let me guess:

You left your 9-to-5 job dreaming of freedom…

But now you’re working MORE hours than ever before.

Rings a bell?

The Truth is:

Traditional time management advice doesn’t work for solopreneurs. Why? Because we’re playing a completely different game.

Don’t confuse activity with productivity. One is noise, the other is Music.

— Jim Rohn

3 States of Human Energy

1. High Energy State

• Peak cognitive function
• Strong decision-making capacity
• Creative insights flow naturally

2. Medium Energy State

• Routine task execution
• Steady but not stellar output
• Maintenance mode

3. Low Energy State

• Limited cognitive bandwidth
• Decreased decision quality
• Energy preservation mode

The secret?

Match your tasks to your energy states.

The Physics of Productivity

Think about it this way:

Trying to do creative work in a low energy state is like trying to boil water at room temperature. You can add more time, but you won’t change the fundamental physics.

A personal story:

Last year, I was pushing myself to write during my afternoon slump.

The result? Mediocre content that took 3x longer to produce.

When I switched to writing during my morning high-energy state, everything changed:

• Writing time ⬇️ 60%
• Quality ⬆️ 2x
• Enjoyment ⬆️ 3x

The Energy-First Framework

I’ve tested dozens of productivity systems. Most of them failed miserably.

But one approach helped me:

• Cut my work hours by 68%
• Double my revenue
• Take actual weekends off (yes, really)

I call it the Energy-First Framework.

1. Energy Mapping (The Game-Changer)

Remember when everyone said “wake up at 5 AM to be successful”?

Yeah, that’s garbage advice.

Instead, do this:

1. Track your energy levels (not time) for 7 days
2. Note when you’re most focused
3. Schedule your most important work during those hours

2. The Power Block Method

Here’s what kills most solopreneurs’ productivity:

Task-switching.

Every time you switch tasks, you lose 23 minutes of focus (real research, not made-up stats).

My solution? Power Blocks.

Here’s how they work:

• 90 minutes of focused work
• One specific task only
• No phones, no emails, no distractions

I use 2-3 Power Blocks daily. That’s it.

3. The Automation Advantage

Here are my top 3 automation tools:

1. Zapier ($20/mo) – Connects all my tools
2. TextExpander ($4/mo) – Saves 8+ hours monthly on typing
3. Make.com ($16/mo) – Handles my entire client onboarding

Total cost: $40/month
Time saved: 30+ hours monthly
ROI: Absolutely insane

4. The Weekly Reset Ritual

Every Sunday, I spend 30 minutes doing my “reset ritual”:

• Review last week’s wins/losses
• Map out 3 main priorities for the week
• Schedule Power Blocks
• Check automation workflows

That’s it. No fancy apps. No complex systems.

Just clarity and focus.

5. The 1-3-5 Rule

Here’s my daily framework:

• 1 major task (uses a Power Block)
• 3 medium tasks (30 mins each)
• 5 quick tasks (5-10 mins each)

Anything else? It waits until tomorrow.

(This email was written in one Power Block this morning)

What This Means For You

You don’t need:

• Fancy productivity apps
• Complex morning routines
• 80-hour work weeks

You need:

• Energy awareness
• Focused blocks
• Simple systems
• Strategic automation

The Bottom Line

You became a solopreneur to have more freedom, not less.

With this system, you’ll:

• Work fewer hours
• Get more done
• Feel less stressed

The best part?

You can start implementing these changes right now.

Until Next Week,

Think big | Start small | Keep going