Welcome to another edition of the Once a Week Newsletter! This is Number 17.

But before we get to this week's OWN, may I ask a question: Do you use a VA (virtual assistant)? Automation of any kind? Or are you a “one person wrecking machine?”

Sorry, I guess that's three questions…

The reason I ask is because I am the latter. I've soured on having anybody else work for or with me. Partnerships go south for a million reasons and managing people from afar (in a VA) is really hard.

But I've seen people use VAs very successfully. I'd like to hear how you do it, if you do it.

Tell me in the comments.

Content Calendar: Low-Tech Tools for High-Quality Writing – Copyblogger
Your first content calendar can be simple and easy to use consistently. Try these supplies you probably already have on hand.

Bottom line: An editorial, or content, calendar doesn't have to be fancy. It has to be effective. Paper still works. Whiteboards work. Electronic media works. Use what works best for you.

YouTube Counts Views For Shorts Like Regular Videos
In YouTube Analytics, views for Shorts are counted like regular videos and contribute toward a channel’s total view count.

Bottom line: Make “shorts.” I'm doing something similar with Amazon's Kindle – making books out of chapters…think a ten chapter book as ten “shorts.” The beauty of this method is not just the views. In both YouTube and Amazon, shorts trigger their promotional algorithms. Both YouTube and Amazon will promote your related shorts to people who have already consumed other parts of a series. Don't believe me? Check this out.

(Ad) Fiverr
Nobody likes to waste time. That's why Fiverr empowers entrepreneurs to connect with pros who can help them do more with less.

Want to improve focus and productivity? Do one thing at a time
Juggling too many activities wastes time and energy, so shelve at least some for those life goals (for now).

Bottom line: There is considerable evidence that switching between tasks takes a lot of mental overhead. NOBODY can do multiple things simultaneously well. Most of us aren't computers (which can thread their processing). So we have to switch from one task to another and that switching costs HOURS per day of wasted time.

(Ad) Pinnacle Studio 24 Ultimate
Get this Camtasia competitor for a buck. Not kidding. Enter $1 in the “pay what you want” box and it's yours for a dollar. (I'm calling this an ad because, yes, I do get a very small affiliate commission for this, but it's really a no-brainer to pick up for a dollar!)

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Born to run (things)
The first half of Bruce Springsteen's autobiography makes some things abundantly clear: He had no natural ability to play the guitar. He couldn't sing. He couldn't even drive. But he kept showing up. Talent is overrated. Skills can be acquired.

Bottom line: Bruce is still the Boss, but he wasn't always. He had to work at it and over the course of several very hard years, he was able to assemble a ragtag team of like-minded fellas who could play music.

How to Add a Blogroll in Your WordPress Site (without a Plugin)
Do you want to display a blogroll on your WordPress blog? Learn how to easily add a blogroll in WordPress (no plugin required).

Bottom line: This is cool. I used it back when it was “native” in WordPress, then they made it a plugin, then they pulled it (sort of). Now, you use custom menus! Neat.