“Would I start writing about this in the next 30 seconds?”

That’s the filter that transformed my newsletter strategy.

Picture this: Wednesday afternoon, 3:47 PM. You’ve got your Kit dashboard open, a half-empty energy drink getting warm, and your brain is cycling through newsletter topics like a broken algorithm.

Your content backlog is overflowing:

• Deep-dive series on email automation (needs 4 weeks of research)
• Video course announcement (requires equipment you don’t have)
• Industry trend analysis (demands 3 hours of data mining)
• Quick tip about subject lines (could draft in one focused session)

Relatable?

After working with hundreds of newsletter creators struggling with “Content Choice Overload,” the most frequent question wasn’t “How do I get more ideas?” It was: “How do I choose which idea to tackle first?”

Valid concern. Having too many options can paralyze you just as much as having none.

That’s when the insight hit: Instead of asking “What should I write about?” I asked “What would I actually start drafting right now, this instant?”

Only one topic survived the scrutiny.

The automation series needed extensive research time (rare commodity for busy creators). The course announcement required production energy I didn’t currently have. The trend analysis demanded the mental bandwidth of someone who doesn’t juggle twelve browser tabs simultaneously.

But the subject line tip? I could bang out that draft while my coffee was still hot.

Here’s what I discovered: Your constraints aren’t creativity killers—they’re clarity enhancers for what truly matters to your newsletter.

The 30-Second Priority Filter works because it forces you to confront your actual creative capacity instead of living in the “someday when I have a clear schedule” delusion. (Plot twist: that schedule doesn’t exist.)

If you wouldn’t start writing about it immediately, in your current state and environment, it’s not ready—it’s a distraction in disguise.

How to implement it:

• Review your content ideas list (you know, that digital collection in your notes app)
• Ask: “Would I start writing about this topic in the next 30 seconds?”
• Be ruthlessly honest about your current energy, focus level, and available context
• If the answer is no, move it to your “future content” pipeline
• If it’s yes, congratulations—you’ve identified your next newsletter section

As someone who’s analyzed countless newsletter performance metrics, I’ve learned that consistent execution beats perfect planning every single time. Your readiness to begin immediately is the most accurate predictor of whether content will actually get published.

The topics that pass the 30-second filter? Those turn into the newsletters that actually reach your subscribers’ inboxes.

The rest can remain in your idea archive, patiently waiting for their moment to shine.

Remember that satisfying click when you hit “send” on a newsletter you’re actually proud of? When your content flows naturally because you’re working with your current capacity, not against it? That’s the magic of the 30-Second Priority Filter.

It’s not about having endless time for content creation. It’s about being honest with the creative energy you genuinely have right now.

What’s one newsletter topic in your backlog that would pass the 30-second filter today?

Stop asking if you have time to write. Start asking if you’d begin drafting right now—distracted brain and all.

Keep creating,

Matt

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