(Live from the Forest) Substack Notes and a Calm Nervous System + q&a

Hi all,

This morning I popped LIVE on the Substack app to chat a little more about the current situ with Notes and how we’re all feeling.

Over on Notes, it’s less of a water cooler moment with our colleagues and more of noisy airport where most of the flights are delayed and everyone has their phone on LOUD these days…

This is my third Substack LIVE and the only one I felt happy to share…

Thank you Susannah Conway ,Jo Hutton, Ingrid Fernandez, and many others for tuning into my live video! Substack are quite keen on us testing lives and I think we all know that it will make this space busier and noisier. That being said, I felt I had something of comfort and value to say in the here and now and this was how I chose to share it…

We always have a choice…

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Here are my points summarised for you. I’d love to invite more comments and questions. It’s a fascinating topic…

You can join my private chat space to share or if you’re not a member or leave a comment below…

1. Purpose of Substack Notes: I reflected on how Substack Notes has shifted from a cosy, conversation-based space to feeling more like traditional social media. This change has impacted how we experience it, often pulling us into comparison and distraction.

2. Coping with Overwhelm: I shared strategies to help avoid the overwhelm of the Notes feed. For example, I suggested setting the Substack app to open on the newsletter "inbox" rather than Notes so that we're not bombarded with content that might disrupt our calm and pull us out of being creative.

3. Intentional Content Consumption: I talked about how important it is to consume content mindfully. Personally, I only follow people whose content aligns with my interests, like travel and self-care, to create a calmer online experience and steer clear of stressful topics.

4. Engagement Alternatives: Instead of relying heavily on Notes, I suggested engaging through thoughtful comments on articles/ posts and using recommendations to build connections and grow on Substack—these feel more intentional and less overwhelming. There’s MORE reciprocity and a deeper human-human connection.

5. Organic Growth Tips: A lot of my growth on Substack has come from organic ‘recommendations’, and I really encourage others to leverage this too. Collaborating with other writers you connect with is also a great way to reach new and ‘good fit’ audiences.

6. Depth over Virality: I value “depth of connection” over trying to go viral. While virality can bring a quick influx of subscribers, it’s not as meaningful to me as creating joy and building real connections with my community. I’ve never gone viral anywhere online although I have supported clients to. When we see a feed full of viral notes it’s just what Substack has chosen to show us not what is ‘actually’ happening…

7. Empathy and User Experience: I encouraged everyone to take a mindful approach when using Notes. We can all adjust our engagement based on personal boundaries and content preferences, making our Substack experience more fulfilling and positive.

For more joyful growth join our community and connect to like minded folks who share your passion for creativity and a life without burn out.

Thanks for tuning in and let me know if you’d like me to do more lives nature!

Any questions? Thoughts, comments on Notes and how you using showing up to connect without feeling flat?

Claire

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PS - Here’s some more on recommendations and how to use them here on Substack…

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