15 Comments
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Jennifer Klee's avatar

Harriet, this is gorgeous and honest. My perspective is that the energy behind everything matters so so much. I tend to overestimate what I think I can consume in a week or a month, and this leads to chronic oversubscribing, over committing and eventual over-rotating. My life always includes moments where I have to pull my attention back to myself. It's never (well, rarely) about the content, but more about me knowing my limits while trying to curate an algorithm that adds value to ME vs. me adding that tiny little "+1" to someone else's subscriber count.

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Harriet Hadfield's avatar

Thanks so much Jennifer yes that’s exactly it Xx

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Kelly Williams's avatar

Harriet; I really loved this and thank you for sharing!! I turned off all emails that show me unsubscribes not only because I- like you- want to give people the freedom to do that but I also don’t want to doubt myself or my work when someone needs that space. It’s hard not to take it personally. I also have experienced that burn out of following people, subscribing or even paying for people as part of a “I scratch your back, you scratch mine.”

I also got over that at the beginning of this year. I’ve been writing for nearly 2 years and I’ve learned to interact with the stuff that I need in that moment; which isn’t going to be everything!

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Harriet Hadfield's avatar

Kelly you’re support always blows me away. Thank you so much for your kindness x

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Made by Me, Worn by Me's avatar

I’m very new to Substack, and I have to admit that I initially approached it like any other social media platform. I subscribed to tons of newsletters, hoping for follow-backs and trying to come up with a strategy… blablabla. The worst part is, I know this mindset could lead to burnout.

But I started my Substack for me, especially for the writer in me. So yes, it’s time to unsubscribe from newsletters that may have a beautiful style, but don’t really align with mine. Because it’s adding noise that I really need to reduce.

Thank you for inspiring me to make the right choice, to protect my creativity and keep it sane. ❤️”

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Harriet Hadfield's avatar

Love this so much! And welcome to Substack 🥰

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Lindsay Sword's avatar

There is were so many beautiful sentences and ideas in here, and I especially love this one: All I can do is write. Whatever, whenever it feels good to do so. What i’m working towards is writing without expectation. It’s a reminder I needed today, thank you for writing this ❤️

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Harriet Hadfield's avatar

Thank you Lindsay 😘

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Tina Boetto's avatar

I really appreciate your transparency around this! Since Substack is so community-driven, it feels like there's more pressure to subscribe and engage than on other platforms. I have a high tolerance for fashion content consumption, but at some point I hit a wall and switched off newsletter emails because my inbox was overflowing. Figuring out my must-read newsletters, engaging through Notes, and doing more following than subscribing has helped me manage my consumption limits better.

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Harriet Hadfield's avatar

Thanks Tina x

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Ardas Chandra's avatar

Thank you for writing and publishing this piece. I enjoy the thought process, and it's inspiring!

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Harriet Hadfield's avatar

Thanks so much Ardas

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Tracy Jones's avatar

Loved reading this, totally resonated with me :)

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Harriet Hadfield's avatar

Thanks Tracy

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Julia Norberg's avatar

Loved this - and wholeheartedly agree.

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