Analog Action by Matt Ragland

Hey Reader, So I'm adding a calendar invite to a webinar email—the kinda thing that should take about 30 seconds—and I get hit with one of those "You've reached your plan limit" notifications. They're asking me for $29/month to make calendar invites. I built my own version in an hour. That kicked off a weekend where I ended up building two web apps with Claude Code even though I have minimal coding experience. You might not have the same problems to solve as I do, but what I'm sharing today...

Hey Reader, I’ve been thinking about my word for 2026. I pick one every year, not as a goal but like a North Star. It needs to be something I can come back to when I feel stuck, hesitant, or tempted to overcomplicate things that don’t need it. This year’s word surprised me a little: Dumb. Not careless or reckless and definitely not irresponsible. Just less clever and strategic. Less interested in winning the imaginary argument in my head before actually doing the thing. 💡 One Big Idea: Be...

Hey Reader, I flipped back through my bullet journal this weekend and saw all the blank spaces. I gotta be honest, my first thought was "Man, I'm already falling behind." Then I actually counted... 11 entries out of 16 possible days. That's 68%. Before I counted, I was focused entirely on the 5 blank pages. They felt like proof I wasn't consistent. But 11 days? That's more than I've journaled in other months and way more than the 0 days I'd have if I'd given up. 💡 One Big Idea: 68% Is Elite...

Hey Reader, just a heads up that I'm hosting a free webinar on Monday about how to build "stackable" offers in your creator business. One of the biggest mistakes that I see creator businesses make is only having one offer—that could be an affordable template for $29 or one-on-one coaching for $2,000. On Monday, January 12th at 1pm ET, I will show you how to avoid the One-Offer Trap and create a series of offers that scales from low to high on your core idea. This means you don't have to come...

Hey Reader, it's time for my 2025 annual review! If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I do these every year. And if you’re here just to see how my year went in my own words, I really appreciate you. Thanks for being here. I’m sharing this because I believe there’s something in here that might resonate with you as you get to the end of the year. Maybe it’ll make you pause and reflect on what you’re doing—how you’re living as a person, entrepreneur, creator, parent, or spouse. If...

Hey Reader! This is one of my favorite emails to write each year because I get to share the books that made a difference in how I think and live. Before we start, a quick note: these aren’t all books released in 2025. These are books I discovered and read for the first time this year. Some came out recently, others have been around for a while. What matters is they all landed at the right time for me (and maybe you)! I’ve linked to all these books below, and where possible, I’m pointing you...

Hey Reader, I’m on a flight back from Austin thinking about a question I got asked: “How did you build such a diverse network? You’ve met and made friends with a musician, writer, branding expert, YouTuber, entrepreneur, doctor, researcher, and people who make jeans, bags, and boots.” Here’s the thing… I wouldn’t say it’s been intentional. I like finding cool people doing cool things that I want to meet up with. And those meetups become friendships that last a long time. We trade business...