Balance is everything, isn’t it?
Think about cooking, too much off one ingredient can ruin a whole dish. The same with cocktails. But, this can also be the same with our creations.
I look at my work in three broad stages:
Again, the key here is that they are all important, and none of the steps can be missed. But the balance is the crucial part, you need to make sure that they compliment each other to make sure that the finished article is as good as it can be!
Planning
I like to plan and get ahead of myself in terms of the articles I’m going to write, or the videos I’m going to record.
This means, that every now and then, I’ll have a brainstorming session whereby I think about what I have been doing, and what I need to do and whether any of these topics are worthy creations themselves.
The content you consume is also can also be a good indicator of the type of content you want to create, so anything good and/or interesting will also be included as part of this process.
I’ve also started trying a new technique called ‘Crash and Burn’ which was taken from Matthew Dicks’ book ‘Storyworthy‘. In this system, Matthew recommends setting aside 10/15 minutes where you just write, anything that comes into your mind and then you can pick apart this stream of consciousness to see if there is anything useful. There are only 3 rules to follow:
- let anything you think overrun ; don’t stop the flow
- don’t judge; free yourself and your words
- don’t stop, just keep going
Now, at first I was pretty sceptical, but then I gave it a go and came up with 10 articles in 10 minutes…
Research
Some topics will need loads of research, others won’t need any.
So for example, I’ve been wanting to write an article on Notion as a project manager, but my use of Notion was (still is) limited. So I wanted to develop my understanding, and improve the tool and the system. Now, I’m still not perfect, but I finally felt comfortable enough to write the article.
That said, a couple of my articles have been a bit more raw.
This means that I don’t need to research how I’m feeling or what I’m doing. It’s just a case of being a bit more in tune with what is going on within myself, but that’s one of the reasons why I keep a journal. Anything that is relevant to the project will go into a specific Notion page setup for that item, and I can use it as a resource to refer to.
Some people would ask how much research you need to do, but ultimately you just need to feel comfortable and confident in your work.
Creation
Some of my creations take hours to write/record. Some, I nail first time.
And unfortunately, there isn’t always a rhyme or reason for this. It’s just that way. But I need to make sure that I have fully completed the first two steps before I get to this one. There’s nothing worse going into something and not being fully prepared.
So for instance, writing this, I have Notion and Notability open next to me, and a couple fo other web browsers for reference. There’s nothing worse than getting mid article and realising that you don’t have everything you need. Or getting into a recording session and not have your script finished.
Luckily, I have developed my habits and have created a weekly routine that allows me to keep on top of this workflow, but it’s not by chance that I have got here.
The problem with all of this is that there is no template for every project.
Each piece of work will be completely unique in terms of the three stages. And you can’t force that. If you think it is needed, then go with it. But also, don’t spend time unnecessarily in the search for perfection.
This process will be refined by the more you create. You will start to recognise the pieces of work that come easy, the pieces of work that need more research and the pieces of work that you shouldn’t even start.
That’s the beauty of the journey; you just have to keep going, no matter what.