BTS Ep. 04 Tips on Starting a New Passion Project
Welcome to the behind the scenes thoughts on preparing and recording for episode 4! You can watch or listen to the full episode here on either Spotify or YouTube:
I think a lot of the time we see someone’s external accomplishments and we don’t get to see what the blueprint is to get there. I’ve learnt that anything is achievable, you just need to put in the time, hard work and curiosity into your creations.
That’s why I’m breaking down my workflow and thoughts from the podcast in a diary format after each recorded episode. It’s my way to share everything I’ve learnt along the way to help you in start your own passion project.
January 23, 2024
Tips on Starting a Passion Project
Developing consistency
I’m starting to pick up the flow a little bit better with balancing the episode recordings, edits and we’ve been staying on track with the timelines set for releasing the episodes each Monday. The more episodes we record, the more I get to play around with my schedule and understand how I want to space my tasks out in the week.
Sometimes I feel that I am an over planner and although this is a benefit in most situations, sometimes you need to just go before you are ready. It takes time to develop new routines and habits, especially when trying to stay consistent with a new project. The simple act of just taking action, regardless of the outcome, will give you so much insight as to what works and doesn’t work for you.
It’s through the process of creating and taking action that helps you become more consistent. This is the 4th episode recorded and edited and I’ve learnt that the more I do this, the more refined my workflow becomes. I learn what works well in my week and what doesn’t. I’ve created dozens of weekly to do lists and possible schedules, but if I had stayed in that planning stage, I wouldn’t really know what actually works for me.
Doing hard things:
One of my goals for this podcast series is to work on my speaking and way of delivering my verbal communication. As I watch and re-watch the recordings during the editing phase, I’m also writing down little notes for myself to learn from.
As much as sometimes it can be a bit cringe to rewatch yourself stumble over your words when trying to articulate something, it’s also so helpful in becoming better in this aspect. Overall, I have a huge smile on my face when editing, because all I can think of is – I can’t believe I just did that!
January 26, 2024
Preparation is Key:
I spent my time this morning at a local cafe just doing some final prep for the podcast. On the topic of being prepared, I learnt in my last recording that I really like to be prepared with just a couple speaking points, so that in the moment, I’m able to easily access my thoughts during the podcast recording.
I don’t think you need to necessarily have a full script prepared, as that tends to take away from the flow and natural rhythm of the conversation. But it does help to have a general outline, some stories you want to share and a podcast topic that will provide value to your listeners.
Last evening I didn’t get to editing episode 4, but I did have a chance to figure out what it is that I want to say and record for today’s episodes. I’m feeling way more prepared & energized to take on this recording. Last recording session, I felt I was a bit tired and I didn’t get to prep as much as I would have liked to. I know there are people who could probably just go for it but for me I like to have a certain level of preparedness. I almost like to be overly prepared because that’s what makes me feel most confident.
Jay and I just finished filming our 2 episodes coming up on relationships and friendships. We started at 2pm and ended at 7pm. It takes us about 1.5 hours to film a whole episode.
Experimenting phase:
This is a phase where you explore, create, and test the waters a little bit with the projects you’re doing. You don’t need to have all the answers as to where you want to take your project or business, but it’s through experimenting with new projects that will help you find what you enjoy and what to leave behind.
Document what you’ve learnt along the way:
Lastly, by writing down and reflecting on what is going well and what are some challenges you face, it can help you better understand your workflow and how continue to improve on it each day. Here are some things you can ask yourself when diving into a new creative project:
- How do you like to share your work? eg: through visual content (photos/video), podcast form, written blogs or books, creative pieces like pottery or crafts, etc
- Starting anything new takes time and it’s often a slow start. If you’re ever questioning your pace or growth, just look back even 3 months ago and you’ll likely see even in that short time how far you’ve come.
- What is the end goal? What is that dream you’re looking to build?
- How are you keeping up with your projects and to do lists? Are there areas where you can improve your efficiency?
- Are there parts of the project that stretch you and take you out of your comfort zone?
- Where do you work best? It’s important to have a creative space that allows you to get into your flow state
