My honest advice to a perfectionist

Summary

In this episode, Ali, a former doctor turned entrepreneur, discusses overcoming perfectionism, particularly in content creation. He shares his personal struggles and insights, offering practical advice to Andy, who is dealing with overthinking and perfectionism in growing his YouTube channel. Ali emphasizes the importance of creating for the joy of helping others, not just for personal satisfaction.

Takeaways

• 🎥 Ali, a doctor turned entrepreneur, has been making YouTube videos for 7 years, overcoming perfectionism along the way.
• 📚 Ali recently wrote a book called 'Feelgood Productivity', which also required overcoming perfectionistic tendencies.
• 🤔 Andy, a busy individual with a full-time job and two kids, is seeking advice on overcoming perfectionism in creating YouTube content.
• 🔄 Ali shares his own struggles with perfectionism, including the 'voice of the saboteur' that tries to stop creative endeavors.
• 🌱 The 'voice of the saboteur' often suggests over-preparation and overthinking, which can hinder starting a project.
• 📈 Ali suggests changing the context or format of the task to see if perfectionism still applies, as a way to combat it.
• 🤓 He recommends asking if the work has the potential to help at least one person as a measure of its value, rather than striving for universal acclaim.
• 🎨 Ali emphasizes the importance of enjoying the creative process, as it can lead to better work and less stress.
• 🔄 He suggests that creators should focus on the potential impact on others rather than on their own ego or fear of judgment.
• 📝 The transcript highlights the idea of 'reasonable' quality as a goal, rather than perfection, to reduce the pressure of creating content.
• 💬 Ali invites viewers to share their struggles in the comments, showing an openness to connect and provide further advice.

Q & A

What is Ali's background and how does it relate to the topic of perfectionism?

Ali is a former doctor turned entrepreneur who has been making YouTube videos for 7 years and has also published a book called 'Feelgood Productivity'. His experiences with overcoming perfectionistic tendencies in these endeavors make him well-equipped to discuss and offer advice on dealing with perfectionism.

What is the main issue that Andy is facing with his YouTube channel?

Andy struggles with overthinking and perfectionism when creating content for his YouTube channel. He worries about whether his content is good enough and fears that it might not be valuable to his audience, which leads to delays in posting videos.

What is the term Ali uses to describe the internal voice that tries to sabotage creative efforts?

Ali refers to this internal voice as 'the voice of the saboteur', which is a mental barrier that tries to prevent action by promoting overthinking and self-doubt.

How does Ali suggest changing the context or format of a task to combat perfectionism?

Ali suggests that changing the context or format of a task can alter one's perception of perfectionism. By asking how perfectionism would manifest if the task were approached differently, one might realize that the perfectionistic standards do not hold up in a different setting.

What is the concept of 'done is better than perfect' and how does it apply to Andy's situation?

'Done is better than perfect' is a concept that encourages action over endless perfectionism. It applies to Andy's situation by suggesting that he should post his videos even if they are not perfect, as the act of creating and sharing is more important than striving for unattainable perfection.

What is the significance of the phrase 'what would it look like if it were fun' in Ali's approach to dealing with perfectionism?

The phrase 'what would it look like if it were fun' is a reflection prompt that Ali uses to shift the focus from the pressure of perfection to the enjoyment of the creative process. It helps to reframe the task at hand into something enjoyable rather than a source of stress.

How does Ali define the 'bar' for quality in the context of overcoming perfectionism?

Ali defines the 'bar' for quality as whether the work has the potential to help at least one person. This lower bar is more achievable than striving for perfection and allows creators to share their work without the fear of it not being good enough.

What advice does Ali give about the relationship between enjoyment and productivity in creative work?

Ali suggests that enjoying the creative process leads to better work, more creativity, less stress, and increased productivity. He emphasizes that focusing on enjoyment can improve the quality of work more than trying to optimize for perfection.

How does Ali handle the voice of the saboteur when it tries to prevent him from starting a video?

Ali acknowledges the voice of the saboteur but tells it that he will record the video anyway, with the understanding that he doesn't have to publish it if it doesn't meet his standards. This approach allows him to overcome the initial resistance to starting.

What is the strategy of writing down what the voice of the saboteur is saying, and how can it help with perfectionism?

Writing down the voice of the saboteur's messages can help externalize and scrutinize the perfectionistic thoughts. It allows for a more objective assessment of whether these thoughts are reasonable or simply barriers to action.

What advice does Ali offer for dealing with the fear of what others might think when sharing creative work?

Ali advises shifting the focus from oneself to the potential audience, considering the act of sharing creative work as a service to others. This mindset can reduce the fear of judgment and the pressure of meeting arbitrary personal standards.

How does Ali suggest using the concept of 'reasonable' to manage expectations while creating?

Ali suggests telling oneself that the current work just needs to be 'reasonable' and that the next one will be good. This approach helps to lower the bar for the current task, reducing perfectionism and allowing for more fluid creation.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Overcoming Perfectionism in Content Creation

Ali, a former doctor turned entrepreneur and YouTuber, shares his experiences with perfectionism, particularly in the context of video production. He discusses his journey of making over 800 videos and writing a book, both of which required him to confront and overcome perfectionistic tendencies. Ali introduces the main subject of the video: addressing Andy's struggle with perfectionism in growing his YouTube channel. He emphasizes that the principles discussed can apply to various forms of perfectionism beyond content creation.

05:03

🤯 The Voice of the Saboteur: Perfectionism's Inner Critic

Ali delves into his own thoughts and the internal struggle with the 'voice of the saboteur,' which he identifies as the internal critic that tries to prevent creative action due to fear of imperfection. He uses the example of filming in an unfamiliar park with background noise to illustrate how this voice can create doubt and delay. Ali also mentions his rebranded newsletter, 'Life Notes,' and encourages viewers to subscribe for weekly insights.

10:03

🔄 Redefining Quality: From Perfection to Potential Impact

The video script explores the concept of redefining one's standard of quality to focus on the potential impact of the work, rather than achieving an arbitrary level of perfection. Ali suggests that if a piece of work has the potential to help at least one person, it meets a 'reasonable' standard. He credits Austin Kleon's book 'Show Your Work' for influencing this perspective and encourages creators to share their work if it can potentially benefit someone.

15:08

🎉 Embracing Enjoyment as a Key to Overcoming Perfectionism

Ali discusses the importance of enjoyment in the creative process and how it can counteract perfectionism. He mentions an executive coach, Joe Hudson, who believes that enjoyment leads to efficiency and better work. Ali suggests that focusing on the fun and enjoyment of creating, rather than on the quality of the outcome, can help alleviate perfectionistic pressures and lead to more satisfying work.

20:09

🛑 The Saboteur's Tactics: Recognizing and Overcoming Resistance

In this paragraph, Ali talks about the tactics of the 'voice of the saboteur,' which often tries to prevent the start of a creative endeavor by suggesting reasons to delay or avoid it. He shares his personal strategy of telling the voice that he will create the work but doesn't have to publish it, which often quiets the saboteur's resistance. Ali emphasizes the importance of starting and trusting the editing process to refine the work into a final product.

25:10

📚 Learning from Others: Strategies for Managing Perfectionism

Ali reflects on advice he received from Cal Newport, a successful author, about managing perfectionism in writing. Newport's strategy of telling himself that each book just needs to be 'reasonable' and the next one will be good has helped Ali and others in dealing with the pressure of creating perfect work. The paragraph highlights the value of learning and applying strategies from those who have successfully navigated similar challenges.

🤝 Shifting Focus from Self to Service

The final paragraph emphasizes shifting the focus from one's ego to serving others as a way to combat perfectionism. Ali suggests that creating with the intention of helping others can alleviate the fear of imperfection. He also invites viewers to share their struggles in the comments and offers to answer questions directly in future videos, highlighting the value of community and connection in the creative process.

Keywords

💡Perfectionism

Perfectionism is a personality trait characterized by a person's striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high standards for themselves. In the video, the speaker discusses overcoming perfectionism in the context of content creation, particularly for a YouTube channel. The concept is central to the theme as it addresses the struggle of creating content without overthinking or overanalyzing it to the point of paralysis.

💡Overthinking

Overthinking refers to the act of excessively analyzing or worrying about a situation, often leading to inaction or procrastination. The video's theme revolves around the impact of overthinking on productivity, especially in the creation of YouTube videos. The speaker shares personal experiences and strategies to combat the tendency to overthink, which is a key obstacle to overcome for the individual named Andy in the script.

💡Content Creation

Content creation is the process of generating various forms of content, such as videos, articles, or podcasts, to engage an audience. The video script focuses on the challenges faced by content creators, specifically the struggle with perfectionism and overthinking, which can hinder the process of creating and sharing content that adds value to the audience.

💡Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where individuals doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a 'fraud'. The script mentions this concept as one of the internal battles that can affect creators, causing them to hesitate before sharing their work due to a lack of confidence in their abilities or ideas.

💡Resistance

In the context of the video, resistance is the internal or external opposition to taking action or pursuing creative endeavors. The speaker references 'the voice of the saboteur' or 'the resistance' as a metaphor for the mental barriers that prevent individuals from starting or completing their work, such as creating YouTube videos.

💡Value

Value, in this video, refers to the positive impact or usefulness that the content might have on the audience. The speaker emphasizes the importance of focusing on the potential value of the content to at least one person, rather than striving for an unattainable level of perfection. This shift in focus is presented as a way to overcome perfectionism and overthinking.

💡Enjoyment

Enjoyment is the feeling of pleasure or satisfaction derived from an activity. The video suggests that focusing on the enjoyment of the creative process, rather than solely on the outcome, can help combat perfectionism. The speaker argues that enjoying the work can lead to better productivity, creativity, and less stress.

💡Sabor

Sabor is a term used in the video to represent the internal voice that tries to sabotage one's efforts, often by promoting overthinking and perfectionism. The speaker uses the metaphor of 'the voice of the saboteur' to illustrate the mental obstacles that must be overcome to create and share content without unnecessary delay.

💡Service

Service, in the context of this video, refers to the act of creating content with the primary intention of helping or serving others. The speaker suggests that shifting the focus from personal ego to serving the audience can alleviate perfectionism. By viewing content creation as a service, creators may feel less pressure to achieve perfection and more freedom to share their work.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the efficiency of an individual's work or the rate at which they produce output. The video discusses the impact of perfectionism and overthinking on productivity, suggesting that these tendencies can hinder the creation process. The speaker shares insights on how to increase productivity by overcoming these mental barriers and focusing on the value and enjoyment of the work.

💡Fear

Fear, in this video, is associated with the anxiety or apprehension that creators may feel about sharing their work and being judged by others. The speaker mentions that fear, often linked with perfectionism, can prevent individuals from taking action and suggests strategies to overcome this fear, such as focusing on service and potential value to others.

Highlights

Ali, a doctor turned entrepreneur, shares his experience overcoming perfectionism in content creation.

Ali has made over 800 YouTube videos and written a book, 'Feelgood Productivity', both requiring him to battle perfectionistic tendencies.

The episode discusses Andy's struggle with perfectionism in growing his YouTube channel and Ali's advice for overcoming it.

Andy's goal is to help busy people create space in their lives for what matters most through his YouTube channel.

Ali emphasizes that the principles discussed apply to various types of perfectionism beyond just content creation.

Ali shares his personal insights on battling the voice of the saboteur, which tries to prevent creative action.

The 'voice of the saboteur' is identified as an internal voice that tries to halt creative endeavors due to fear of imperfection.

Ali talks about the importance of recognizing and dismissing the voice of the saboteur to move forward with creative projects.

He suggests changing the context or format of a task to see if perfectionism still holds true, as a way to overcome it.

Ali recommends asking if the work has the potential to help at least one person as a measure of its value.

He shares a strategy from Austin Kleon's book 'Show Your Work' about sharing work that can help others.

Ali discusses the importance of enjoying the creative process rather than focusing solely on the outcome.

He suggests that enjoyment can lead to higher efficiency and better work than striving for perfection.

Ali talks about the benefits of pressing record and creating content without the pressure of publishing it.

He mentions that the editing process can transform a rough recording into a valuable final product.

Ali shares advice from Cal Newport about accepting that one work just needs to be reasonable while the next will be good.

He concludes by emphasizing that overcoming perfectionism often involves focusing on serving others rather than one's ego.

Transcripts

hi my name is Ali I'm a doctor turned

entrepreneur and I've been making

YouTube videos for the last 7 years I've

made over 800 videos which has required

overcoming a lot of perfectionistic

Tendencies and I also recently wrote and

published a book called Feelgood

productivity and that also required

overcoming a lot of perfectionistic

Tendencies and so in this episode of not

life advice we're going to be looking at

a guy called Andy and he's going to

share some of his perfectionistic

struggles as it relates to growing his

YouTube channel for example and I'm

going to share my honest advice for

someone who's a perfectionist in that

sense now just a quick caveat uh Andy's

problem specifically relates to feeling

like overthinking e and perfectionistic

when it comes to making YouTube videos

but I think the same principles apply

with whatever type of perfectionistic

Tendencies you're struggling with not

just if you're a content creator so

let's get into Andy's question hey my

name is Andy I am currently working

full-time I have two kids I lead a

pretty busy life and my goal is to

develop a a YouTube channel um that

helps busy people create space in their

life to do what matters most this has

been something that's been on my heart

in my mind for quite some time because I

just want to help people that's all I

want to do my problem right now is that

I get caught in overthinking and

overanalyzing the things that I want to

post and so I have a bit of uh

perfectionism in there where I uh

overthink all of my content and I think

is it good enough is anybody going to

see this and it takes me so long to

actually post something and I just want

to post

something but it's never good enough so

so I have posted a few videos sometimes

I just post because done is better than

perfect

and yeah so how do you

overcome overanalyzing and

overthinking um content or things that

you need to do thank you so much for all

the help that you've put out book was

awesome by the way thanks for that still

going through it highlighting for like

the second or third time thanks have a

good one all righty so that was Andy

asking a question about how to overcome

perfectionism how to stop overthinking

and just doing the thing rather than

thinking about doing the thing so let's

talk about

that before I answer this question I

want to let you guys into a little bit

of insight into my own mind around these

things because you know people start

people ask me for advice about this sort

of stuff and yeah I think it's it it it

might be useful for you to hear what's

what's currently going through my mind

so what's currently going through my

mind is that it is 7:00 in the morning

I'm here in Boise Idaho in the US uh to

speak at the convert kit craft Commerce

conference but because of jet lag flying

in from London I woke up pretty early um

and I decided to go for a little walk

outside and then cuz it was a nice day

and I had this little mini camera with

me I thought oh why don't I film a video

and I saw Andy's question and thought Oh

okay this could be a fun one to do now

what's currently going through my mind

is O you know maybe I need to actually

be sad at my desk because when talking

about imposter syndrome and

perfectionism and overthinking like you

know I'd love to be able to draw like

diagrams and stuff to to think about it

so maybe now is not the right time to

film this video another thing going

through my mind is like I'm in this

random Park in Boise Idaho I've never

been before in my life and it's a super

nice park but the freaking lawnmower

people are like all around the park like

there's like a dude there and a dude

there and a dude there and there's this

like kind of background audio

and I can hear it really loudly and I've

got this thing so I don't know how much

it's like canceling the audio and so

what was going through in my mind is you

know maybe I have some things to say to

Andy's question but you know there's

lawnmowers in the background so maybe I

so so so maybe I shouldn't make this

video right now why don't I wait until

tomorrow and then you know I'll just

wake up early tomorrow and come for

another walk and then hopefully tomorrow

like surely they can't be mowing the

lawn two days in a row maybe it's just

like I don't know on a Wednesday where

they mow the lawn so like maybe I

shouldn't make this video then there was

also part of me that was thinking oh you

know something like a a video like this

this you know I I really should film it

in my desk because cuz then when I'm at

my desk I can sort of think about what

what I want to say and what the the the

points for preparing this video are and

all of these thoughts were going through

my mind and one thing that I've Gotten

Good at over time is to recognize when

the voice of the sabur is holding me

back I I so I talk a lot about this

thing with my CEO coach Eric partaker

you should check him out on YouTube and

blinked in and stuff and Eric calls it

the voice of the sabur in all of our

minds in all of our brains there is this

voice that is hellbent on sabotaging

whatever creative thing we are trying to

do in the war of art by Steven

pressfield he calls it the resistance

the voice of the sabur it is not my

voice that's saying oh you know maybe I

should wait till tomorrow when the

lawnmowers are gone it's not my voice

that's saying you know maybe I should

wait until I'm at desk so I can draw

diagrams and it's the voice of the

sabur that is trying to stop me from

doing this creative

thing the thing with perfectionism

imposter syndrome overthinking generally

it does get better when you have

expertise in something right like I no

longer feel that much impost of

perfectionism overthinking when it comes

to videos about about like how to grow

on YouTube which I'm filming at my desk

like I know how that works right

it's not that hard but this format of

video to me is is a little bit different

it's like I'm filming a video for the

main Channel I'm not doing it with the

whole fancy camera setup I'm doing it in

a park while walking around there's

people running and cycling around me

feels kind of awkward and so this is an

area where I have I don't have enough

reps to be able to feel to feel

ridiculously confident doing the thing

and therefore in those instances the

voice of the sabator is coming online so

I wanted to share that first of all

because I think it might be interesting

to hear that like someone probably looks

at at this YouTube channel we' Got 5 and

a half million subscribers and think

that oh yeah Al's made 800 plus videos

over the last seven years he's got the

down but no like when it comes to

when it comes to making a video that

feels a little bit outside of my

wheelhouse and even often for videos

where I'm sitting at my desk I also feel

that voice of oh this isn't good enough

oh maybe we shouldn't make this video oh

maybe I need to prepare more oh by the

way in case you have not heard my weekly

email newsletter used to be called

Sunday Snippets it's having a bit of a

Rebrand it's now called Life notes it is

a weekly-ish email that I send for free

every single week where I'll be sharing

notes that I am taking throughout life

so it's notes from books I'm reading

podcasts I'm listening to videos I'm

watching conversations I'm having and

stuff that's going on in the business

there'll be a link down below if you

want to subscribe or scan this QR code

and anyway let's get back to the video

the voice of the sabur never says don't

do the thing it says we can do the thing

but we need to work a lot harder we need

to prepare a lot more and that's where

all this sort of overthinking kind of

stuff comes in you know if the sabator

was saying don't do the thing at all you

suck it's it's actually easier to

dismiss that either you just listen to

it or you just dismiss it and so you

either do the thing or you don't do the

thing and it's like a lot easier to deal

with the sabur but when the sabur says

things that are Broad reasonable like

hey this video might potentially be seen

by a few tens of thousands of people

potentially even hundreds of thousands

of people holy you know we've got a

responsibility here we want to make sure

the content is good we don't just want

to speak from the heart because like

what the do we know we don't want

to do it while walking around in a park

because like the lighting's a bit off

and there's like sh lawn mowers in the

background nah we should totally wait we

should wait until tomorrow we should

wait until next week when we're back in

London cuz we can always film this video

later and you know what it's like a

12-hour Journey back to London so why

don't we this is really interesting

video idea how to how to think about

like perfectionism and uh overthinking

and like how to actually do the thing so

like really we should think about it for

another 12 hours before we sit down and

actually make the video this is the

voice of the sabur we all have this

voice of the sabur inside us Andy I know

you have the voice of the sabur inside

you that's probably telling you with

regards to your YouTube videos it needs

more preparation I do not currently have

enough value to give what if people what

if I'm wasting people's time what if

they

think when when you really start writing

these things down this is a a strategy

that that can often help just like

literally writing down what the sabur is

saying like Andy if you were to figure

out like what the sabur is saying and

actually write it down it might say

something like I must prepare this video

for another 20 hours otherwise it's not

valuable enough huh interesting but like

if a friend were to ask you Andy you

know have you got any tips and you know

you're you're a dad you got two kids you

got a job you want to you're starting a

YouTube channel man how how do you make

time for it all would you would do you

say to the friend genuinely over coffee

oh sorry mate um i' I've got to do 20

hours of preparation on that before I

can even give you a vague semblance of

an answer cuz I'm just really worried

I'm not providing enough value to you no

of course you wouldn't if you were

talking to a friend and that friend was

asking you that specific question you

would be able to just give them a

response you would speak from the heart

you wouldn't be overthinking

it there's something about putting stuff

out there on the Internet or submitting

a work assignment or a homework

assignment or whatever the thing might

be where that context of doing the thing

is so different from us just being asked

a question question by a friend and if

we were asked a question by a friend of

course we'd have a great response to the

thing so that is one Hack That I Found

really helpful like genuinely is is

thinking whenever the voice of the sabur

the voice of perfectionism is in my mind

thinking to myself

okay if I were to change the context

does that change how I feel about the

thing I had so much perfectionism when

it came to my book right because a book

is like a serious thing it's like a a

piece of paper that's out there in the

real world and in bookstores and stuff I

still have yet to see it in a bookstore

myself I've had photos from friends send

it to me from various different

bookstores oh my goodness people can

review it on Amazon oh my goodness what

if people don't like the book then

that's going to be absolutely terrible

okay there's a lawnmower in that

direction so let's go back this way

that's going to be absolutely terrible

what if people don't like the book holy

and so one thing I would say Andy

or anyone else struggling with imposter

syndrome perfectionism

is what would it look like if you

changed the format and does your

perfectionism still hold true if you to

change the the context or the format of

the thing that you are doing tactic

number two for dealing with

perfectionism essentially for me when I

feel that sense of perfectionism it's a

sense of okay I am making something at

this level of quality and I want the

thing to be at that level of quality and

it's not yet at that level of quality

therefore I must work to get it from

here which is a sh level quality to

there which is a good level of quality

you know that that kind of idea and this

idea is you know it's it's again

reasonable it is not unreasonable to say

that like you know my work is here and I

want to get it to there and therefore I

have to do more work to to get the thing

there the way that I personally get over

is I tell myself that the bar is does

this thing have the potential to help at

least one person who is watching it or

reading it or listening to it does this

thing have the potential to help at

least one person it doesn't even have to

help that one person because actually

helping them is outside of my control

but does it have the potential to help

at least one person does this video that

I'm filming from the heart Without

Really any preparation just sort of

answering this question that Andy's

brought up does my answer here does my

Spiel however long it ends up being have

the potential to help at least one

person now if you watching this then by

definition you have found the first bit

of this video sufficiently valuable to

keep watching right that's a weird kind

of thought for me because right now I'm

just here on my own in this random Park

in the middle of nowhere in Boise Idaho

and so I I I don't know how people are

going to respond to this video but all I

know is my bar is does this have the

potential to help at least one person

and if it does then I'll post the thing

and if it doesn't then I won't post the

thing me photographing a photo of my

coffee and posting it on like a YouTube

Community post does that have the

potential to help at least one person

probably not so I wouldn't post a random

photo of my coffee on a YouTube

Community post this is an idea I stole

from Austin cleon's amazing book show

your work show your work is a book I

read in 2016 I've reread it multiple

times since then I would really

recommend Andy or whoever watching this

if you haven't read show your work by

atin Cleon it's really really good that

was the book that really helped me get

over the fear the

perfectionism the fear you know let's

call it fear like you know uh

perfectionism and fear are basically the

same thing um it helped me get over the

fear of starting a personal website cuz

I had s all sorts of like overthinking

about it etc etc and your work taught me

if your work has the potential to help

at least one person along in in their

Journey then there is almost a moral

obligation on you to share that thing

and to do that thing and to post that

thing so Andy Andy you who is

overthinking these videos that you're

posting on your YouTube channel it's

worth defining what is your bar for

quality is the bar for Quality I think

this has to be really good because that

is actually a really hard bar to meet

especially if you're new to the thing

especially if you're you know a little

bit harder on yourself than you would be

on your friends what is the bar really

for me the bar is does this have the

potential to help at least one person

and also

am I proud of it um for me being proud

of something yeah I put more work into

it often I'm more proud of it but often

being proud of something for me I I

found a way to turn it into like I am

proud of a thing if it has the potential

to help help at least one person I don't

overthink my kind of I I try not to

overthink my production value or making

sure I've got like multiple cinematic

shots or making sure that like

everything is super super tight in the

edit cuz I've tried doing that and and I

realized in in periods of my life where

I was really overthinking my content the

content was just worse and I was

enjoying it less and one of the B one of

the major principles of the book feel

good productivity is that if you can

enjoy your work you become better at it

you become more creative you become less

stressed become more productive but you

also have more energy to give to the

other important areas of your

life I was at this uh retreat thing in

San Francisco a couple weeks ago and

there's this executive coach whose name

is Joe Hudson absolute Legend um he's

featuring on the Pod shortly he is like

an executive coach to some of silicon

Valley's biggest CEOs that you will have

definitely heard of and his whole shtick

is that

enjoyment is efficiency if you can find

a way to enjoy what you're doing and

optimize for enjoyment of the process

you will actually do better work than if

you are optimizing for trying to do

better work so Andy a question I would

put to you or anyone else watching this

if you're struggling with perfectionism

is what if you weren't concerned about

the quality of the thing and your main

goal was in just enjoying the process of

creating the thing whatever the thing

might be what if you weren't concerned

about how good it was What If instead

you were only concerned with how can you

personally enjoy that process as much as

possible Dar I say what would it look

like if it were fun this is my phone

wallpaper what would this look like if

it were fun what would it look like if

it were fun you know this is this is the

whole stick what would it look like if

it were fun finding the fun is another

way of combating perfectionism and this

overthinking that we get around posting

stuff there's a few other strategies I

find helpful for dealing

with this sort of thing cuz I deal with

it a lot

the microcosm of this video that you are

now watching is a great example of

dealing with dealing with perfectionism

and and stuff the other thing I think

is the the the voice of the sabur for me

often stops me from even trying um like

before picking up this little camera to

film this video the voice of the sabur

was in my mind saying nah nah nah we

don't need to film come on like you know

it's 7:00 in the morning we should wait

until we get to the desk etc etc the

voice of the sabur was stopping me from

hitting record but once I've hit record

I've now been recording for 19 minutes

I've enjoyed myself I'm getting the

steps in it's super nice scenery it's

great Vibes and if I hadn't pressed

record I wouldn't have come I wouldn't I

wouldn't have made this video which by

definition if you are watching this then

you've found the last bit sufficiently

valuable in a bit of a it's a bit of a

Trippy thought but the voice of the

sabur was stopping me from pressing

record and so the thing that I've gotten

really good at is just telling the voice

of the sabur like I'm I'm just going to

record it and I don't need to publish it

I'm going to create the thing but I can

always decide to scrap the thing if it

sucks and that often shuts up the sabur

cuz then the sabur is like oh okay

well

fine uh but are you sure like aren't you

really tired like you've got a bit of a

zit on your nose like do you really want

to film the thing right now can't we

just wait till tomorrow oh wow look at

this it's a freaking

River this is so nice

guys is this what every random American

city is like town city Boise

Idaho the voice of the savitur is trying

to Pro it's trying to stop me from H

hitting record but if I can just

convince the voice that hey um we don't

need to publish this we're just going to

create it and see what happens then you

know it's it's hard for the sabot to

stay in sabotaging mode what I find with

a lot of YouTubers is that there's a lot

of resistance to pressing the record

button I get this as well even for

filming filming proper videos uh when

I'm sitting at my desk there a lot of

resistance to just hitting record but

once I hit record and once I start

talking then like I don't know the

creative spirit moves within me or

whatever terminology you want to use for

this now that I'm 20 minutes into the

video I kind of know in my mind oh okay

actually I think I think this might

actually be a reasonable video

reasonable just being the bar for I

think this video might potentially add

value to at least one person who's

watching

this one thing that I find when it comes

to YouTube videos is

that for more than 50% of the videos

that I've ever filmed

after filming it I have felt like uh

that was

terrible but then for about 98% of

videos once it's been edited and I've

had like a couple of weeks to not see

the video and to not be so in my head

about it um it then I then think oh

that's actually not bad

because when when we're filming videos

and when we're doing a first draft of a

book or a manuscript or a thing whatever

the thing might be when you're in the

creation of it it's a very messy process

process this process right now of

creating this video feels very messy to

me I'm sort of pulling stuff in from

different different areas of my life

from different parts of my brain and I'm

like I don't I don't really know how

it's all going to fit together but I've

done this enough times now that I trust

that from first from rough cut from

first draft from raw video recording to

finished product there is actually a

large amount of magic that happens in

post that happens in the edit where we

can chop out any ums and rs and mistakes

and sometimes we'll artfully leave the

mistakes in because the mistakes are

nice and humanizing and stuff I know

that the end product post editing is

often quite reasonable and so I've done

this enough times that when the voice of

the sabur says don't film the video it

might suck I'm like I'm going to film

the video anyway if it sucks I can

always delete it but I generally I would

if I if I were to put money on it I

would I I I would to say that this video

is a video that we're going to publish

on the main Channel probably it's

probably going to be good enough and you

know what if it's not we'll put it on

the second Channel either way this video

is going to get published somewhere on

the internet and I hope it'll add value

to at least one person that's a thought

that's in my mind mind as I'm

confronting the

sabur principal number six or seven or

whatever we are now I have even lost

count but that's okay cuz we're going to

fix it in post right editing team please

thank you um principal number whatever I

am on is a phrase I heard from Cal

Newport who is the Mega bestselling

author of The book's deep work and so

good they can't ignore you and most

recently slow productivity which is a

great book and Cal gave me some advice

about book writing a couple years ago

when I was in the throws of writing my

own book I asked him you know how how

often do you deal with perfectionism and

like how do you you know don't you think

that your work sucks uh in the sense

like don't you think it sucks in the

process of of of making it and like I

was I was having all of these thoughts

um that my book was crap and that it was

wasn't worth publishing and stuff and

Cal said to me and he's been writing for

like two decades um so about 10 times

longer than I have he said to me oh I

get that all the time I tell myself one

thing this one just needs to be

reasonable the next one is going to be

good this one just needs to be

reasonable the next one is going to be

good so when Cal was working on his

books productivity he told himself you

know what slow productivity doesn't need

to be a good book it just needs to be

reasonable the next one is going to be

good and he says he and he told me that

he repeated that thing to himself for

every book that he wrote and he's

written like six seven of them now and

is super successful at it this one just

needs to be reasonable the next one is

going to be good so Andy when it comes

to that thing that you are struggling

with that thing that you're feeling the

perfectionism the overthinking the

overanalyzing the I can't put this thing

out there what if you just lowered the

bar if you said this one just needs to

be reasonable and reasonable again you

can Define as it just needs to have the

potential to help at least one person

that's reasonable this video I think

this is going to be a reasonable video I

don't think it's going to be a good

video because I don't like thinking of

my videos as good but that's fine it

just needs to be reasonable the goal is

not to make a good video the goal is to

add value to someone else's life which

leads me to the next point which maybe

the final point which is that I think a

lot of perfectionism um stems from sort

of a focus on the self and a focus on

one's own ego that I can't possibly put

this thing out there because if I put

this thing out there then people will

think of me as bad in some way um

because the thing might be bad or

whatever it's not usually from speaking

to people and from hearing it myself

that it's not usually this thing would

be completely useless to everyone who's

watching it it's not usually that

because because usually that's an easy

one to to eliminate like really it's

going to be completely useless so people

will watch it they'll sit through it and

they will find it 100% of people are

going to find it completely an UT

useless to the point they're going to

get zero shred of value from it that

seems a bit unlikely usually we're not

actually being perfectionistic because

we care about the audience so much

because we really value their time like

oh my goodness I'm so perfectionistic

about my PhD dissertation because I

value the time of my examiner and I

don't want to be mean to them in

creating a shitty product it's like it's

usually not that it's usually I don't

want this thing to go out there because

I am afraid I will be thought of as bad

for having put this thing out there

which does not meet some arbitrary

standard

and usually we find that our own

standards for oursel are like

ridiculously high and often excessively

high and often unhelpfully high it's

it's it's a focus on the self and at

least for me what I found as a way of

combating perfectionism is to remove the

focus from myself and put it on someone

else again just this idea of I'm I'm not

creating this video for myself you know

I can I can do other things for fun if I

were trying to have fun I'd be watching

YouTube videos I'd be watching finishing

the last of us the TV show I'd be I

don't know playing on my nintend

Nintendo switch that's what I do for fun

I am not doing this video for me I'm

doing this video because I think it

potentially has the potential

potentially has the potential to help at

least one person it is about the other

person that I could potentially help

with this video it doesn't matter if the

thing is not perfect um you can just ask

yourself like have you ever gotten value

from a YouTube video that the that the

Creator might have thought is not

perfect probably maybe if you're

watching this Andy or whoever you are

watching this this is not a perfect

YouTube video this is not the sort of

YouTube video a YouTube guru I.E me

would tell people that oh yeah you

should make this video to grow your

channel but the fact you're here and

watching this means that you have found

enough value from this video to continue

watching it which is very gratifying so

thank you for being here so far so Andy

again it just comes down to this thing

when you're being perfectionistic about

your YouTube videos I suspect if you're

anything like me it's because uh you

don't want your ego to be bruised from

the thought that God forbid you might

put something out there but you might

put out something there that uh is

that's not meeting some arbitrary

Quality Bar that you've created for

yourself in your own mind but if you

were to remove that Focus From the self

and think about it from the context of

the people that you're serving because

this is an act of service making a

YouTube video it's not an act of

selfishness it's an act of service and

when you do anything in the spirit of

service that is also one of the things

that stops the voice of the sabur from

um creating these like perfectionistic

narratives that eventually that end up

leading to lives that we don't

particularly enjoy anyway one of the

things about being a YouTuber one of the

things about doing any creative act is

that there is a balancing act between

the soul and the numbers or the sto or

or the or the soul and the

statistics and often Soul comes from

being under optimized in in how you do

things I hope that when this video comes

out and when I see the edited version it

will feel like a Soulful video it'll be

like oh this was merely oi talking from

the heart going for a walk and sharing

stuff that he's found useful that's nice

this video is not going to go viral

right the goal of this video is not to

try and get get 5 million views the goal

of this video as I've said repeatedly is

simply to potentially provide value to

at least one person who's watching it

and so as I was thinking about huh what

should my end screen sales pitch be for

this particular video because that's

what you should do as a YouTuber I'm

like you know what actually I can let go

of that I can let go of that need for

the statistics you know obviously we'll

still title and thumbnail this video in

a reasonable way and we'll do like a bit

of a hook at the start and stuff like

fine there are sensible things we can do

to increase the reach of this video

because then it helps more people and

framing it framing it in that sense

helps me feel less icky about doing like

algorithm hacky type stuff retention

hacking and like trying to keep people

interested in the video um so if you are

here at the end of this ridiculously

long video you are the sort of person

that I would probably Vibe with because

we probably have good things to talk

about but I'd love to hear in a comment

down below what is one thing you're

struggling with cuz I love making these

sorts of videos where I'm just sort of

speaking from the heart and sharing

stuff that I found useful and often a

lot of the struggles of you guys um are

things that I've been through various

stages of my life and still probably go

through today and so I like being able

to share from the heart and just

chatting about things that might

potentially as I said help at least one

person so what is something that you are

struggling with that you might like my

take on if you can leave that as a in in

in a comment as a question that would be

super helpful um also if you would like

to submit a video question in the same

way that Andy did we'll put a link to

that video submission thingy I want to

do more content like this where it's

just really fun for me to be able to

answer someone's question directly and

turn it into like a freaking 35 minute

long sermon um it's just fun you know

what would this look like if it were fun

I asked myself this question about my

YouTube channel a lot and one of the

things I've landed on is oh well if it

were fun I'd be answering questions from

the audience I wouldn't just be coming

up with a video topic and then deciding

to make videos about it I would be like

yeah answering a question from the

audience so that I can feel that there's

genuinely someone on the other end

because it's otherwise it's hard to

appreciate like the numbers and what

that means um in terms of there being

real life people on the other end and

now because we might as well do the

retention thing uh if you have not yet

seen my video my honest advice for

someone wanting Financial Freedom you

might like to check out that video over

there otherwise thank you very much for

watching and hopefully you got some

value out of this and I'll see you in

the next one bye-bye