Do you feel like your next YouTube video idea is a complete waste of time?
I'm currently fighting "The Resistance," a creative block that makes every project feel either too "stupid" to make or too important to mess up. In this video, I explain why these conflicting thoughts are the exact sign that you are onto something worth filming.
I break down the psychological hurdles that stops you from hitting record, including the fear of negative comments and the trap of overthinking. Using ideas from Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art and Jerry Seinfeld, I show you why "wasting time" on a video is actually the best form of productivity for a creator. If you are struggling with creative procrastination or wondering if your video is "worth it," this might help you make your next video.
How to STOP avoiding your next YouTube video
TRANSCRIPT: (CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE)
THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT - CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE!
I am just about to make a a new video on my other YouTube channel, My Dad Delivers Vlog channel, and I really don't want to make this video. It's because I have two thoughts in my head, and I thought that this might be the reason why you're not making your next video. So, I thought, let's let's go through those two thoughts and see if you if if this happens to you, too. So, it works like this. I don't want to make this video because it feels like a complete waste of time. The video I'm making is is capricious nonsense and the amount of time that I'm about to spend on making this video isn't worth it because nobody's going to watch it and it doesn't really need to be made. And at the same time, I have this other thought which says I might get this wrong and actually this video is so important because I don't want to make it badly. Bad things will happen. People will think poorly of me because they care so much about what's in this video. And that's why I shouldn't make the video. And these two thoughts are happening at the same time. They are complete opposites. Both of these thoughts cannot be true. So why are we having these thoughts? And if they are equally working against each other, why would either of them be correct? There's a book called I'll put it on screen now. I'll put it in the description as well. There's a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, and he calls this the resistance. And it's a lovely book. It's really short and it explains exactly what artists go through in these situations where you have these these thoughts, those two thoughts that work in complete opposites to each other. And he says that the resistance itself is the sign that you're on to something and that you're about to make something that is worth making. And the reason the resistance will fight you on this is that because you will be a completely different person as a result of going through with making this art. In this case, a video about how to set a poll on WhatsApp. There's also a really nice video. I'll put this down in the in the description as well. It's with Jerry Seinfeld and it it's just talking him talking about how he writes a joke, but there's this throwaway comment just towards the end of the video. He says something like, "It's a long time to spend on something that means absolutely nothing. But that's what I do. That's what people want me to do is spend a lot of time uh wastefully. You know, in my world, the wronger something feels, the righter it is. So to waste this much time on something this stupid is that's that felt good to me." The process, the thought process and the effort that goes into making the joke isn't worth the time that's devoted to it. It's a complete waste of time. That's why it's beautiful. That's why you're doing it. It's because it's a complete waste of time. It's because the resistance will cause people to start mowing their lawns when you're in the middle of a video. That... that in the background there, that's the resistance. That's something stopping me from making this video. I'm sure your brain will come up because you're creative. You will come up with all kinds of reasons to not make the next video and to put it off. And I just wanted to be that voice to remind you that that's a brilliant thing. That's good because that resistance is the sign for why you should be making this video. So, I hope this helps you to waste some time, deliberately kill some time, and devote too much time to something that clearly does not deserve it. That's that's why we watch YouTube videos. Someone has spent the time in a way that it doesn't deserve. It just does not deserve that amount of time. And that's why we enjoy watching it. And investing that time in the thing, the video that you want to make... That puts you ahead of all of those people who haven't wasted their time on that video you're about to make. And the same goes for for negative comments as well. I... I was talking to someone recently and they were saying they're a bit worried about the reaction that they would get online to putting out videos. That's probably the biggest reason why they weren't making videos. You have wasted the time. They haven't. You outrank them already. The fact that they are commenting on your work means that you've created something worth commenting on. You know that. You know it. You know it in your bones. But we we're wired by biology, by evolution to avoid these threats. But we know the prize that wasting our time on this will change us and make us better YouTubers, better artists. Does this help? Uh, making this video has helped me at least get to the point where I might actually record this video today cuz the sun's out. It's nice. I've just got to wait now for this moment to stop. If if these videos are helpful, thank you for hitting the thumbs up or the subscribe button. If you do either of those things, it really helps me to keep this channel going. But say hi in the comments as well because uh it really helped for me to see where everyone else is at with their journey. And right here on screen now, I'll put the playlist to all my tips for creators on YouTube. And here's what YouTube thinks you want to be watching next. Do it. Just do it. Waste some time.
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