I gave up daily vlogging recently. On January 1, 2017, I announced Id start uploading a video every single day. There was no end in mind. Some people have taken on this challenge and lasted days. Some people have lasted years. I lasted a little over 3 months.
The breaking point was a company meetup at Highrise, a simple CRM company I took over from Basecamp in 2014. Our meetup was just a handful of days. But those days were optimized to spend every minute possible together since were all working remotely the rest of the year.
There was a lot of great footage from the meetup, but I didnt have any time to edit fun stories together. Or think about pacing. Add music.
I shot YouTube live videos to at least get something out and keep my commitment to the daily vlog, but my YouTube stats started to tank.
So, I decided to focus on creating better videosones I thought could get the most likes and viewsfor each and every upload. My daily vlog became a barely weekly vlog. Sometimes Id get two videos done in a week. Sometimes none.
And I started disliking the project more and more.
On the first day of my Sophomore year in high school, there was a welcome students event in our auditorium. I was barely paying attention but heard my name called out. Ugh, whats this about? The dread became surprise and then elation when they announced I had the highest grade point average so far of our entire class of 400+ kids. Woah. I was not expecting that.
With this newfound ability to compete at having the highest grade point average, I just wanted to keep competing. Could I be my high school valedictorian in a few years?
That Sophomore year, I was in an AP (Advanced Placement) art class. For some reason the teachers and I did not get along. And I guess I didnt have much talent with the art assignments. It showed in my grade for the class. My hopes for valedictorian were evaporating. It felt awful.
Junior year rolled around, and work just got harder. More tough classes, even less time for school work with all the extracurricular activities I was doing. My goal of having the best grades got worse.
But then I started making better friends with this guy, Al Wyman. Al and I had known each other since basketball camp in grade school. When we found ourselves in the same ethics class Junior year, we began talking more and more.
Those talks changed something in me. Wed banter back and forth about the books we were reading (or supposed to be reading for class) from the likes of Herman Hesse or Camus. And I realized how much I enjoyed our chats about school work. Not the competition for grades. But the act of learning, debate, application.
Why was I so focused on grades, when I should be more focused on the act of education?
In that ethics class, there was a project about the famous Edward Hopper painting Nighthawks: Redraw the painting and write an essay of whose in our version and why.
I experimented with the idea that maybe I could just focus on learning and enjoying the experience instead of getting the best grade.
But there was a catch. There wasnt enough time to thoroughly tackle this project without pulling yet another all nighter. So I just didnt do it when the teacher wanted it done.
After the project was due, I finally had an opportunity to focus on getting the project done and give it my all, learning even more about the original painting, and about the people I felt interesting enough to belong in my version. I turned the project in a couple days later and felt great about what I had learned and produced.
What happened was kind of a surprise. The teacher took it, looking at me a bit quizzically. I said, Sorry I couldnt turn this in on time. But here is my work. I hope I can still get some credit for it.
A few days later he gave it back to me, with a great grade on iteven accounting for the points he took off for turning it in late.
It taught me a valuable lesson. I could still perform well without actually focusing on that as a goal. Really, I needed to take care of myself, and commit to a system of learning, not a goal of the best grades.
My time in highschool got so much better after that. There were multiple projects I started turning in late so I could get more sleep. And I learned so much more in the process.
I still ended up with a really high average when I graduated. I wasnt the valedictorian. I was close, but it didnt matter anymore. That last year and a half of high school was some of the best time of my life, and I got so much out of it.
If I look back at my career, the best moments are when I repeated what I did in high schoolfocus on systems, not goals. If I focused too much on where my startup would be when I wanted it to be there, I was miserable. When I focused on just showing up, learning as much as I could, delivering things our customers wanted on a regular basis, I enjoyed it, and we still got great results.
My first Y Combinator startup from 2006 didnt turn into the mega-success I had envisioned, but became an enjoyable ride that still propelled my career forward and turned into even better and brighter things for others as well.
I had a goal with Y Combinator in 2011 to create a Groupon-sized success. Again I became miserable. Until I instead focused on a system of creating things that met needs I understood well because I had them myself.
That led to Draft, simple writing and version control software. It wasnt the thing I envisioned making in 2011, but the system got me what Id call a pretty wild success.
Now I run Highrise. The founders of Basecamp handed me the reigns when they wanted to spin it off. That was never a goal. How could it be? No one could have made it an intention. But this system of showing up every day and creating new things regularly got me here.
Staring at my YouTube stats was a mistake. Theres so much to getting traction, and so much of it isnt under my control.
What I can focus on is showing up every day. Filming. Editing (when I can). Getting on camera. Trying to find a story from the day even if it doesnt work out.
I sure as hell enjoy it more. And I think I might still get great results. Maybe not what I envisioned at first. But it seems like things have a way of working themselves out.
The Morning Email
Wake up to the day's most important news.
The rest is here:
Not meeting your goals - HuffPost
- Mind uploading - 01 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Mind uploading - 02 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A new way to battle Mexican drug cartels - KLTV - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Mobile Health Screening Units Visit Lowe's Workers - International Supermarket News - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- The quintessential sewing machine - Business Mirror - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- The Future of Windows - Technologizer (blog) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- SEO Press Release Distribution Site Online PR News Celebrates 10000 Active Users - Online PR News (press release) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Utilizing Online Mailing Services – Make the Most of Direct Marketing - RisMedia.com (press release) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Carr's first look at 'Extreme' home - KLTV - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Should you advertise on iPhones? - Smart Company (blog) - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Review: Mega Man 10 - Destructoid - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Had I World Enough, and Time - Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- Unicast Continues Innovative Technology Enhancements With Latest Release of ... - CNNMoney.com (press release) - March 16th, 2010 [March 16th, 2010]
- Facebook scouts for 'passionate' India head - Economic Times - March 16th, 2010 [March 16th, 2010]
- SXSW: YouTube Launches Partner Program for Indie Bands - Wired News - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Wider Still and Wider! - Bangkok Post - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- P2P Versus The World - Rampage - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Yakuza 3 - The MMOMFG Review - MMOMFG (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Behind the musings: The annotated high schools column - Chicago Tribune (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Jihad Jane, YouTube, and Me - David Horowitz's NewsReal Blog (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Justin Bieber Releases 'U Smile,' Announces Summer Tour Dates - MTV.com - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- FCC announces National Broadband Plan - VentureBeat - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Image hosting on the cheap: a look at three free services - Ars Technica - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- Content Management: Secrets of the Trade - Formtek Blog (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- FCC's National Broadband Plan: There is a dark side - ZDNet - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- 5 Reasons Old Media Should Buy Facebook - AllFacebook (blog) - March 17th, 2010 [March 17th, 2010]
- "Steal It" and Other Internal YouTube Emails from Viacom's Copyright Suit - Fast Company - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Now cafes in monument premises for tourists during CWG - Sify - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Google-Viacom court papers leave a lot to the imagination - FierceOnlineVideo - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- FCC's broadband plan: A possible dream - Washington Post (blog) - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- The Importance of Using Social Networking for Business; Part I – Facebook - IPWatchdog.com - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Recording YouTube Videos - Acoustic Guitar - March 19th, 2010 [March 19th, 2010]
- Who's using location-based social networking? - KC Free Press - March 20th, 2010 [March 20th, 2010]
- iPhone will continue to beckon BlackBerry owners - CNET - March 20th, 2010 [March 20th, 2010]
- Rain leaves its mark on Azalea Trail events - KLTV - March 21st, 2010 [March 21st, 2010]
- Viacom v. YouTube/Google: A Piracy Case in Their Own Words - DailyFinance - March 21st, 2010 [March 21st, 2010]
- Getting a look at next high-tech | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/22/2010 - Philadelphia Inquirer - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- Sprint chews on Apple while lauding 4G Overdrive hotspot - The Tech Herald - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- 'Repo Men' contest -- the nationwide chase is almost over - Los Angeles Times (blog) - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- Viacom vs. YouTube/Google: A Piracy Case in Their Own Words - DailyFinance - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- These iPhone apps will help make March Madness a little more sane - Appolicious - March 22nd, 2010 [March 22nd, 2010]
- Eye-Fi Pro X2 cards have arrived, and you probably want one - tuaw.com (blog) - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- Pharmacist shows who wins, loses with health care bill - KLTV - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- High-Tech Texts! - The Campus Slate - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- CTIA WIRELESS 2010: Samsung's New Galaxy Brings 4" AMOLED Screen, Social Hub ... - Marketnews.ca - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- Google must follow Chinese rules or leave - China Daily - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- Jay-Z Short Documentary 'NY-Z' Premieres Online - MTV.com - March 24th, 2010 [March 24th, 2010]
- DAs clash over Mineola sex ring appeal - KLTV - March 25th, 2010 [March 25th, 2010]
- iSilo for iPhone - BusinessWeek - March 26th, 2010 [March 26th, 2010]
- Questions Abound as "New START" Agreement is Completed - Global Security Newswire - March 26th, 2010 [March 26th, 2010]
- What will Apple do next in mobile services? - Mobile Entertainment - March 26th, 2010 [March 26th, 2010]
- How much is too much to pay for health care? - Anchorage Daily News - March 27th, 2010 [March 27th, 2010]
- The Future of Smartphones: 4G and Beyond - Entrepreneur - March 27th, 2010 [March 27th, 2010]
- Uploading and uplifting: sharing big data files - Earthtimes (press release) - March 28th, 2010 [March 28th, 2010]
- Verizon Blasts 'Outdated' FCC Broadband Plan - NewsFactor Network - March 28th, 2010 [March 28th, 2010]
- Web Host Layered Tech Offers Mezeo-Powered Cloud Storage - Web Host Industry Review - March 29th, 2010 [March 29th, 2010]
- Dropbox: Now one more reason to want a Nexus One - ZDNet (blog) - March 30th, 2010 [March 30th, 2010]
- Exaflood: Politicians Prop Up Dinosaurs, Ignore Cutting Edge Technology - NewsBlaze (press release) - March 30th, 2010 [March 30th, 2010]
- Instructions - Washington Post - March 30th, 2010 [March 30th, 2010]
- Uploading for Life Extension Will Be Valid - Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies - March 31st, 2010 [March 31st, 2010]
- 'Glee's' MySpace Auditions: What Not To Sing - Wall Street Journal (blog) - March 31st, 2010 [March 31st, 2010]
- Memeo iPad Reader: Like the GDrive on your iPad (only different) - ZDNet (blog) - April 1st, 2010 [April 1st, 2010]
- Why are pipe bomb 'how to' videos legal? Answer is alarming - KLTV - April 1st, 2010 [April 1st, 2010]
- Trip to Haiti inspiration for East Texas teen - KLTV - April 1st, 2010 [April 1st, 2010]
- Jason Kilar Leads Hulu To Profitability, But Will He Stay On At Hulu? - TVbytheNumbers - April 2nd, 2010 [April 2nd, 2010]
- Layers for IPad Adds Online Gallery, Pro Options - PC World - April 2nd, 2010 [April 2nd, 2010]
- Shane Dawson, YouTube's Comic for the Under-30 Set - New York Times - April 2nd, 2010 [April 2nd, 2010]
- Hands-On With the Apple iPad — and Your Questions - Wired News - April 4th, 2010 [April 4th, 2010]
- FedEx Simplifies International Shipping with FedEx Electronic Trade Documents - MarketWatch (press release) - April 6th, 2010 [April 6th, 2010]
- Cacoo Lets Multiple Users Create Designs Collaboratively And In Real-time - TechCrunch (blog) - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Comcast: Your New Overlord - ITworld.com - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Bloggers Photograph Food, We Get Hungry - Switched (blog) - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Apple suggests only the iPhone can fingerprint songs - Geek.com - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Senior with mental challenges killed along highway - KLTV - April 7th, 2010 [April 7th, 2010]
- Book a Cruise and "Flip" Over a Free Camcorder - CruiseCritic.co.uk - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Creation Myths: what the argument that the iPad's not for creating content ... - Huffington Post (blog) - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Want market share? Make a brain claim - Marketing Web - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- 10 Ways World of Warcraft - OUPblog (blog) - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Check-in to Foursquare: Latest social media service lands in SW Florida - Naples Daily News - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]
- Apple iPhone OS 4 Announcement Makes Users Feel "Finally!" - HULIQ - April 8th, 2010 [April 8th, 2010]