Do you think I like working this hard? - The Art & Business of Writing Podcast with Nicolas Cole

Summary

Coffee With Cole: The Digital Writing Podcast - Episode Summary

Title: Do you think I like working this hard?
Host: Nicolas Cole
Release Date: January 23, 2025

In this compelling episode of Coffee With Cole: The Digital Writing Podcast, host Nicolas Cole delves deep into the often unspoken realities of the digital writing journey. Through a candid and introspective monologue, Cole dismantles common misconceptions about the creative process, emphasizing the significance of perseverance, hard work, and the true sources of success in digital writing, ghostwriting, and self-publishing.

1. The Reality of Hard Work in Writing

Cole opens the episode by challenging the romanticized view of the writing process. He poses a series of rhetorical questions to highlight the tedious and repetitive aspects of writing that are rarely discussed:

“Do you think I like working this hard? Do you think I wake up every single morning and I can't wait to sit down and figure out how to say the same thing I've already said a new and different way?” ([00:08])

He acknowledges that the daily grind—proofreading, editing, and reiterating advice to writers—is far from enjoyable. Instead, Cole clarifies that his passion lies in the outcomes rather than the arduous process itself.

2. Loving the Outcome Over the Process

Cole emphasizes his love for the end results of his labor, such as holding a finished book, rather than the hours spent creating it:

“I love holding the book I just wrote in my hands. I don't love the 150 hours I had to spend getting it there, but I love the end result.” ([02:15])

This perspective underscores the importance of focusing on the tangible achievements that come from relentless effort, rather than seeking immediate gratification in the process.

3. Misconceptions About Enjoying the Journey

Challenging the idealistic notion that one should be "in love with the process" every day, Cole points out that:

“They're supposed to love what they come up with every day. Every word that they write is supposed to just feel magical, and that's not what it's like.” ([07:45])

He argues that writing—and most significant endeavors—often involve mundane and uninspiring tasks. Recognizing and accepting this reality is crucial for sustained success.

4. The Importance of Boring Work as a Competitive Advantage

Cole introduces the concept of boring work as a moat, a sustainable competitive advantage that separates successful writers from the rest:

“Every time you do something that is boring, you have to see it as an unfair competitive advantage.” ([14:30])

He explains that willingly engaging in repetitive and unglamorous tasks over time distances one from the competition. This consistent effort, rather than inherent talent or intelligence, is what leads to lasting success.

5. Goal Setting and Time Estimation

Addressing the common struggle with motivation and action, Cole shares his strategy for overcoming procrastination through time-based goal setting:

“Pick an arbitrary number and just guess and say, I bet it's going to take 100 hours for me to do that. And then whatever you guess, double it. So it's probably going to take me 200 hours.” ([19:10])

By anchoring objectives in tangible hours, Cole provides a method to manage expectations and maintain progress, thereby increasing the likelihood of achieving long-term goals.

6. Embracing the Challenge

Cole reflects on his extensive experience mentoring over 12,000 writers, noting a common misconception among them:

“Writers expect to put forth the tiniest bit of effort, but unlock outcomes equivalent to someone putting forth a decade of effort.” ([24:50])

He emphasizes that success is less about innate ability and more about the willingness to embrace and endure the challenge of consistent, disciplined work.

7. Competing Against Yourself

A pivotal theme in Cole’s discussion is the idea that the true competition is not with others but with oneself:

“It was always about competing against yourself.” ([29:05])

This internal competition fosters continuous growth and improvement, helping writers push beyond their perceived limits and achieve greater heights.

8. Conclusion: Embracing the Output

In closing, Cole reiterates his passion for the output and the satisfaction derived from witnessing others realize their potential:

“I really enjoy seeing when it clicks for someone else and when another writer wakes up to their own potential or realizes what they need to do in order to achieve their goals.” ([35:20])

He underscores that while the process may be unenjoyable, the fulfillment comes from the successful outcomes and the positive impact on others.

Key Takeaways:

Embrace the Grind: Success in digital writing stems from enduring and managing the monotonous aspects of the work.
Focus on Outcomes: Prioritize the end results over the daily process to maintain motivation.
Boring Work as a Moat: Utilize repetitive tasks as a sustainable competitive advantage.
Time-Based Goals: Use tangible hour estimates to set and achieve realistic goals.
Internal Competition: Strive to outdo your past self rather than compete with others.

Nicolas Cole’s insightful discourse provides a grounded perspective for aspiring writers, encouraging them to persist through the less glamorous aspects of writing and focus on the impactful outcomes that define true success.

Transcript

A (0:08)

Do you think I like working this hard? Do you think I wake up every single morning and I can't wait to sit down and figure out how to say the same thing I've already said a new and different way? Do you think that I get excited to proofread the book I just wrote and reread it for grammar edits for the hundredth time? Do you think that I love telling writers the same thing over and over and over again, even though I know the next time I say it to them they're probably not going to do it and they're going to need to hear it 100 more times? Do you think that I love and appreciate and have fun every single moment of every day? The answer is no, I don't. What I love are the outcomes. I love getting through something that is boring or challenging and then reaping the fruits of my labor. I love holding the book I just wrote in my hands. I don't love the 150 hours I had to spend getting it there, but I love the end result. I love the final product, right? I don't love repeating myself over and over and over again in content I publish on the Internet or when I'm doing live sessions with writers I'm mentoring someone in one of our programs. I don't love repeating myself. It's actually pretty boring for me. I'd rather spend my time doing something else. But what I do love is I love seeing when it clicks and I love seeing the moment when the other writer wakes up to their own potential or suddenly they understand how to overcome that obstacle in front of them. I love the end result. I don't love getting myself out of bed at 6:30 in the morning before the sun is up. I have a temperature controlled mattress. I love my bed. It's very comfy and very cozy and I hate hearing my alarm go off and go, well, I gotta get up and I gotta get all these things done in the morning so that I can preserve that, you know, hour, two hours of writing first thing before I start getting bombarded with slack messages, running our company, right? I don't love doing that. But I love when I finally sit down and I get out of bed and I get through the muck of the morning and all the little chores I have to do, then I sit down with my cup of coffee and everything's quiet. And then I get to just think. And even if the thinking's hard, I love that. I love that time and I love to see what I came up with. I Love to see the output, the final product. And I think a lot of times everybody, but especially writers, have this conflated perception of what the journey is supposed to feel like. They're supposed to be in love with the process every day. They're supposed to love what they come up with every day. Every word that they write is supposed to just feel magical, and that's not what it's like. And most things that you have to do are not that enjoyable in the moment. But you love the output, and everyone loves the output. People admire the output. And part of why we admire the output is because on some level, we know that the process for getting there is challenging and it's tiring, and. And more times than not, it's very boring. And something that we say all the time in our writing programs is that the boring work is the moat. So every time you do something that is boring, you have to see it as an unfair competitive advantage. And if I could summarize all of the things that I have achieved over the past decade writing and writing on the Internet, the vast majority of the rewards didn't come from my talent and my intelligence, both of which I think I don't have very much of. Truthfully, I often feel like people are a lot more talented and a lot smarter than I am. But my unfair competitive advantage is that I can tolerate a very, very, very high level of boring work, and I don't mind doing it. And I have found a way to fall in love with that process. And so the boring work is your moat. Every time you do something that the average person goes, I don't really want to do that. That doesn't sound all that fun. You get a little bit further away from them. And the more you do that over a longer time horizon, the further and further away you get from the vast majority of competition, until eventually you realize that it was never about competing with other people. It was always about competing against yourself. And so I share this because right now, you probably have a very flawed and faulty misunderstanding of what the journey is supposed to feel like. And you think it's supposed to all be fun, and you think it's supposed to be easy, and you think it's supposed to be effortless, and you think it's supposed to just come to you, and there's talented people, and there's untalented people, and if you have it, well, then magical words just fall out of your fingertips. And that couldn't be further from the truth. It has almost nothing to do with that. And it has Everything to do with your ability to tolerate really boring work for hours on end. Something I've been repeating to myself endlessly over the past couple years is it's just hours. Pick an arbitrary number. Anytime you say you want to do something, pick an arbitrary number and just guess and say, I bet it's going to take 100 hours for me to do that. And then whatever you guess, double it. So it's probably going to take me 200 hours. And if I told you that there was a 100% success rate, if all you had to do was get through those 200 hours, you would feel a lot better about going on the journey. And the problem is that the reality of the situation is people don't know the number, right? You never know how many hours it's really going to take you. And because the number is unknown and because the outcome is slightly unknown, most people talk themselves out of taking action at all. And that's why I really like to just set these arbitrary goals for myself. And I just say, it'll probably take me 200 hours. And then I just start counting the hours. And when I get there, I will either have achieved my goal or I will have realized that it actually takes 400 hours, in which case I just go back and do another 200, right? But sometimes it helps to anchor your mindset in something tangible. It's just hours. It's not about talent. It's not about creativity. It's just hours. And so this is something that I often notice. You know, I've mentored over 12,000 writers at this point between our two programs, SHIP, 30 for 30, and our premium Ghost Training Academy. And I find over and over and over again that writers expect to put forth the tiniest bit of effort, but unlock outcomes equivalent to someone putting forth a decade of effort. And what that has shown me is that the first step is recognizing how flawed your understanding is of what needs to be done. Because it's not supposed to feel fun every day. It's not supposed to be easy. That is the differentiator. That is the moat, right? And it's the people who embrace the challenge of that that end up widening themselves from everyone else. And so I just wanted to share this. I hope this is helpful. Maybe this is what you need to hear. Again, is this my favorite thing to say and talk about? Not necessarily. I'd rather be working on my own writing. But I share it because I enjoy the output and I really enjoy seeing when it clicks for someone else and when another writer wakes up to their own potential or realizes what they need to do in order to achieve their goals. So I hope this is helpful for.