#245: How to get more done [Voice Memo] - Creator Science with Jay Clouse

Summary

Creator Science Podcast - Episode #245: How to Get More Done

Host: Jay Clouse
Release Date: March 7, 2025
Podcast Description: Creating content has never been easier – but breaking through the noise has gotten harder. The only reliable way to grow as a creator is through observation, experimentation, and iteration. This podcast is your weekly guide to evidence-backed strategies and experiments you can apply to your business.

Introduction

In Episode #245 of Creator Science, titled "How to Get More Done," host Jay Clouse shares his insights on productivity and effective management, drawing from his extensive experience as a former product manager in the tech industry. This episode delves into the parallels between product management and content creation, emphasizing the importance of delegation, stakeholder management, and team collaboration to enhance productivity and drive growth.

Jay Clouse's Background and Transition to Content Creation

Jay begins by recounting his tenure as a product manager in the tech sector, where he was responsible for overseeing the development of software products. He describes the role of a product manager as akin to a "mini CEO" for a specific product, where one must juggle multiple stakeholders without having direct authority over them.

Jay Clouse [00:00]: "A product manager is a really interesting role because you don't really have stated authority, but you're kind of like the mini CEO of a specific product that the business sells."

This foundational experience played a crucial role in shaping his approach to content creation. Jay identifies content as a product, underscoring the necessity of managing various contributors and processes to ensure its successful development and distribution.

Managing Stakeholders Without Direct Authority

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the challenge of managing multiple stakeholders—each with their own expectations and needs—without having direct control over their actions. Jay likens this dynamic to a basketball court scenario where he is surrounded by stakeholders who "chuck the ball" to him, and his role is to pass it along efficiently to keep the project moving forward.

Jay Clouse [02:10]: "It's as if I am hoarding all of these different basketballs and holding onto them myself and I'm the bottleneck for everything."

This analogy highlights the critical role of timely decision-making and effective delegation in preventing bottlenecks that can stall progress.

The Importance of Delegation in Content Creation

Transitioning to his current role as a content creator, Jay emphasizes the importance of delegation to manage the expanding scope of his projects. He discusses how, unlike his previous role, he can now oversee the entire content creation process from start to finish but recognizes the limitations of handling everything alone.

Jay Clouse [04:30]: "If you're trying to make progress quickly, the best thing you can do is surround yourself with competent people and get the ball out of your court."

Jay outlines his strategy of proactively bringing in professionals to handle specific aspects of his business, such as email management, merchandise, events, and lab operations. By doing so, he reduces his own workload and accelerates project timelines.

Building and Empowering a Professional Team

Jay shares his journey of building a reliable support team, which has been instrumental in his ability to scale his content creation efforts. He credits this approach with not only enhancing efficiency but also fostering collaboration and innovation within his projects.

Jay Clouse [06:20]: "I'm inviting more and more people onto my court so that I can empower them and get the ball out of my hands."

By delegating tasks to specialized professionals, Jay ensures that each component of his business is handled by experts, thereby maintaining high-quality output and allowing him to focus on strategic decision-making.

Overcoming Challenges in Delegation

Despite the advantages, Jay acknowledges the inherent challenges in delegation. He often finds himself returning to the role of decision-maker, responding to messages and emails to ensure that delegated tasks are completed effectively.

Jay Clouse [07:50]: "I'm often responding to messages and emails and things because the ball is back in my court and I got to get it out."

This recurring involvement underscores the delicate balance between delegation and oversight. Jay advises creators to trust their teams while remaining accessible for crucial decisions, ensuring that delegation enhances rather than hinders productivity.

Practical Applications and Final Thoughts

Towards the end of the episode, Jay provides actionable advice for creators aiming to increase their productivity:

Identify Key Areas for Delegation: Determine which tasks can be outsourced to specialists to free up your time for more strategic activities.
Build a Reliable Support Team: Surround yourself with competent professionals who can manage different facets of your business effectively.
Maintain Open Communication: Ensure that there is a clear channel for feedback and decision-making to facilitate smooth project progression.
Avoid Becoming a Bottleneck: Resist the urge to hold onto tasks that can be handled by others, thus preventing delays and enhancing overall efficiency.

Jay Clouse [09:15]: "Let them do the thing, and ultimately, they're going to. They're going to have times when they come back to you and need your input."

Conclusion

Episode #245 of Creator Science offers valuable insights into the mechanics of productivity and effective management within the content creation space. Jay Clouse masterfully translates his experiences from product management to the realm of content creation, providing listeners with practical strategies to delegate, manage stakeholders, and build a supportive team. By embracing these principles, creators can overcome bottlenecks, accelerate their projects, and focus on scaling their businesses efficiently.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

[00:00] Jay Clouse: "A product manager is a really interesting role because you don't really have stated authority, but you're kind of like the mini CEO of a specific product that the business sells."
[02:10] Jay Clouse: "It's as if I am hoarding all of these different basketballs and holding onto them myself and I'm the bottleneck for everything."
[04:30] Jay Clouse: "If you're trying to make progress quickly, the best thing you can do is surround yourself with competent people and get the ball out of your court."
[06:20] Jay Clouse: "I'm inviting more and more people onto my court so that I can empower them and get the ball out of my hands."
[07:50] Jay Clouse: "I'm often responding to messages and emails and things because the ball is back in my court and I got to get it out."
[09:15] Jay Clouse: "Let them do the thing, and ultimately, they're going to. They're going to have times when they come back to you and need your input."

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from Episode #245, providing a clear and engaging overview for those who haven't listened to the episode. By highlighting Jay Clouse's experiences and actionable strategies, it serves as a valuable resource for creators seeking to enhance their productivity and grow their businesses.

Transcript

A (0:00)

You may not know this because I don't really talk about it anymore, but before I was doing the creator thing, I was in tech. I was helping to build software companies. And specifically my role was a product manager. Now, a product manager is a really interesting role because you don't really have stated authority, but you're kind of like the mini CEO of a specific product that the business sells. And so the way that would look would be I'm basically handling all the stakeholders for this product. I'm talking to users about the problems, and then I'm working with the design team to design the experience that will solve the problem for them. And then we hand that over to the engineering team and we actually build the software to do that. And at the same time, I'm coordinating or communicating with the leaders in the company just to make sure that we're on time and under budget. So you have all of these stakeholders that are kind of coming to you for your input to help the project get to the finish line. But again, you don't actually have true authority over any of these teams. They just kind of look at you as the leader of this product, right? And so your life as a product manager, you're basically bouncing, meeting to meeting to meeting, and helping these teams move the ball forward. Of course, you have your own work that you need to do at times, too. Things that you need to write, people you need to communicate with outside of meetings. But what I found as a product manager was often the bottleneck or the sticking point that was preventing the project from moving forward was that one of these stakeholders would need my input. Usually they would have a decision that needs to be made and they'd bring it to me in hopes that I could help them make that decision. And so what I quickly found as a product manager was that basically the fastest way to get through this sprint, to get this product to the next stage in the process was to prioritize the needs of all the people around me, all the stakeholders, all the people on the team above. Kind of my own work needs. Basically, I kind of saw myself as like standing in the middle of a basketball court and all of these different stakeholders were surrounding me, and they would each have a basketball, and they would chuck it at me sometimes, and suddenly I'm holding the ball, and while I'm holding the ball, they are no longer making progress forward, and I need to get the ball back out of my hands as quickly as possible and back into theirs so progress can continue moving forward. That was kind of the name of the Game. Why do I tell you all this? Well, this was fantastic training for. For being a creator because content is a product and there are lots of stakeholders involved with making the product too. Sure. I don't have to work with designers and developers to make the product real anymore. I can kind of go start to finish with a lot of this. But as I shared my last voice memo, what I'm trying to do right now is hire and delegate a lot more. And so I'm reactivating this muscle of basically I am proactively bringing in people to my basketball court, surrounding myself with them, and chucking these different balls out of my hands to them, because I have all these projects that, as a creator, I want to do that in the business need to happen. But it's as if I am hoarding all of these different basketballs and holding onto them myself and I'm the bottleneck for everything. So I'm basically inviting more and more people onto my court so that I can empower them and get the ball out of my hands. Because again, this is actually what moves things forward. And now I have kind of activated a group of really great professionals in different areas of the business. I'm having someone help me on the email side. I had someone help me on the merch side. We have someone helping on events right now. I'm going to bring in some help for the lab, and it's really fun to collaborate with professionals and get the ball out of your hands. But I find myself now again in the seat of decision maker and I'm often responding to messages and emails and things because the ball is back in my court and I got to get it out. All this to say, if you're trying to make progress quickly, the best thing you can do is surround yourself with competent people and get the ball out of your court, get it back into their hands, let them do the thing, and ultimately, you know, they're going to. They're going to have times when they come back to you and need your input, and that's great. Just make sure you're not sitting there hoarding the basketballs again right in front of you, preventing other people from making progress, because that is going to slow your timeline down significantly. Thanks for listening. I know I haven't had a new interview in a couple of weeks. It's been busy over here building out the studio, which maybe you saw on my Instagram or LinkedIn. It's a beautiful place. I'm actually using this episode as a test run of the new podcast microphone to see how it sounds as opposed to recording into my phone. I am just in love with this space. So excited to show you the behind the scenes. We're making a full video on our channel to break down what we did in here, why we did it. Can't wait to share it with you. But for now, enjoy your weekend and I'll talk to you on Tuesday.