← The How To Podcast Series - Podcast Co-Hosts, Practical Podcast Tips, and Podcast Community
The How To Podcast Series - Podcast Co-Hosts, Practical Podcast Tips, and Podcast Community
E656 - Consistency Beats Intensity - Podcast Lessons applied from Do It Today by Darius Foroux
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Okay, we're rolling. Hey, welcome back to the how to podcast series. Glad to be with you. Yeah. We're finishing up our five little mini episode series around Darius Fourroux's book Do it Today. And this is the last of the five we've already covered. Perfectionism is fancy procrastination. We talked about that. You allow your own distractions. We talked about the two minute rule for podcasters. No, not when you pick up food off the floor. No, no, no. And, and time blocking and how it beats to do lists. And now we're wrapping up with consistency beats intensity here on the show. And I'm glad you are here again. Go check out the book do it today with Darius forou link in the show notes. Go buy the book if you are so inclined, but we wanted to share this with you as well. There's so much other stuff in the book that can help you on your journey as podcaster. It's not a podcasting book per se, but for anybody that creates anything, this is a lot of good value, a lot of good lessons here from Darius as well. So go check out the book link in the show notes. Let's get into our conversation today. I'm glad you're here. Thanks for pressing play. So when we talk about the topic of consistency, it means a lot of things in podcasting and it's super important, but it's not meant to be a life sentence. As far as a podcaster, like, you're, you're, you're just stuck with this show now and you're going to have to be consistently posting for the rest of the your days. There's got to be a little bit of balance here. But there is a reward to showing up on a regular basis for your, for your audience. It does matter. It does. I think it crushes intensity every time. And you can binge record like 10 episodes in advance and have a, have a wild weekend rush of creating content, but eventually though, it can lead to burnout. And burnout for podcasters can mean a bunch of different things where maybe just run out of ideas. You. You fall into regret. You. You miss a. Do you miss a date? You miss a time? You miss a predetermined milestone. I have to get my episode out by Monday at 6am or else I failed. Right? No. I think in this book, Darius really helps us to understand that all strength comes from tiny, like 1% daily improvements over time. Not these big, huge, grandiose things that we try to put in front of us. These huge goals that seem unattainable to everyone, including ourselves, if we were honest with ourselves. So I think we need to look at how Dan Darius's book and how he challenges us here and why this changes how you do your podcast. You've probably. If you've been podcasting for a while, you might have fallen into this season for yourself. Like, not season as far as how you release your episode, but season of creation, right, for your show where you feel like you have to catch up on your feed only to ghost your listeners for weeks as you go record content. Like you're actually creating more gaps in your content by taking a step away from producing regular episodes to, to fill in the gaps of your podcast. I think as I look at my podcasts, that I'm building on endurance and endurance builds empires. And I've basically, in the last six, seven years, created my own little podcast network of my own with my own shows with no one else's on my network, just me. But all of these things grouped together. I did the math recently, over 2200 episodes across my nine podcasts. It's a lot of. It's a lot of episodes in that period of time. There are people who've been podcasting for 20 years that have less than 500 episodes total for. For like 20 years of content. And here I am just plugging away. Now. Part of this is not. This is not a vanity thing. It's not an ego thing. It's just the way I'm wired. When I have something ahead of me that I want, I go after it hard. I can remember looking at a. At a schedule for shifts at a job when I was young, just first married, and I was at the bottom of the list because I was a new hire in the company and I had just a couple shifts. And I remember saying to myself, I could still. I can remember. I can remember the hallway, the paper on the, on the bulletin board, and my name at the bottom of the list. And like two shifts and I was part time and I needed full time. I had a new, a new marriage. I had a new everything, a lot of expenses, and my wife was working full time and I was only part time. And I was like, I gotta, I gotta step up. I remember looking at the list and making a promise to myself that not only would I get to the top of the list as far as. Because it was kind of ranked by the manager down to the lowest newest person at the bottom of the list, I'm going to make my way up to that spot. That's my goal. And I'm just going to work to the point where my efforts and my attendance and my quality of my work and how I do my work will put me at the top of this list. I had a goal, and so I don't think that's arrogant. I think that's a. A self, A self fulfilling goal that I put in front of myself to make myself want it. And I didn't go around bragging everybody, telling them that one day I will be their boss. None of that stuff. I didn't do any of that. But inside, I wasn't happy with myself until I made. Made it to what I consider to be my goal. Not only did I get to the top of that list and become a manager in that same location, I then went on to be at the head office above the store, above the place, to the point where I was coming back to my old location. Not only did I get to the top of the list in the hallway where I was at the top of that list within that location, I was then at the top of the list above a bunch of other locations on top of that. And it was interesting because people would look at me as I came through the door. They're like, oh, you come for your job back? And I'm like, actually, no, I need to talk to you about something that happened here. And it's like, oh, so, yeah, I. I just had this goal. I have this drive for myself. And I actually heard Daniel Pink talk about this in an episode on Diary of a CEO with Stephen Bartlett about his drive. And I really resonate with this because this is. I've had this in my brain, but I haven't heard people say it out loud. And I'm like, that's me. That's. That's me. Again, not to be arrogant, but just like, oh, wait, I think that's what I am. But here's. Here's Daniel talking on Steven's podcast. I show up to write because that's my fricking job. And that's how you create stuff. You show up and you. And you work and you show up and you work. And so I. When I was starting out in writing, I looked around and I noticed that I felt like there were people who were more innately talented than I was, definitely. But I had to decide, no one's going to outwork me. So that's. That's it right there. No one's going to outwork me. Now I am surrounded in podcasting by people who do it way better for way longer than I have. Ever done it. But I know that if I want to grow, if I want to develop who I am as a podcaster, if I want to I to want understand how to create content, how to package a show, how to create a show for you and put it out there, I gotta show up. I can't make this a last to do thing on my priority list. This has to move to the top. And I make sacrifices. I don't watch tv, really, I don't. I, I don't find sources of entertainment external to inspire me or entertain me anymore. This is my thing and I love it. And I love mentally processing what I'm going to talk about on my show and building episodes and themes and little mini series like this one. When I find a resource, I think of you like I'm always in this creative space and for me that is what lights me up. And that's why for me, consistently creating content beats the intensity of what I'm doing. I just think that there's so many good things here in Do It Today by Darius Farouz that that really could help you and could really direct your path. Another book that people like to refer to is James Clear's Atomic Habits. And it really resonates with this author as well that that 1% better doubles your output yearly and listeners return weekly because you're reliable and your. Your brain re rewires to make creating automatic instead of like a have to. It becomes a need to and you ditch waiting for the mood to show up. You do it because this is your job, right? I treat this as my job. I don't get paid to do this, but I treat it with the same level of engagement that I have with my job. It is a not something that I do when I in the margins of life, this becomes one of my priorities, one of my main pillars of what I do. So I don't just show up when the feeling hits, I show up because it's, it has to go out, it has to be created. And putting out 365 episodes in a row this year, that's a huge, huge undertaking. But for me, it is what's pulling me forward into 2026 and it's really helping me to establish not only my credibility as a podcast about podcasting, but also connections with you and I. Again, I, I don't expect anybody to listen to every episode of this show, but you might be here right now as a first time listener going, I like this. I like the tone of the show. I like that it's not goofy I like that the show's not rude. I like that the show's not explicit. I like that this is where I feel comfortable. I feel safe. I can listen to this in the car with my kids without having to be embarrassed like some of the other podcasts about podcasting. So I like the feel of the show, and I feel safe here, and I feel like I'm getting the encouragement I need to do the thing I want to do. That's what I hope. That's my hope for this show. So some of the things that I've pulled from this book that I think could really apply to us here as podcasters is kind of creating our own little daily playbook. Maybe this is going to work for you. First, anchor everything in easy. Tie it to a coffee, for example. Jot three episode titles in five minutes. Good enough. While you're having a coffee. Just. That's your moment. Three episode titles, three content ideas, three things that you think you could work on. And do it in five minutes while you drink your coffee. It's good enough. That's it. Walk away. You're done. That's it. You've come up with an idea that might be all you need to start right? Your mind is now thinking, and once you start thinking about these titles, your brain, it's kind of like you're sending your brain out into the world to go substantiate your idea, confirm your thoughts, and come back to you with resources. It's amazing. It's kind of like your own little algorithm that you create for yourself. You're like, I want to talk about red cars. And now all you see is red cars. And you're getting. You're getting articles about red cars, you're getting tiktoks about red cars. You're getting YouTube videos suggested to you about red cars, because you're looking for it. It's front of mind for you. So by creating three episode titles, that might be all you need to start feeding your mind and directing your path towards answering the question for yourself so you can create the content to answer it for your audience. So anchor it in easy. Grab a coffee into the time it takes you to drink your coffee. Jot down three episode ideas, less than five minutes, you're done. And then track the streak. Make notes. Right? Understand what's happening and track your progress. That's another thing. If you don't measure it, it's hard to know if you're. If you're improving. And celebrate your wins. Celebrate your wins. We do this in our meetups. What are your wins this week? What, what, what's happening for you that's, that's working, right? What's happening over 30 days a week, seven days, two days, behind the scenes, things around what you do. Celebrate the wins and track them, Keep track of them and start tiny. Spend like 10 minutes researching a guest and stop. That's it. Listen to them on another show, watch their video on YouTube, something, right? Read their book reviews. If it's an author, right? Add and then add to that, a few seconds here and there over the week and build it up over time. It snowballs. And then also buddy up with other people, right? Who's in your world that pushes you forward? Who's in your world that's your cheerleader. Who's in your world that's you're accountable to. And if you, if you're podcasting alone, I would say it's harder. I think it's easier if you podcast with a friend, with a buddy. That's why we created the meetup. I keep talking about the meetups. I'm going to keep putting them in front of you until you, I convince you that it's worth your time. These meetups are great. You get to talk to people. You get to do life with people. We don't eye roll. When you say you have a podcast, like, oh, you is your podcast right? That again, no. We're a group of people who are just like you on a journey to be better. And that's what we really thinking. We need to create that space for you and we need you there to be part of it and participate. So buddy up with somebody. Find somebody in your world that you can be accountable to and will cheer you on at the same time. Through your consistency building over time, you're going to see more, your confidence rise. Your community is going to grow. People are going to anticipate you. People are going to be thinking about you even when they're not listening to your show. That's where the consistency lies. It's not random, it's laser focused. It's not a shotgun approach where you're just kind of hoping you hit something, but you're actually laser focused. You can see it in your sights. You know exactly what you want with your show and you're working your way that way. Intensity is going to fade over time. Consistency forces your podcast to grow. It just happens. So what's your 1.1% today? What's that one little thing that you can do today? Hit record. Your listeners need you. All these small steps that you start today are going to help you build your podcast, connect with your audience, and grow your show. It starts with a consistency. So I love this book. I love that it's here in the world for us. And I encourage you to grab a link in the show notes, go check it out, go grab a copy. And again, there's way more than just what we've talked about in the last five episodes. But I did want to put this out there in front of you. It's. It's a great book. I encourage you to grab it and share this with somebody else that you know may be struggling a little bit in their podcast journey. And they're, they're looking for that help. So do it today by Darius Ferro. Link in the show notes. Thanks for being here. Take care. Hey, Dave. It's Dave. Thank you for sticking around to the end. This is where we do our call to action or pathway to engagement, as I like to call it. And here's what's interesting. I've been doing this podcast for years now, hosting meetups, helping podcasters, editing for people, doing a lot of the behind the scenes stuff. And when we have people who follow the show, reach out to me and say, dave, guess what? I'm like, what? They said, I just hired my first consultant. I'm gonna go work with them and help me with my podcast. And I kind of go, wait a minute. You what? They're like, yeah, yeah, I found a podcast consultant and they're gonna help me with my show. It's hard to pretend to be happy. Why? Because I want to work with you. I like, wait a minute. Like Dave, you know the guy Dave, who's been doing the how to podcast series and eight other podcasts, and the guy that's been with you the whole time. And we've done meetups, we've done time together, we've spent time together. And you've hired somebody else now? Maybe I'm not your person. That's okay. I'm totally fine with that. By the way, keep coming back. I love having you here. But if you're like, well, I didn't hire you because you don't have anything like that, do you? And I do, and I have been for a long time and I don't talk about it enough, apparently, because people are going to other people looking for things that Dave does. So in the spirit of Dave and in the spirit of making better connections with you, I do have personal coaching in podcasting. I have podcast community, I have all of the resources, I have all of the background, the history in podcasting, and the love for you as a fellow podcaster. If you're looking for a podcast coach, somebody who can walk with you, somebody who cares about you, someone who is your challenger, your cheerleader and your coach. Because even though I've said on the show you can't be all three, I think I am. And I want to help you. So howtopodcast ca, please, before you go searching anywhere else, come to where we started and where we met first. Right here. I'd love to help you. HowtoPodcast CA come reach out to me. I want to talk to you. Thanks. You're still here. Great. This is a little bonus piece at the end of the podcast for the people who stick around to the end, which helps the podcast grow, by the way, because you're still here and anyone who listens to the end, the completion of the end of the episode is assigned to the app that this is a good podcast. You're finding value in it, it's worth sharing. And the apps tend to like content where people stick around. So encourage your audience, first of all to do this on your show, to stick around to the end. A bonus thing, people will put like clips of their screw ups and their bloopers. That's fine, but after a while that becomes a little bit tiresome. And I don't really want to hear your mistakes. I want to, I want value. There's no value in your mistakes. Maybe beyond showing that you're real, I'd like to have something valuable. So if you're bored with your podcast, what do you do? What do you do if you're just bored? You're like this again. Like, I come to the mic and I'm like, oh, do I gotta do this? Really? Let's go back to that episode one of the how to Podcast series. It was about your. Why? Why did you create this show in the first place? If you don't, even if you don't remember or it's changed, it could be time to wrap up the show. It could be time to close everything down and maybe chase something new. If you no longer work in that industry, if you no longer write books, if you no longer record music, if you no longer work at that business company thing, if you're not in HR anymore and you've moved on to something else, you stopped basket weaving and now you knit. Maybe it's time for a new show, a new direction. Your audience will travel with you. If there's something relatable in the content as well People will travel with you to a new show because they like you. So don't be afraid to chase the things that interest you. That's why I have nine podcasts, because there's more than just podcasts about podcasting that I love to do. I have dad space. I have a children's podcast. I have an author podcast. I love to go in different directions because then I find myself not getting bored. Am I bored of you? Absolutely not. 365 episodes in 2026. I'm not bored of you. I'm not bored of podcasts about podcasting. But sometimes there's days where you're just like, I don't feel it today. And like we talked about in this episode, consistency comes not just when you feel like doing it, but you do it because it's your job. It's because it's your passion. It's your thing. And you. You can't imagine not doing it. That's why we show up. So keep coming back. Keep. If you find yourself bored, it might be time for a change. If you're like, Dave, I'd just like to talk through this and see if I'm. If I'm thinking or feeling this the right way, or maybe there's some alternatives, reach out to me. HowToPodcast CA Calendar links right there. It's always there. Love to have time with you, and I would take that link down if I didn't want to talk to you. So grab a spot anytime. Let's chat. Talk about why you're getting bored with your show. Let's talk through it and see what we can come up with. Hope to talk soon. Take care.