I can be very hard on myself.

I started podcasting last year when the pandemic had started. I posted a few episodes and then ran out of gas!

This is not new. I have started many hobbies in the past that ran out of gas. I would start a hobby and get super into it, and even create meaningful work. Then the gas runs out. Time passes. And then the inertia of not doing becomes too hard to overcome.

Here are some hobbies I have picked up and abandoned:

woodworking
youtubing
making short films
bicycle advocacy and urban planning
percussion drumming
digital photography
médium format film photography
blogging daily, even

The list goes on. I had good reasons to pause and, I'm sure even better reasons to stay paused. But none of them should matter. I know I feel guilty of abandoning the hobbies and I am sure some of that guilt holds me back from re-starting it. Like I said, I am hard on myself.

I can also get addicted to TV and Youtube. I'm always fighting it. I've never been better at fighting it as I am today. I quit social media years ago and I can fight the entertainment media also.

But enough with the excuses.

I'm going to give podcasting another shot. My goal this year is to post 6 episodes. I know that is a low bar but I want to produce fantastic quality work. I want to think deeply about the topics, and even read some books to prepare for it. This is not analysis-paralysis. I won't let perfection keep me from delivering.

I recognize it takes a lot of effort to overcome inertia of not doing. Not doing is so easy. Doing is hard. I've been slowing training myself to do more. I now get Casey Neistat's tattoo "Do More". I'd add, "Do more and do it well".

I also know what happens when one does overcome inertia and start moving. Extending this metaphor from Applied Physics, once you get moving, momentum takes over and it gets easier to move the next bit, then momentun gets higher and it gets easier. You get the idea. This works for creative work, at least, it works for me.

The first episode of the podcast this year will take some effort to produce and post.

The second will get easier.