Siddhant Dubey

Processes Not Products

Last year, I set concrete goals based on the outcomes of my actions.

I did not hit any of these goals, and although I made significant progress on the YouTube front, I constantly felt like crap because I wasn’t making these goals happen. By constantly focusing on the outcomes my actions (writing, filming, editing) would result in, I was producing shitty content and it wasn’t getting better. I put out bad video after bad video with low-effort editing and terrible thumbnails, hoping for some divine intervention by the Algorithm to catapult my channel to success. Instead of focusing on getting 20,000 subscribers, I should have focused on making the best videos I could.

This year, I’m taking a different approach to goal-setting. I’m focusing on the processes that may lead to outcomes like the ones mentioned above, but I’m not hellbent on those numbers. Instead, I want to build consistent habits and improve every day. I’ve been doing that for the last month, and it’s been better for my mood AND my content. Edits are looking better, videos are performing better, and I’m able to make MORE videos, so I’m getting better faster.

I’ve also had more time to code, and it’s brought a lot of joy to my life. I didn’t get to build much at all last year, my time was consumed by tom-foolery that didn’t really get me anywhere, emotionally or goals-wise. With coding, I was again focused on making more side projects instead of ones I enjoyed making. This mentality led to me making 1 or 2 really crappy projects I hated making. I’m in the process of changing that this year. When I have an idea I’m passionate about, I do a little bit of work for it immediately. Seeing those partially filled files makes me happy. I know I’ll have something to work on that I’ll enjoy.

I’m less focused on how others perceive me this year. I’m focused on making myself happy by improving my skills, working on projects I enjoy, and publishing as often as I can. Hopefully, the numbers and milestones follow, but I’m in no hurry.