Last November, I decided to tackle one of the items on my bucket list and learn how to do a podcast. National Podcast Post Month aka NaPodPoMo was the perfect opportunity. The challenge was to post 30 podcasts in 30 days. I successfully completed the challenge. Below, I’ve listed ten of the lessons I learned .
Lessons Learned
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Try new things even if you are afraid. It is easier if you are with a group of folks that are on the same path. My cheerleading group,NaPodPoMo.org x Dreemport.com | Powered by CWH group, helped me figure things out, let me know of helpful apps, and were a joy to co-work with.
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Baby bites are totally okay. Because I wanted to focus on learning the technology, I decided to use the daily poetry and writing prompts emails I have been sending out for more than 2 years. Normally, I would have designed some big project that took a lot of planning and research. Being content with a baby bite was a big achievement for me.
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Define success on your terms. Is success publishing 30 podcasts for the challenge? Or learning how to podcast by practicing the steps from conception to publish on a few podcasts? You decide.
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Everything has a process composed of separate steps. You may look at the entire process, but focus only on the first step, then the next’ and so on.
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Give yourself the grace of an open mind and a willingness to try more than once if the first, or second, or third time doesn’t work. This is a new skill you are learning. I like to think of a child learning to walk. I can’t and won’t fail nearly as many times as I fell on my bum while learning to walk. And, here I am walking everyday.
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Be patient with yourself and be willing to walk away for a bit. There’s no shame in returning with a fresh brain. The longer you sit there trying to push through, the more stuck you will be.
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Know your signal that frustration is setting in. Mine is anger. If I start to get angry, or start to swear at the screen, I know it is time to walk away, change tasks, get a fresh coffee, water, or tea. Or go for a quick walk around the block. Anything to interrupt the mental pattern of “I’m not getting this. I’m never going to get this.”
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Remember, your learning pace is yours. Don’t let yourself feel shamed if you aren’t moving as fast as others or if you are told that you are moving too far ahead. Again, your learning pace is yours!
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Find a buddy or buddies to keep you company while you try that new challenge. Virtually works fine and may even be better than in person. Schedule a time to talk about progress and maybe to co-work virtually. The support, suggestions, and different perspectives provided will inevitably speed you along.
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Celebrate every victory! When you learn to script, use your mic, record on your computer, add transition music, find your RSS feed – every small step in the process is worth celebrating. Put your focus on what you accomplished not what you didn’t do.
My Bonus Lessons.
This was a fun experiment. In addition to the lessons listed below, I also learned about many useful podcast related applications and software programs that I will continue to explore. I learned enough that I am now completely comfortable with the steps involved in taking a podcast from idea to published. And, I met new friends to share the fun with. I’m already planning more than one new podcast series for the future.
If you would like to listen to Poetry and Prompts, click on the links anchor.fm https://anchor.fm/jessica-l-lloyd-rog
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4KEGIJV4otOuqoPGT6zia1
If you would like to subscribe, here’s the link to my RSS feed.
https://anchor.fm/s/c71747d4/podcast/rss