How to increase productivity

[@JackConteExtras]

one of the most frequent questions i get from creators is how to balance quality vs quantity. i think about this constantly, and my views shift and evolve over time, but overall, this video is my response to that question. how do i balance being scrappy and fast with making something that i'm proud of? how do i ensure i'm paying enough attention to details while not missing the forest for the trees? these questions are really tough for anyone and especially for creative people. i've heard stories that tame impala (who i LOVE) spends four months getting ONE particular drum tone, for ONE song. should I ALSO do that? should i dive DEEP? or should i try to focus on regularity and frequency and publish WEEKLY videos instead? if so, how do you stay creative on a deadline? these are TOUGH, REAL questions, and so i wanted to put together some thoughts on my particular approach to this problem. it's clearly not the only way think about the problem, but it's how i, personally, think about it, structure my time, and stay productive. i hope it's helpful!

[@joshuadiaz2757]

This is indeed a difficult balancing act. On one hand, if a creative work is pushed through too quickly, then some opportunities to improve it may be missed and the ideas may be underdeveloped. On the other hand, if one obsesses too much about the details, then the time to publish increases and ironically, the big picture of the creative work may even be lost because its been buried in the details. My personal philosophy is to treat time like investments. If I invest X amount of hours on this, how much will I get out of this. I know it's difficult to define the "how much I will get out of this" part like you said, but its certainly something to be aware of. Again, easier said than done. Anywho,thanks again for sharing!

[@gwenhauwuk]

Thank you so much Jack!

[@ThomasKobrick]

I'm going to go ahead and watch this on a loop because I've been wrestling with this exact thing my entire life, and especially most recently with my channel. The timing of this could not be more perfect. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

[@YanivAxen]

But how do you know if and when something is good enough to publish. We all want to publish our masterpiece and if we could we would love to do it on a weekly basis but how do you determine when you've reached the stop sign? External constraint? Compelling event?

[@albertsalt]

Man you have been such a huge influence on me since I discovered your National Anthem cover over a decade ago. The amount I have learnt from you over the years is absolutely insane. What you talk about in this video is so important. I've recently been following in your footsteps doing my take on your videosong idea. It's pretty crazy, had it been done on YoutTube before started doing them? Here's my most recent one Runaway by Kanye West kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2Wwq4htdrSib9k

[@JoshuaThomasGray]

dang dude. Like a breath of fresh air to have someone dropping such wisdom from the years of experience.. Thanks man this was great!

[@djstarsign]

Joshua Gray there’s a really great (but long) public interview with both Questlove and Tom Sachs and they both have this mentality. I realize Tom Sachs can be a bit off putting to some, but his commitment to his work is impressive.

[@JoshuaThomasGray]

@@djstarsign nice that sounds interesting

[@ClayTallStories]

Another pumped video, Jack! The emotional and physical state you are in while creating any type of content is critical to the outcome. I spent over 300 hours working on a video that totally flopped and the following month I went fishing and created a video vlog in 51 seconds on my phone shooting profile styles called '51 seconds you can afford to lose.' The video got robbed from my channel and made the front page of Reddit with 95k upvote and was ranked in the ten most popular video for Reddit in the last year. We have to pay much more attention to our emotional and physical state before even starting to create anything. Casey Nistiet runs each morning before he shoots his daily vlog. Gets himself pumped and then shoots with all the energy that we love so much with perfect timing and dynamics while talking about the latest drone or smartphone etc.

[@RememberTheTrees]

I think it's really easy to get stuck in a rut creatively by overthinking things, especially as a natural perfectionist, but also to churn out so much mediocre content that you become deeply unsatisfied with your work. When it comes to actually making money and selling a product, increasing productivity and publishing is great. However, it is also _possible_ to completely finish a piece of art and be happy with it. Takes a lot of time, mastery, attention, patience, devotion, obsession lol, but there is very little that compares to the satisfaction of experiencing that finished piece. That feeling isn't something you should aim for every time, perfect is the enemy of the good and all, but y'know, I do think it is a valuable thing to allow yourself to do. I appreciate that you made a little venn diagram of it that allows for the gratifying luxury of that some of the time.

[@PeterHollens]

Aww thanks for the call out JACK! 1:19 YOU ARE A BEAST. How about Build the best company for the creator revolution, heading it up turning it into a life saving platform whilst rocking 2-3??? Bands and videos? WHERE ARE YOUR STATS?!

[@itsdavidmora]

YASSSSS. So often, *ironically* what gets us MOST STUCK is... the stuff that does *not* matter. It's not just that you *ought to* focus on what matters. It's that doing so makes it *easier* to finish stuff! So helpful!!

[@AnvydeTour]

This video is like an angel from heaven sparkling some beautiful glitter on all of us obsessive perfectionists to stop focusing on the little insignificant details that literally NO ONE, but us cares about and start PUBLISHING! Thanks Jack.

[@musicjst]

I've seen a few different versions of this talk now... and I'm still convinced it's THE best advice for creatives on the whole of youtube. So thanks again Jack 🙌

[@AuthenTech]

“Real artists ship.” -Steve Jobs

[@jpnavarromusic]

Man, from a software engineer, musician and professional procastinator/perfectionist to another, thank you.

[@MetalForBreakfast]

DUDE THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS. You just pinpointed one of my biggest weaknesses. Everything is a funnel. You can't choose what you're famous for. Work. To. Publish. And leave the rest to the funnel. 🤘

[@Paint]

Oh look you made a video specifically for me 😂 This was a kick in the face 🙏

[@GRUBB-MUDD]

I really appreciate how positive u r and how much u care about other creators, I'm sure u don't need the money

[@jamilgonzalez]

Blown away. Can’t believe it took me this long to go down a Jack Conte rabbit hole with so many gems. Literally just sitting here blown away.

[@SamMartinPeakPerformance]

major mindset shift watching this - stop 'finishing' and start 'publishing' 👏

[@ZacharyAghaizu]

What I needed to hear, thank you!! It's true you can't force choose a hit. People choose it

[@livinglargebylivinglittle5410]

OMG, I wrote 10 pieces on Medium in the past 2 days after watching this video. More than I've written in the past month. My productivity on creative things has shot through the roof. Thank you for your words. Inspiring.

[@schtuff.8207]

I think the trick is to allow your ego to not be the deciding factor, or you'll never be done. I've been in a situation making an album for years with a legendary producer, with promises that he can get some of my music heroes to hear it. I let my ego consume the situation (not arrogance, but ego in the sense of 'I can't release it till its as good as x', rather than coming at it from a spirit of giving it away as soon as possible as my priority), far past the point of being inspired by the music I was making - and it has caused me profound suffering, and suffering for everyone around me as it kept dragging on. I'm glad the thing will ultimately sound better than it would have had I released it sooner, but also, I could have put a lot more feelings and art and thoughts out into the world in those years instead of nitpicking, and thats my approach going forward. Not quantity over quality, but quantity over misery (both personal misery and the misery you cause by being stingy with your gifts to the world). Give up your right to be right about how much something isn't there yet, and you can enjoy life a lot more, and others can enjoy your gifts in ways you never could imagine. I've decided that instead of making stuff that needs to seem like a masterpiece to me as my legacy, my legacy is just to be myself and be happy - and frankly, I think I'll have a much better output and become a better artist in the long run that way anyways. But PR campaigns that deify great songwriters/artists over the years is a chronic issue in music that stops a lot of daring and a lot of output, the stories that leave out the failures and humiliation... you say yourself that failures are a necessary part of the process in other videos, yet we don't see nearly enough of that. 'Great art' is also decided by having the right team (which can be a crapshoot to find at times), and deciding the rules of the game for yourself: 'Three months to make it' 'everything done live off the floor, except this one song'. People will appreciate it from within whatever context you set - it helps create cohesion on a record, and makes almost a 'story in a story' for the record, makes it more approachable/vulnerable rather than just trying to make something sound perfect, without knowing what that even really means to you until you feel it, which you'll never really feel anyways. Its also about knowing your lane - the problem with today is artists have to wear every bloody hat. I want to return to the world of just being a singer songwriter, not being forced to in a lot of ways be my own producer/engineer/publicist etc. Its precisely why so many of us continually feel there are far fewer 'music legends' whose work really reaches the calibre of the 60's-80's from the past 20 years, I would argue that artists are fundamentally overextended. 'Tarp it down' - Nick Lowe

[@LynzCrichton]

This is brutal and awesome and CORRECT in equal measure. Some would ask that if we don’t tweak the kick drum to infinity doesn’t that make our work less ‘perfect’ … but perfectionism is procrastination disguised as productivity ❤️

[@thekeythefeather1263]

You can't imagine how much this applies to your whole life!!! (now realizing why I always feel things I do are incomplete, sometimes just about preparing a meal ^^)

[@FoxtailsBrigade]

Super cool stuff. Very inspiring and helpful! Thank you. And I'm honored that we made it into the video. One thought: Don't completely discount your period of learning. You had a long period where you were not releasing but all throughout that time you were learning. When you eq'd your kick drum for four days, you were learning. I know that it was time well spent because I personally watched the quality of your music production take a huge leap. You have the skills of an A-list producer now and that's extremely valuable to most musicians. Yes we learn from making lots of stuff but sometimes the best way to improve is to just go into a cave and learn.

[@trevorbeingtrevor]

This, the learning period inbetween is often where I find the next project to pursue.

[@ALEJANDROMARTINEZ33]

Why this Man doesn't have more views?? 1.- It's positive quality content. 2.- In a good and friendly envelope. 3.- Made by a known dude.(patreon CEO). I think people should share more of this to the world (not for the 3th point), more love crafted work.

[@WasabiNoise]

This is really good!! I once gave a talk about photography and I explained that my most famous photo is just a cute little chicken. I was making portraits with lights, weddings, traveling,... nope, that random cute chicken photo that I took on a family farm and not even with the most expensive lens or camera but the cheapest.

[@tysingerman]

Wow man, the money and time I could have saved had I been the kind of guy to watch videos like this on KZbin and listen, years ago... I won't think about it cause then I won't sleep tonight, but I've got tomorrow baby!!! Thanks Jack for making such an inspiring video!!

[@slackjack8901]

Jack! I love this so much! You are such a huge idol and inspiration to me. I grew up watching your videos when you were putting out music in 2009 and I was too young to really know why I liked things but I remember listening to Bloody Nose and Make the grade on repeat as a kid. Couldn't get enough of it. Now, You release videos that still continue to impact me hugely in my pursuit of musical freedom every single time. I just wanted to thank you for all your wisdom and amazing contributions to the world. Your slowly turning those duds into learning experiences for everyone and I think that's such a beautiful thing. Most people would want to bury all their embarrassing "failures" but your doing artistic alchemy and helping thousands, millions of people with it. I think that's so awesome! You are truly an amazing person and I just wanted to Thank you so much for the awesome content!

[@mooses6]

^^ This comment, these words, they similarly reflect my feelings of appreciation and the overall resounding thank you for such transparency to your work both past and present that allows others to see the process and understand just slightly more how much love and dedication can truly go into someone's passion for their work or for anything really. Jack Is PASSION. It's clear in his face through his rhythmic smile that dances while creating the sounds we crave and gulp in as pure artistic enjoyment as we listen to/watch over and over again. Mr. Jack Conte, this comment and the one prior are a tiny symbol of our much greater shout of sincere THANK YOU for your creations, your arts, your sounds, and the inspiring talks of your personal journey. Thank you for making so much of your creative positivity available for the rest of us to enjoy and learn from and share in. You are Great. Thank you for all the great blunders and of course for each of the greatest hits, Jack, a true artist.

[@JamesGWall]

You're killing it with these videos. Keep it up. Also, She Said She Said is a great track, good is good, bad is bad, no matter how much you polish it. It's the same with films, Transformers or something like that, might visually amazing, but if the story is trash, does anybody really remember it. I guess I'm trying to say if the bones of something is good, the end result will be good, so don't over work it.

[@BestAudiovisualTricks]

I wish you to get 9 million views for this video. It is exceptional! Here’s an award for your work man! 🏆

[@Chipgargoyle123]

Phenomenal video. As someone who’s using the lockdown to channel creativity in the form of making beats on KZbin this was an eye-opener. Less tunnel-vision and more funnel-vision!

[@MunchsMadhouse]

My goodness, here I was looking for your old Bright Eyes / Aphex Twin mashup I heard in 2008 and you're the CEO of Patreon! Congrats on all your success, and thanks for these passionate insights.

[@rafaelportelacassorielo604]

Dude, I saw 3 videos from this channel that really changed my life. Thanks. I follow ur work since pomplamoose, but this 3 videos were off the charts, because they were spot on with the moment I am living in right now. Really awesome to follow ur internal process in creating stuff. I recorded an album in 2016 with my brother in law, and it is stored in my PC because I didn't think it was ready enough, until this video. I am not saying it is a hit, but at least it deserves to be out there. Thanks

[@dariusmines]

“And I can move on, and I can go to sleep at night knowing I did everything I could.” F E L T

[@desireemccullough9576]

As a writer, I feel SO understood. 😭

[@adamthewan289]

Be prolific. What a great message!

[@ColinandSamir]

Damn..this really resonates.

[@duzer]

This was very motivating! Off to Publish. THANK YOU!

[@M3Lucky]

The anti perfectionism and anti Procrastination mindset. Great video!

[@RichardTallent]

Really enjoyed this. I'm an art photographer, and I'm totally guilty about spending WAY too much time obsessing over decisions between which shots to use, or about tiny retouching details that would only be visible to the most keen observer of a *huge* print. I've also barely not released anything from my last two shoots because I've been obsessing about the *method* of release -- the "right" hash tags, post timing, etc. to beat the "algorithms" that control my followers' access to my content. So that's another area where I need to just get it out there already and move on. If something "hits," it'll hit, and if not, it won't. I make art for me and my collaborators, not for fame or fans, so worrying too much about "engagement" just holds me back from making more art.

[@metalbroga]

This is the BEST VIDEO for a Creator! Every creator should watch this.

[@CrazyCat935]

This is very interesting. I've been basicly thinking about the same thing for the last couple of days actually. I do a lot of 3D modeling and it has taken me litteraly YEARS to "finish" a model. This last week I sat down and did a model from start to finish in 4 DAYS! WOo!

[@ericallnight]

Everything is a funnel. Never thought that way but makes a whole Lotta sense. I definitely in the fall in the camp of not shipping enough and making each thing I do is ship so overly precious. Thanks for making this video. Totally resonates

[@pixelnoder]

Dear Jack, please do more videos, never stop. This was one of the best vids I've had pleasure to stumble upon. You've got a new fan today!

[@StefiRosca]

This was AMAZING! I'm still laughing at the funnel. How did I not see it this way even though I've been working in Marketing for so loooong! Love your style of storytelling and videomaking and presentation giving. Will definitely try to put out more for the funnel :) thank you!

[@asliceofbnice]

JACK!!! This is incredible fam, thank you for sharing your journey and what you've learned both through your success and your failures. Being a creator is tough oscillating back and forth between wanting to do quality work but knowing that quantity builds the quality so working to publish is a great focus to have within that. Thanks again for articulating this and can't wait to apply it.

[@ahmetcangokceer]

I got so much processing to do BUT this is what I needed since... forever. Thank you Jack

[@Thompson_H]

Why isn't this a Ted Talk!?! Love the content as always!

[@AnvydeTour]

it probably will be, it's amazing!

[@GmartTattoo]

Thank you so much for your video! Sometimes as a creator/artists we are feel loneliness, especially on the part to find another artists how can understand and share our artistic processe, thoughts or even our dilemmas. If you was around literally, I would hugged you! Thank you!

[@CarlMichaelAyotte]

I just wrote in my daily notepad: “Work To Publish” - Jack Conte. THANK YOU!

[@hilmy7822]

thank you jack, it just punch me in the face, now i just need to get the shit done, and publish it to the world

[@Synmomusic]

I'm so upset that Nightmares and Daydreams sold so few copies. I listen to those songs often, and they are just as significant to my interest as any Beatles song because they are in my usual rotation. I never imagined that it was something exclusive. I hope VS4 sold well too because that is legitimately in my top 10 albums of all time!

[@yuzaR-Data-Science]

Thanks Jack! 😁 I enjoyed several of your videos before subscribing (not because your videos are bad (they are amazing!), but only because I have too many subscriptions), but this one completely blew me away! "Work to publish", principle is fantastic. Isaak Asimov was one of the most prolific (and at the same time great) authors. Cheers!

[@ilsezarateM]

So so great and SO relatable! Thank you for this! (p.s came from burstimo )

[@SimonMac]

Thanks for this video - this is exactly what I've been going through lately! I have so many videos filmed and songs "started" - but I just can't seem to "finish" anything. I need to start publishing stuff, thanks for the inspiration!

[@youssefhanna]

This is the best video I've seen on youtube in a while. Storytelling at its finest with an immense amount of truth and value. Keep up the good work Jack, absolutely love what you're "publishing" ;)

[@bohdankoshelev8147]

Absolutely VALUABLE thing!!! Thank you for this, Jack.

[@digitalped]

Jack, I think you make the most creative and inspirational videos on KZbin, Thank You. I’d love to share them with my kiddos but hold back due to your language ☹️ Don’t spend days stressing about the sound that bleeps over the words but publishing bleeps would be appreciated.

[@FluxAcademy]

Fantastic presentation and also amazing edit! the kickdrum is also good!

[@DanBullockArt]

I remember watching the original version of this talk a year or so ago and it was literally one of those few moments where something changed the way I work forever. I want to be a great publisher, but oh god I can relate to those stories of nitpicking and not putting anything out there! Definitely a north star type situation, but I'm so glad you made this and you're hopefully reaching more people with your absolute wisdom. Also the funnel idea literally blew my mind. So simple, but so great. Thank you!

[@nikoladze]

Lots of admirations and humongous amount of respect! Thanks a bunch!

[@dorotheaschulz]

Wow! This is literally the best motivation I’ve ever encountered to just keep cranking out projects. Going to start creating more films and actually putting them on KZbin!

[@JSMinstantcoaching]

This vidéo feels like a relief system for all content creators thank you for that

[@JeffHarden]

Seriously needed to hear this Jack. I fall solidly into that analytical corner that questions whether something is 'ready' to put out there. That said, for me it usually hangs on all that's involved in marketing anything new. I could prolifically keep releasing new instrumental compositions for the purpose of just building my catalogue (just keep uploading through Amuse of DistroKid) but the process of telling everyone is where I get stuck. I wonder in the early stages of building my audience... it feels like I keep needing to say on every platform "Hey everyone...here's my new song" but it feels like the wrong approach. Thoughts?

[@sharanvelauthan]

I love these videos man. I think what does it for me is that you are super real and I can relate to your struggle and even the way you speak drags me in! I am now officially a subscriber. I can't wait to see what else you do! :)

[@HamedAlgabbani]

You make videos that matters my guy thank you i never regretted watching any of your videos!

[@chumdm3]

interesting watching this video since you seem to be one of the most productive people I’ve come across. working on my own mixes right now so good to get this reminder! publish or perish.

[@jimbeenee]

I wish I saw this at the start of my month long creative gap. I mean, I kinda figured it out in the end. But all that time I could have spent producing... I spend a large portion of it wheel spinning. This is great sauce for my personal retro. Cheers JC!

[@eviewhy]

wowww the doctor funnel hit so close!!! I'm looking for second opinions for my complex ankle injuries in which I've had 9 surgeries and even went blind in both of my eyes during the process and I made a list of 25 doctors from all over North America and so far only 1 doctor is ready to give me a second opinion today. I'm waiting to hear back from 8 of them, 3 of them I need a referral for and 13 went to my metaphorical graveyard because they either don't take global patients or they're retiring and don't take new patients!!! Anyways, I need to work on publishing as well.!!! loved the video, thank you Jack(:

[@STICKYArt]

Perfection is not the key when it comes to creation. The number of how many is irrelevant. Great work!

[@therealamax]

WOW! This video should win video of the year! Thank you so much for this 🙏🏾❤️

[@MattZaraMusic]

A much needed watch, thank you Jack for everything you do!

[@Turneriluz]

Your videos are speaking straight to me. This is so important. Thank you!

[@gustaflembre4191]

Your videos are do well put together man! This is a goldmine for creatives

[@GuyRicheyGibbons]

Jack. This video is exactly what I needed.

[@Photillustrator]

Awesome vid and soooo TRUE! I've always looked at my art as a numbers game. The more I put out into the world, regardless of how perfect it is, the better my odds are of dominating the world with my crazy style of portraits.

[@MattiasSkoog]

Another great video 🙌🏼 Must say that you have hit a silver lining in your KZbin funnel the last couple weeks. Pure gold! ☺️

[@CraigMagina]

Yes, this is a problem I greatly suffer from, I haven't published anything in far too long. Thank you for this, I need to hang that funnel on my wall as a reminder to just publish instead of sitting on it for yet another day, week, month, year.

[@jared7577768]

Boy did I need to hear this right now! Thank you, Jack!👍

[@MarkDavidTeo]

Yeaaah Jack! Been pumping these great vids lately! Really inspiring!

[@ManfredAckermann]

And still your videos are a piece of art. Thanks so much for releasing this educational videos.

[@SkippyGustilo]

This... is actually a GREAT CONCEPT..... EVERYTHING IS A FUNNEL! Precisely makes so much sense!!! thank you Jack!!

[@FKeyLoops]

Love your views Jack! Thanks for your wisdom. Realy helps a 'just realised im a creator"

[@davidandrewwiebeofficial]

Very engaging video, and I love the mindset shift that comes from thinking in terms of "publishing" rather than "finishing." Also, "everything is a funnel." I have noticed that too. But what a great way to put it. "You can't choose what you will be known for." I have also been thinking about that lately. What a timely message. Thanks, Jack!

[@LuisRamos-dy9cm]

Great point of view!! Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@PEERSEEMANN]

Yes you‘re right. I wrote a song, recorded, mixed, mastered and did the music video between 11am and 16pm and it did very well. BUT frequent output often means poor innovation, it‘s all a balance thing as I see it. Just follow your instinct and exclude excessive thinking.

[@gxrecords2994]

You are my new guru, Saludos desde colombia, this kimd of sensitive information and comunicative skills makes me wanna spam all the new emerging artist that ive been working for the last 3 years , we need the music out for teh people.

[@tradeandtravel1554]

You are the best creative vlogger,you are an inspiration to me

[@WillBarker]

I really appreciate your videos and your talks. I already watched the long version of this talk but it was really cool to see you edit it down to something really sharable. Thanks homie

[@noah568ify]

I'm so glad that KZbin brought me here.... can't wait to watch more videos, this was amazing thank you!

[@WilliamSunPetrus]

Great message Jack! You're one of my biggest creative inspirations - the only project I ever published (so far) was created in under a month, and superseded two years worth of unfinished projects. I've really got to up my funnel game

[@joesteiner]

Another beautiful video, sir. Thank you for the advice.

[@AmaZaneChannel]

So inspiring! Thank you for making this video ❤️

[@XINHE]

This storytelling skill is fking awesome. WORK TO PUBLISH!

[@TylerRostedt]

This video is so good. Immediately sent this to all my creator friends!

[@KayainChina]

I got your point. I was lost and this video make me find my way again. Thank you. 😊

[@MrMuppetbaby]

Thank you jack. I get it now. And thanks for your great bands. Just the best.

[@AdilConstantineMusic]

This was absolutely AMAZING and there were so many takeaways for me. Thank you Jack, great work as always!!!

[@RamosFilms]

Bro, I've had that monster of "your kick drum isn't good enough as a professional kick drum" chasing after me for yeaaaaaarssss now. I think his name's Larry.

[@Bekul]

real life algorithm right there! Thanks Jack!

[@danielaravenous]

Deciding to STOP... yes... that's my problem omg and it is so painful. Thank you Jack 💜🎶

[@christophermiller3570]

THIS is what I needed today. Thank you! Extremely inspiring

[@mooses6]

The most epic dubstep album, known as the Holy Grail of Beats+Beeps&Bass that was previously thought had never existed in reality instead was only a fable techno legend, but had simply never yet been heard or experienced outside of the walls in which it was created. It sounds like somewhere not so deep in the past, (around the time period of October 2011 to March 2013) locked away in the back of a dark storage unit now, exist the most kick ass beats with the most wicked killer kick drum sounds that make up the entire collection of an underground dubstep ear melting, bass beating super DJ known only to the outside world as DJ Con-T.