I've been meaning to make another journal entry for quite a long time. Something I have been thinking about are the Phases for PolyInnovator. Basically I am focusing on one thing 80% of the time, and the other 20% is for previous/future endeavors.
My first phase was that of the Modular Education content, such as the Modular Degree/Modegree. I am still TECHNICALLY on that phase, and I am working on the tutorial and course around it at the time of this journal update. However I FINALLY released the template, which I guess was much further along than I realized.
I had put this first phase onto the side burner for a time, which was then spent on doing interviews instead over quarantine. As a sort of intermediate phase in between things. I didn't know exactly what phase 2 would entail, but I figured it would focus on exercise. As I got closer to it, then it seemed to be clear that I needed to work on my Swimming content in particular. I wish I had spent some of the quarantine Summer time recording swimming videos.
Why are the phases so lopsided?
I literally stopped the first one to do the interviews, and then after I got done with them STARTED my second phase. Without truly finishing the first one.
Now why is that not a bad thing? Well for one it is because it got me behind on my time tables, but it is also a good thing. I was following what my gut intuition said to do, and that was going to be divergent.
I had to juggle many hats, topics, and things because I needed to get some started. I started my swimming newsletter, and even my content repurposing newsletter (which I didn't think I was going to get to yet).
Honestly I HAD to do my swimming, it was way over due, particularly because the timeline was all jacked up from quarantine.
So even though I was close to finishing the phase 1, I still needed to start phase 2, and even sow the seeds for future ones
How am I managing all of this?
Well I wouldn't say I have been very successful, and that is mainly due to my procrastination or laziness at times.
It has taken me all year just to work on a series of 30 posts, videos/podcast/polyincontent episodes, and they are still not even ALL finished now. I have about 28 done or skipped, and a couple left.
They were mainly about Notion (specifically the Modular Degree and PIOS), and about polymathy. As I realized I needed more content about my umbrella niche to build up SEO.
Plus I had topics I wanted to talk about.
I am doing it all by interleaving polymathy scattered about, and the other niche topics often refer back to being multidisciplinary.
For phase 1 I am wrapping up the Modegree content for a while, after I finish this last PolyInContent episode on it (just need to redo the video as the audio wasn't working on the first take). While also making the course, as a sort of capstone.
Phase 2 has started, which is around swimming, and I make weekly newsletter blogs for it. I am also working on 1-2 courses for it, but more so in the early stages. While at the same time prepping for my book release in Q2 next year.
To me the Modegree course, the Swimming book, those are the final thing for those phases. Am I going to be done with them after? Not even close, and honestly it is more of just getting started. However I need to get these ideas, endeavors, and initial phases out of the way.
Then I have the sowing of the seeds. I played around with gaming clips on my socials, started the content newsletter (which was a big step into that phase, but didn't start that phase yet per se), and even writing some songs. I am doing a lot of this in the background, but they all play into each other. Once I get my streaming set up I'll start doing gaming content, even if it is alongside another phase. It gives me time to build and hone my craft, then when that phase starts it will be even stronger.
Phases, Projects, Goals
I mentioned getting these "phases out of the way", and I mean that in the sense that they are going to come back around. In the grand scheme of my life those phases are repeating and interleaving through each other. At some points I am going to focus on swimming again and again. It is something so near and dear to my heart I don't think I'll ever stop, and that is amazing to have.
The Modular Degree is so powerful of a concept, more than people realize, that it would be a crime for me to just release a template and call it a day. I want to make an actual platform. However that can't happen until certain factors are met.
Such as enough beta testers telling me what they think, my technical skills getting better, AND hiring technical people. In order to create an even better experience.
As for future phases I think the extent of where the content repurposing stuff is going is that of a side focus. I may have to split my attention to MULTIPLE phases at once.
To put it into perspective this past year I have been switching between things, and that constant switch has been actually making slower. Hence why some specialists think generalists are unfocused. I WAS unfocused, but it wasn't because I couldn't just isolate to one thing.
Rather it was more deep than that, as I couldn't get myself to focus AT ALL. So by switching between things I at least was able to make a margin of progress in multiple areas. Rather than trying for one area, and failing to make hardly any. By switching I ended up a lot more ahead than I would have been.
While I can start a goal or project from another phase at any time, that opportunity cost of time is an important measure to account for.
Now the PolyInContent episodes are topic agnostic, even if they don't seem that way for one. It is more of a strategy rather than a series.
They will continue onward, and simply go down the list I made a few years ago of content I want to get out there. I barely have made like 16 of them at this point, and I have close to 1000. All interrelated to the various phases too, as well as unique topics too.
Hopefully going into the start of the new year I'll be doing interviews again, as I only have done 1-2 so far this year. I also have a new secondary series to start up too with returning guests. I had a eureka moment too today when it came to how to organize the guests in my Notion database for round 2.
There goes two series already that I'll be doing, and now we add the Swimming and Content Repurposing newsletters. Surprisingly they have been quite consistent, and I intend to keep it that way. Even if I find myself writing them an hour before they go out!
Additionally, I do my monthly blog and vlog for the Now Page updates.
There are five series of content.
That isn't including future phases too, and in particular I think I am ready to start my Gaming Phase.
The interesting thing about this one that is different, is that I think I am going to go with another channel for it. This is a big deal for me because I wanted to take a polymathic approach to my channel or baskets of content if you will. Where regardless of topic it is all centralized in one place. It is even why I gave up on using Substack (twice) and Beehiiv, in favor of solely using my own site.
However with the amount of gaming content I am going to put out, and the already sheer amount of content for the main channel. I felt that it was best to separate them, if not for organizational reasons, then for the viewer to be able to find what they want best.
Plus in particular with gaming I am already going to do something that is "not great" in the gaming creator space, and that is playing multiple styles of games on one channel. It is more common now, but it is still sort of taboo in a way. So think of it like a polymathic or generalist gamer channel, and I think that makes way more worth setting up a new channel for. Which I did today, and working on the graphics too. Ironically instead of working on the Modegree stuff.
Lastly, I have tested out my capture card, and gaming setups. I think I have it ready for me to record my gameplay off my Xbox for a few first games. Then I can also do streaming from my PC too.
