1 Month of Monetization

It's been 1 month since I monetized my YouTube channel . What a surreal month, watching my NotebookLM video pass 40,000 views and my Obsidian For Beginners & Automatic Inboxes & Indexes videos get over 12,000 views.

In my last entry, I talked about how I felt I was on the hedonic treadmill, recalibrating my expectations along with my happiness levels at each successive & successful video. I had reached 1000 subscribers and was focused on reaching 4000 watch hours; the two thresholds needed to monetize my YouTube channel.

At the time of writing, I just hit 3500 subscribers & 10,000 watch hours, far surpassing the threshold for monetization. But, in-line with the hedonic treadmill, upon reaching the monetization threshold last month, my eye immediately shifted to watching the revenue climb as I shifted my perspective on my goals for YouTube.

It's amazing how quickly my goals and ideas of my path on the creator economy can shift based on the external stimuli of algorithmic performance like the one powering YouTube.

I've spent the last month wrapping my head around what it means to actually "be a YouTuber", someone that can make a living by creating videos.

The natural next questions:

1. How can I optimize my videos to make this lifestyle feasible?

2. What does it mean to create value online where rewards are determined by an inhuman algorithm?

3. What is the "best" format to continue making & sharing videos so I can life the life I want to, without burning out?

These are surprisingly dangerous questions to explore, as they bring up core questions as to the nature of my reality, so I decided to share some reflections on what's been going through my mind the last month.

To control or not to control, that is the question of today.

Recalibrating Recap

Welcome to Recalibrating! My name is Callum (@_wanderloots)

Join me as I learn to better life in every way possible, reflecting and recalibrating along the way to keep from getting too lost.

Thanks for sharing the journey with me ✨

Last week, I touched on my multi-year journey of becoming a YouTuber and how my expectations & goals both fluctuated rapidly and remained surprisingly unaffected - The Hedonic Treadmill.

This week, I am going to continue by discussing my reflections of a month of monetization and what it means to not only generate value in the creator economy in a sustainable way, but also what it means to live life with an understanding "control"; a core ethos of Recalibrating 🧭 🧠 ✨

The Bigger Picture Of The Creator Economy

"How can I best make videos so that the YouTube algorithm stays happy with me and I can continue earning income to support my lifestyle?" Questions related to algorithmic satisfaction are dangerous, but necessary when walking the path of the creator in this online economy.

Firstly, I think it's important to recognize that this issue is not solely in the realm of the creator or attention economies. Most of us rely on some form of external supply of income to fuel our lives & lifestyles. Whether through employment, investments, or algorithmic performance on social media, we depend on these externalities to meet Level 2 of Maslow's Hierarchy: Financial Security.

The creator economy just seems to fluctuate more than the stable supply of income from employment (in most cases). But in reality, anything could happen that disrupts this perceived stability, which makes income generation something that is at least partially outside of our control. Economies change. Companies restructure. Internal competition increases. Mistakes happen.

In reality, depending on an algorithm is not that different from depending on an employer, it's just a bit more opaque why one video performs well and another does not.

In both circumstances, whether in the traditional knowledge worker (corporate) economy or the modern creator economy, there are elements we can control and elements we cannot control.

Identifying which is which (control or no control) is one of the most valuable skills anyone can learn, and is actually a core tenet of the Stoic Philosophy.

What I have been reflecting on this month is the value of separating the categories of what I can control and what I can't.

I can't control how an algorithm will treat my video. I can control the videos I make and the relative toll they take on me.

So where does that leave me, as I begin to depend more on ad revenue from YouTube?

Stoicism & The Art of Control

Before I dive into some solutions on how I plan to keep my head level while walking the path of the creator economy in the game of life, I thought it might be helpful to take a look at Stoicism, a philosophy famous for dealing with the concept of control.

At the core of Stoicism is the practice of recognizing the realms of control: What is inside my control? What is outside of my control?

Circumstances within my control can be, by definition, changed by me. Circumstances outside of my control cannot be, by definition, changed by me.

"When I see an anxious person, I ask myself, what do they want? For if a person didn't want something outside of their own control why would they be stricken by anxiety?" - Epictetus

Epictetus suggests that anxiety is caused by people wanting that which is outside of their control. It makes sense. If it was within their control, they could take steps to alter the situation to remove their stress. Instead, anxiety rises as the person continues to want change, but can't do anything about it.

The first step of Stoicism (though there's no right way to begin) is to assess your life and ascertain what is within your control and what is without your control. By recognizing the distinction between the two, you begin to understand the true nature of your reality.

“Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are... in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are... in one word, whatever are not our actions. The things in our control are by nature free, unrestrained, unhindered; but those not in our control are weak, slavish, restrained, belonging to others... But if you suppose that only to be your own which is your own, and what belongs to others such as it really is, then no one will ever compel you or restrain you. Further, you will find fault with no one or accuse no one. You will do nothing against your will. No one will hurt you, you will have no enemies, and you not be harmed.” - Epictetus

Within our control means that our actions can impact them. Without our control means our actions cannot impact them.

"Keep this thought at the ready - there is only one path to happiness, and that is in giving up all outside of your sphere of choice..." - Epictetus

Many people are unhappy, anxious, or stressed because they attempt to control that which cannot be controlled: outside of their sphere of choice. Trying to change something that you cannot change feels like banging your head against the wall, swimming upstream, or trying to roll something uphill... just to watch it roll back down again.

By taking time to reflect on past stressful or anxious situations and using that reflection to assess the present & future actions we may take, we can begin sorting stressors into one camp or the other: within control or outside of control.

It's surprisingly relieving to notice this distinction. I myself have looped over problems, trying to solve them every way I could think of, only to come to the realization that the solution was out of my hands - meaning there was no point in wasting energy on trying to solve it in the first place.

The faster I can come to that realization of lack of control in the future, the less energy I will waste on things I cannot change, conserving the energy for those situations that I can actually impact.

Okay, back to algorithms & employment.

Three Strategies For Maintaining Or Relieving Control

As I write this newsletter, I'm reminded of some of my first entries I wrote after I first quit my job, on building a sustainable creation system and augmenting my personal knowledge management to optimize for the creator economy.

It's interesting to me that now, 18 months later, I find myself revisiting these concepts, applying them to my current situation. It's nice to have laid the groundwork with writing & reflections (one of the reasons I encourage everyone to write more). Thanks past me 🫡

1. Natural Self-Expression: An Aligned Voice 🗣

The first way I see myself sustainably creating YouTube videos (reducing burnout) is to find a natural form of self-expression. Of aligning my Voice with the output I submit to the algorithm. *Note: this discussion is on video production for YouTube, but the concepts apply to any form of output, both knowledge work & creative.

By making videos that I actually want to make, I can focus on expression that aligns with who I am & why I'm creating in the first place. In contrast, if I make videos for the algorithm, always trying for maximum views, likes, and watch hours, I'm taking something that could be within my control (my satisfaction/happiness of the videos I'm making) and putting it outside of my control (dependent on algorithmic performance).

Since these videos are more aligned with my self, natural, they tend to take less effort to achieve a higher level of quality. It's easier to enter a flow state and just go with my gut. In contrast, videos geared towards winning the algorithm tend to feel higher effort, since I'm guessing at what will perform well for something that is outside of my control.

"When I see an anxious person, I ask myself, what do they want?" - Epictetus

Wanting an algorithm to perform well for me is a recipe for anxiety, as there is no way for me to impact the performance once the post has been uploaded. Of course, I do my best to make the videos helpful & entertaining with strategic SEO & thumbnails, but once I click upload, it's completely out of my hands.

However, if I make the video in the form that I want to, when the video is published, I have already dealt with the portion that is within my control (making the video) and let go of any external control with how the algorithm will treat the video. I do not need to sit there in anxiety, waiting for the views to go up. Instead, I can turn my eye to the next video I want to make or give myself a well-deserved break after putting in 100+ hours on the video.

*Note that I am not suggesting a lack of strategy when creating videos. I do a ton of research into the topics I select and the videos I prioritize. I merely want to illustrate that the journey of making the video is far more important than the destination of the algorithmic performance.

2. Evergreen Content & Flywheels 🌲🛞

Another way I can "win" at the algorithm while retaining control over what I can control, ceding control where I cannot, is to produce "evergreen content". Evergreen content is related to topics that will continue to be relevant for years, as opposed to "timely" videos that may have a short cycle of attention.

By creating evergreen content as a foundation for my videos, I can create something that will continue to be picked up by the algorithm in the long run, creating a more stable base that will enable me to make timely videos as I feel like it in the future that have a higher likelihood of virality.

In other words, I can assemble a "flywheel" of evergreen content, ready to be spun each time I make a video that happens to get picked up by the algorithm as I produce new videos. Flywheels are mechanical devices that conserve momentum. Once they get going, they keep going on their own, conserving energy and spreading it out over a much longer period of time than the initial spin.

As an example, I did this with my Obsidian videos. I made 8 videos on the core elements of personal knowledge management & digital gardening using Obsidian, my note-taking software. While Obsidian will get updates here and there, the software is relatively constant and will continue to be relevant for many years.

Now I can spend some time focusing on making videos that I want to make, diving deeper into my own research (Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Flow States, Neuroscience, Philosophy, etc.), including screen recordings of myself using Obsidian. In these videos, I can mention that I have a note-taking course on YouTube if they're interested in learning how I make my notes.

I do not expect these research videos to consistently be picked up by the algorithm, but if they do, I can direct people to my Obsidian "course", spinning the flywheel to augment the impact of that "viral" video.

Again, I maintain control over what I want to make (maintaining natural self-expression & an aligned voice), but also strategically structure my system so that if the algorithm (outside of my control) is happy with a video, I can augment the impact by pointing it to my flywheel of evergreen content.

The flywheel can be further optimized for passive income, which I talk more about in Recalibrating #8: Creating Income Without Burnout & Recalibrating #11: Augmented Personal Knowledge Management.

3. True Fans 🫡 ✨

As I've talked about a few times, the concept of 1000 True Fans is a great way to reduce the volatility of the creator economy. If 1000 people pay me $100 a year, I can earn $100,000 in income (which is more than enough to do most things in life).

Rather than relying on the whims of an algorithm, I can build a community of people that value my creations & knowledge work. While this community is still external, in theory, people tend to stay a member for at least a few months (or years). Similar to the flywheel effect of evergreen content, paying subscribers help maintain momentum, conserving energy, spreading it out over a longer period of time.

In other words, true fans add stability to the creator economy, since they are more about direct relationships with individuals, rather than an algorithm that could be changed at anytime by Google or Meta.

Maintaining the happiness/satisfaction of my community shifts control away from the algorithm, more into my own sphere of influence. I can then, in effect, be more responsible for the stability of the community, rather than being at the whim of an algorithm.

For this reason, I named the lowest tier of my YouTube membership "🫡 True Fans ✨" and have 10 new members in the last 2 weeks alone. If you're a member and reading this, thank you so much for helping me afford to continue making these letters & videos 🫡

I talk much more about True Fans in #7: Building A Sustainable Creation System.

Rethinking Financial Security & Mental Safety

The goal of operating within an economy, whether creator or knowledge work, is to satisfy Level 2 of Maslow's Hierarchy: Security & Safety. As I talk about more in Entry #6, I consider this to be Financial Security & Mental Safety.

If we operate within an economy (creator or knowledge/corporate), but burnout or are continuously unhappy, we're trading away our life for income. While not everyone has a choice (outside of their control), many of us do have the choice to improve our situation (within our control).

The key here is recognizing which is which. An unhappy employment could be the result of dissatisfaction of circumstances outside of the employee's control. In that situation, there is nothing that can be done at a system level to make the situation better. However, the individual, the employee, can evaluate their circumstances, recognize that the negative situation is outside of their control, and focus on a different element of their job that they can control, thereby reducing anxiety.

Similarly, a creator complaining about the algorithm can take a step back and recognize that the algorithm itself is not within their control. Instead, they can focus on what they can control, like the subject matter of the video or post.

In both cases, the individual can take steps to recalibrate their perspective to focus their energy on actions that can actually change their perspective, rather than trying to force something that cannot be changed (outside of their control).

Putting 100% faith in externalities just opens the door to unhappiness. Instead, it's better to identify how much should actually remain outside of your control, and how much can truly be impacted by your own actions.

In my experience, the best way to identify the two spheres of control is through writing. We often think we can solve these issues in our heads, but when dealing with dysregulating situations, as humans, we tend to lose our sense of rationality. Writing the circumstances down and then splitting the stressors into the two spheres of control can help us speed up the analysis, identify solutions, and execute effectively.

The next time you come across a stressful, anxious, or frustrating situation, try writing down your thoughts and circling or listing the things you can change vs the things you cannot change. You might be surprised how quickly your anxiety dissipates and your clear head shines through ✨

Looking Ahead

I wrote this newsletter for future me (and you 🫡). Future Me that will, inevitably, be sad or anxious at the performance of a video as a result of the "algorithm's fault". I hope this journal & reflection on spheres of control will remind me of what I can actually change, so I can waste less energy being rattled at the video performance and more energy on making the next video even better.

To that end, I feel as though I have almost completed "Season 2" of my YouTube channel. Season 1, as I noted last Entry, was the philosophy: a video series on Recalibrating and what it means to participate mindfully in the creator economy.

Season 2 is my evergreen series: Obsidian Note-Taking, Personal Knowledge Management Systems, Digital Gardens, and Augmenting with AI. I have 2 or 3 more videos to add to this evergreen series, but with the depth of my last few videos, I might add them as I feel like it in the future.

Season 3 is what I have been most excited about for a while 👀 I plan to use the Molecular Zettelkasten system to explore some of the most exciting & complicated subjects of our time, interpreting & translating them to people so that everyone can leverage modern tools & thinking to live the best lives they can.

I've explained the tools I use in my Second Brain as I Recalibrate my philosophy on life. Now it's time to explore some of my favourite ideas as I use these tools to augment my personal knowledge management with AI ✨

Next week

I enjoy doing a year in review at the end of the year, reflecting on what worked & what didn't, my favourite moments, and what excites me most for next year.

I think that taking time to reflect boosts self-awareness and can lead to increased clarity & happiness over the coming months.

Maybe that will be my next entry 😊

Stay tuned ✨

P.S. If you're interested in exploring my personal knowledge management system, including how I use Obsidian & AI to boost my idea generation and expression (knowledge work & creativity), I recommend checking out my Obsidian, PKM, & Digital Garden playlist on YouTube or my digital garden at https://wanderloots.xyz

Book of the week: The Daily Stoic

A few of the Stoic quotes I got this week were from the Daily Stoic, a book I've been thoroughly enjoying. I recommend checking it out if any of these thoughts resonated with you.

Photo of the week: Lunar Eclipse

One of my favourite photos of all time, my first attempt at shooting a lunar eclipse.