An interesting conversation I had with a colleague

I recently had the pleasure of running a workshop for my Google colleagues across the Greater China region on the topic of AI for Productivity.

While the workshop itself was very well received and sparked lots of interesting debate (e.g. comparison between Chinese models and Western models), the more interesting exchange came after.

After the workshop concluded, an attendee (who we will call May) came up and asked, “So Jeff, how are you able to work full-time here and run a YouTube channel?”

Here’s how the conversation went.

May: So Jeff, how are you able to work full-time here and run a YouTube channel?

Jeff: A combination of luck and hard work I guess.

M: No seriously, I’m thinking of starting a YouTube channel sharing lifestyle tips, but I just don’t have the time.

J: If you want a serious answer I’m going to apologize in advance. I can be very direct and it makes a lot of people uncomfortable.

M: Yea of course that’s totally fine.

J: Are you dating right now?

M (visibly taken back): What? No. Not right now.

J: How often do you see friends every week?

M: 3-4 times I guess.

J: How often do you call family? And how long does each call last?

M: Once a week. Anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

J: When was the last time you took a vacation?

M: Uh…February, Chinese New Year.

J: If you spend all that time working on YouTube videos you’ll have loads of time.

M: Wait what? But I mean you seem to be able to balance everything so well.

J: So I do none of those things we just talked about. And when I do accept a friend’s invitation to attend a party or go on a date, I have to plan at least 1-2 weeks in advance so I know my videos will stay on schedule. I haven’t taken a day off work in 2 years. I have maxed out on 31 vacation days. You want a serious answer? My serious answer is that I sacrifice basically all my personal time to make sure I’m making videos I’m proud of and that are valuable to my followers.

M (looking a bit at a loss for words): Well I mean “sacrifice” is a bit dramatic right? You’re making tradeoffs. You choose to spend your spare time doing one thing instead of another.

J: In my personal opinion there’s a huge difference between sacrifice and tradeoff. Tradeoff is when you give up something for a guaranteed positive outcome. For example if I consistently go to the gym for 3 times a week for 8 months, I know that biologically I’m burning calories and building muscle. Sacrifice is when you give up something for a completely unknown outcome. In my first 8 months of YouTube I uploaded 32 videos with almost no views. If you put yourself in my shoes, at that point in time, I chose not to party, not to go on vacation, not to go on dates, and not to visit family, technically, for nothing.

M: That seems a little intense. I don’t think a lot of people would want to live that way.

J: I’m sorry for making you feel defensive, I really am. I can get pretty direct and aggressive at times. I have to point out though I’m not trying to convince you to do this. You asked me how I’m able to juggle my job and my channel and this is my honest answer. I agree with you that this lifestyle isn’t all that sustainable, and one day I will have to make a change. Right now though, I don’t regret choosing to work a bit harder when I’m still relatively young.

M: No yea thanks for sharing. Do you have any tactical advice other than just “choose not to have fun”? Lol.

J: Sure. Go take Ali’s US$ 1 Part-Time YouTuber Foundational course and you’ll learn all the basics of YouTube.

The takeaway

I probably did not make a friend that day. And many of you probably empathize with May (that’s okay, I still appreciate you 😉).

But, I am very proud of myself for giving unfiltered advice.

I've long felt jaded by corporate leaders who are inauthentic when asked for advice ("I got promoted 7 times in 7 years by working just a regular 9-5 and focusing on work-life balance" 🤮)

At the end of the day, I'd rather be the asshole people can rely on to tell the truth, than the corporate sycophant who says whatever it takes to climb the ladder.

Sneak Peak: Live Workshops

By the way, I'm going to start running exclusive live workshops just for Workspace Toolkit subscribers.

Workshop topics will include (a new and updated) Inbox Zero for Gmail, Google Keep tips & tricks, and other productivity best practices for Google Workspace.