THE RHYTHM OF DOING: WHY A PRODUCTIVITY BOOK?
“MY FIRST CHAPTER OF THE YEAR STARTS NOW, MAY 2025, CHAPTER 1: THE RHYTHM…”
You know, I've had a pretty interesting life so far. Creatively speaking, I’ve lived off of my own work for over ten years; the work consisting of directing and creating visuals with artists, brands, and businesses. I feel incredibly fortunate to be in this space, working so intimately with others, and to be trusted with many different projects and people's passions.
It's truly an honor.
However, I realized when I turned 30 that:
I don't really own anything.
I just help other people with the things that they own or the entities they work for.
Sure, I own equipment. I own a studio. I put a song out last year, and that's pretty legit, "NOW I’M DEAD." And I'm coming out with another song this year, that's exciting too... but I don't own a product or something I could really push that is tangible. I’m a person that loves marketing and coming up with stories / ideas for other people, but I never really had the opportunity to do that for myself.
Now, I've tried other adventures for example, music, I still have an active project called Root (about nature sounds and meditative music) and that's just paused right now. However, in the long run, that project takes a lot of time away from me that I can’t afford to lose. I needed an idea or product that was successful in its own way and could really help start to build a sort of passive income flow, where I could use the revenue to support my other creative endeavors.
“I’m a natural educator…”
I've been an educator for such a long time now, bringing people under my wing, guiding folks through the fundamentals of production and freelancing. I taught several people a lot of what I know, and even working with production assistants, you're in this role of walking them through how to be on a set, how to deal with the equipment, how to speak the lingo. So, I'm a natural educator.
I turned 30 last year… I took a moment to review. I was content with leaving my 20s and where I left it off:
I had a short film under my belt that was in post-production, I had a song out, I had some incredible work that I was proud of in an updated reel that shows I’m ready to attack the following year. I had spec projects (two commercial specs) like the most professional work I've ever created and the first actual spec commercials I've ever produced, directed, edited. So it was an exciting end of the year.
Still, you know, it's like chasing for work with clients. Sure reputation and the quality/style of the work exists, but none of it is really a product that I could say that I could push a little easier, because productions take a lot of work.
They take a lot of manpower, you have to hire, you have to pay people, make deals, make agreements, reach understandings, and then you have responsibility to deliver. You don't want to just do something and then it falls flat.
So during the holidays, in the quiet of the winter, post-Christmas, where everybody's away and a break is understood, I finally had time to plot and think deeper.
What is it that I could create that is ultimately a beneficial tool, and that could begin the start of me really building something for myself?
“i quickly realized… i have my systems in place, but a lot of people don’t.”
I actually first landed on just e-books and making sort of a series of e-books educating people on filmmaking.
But I'm a person that roots all my decisions in research and after doing some, I realized like a filmmaker's book or things of that nature.. sure, they're in demand, but they're not the highest in-demand need.
I quickly realized that even though I'm good with how productive I am and I have my systems in place, a lot of other people don't. And suddenly it all clicked for me, all the different things that I was teaching other people in a variety of manners and ways, I realized how many people really do need that help, the support, and the how-to of approaching projects, goals, ideas.
Then I got energized, a sudden boost, where I realized, okay, that’s it: a book about systems.
A book sharing the system that I work under. A book about productivity, something that I’m really passionate about and can talk about endlessly, essentially but I never thought to put it into a book. Now, I of course knew about productivity books, they’re always high in demand. So it already felt right like, okay, this is the lane to take.
Now the thing I wanted to separate myself from was making a really thick, condensed book; that you didn’t have to read through case studies, long stories, un-relatable figures, and all these other sorts of things to get to an understanding. No.
More so, I wanted to make a book that's concise, direct, and much shorter of a read but packed with detail so that you’d still find a lot of value and information you can go back to. A true guide, you know?
So I started writing during the holidays in 2024.
how the book ‘the rhythm of doing’ came together one cold winter
I came up first with the fact that I have a system that I work with. When I tell people about it, they're usually surprised that I’m so organized and that I have so much put together. Many equate it to Capricorn energy but however the star alignment happened for me; I came out extremely organized.
I simply just put my system down on paper, at least a bare version of it. For folks that struggle with productivity or discipline, they're not going to just jump into the most complicated software like a Monday.com or ClickUp.
It’s more like, you need a system that you can use and set up with ease and will build up your experience and familiarity with that kind of structure to then upgrade to a more complicated system with additional organizational tools. I started then first with creating and writing about my system. Then I started thinking, “Okay, well, there’s got to be the before and the after the system.”
The before the system is really truly understanding how productivity works, which is essentially understanding why systems are important, how dopamine is involved, neuroplasticity, and so forth.
I thought then that I could begin the book based on first the how of productivity and one’s why; really getting to the point and addressing subjects that people must know to increase their self-awareness in order to really adopt the system I share with intention.
The first two chapters of the book then are really like boosts of self-awareness before getting into sharing the system. Then the remaining of the book, after the system is shared, is just me providing additional tools, guidelines, methods of staying on track, keeping momentum, what happens if you fall out of rhythm, different mental frameworks, comparing tasks and choosing what’s priority.
It just became this packed, detailed read after the ‘system’ chapter that made sense to end on. It’s not just adopting a system, you have to also make sure that people know how to stay consistent and the incoming hurdles.
And so the book sort of formed itself after I really thought it through.
“the idea is that i own something… that’s beneficial to the world.”
I think my whole idea with the productivity book is:
I speak really passionately with clients, creatives, and push for the best of the best. I see the potential in people or products always, having the desire to figure out how to best tell their stories.
Now, with this book, I have a way to share my excitement in motivating and pushing people.
And that… that is a product.
A product that could be used in different ways; revolving around experiential events, panels, lectures, etc.
The main idea is that I own something that’s truly mine and that’s beneficial to the world. Nobody could tell me what I want to do with it, what ideas are good or bad for marketing.
It’s all me.
And that was the feeling I’m chasing.
And it does feel incredible.
Curious About The Rhythm of Doing ?
Take action. Stay consistent. Build real momentum.
