The Gist: Consistent content creation comes from changing your habits and behaviors, not random one-off content sprints. Here's how I'm building a content habit for video.
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One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite biz books is:
“Writing is a habit, not an art.”
Ann Handley says it in Everybody Writes, which is the closest thing to a content marketing manual as I’ve ever seen.
And it changed the way I looked at my content creation process forever.
To paraphrase @annhandley, content is a habit. Here's how you can build that habit for video.
How a content habit changed my marketing
Before reading that book (for the first time, cause there’ve been plenty o’ rereads), I tended to look at writing and creating content as sprints.
I tried to knock it all out as quickly as possible in big batches, like I’m sure you’ve tried before, too.
But this was early in my writing career, and I wasn’t great at it yet.
And when I was creating content in sprints here and there, my content never got any better.
Why? Because good writing requires a habit, like Queen Handley says. 
It’s not a mystical art that you’re either born with the magic to possess or you’re not.
It’s a skill that takes practice and routines to get good at.
And that doesn’t happen through random 8-hour writing sprints whenever you realize your content calendar is empty.
It happens through regular, consistent, practice.
You have to PRACTICE creating content to be good at it
I can look back at my writing career now and realize how true that is. I got good when I did it regularly.
That’s one of the many reasons why I’ve never tried to batch create videos for my YouTube channels. I know I need practice on camera. Regular, consistent practice – not batches here and there.
But since I started my first channel about 2 years ago, I’ve REALLY struggled with figuring out a good workflow for video.
UNTIL NOW! 
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How I’m going to create regular, consistent video
My goal video recording workflow is one where I can easily sit down and just start recording.
Before, I would spend an hour doing my hair and makeup (I have high maintenance hair), then another hour rearranging my apartment to set up the lights and camera. Yeah, 2 hours of prep for a 15-minute video. 
Obviously, it was Not Ideal.
But over the past few months, I’ve made a few changes to my desk area and video set.
All these changes were designed around making it easier to create a video content habit that’s as strong as my writing one.
The most impactful changes to my video workflow
Here’s what I did:
- Got a desk lamp that’s flexible and can move to light me from the side in my videos without having to set up a big photo/video light.
- Bought a new tripod for my phone that’s taller and can stand on the floor, instead of one that needed to stand on a table (which required moving the table and consequently rearranging the whole living room).
- Stuck washi tape to my floor, X MARKS THE SPOT-style, exactly where I need to place that tripod. No more fiddling with placement for 5 minutes every time I wanna record.
- Dealt with my mindset issues around feeling like I need styled hair and a full face of makeup to do video, when that’s not what I look like IRL.
That last one, dealing with my mindset issues, has obviously been the most difficult. But I just recorded a video with no makeup and my hair in my usual topknot, so I AM making progress! 
And the rest? It was easy af.
Both the new desk lamp and tripod totaled less than $35, and the rest was a matter of intentionally rearranging my workspace and systems to focus more on video.
Since making these tweaks a month ago, I’ve recorded 5 videos, which is more than I’d done in the previous 6 months combined.
So yeah, it seems to be working. 
The point of my telling you this is two-fold:
- First, what tweaks can you make to your surrounding to encourage a content habit? Think about it – and I’m here to help if you wanna hop on a call with me.
- Secondly, this means new videos about content remixing are coming soon! Anything you’d like me to talk about or ask me? Now’s your chance to request a video & blog post about it! Just comment and make your request.
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