🎙️ Episode 35: The Drivetime Experiment

We tried to record a podcast in the car. While it was moving. Honestly? Not our best idea!

In this very weird-sounding episode (why do tyres on tarmac make it sound like we're underwater?!) we talk productivity hacks, outsourcing, books v social media, working in the smallest room and Dee Atkins (makes us do things we don't really want to, does things for us when we won't/don't. High levels of smut and professionalism. Five stars. Would recommend).

Also, you get to experience the unprecedented joy of Asha attempting to park her 'wide' car in a perfectly normal parking space.

Usual audio levels will resume next week!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:03

You're listening to Awesomely Off Topic, the podcast where we talk books, brand business, and everything else we're not supposed to say out loud. We're Taz and Asher, ex-journos, now coaches, creators, and chaos navigators. Let's go! Hey everyone, Taz here with a really quick show note before we start. Ash and I decided to push the boundaries even further with this one, and we attempted to record it while we were driving along in the car. What we did not anticipate was the noise of the tyres on the road, making it sound as if we were underwater. We didn't want to scrap this episode because there's some great info in here. Not least you get to experience the wonders of Asher trying to park the car, but we've polished it up as best we can. Sound will be back to normal next week, and in the meantime, we hope you enjoy this one. Let us know how you get on. Well, we have no idea if this is gonna work. It's another episode of Awesomely Off Topic for You. We are in the car. We're driving to a hospital appointment because I've had these UV itis fire up and issue with my eye again. And I was just gonna sit here and do some social media, and Ash said, why don't we try and record a podcast? So we don't know how this is gonna work, if it's even gonna be usable.

SPEAKER_01: 1:13

Can we just say at this point, hi everybody, just health and safety, I am the one driving. So um Taz is holding the phone.

SPEAKER_00: 1:20

I am holding the phone. Nobody is doing anything naughty. So I'm sitting holding Asher's iPhone up between us, and we thought we'd just talk. And the first thing we thought we'd talk about is actually this concept of using time twice. What's the difference between that and multitasking? Well, if you followed me for a while and Asher, you'll know that we absolutely do not believe in multitasking. All multitasking means is that you're switching quickly from one task to another. You are giving one task 20%, another one twenty percent, another one sixty percent. But you're never giving anything 100% of your attention, therefore, you're not really doing anything properly. Using your time twice is something that's not quite the same. So, we're driving to the hospital, we'd be chatting anyway, we might as well record what we're chatting about.

SPEAKER_01: 2:09

Sounds like a good idea. And see if it works, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 2:12

Absolutely. So, productivity hacks, Ash. In all the time that you've been self-employed, it's a long time now. Yeah, that's longer than I've been self-employed.

SPEAKER_01: 2:21

I know. It's are you talking about I don't know, twenty-five years? I would really be unemployable now.

SPEAKER_00: 2:27

Well, I've been self-employed since 2010. And you weren't self-employed a fair bit of.

SPEAKER_01: 2:33

When we moved up to Lincolnshire from Ghent. Pretty much, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 2:36

Yeah, it would be about 25 years. So in that time, you're a solopreneur. That's one of those terms that divides people. But is it as bad as bonpreneur?

SPEAKER_01: 2:46

Um I couldn't possibly comment on that.

SPEAKER_00: 2:48

I was just throwing preneur after everything. And we know preneur fittingpreneur.

SPEAKER_01: 2:52

Anyway, I'm an eatingpreneur. That's why I need to stop eating so much. A student so much way, a studgepreneur, a carbspreneur.

SPEAKER_00: 3:01

But in all this time, Ash, what are some of the productivity tips, hacks, what have you learned about keeping on top of things, getting the job done that might help a lot of people who are self-employed? Because I know that in the early days, for me, I kind of felt like I've got to do everything. And I think at the very beginning, you kind of do. Yeah. Then gradually we start to outsource bits. But when we first do the job, if we're not careful, we focus just on the bits of actually doing the job rather than doing the business. What have you learned, Ash? What are some what pearls of wisdom you can pass on?

SPEAKER_01: 3:34

Oh my goodness, there's so many different things. Firstly, I would say making the most of your time. So, because time is uh, isn't it? We say we're time for, but actually, sometimes we can do things like this. This is a great example of we're making the best use of our time. Um, we're going out and about somewhere, but we've got like a 40-minute journey to the hospital, so we thought, right, okay, let's maximise that time. So that's one of the things I've realised. You don't have to be, thanks to a technology, we don't have to be at a desk at our computer now. We can be working in any place, and also um the joy of working remotely as well. If you fancy a change, the energy that brings to you when you're particularly if you're in a creative zone of creating social media posts, blogs, um, you know, any marketing material for your business. Sometimes I find I always go on about this, and those that follow me will know that, but I think it's really important getting the energy of the place. Sometimes just having a different place to go to, work remotely for a couple of hours, can really spare you on and and just get you to work in a slightly different way, often relaxing you a bit more. Oh, thank you, Big Laurie, coming out in front of me in a at a roundabout. Nice one, mate. Um uh off topic, yeah. But I think that's really important. I think you can do that, and I think you can benefit from doing something differently. So mixing up your day a little bit, because that's the joy of, particularly if you're a solopreneur or you're a small business, you work for yourself, maybe you work from home, is that you can do that without having to spend a huge amount of money, go out and find a nice coffee shop or something where you can work, and that's a really good starting point. I've learned that, yeah, and I actually enjoy that. Like, even though today, as I said, we're going out to the hospital, I've got my laptop with me because I've got loads of deadlines on different projects, so I'm going to try and maximise the time we're there. So that's the first thing. Um, it's loads well. What about you, Tows? You add one in, then I'll add some.

SPEAKER_00: 5:22

Yeah, I totally agree with the changing the scene of things. I think one of the things we don't realise when we first set up, or one of the mindsets a lot of people go into self-employment with I certainly have this, is that it's all about the hustle and grind. Yeah. And you need to be working 48 hours a day. You know. And um, I think ironically, one of the best productivity hacks is to take yourself completely out of the work for a while. Yeah. So it's like when we talk about our inspiration days, where we, you know, one day a month we just go out somewhere different and go and explore. Go to a museum, go to an art gallery, I don't know, read lots as well when you're at home. Anything at all to get your inspiration fiery will benefit your business. Yeah. It gets your inspiration going, it gets your uh you can learn more, you pass those learnings on to your clients and they come through your work. When you're relaxed, when you're fully charged, when you're feeling at ease and on it, then of course that's going to come across in your work. So rather than seeing burnout as a medal of honour, I think we actually need to actively diarise time out, downtime. And here's another perfect example of using time twice rather than multitasking. And and again, for me, the definition of multitasking is just skipping from one thing to another and never fully giving attention. Using time twice is the same thing we're doing now. How many of you, when you're in your car going somewhere, listen to an audiobook, for instance? Or maybe if you're if you have the capacity while you're working to be listening to an audiobook while you're, I don't know, doing your accounts or something. I have this rule for myself, if it's fiction and I want to escape into it, that's still for me a proper paper physical book. Yeah. There's nothing quite the same as opening up the pages of of a book and the smell of the the the it's so tactile. Yeah, it is the experience of the floor. That smell of fresh ink on the page and exciting. And opening it up and stiff in the spine. Maybe I'm just being weird on the inside. Um the book on the inside, not me on the inside. I probably am weird on the inside. I am actually, but that's another story for another day. But that doing less sometimes enables you to do more. So where I was going with that before I went off topic is my rule is if it's fiction, I don't want to lose myself, I'll be reading a proper physical book. Or sometimes if I'm away somewhere and I'll be on my Kindle. Um But if it's a business book or a personal development book, something I'm gonna learn from, I like to listen to those in the first place on an audio book. I find when I'm driving, I'm I'm my mind starts to wander quite a lot. Uh or if I'm a passenger in the car.

SPEAKER_01: 8:06

I was gonna say I hope not when you're driving. I am health and safety spoken.

SPEAKER_00: 8:10

What I mean by that is that I come up with lots of ideas. Good.

SPEAKER_01: 8:15

Let's clarify that, please.

SPEAKER_00: 8:16

When I'm in the car, I come up with ideas a lot. I notice a lot. Oh, it's a great big flock of crows at Virgil.

SPEAKER_01: 8:22

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 8:23

Murder, actually, wouldn't it? Yeah, murder. Um so yeah, it's it's about working out when your inspiration, when your brain is at its premium and using that again.

SPEAKER_01: 8:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 8:39

So for me, because my thoughts flow, find them in the car, an audiobook is perfect.

SPEAKER_01: 8:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 8:45

And I have been known to buy the audiobook, get so engrossed into that that I want to make some notes in the margin, then buy a physical copy of the book as well. Right. And then be able to go somewhere and go, oh, I wish we'd got that to refer to, and then buy the buying it on Kindle as well to read up.

SPEAKER_01: 9:00

So you've got three versions. Yeah. So the authors are like, thank you very much. Yeah. That's what we like to hear. I like to hear that.

SPEAKER_00: 9:07

So that for me is another productivity hack. It's about keeping your brain alive. But don't try and keep your brain alive just by looking at other people's stuff and comparing.

SPEAKER_01: 9:18

That's the danger, though, isn't it? That's where we have to set our own boundaries, and we know for us what is, you know, a good day and a good mindset to have if we find ourselves drifting into look at what they're doing, which you know, all guilty of that. I know I've certainly been guilty of that in the past and still can be. So I try and catch myself now. If that starts to happen, it's like, what how is this serving ye?

SPEAKER_00: 9:38

I think that can be the difference between reading, listening to, absorbing something that's good learning material and scrolling social media and looking at what other people are saying. Yeah. I think that's far more. A book's carefully curated. What's the difference though? Help me out. What's the difference between reading a book that someone's put their time and energy into and scrolling their social media channels?

SPEAKER_01: 10:02

Oh my goodness, mate. Because when it's written well, when a book's written well, um you can really get into the I think the psyche, the real goings-on of somebody's mind in the way it's written, the thought processes, everything else in much more detail. Yes, social media um posts are f amazing, wonderful, but it's a snapshot. I think a book, when it's done well, really drills down and you get to you should get a sense of who that author is, if it's particularly if it's a business book and their business practices, yes, it could be quite a dry book where you don't learn a lot, but that's why I love books where it's part kind of um uh part. What do I mean, tas my brain? Journal. Journal, yeah, workbook, part biography, not biography, memoir. Part memo. Yeah, like that. Or without you just give them. Okay, you're well more than welcome. But that I think that combination is is really powerful. No change there then. This next one all anyway. Awesomely off topic. Hello! But yeah, and I think that is beautiful. When you get that combination, it's a really powerful. In fact, I'm working with a client at the moment exactly we're doing exactly that, and it's part journal, part uh memoir, part, and it's you're learning so much about that individual. Really powerful.

SPEAKER_00: 11:22

Um, in fact, she's using the things that she's been through to teach something, and then giving them the space to use that learning and uh translate it to their own situation.

SPEAKER_01: 11:36

Yeah, exactly. Um, and it builds that relatability with your customers, potential customers, your audiences. It's so that's why I think books just give you another layer up to to go to, you know, another point to go to where it really helps you connect on a deeper level.

SPEAKER_00: 11:51

So that's why reading somebody's book is potentially gonna give you more than spending hours pouring their social pouring over their social media channels, or is it just a different set of tools?

SPEAKER_01: 12:04

I think it's a bit of both, I think for me. I'm always gonna say that because my love is books. So for me, there nothing beats that, whether it's on Kindle, it's an you know, it's an e-book, it's a printed, good old-fashioned book. There is something about that, really immersing yourself in that and having even if it's 20 minutes, 30 minutes first thing in the morning to get you going with the day, and you're just gonna dive in. For me, it's just the flow of a good book that you don't get in the same way with social, and that's not to to diss Social, it's got its place and it absolutely works for us in our marketing, but the two together sit beautifully together, and of course, then once you've got a book, it's also giving you content. There's your content prompts forevermore, because you can dip back into your own book and the book that you've written and come up, give you ideas for other content, yeah, which I love. So it's if it's written when it's written well, it's timeless, it should be timeless.

SPEAKER_00: 12:53

So I think for me, one of the things if I discover a new, I don't know, coach or mentor or trainer or some business or personal development brain and think, wow, they're um they're amazing, I want to learn more, I will quite often go and look at their social feeds and hyper focus on that and look at what it is they're putting out and get to know them more.

SPEAKER_01: 13:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 13:12

So I think that's the difference for me, that with the social feeds you should, in air quotes, get to know the person more, whereas in the book you get to uh learn from their knowledge and experiences more.

SPEAKER_01: 13:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 13:25

So um that here's an interesting one as well. So is there a is there anyone out there you can think of where you love their book but can't stand their social feats, or vice versa. Oh, that's an interesting one.

SPEAKER_01: 13:42

I often again bring it back to books, my favourite topic. Um, I often go and look at people's social um posts, and then I'll look at a book and I'll think, you've not gone deep enough here. For me, there's it's that layers thing again. Yeah. You know, on social you might have done that. You might have been brave on that day to actually reveal something about yourself that is gonna hopefully be relatable for your your viewers, for your readers.

unknown: 14:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 14:10

But when it came to your book, you kind of chickened out a bit.

SPEAKER_00: 14:13

Serena Bigman?

SPEAKER_01: 14:15

Yes. Um, but but I also I think to be fair, for that particular book, I was so excited about the book, and I've still not read it all, you know. I've read three-quarters of it. Okay, but for me, there's so much to her personality. There you go, you got me on my favourite topic: football and books!

SPEAKER_00: 14:29

Football and books, I'm in heaven! I'm so sorry, listeners have dropped the F bomb. I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_01: 14:35

Um but for me, I think a lot of it was translated into English as well, which told the sense of the obviously the prose will be slightly different, but also to be to be fair as well, there's so much to that incredible human. I just love her attitude, her approach. She is she's got to be England manager for the line of his first for until the day that she goes to the next place.

SPEAKER_00: 14:58

She's definitely got a platonic girl crush on it.

SPEAKER_01: 15:00

I know, she's incredible. Um, but her book for me, if anybody you're listening, if anybody of you have read it, it's great because it's obviously an incredible part of social history because of what she's achieved even then. I mean, that was just when we'd won the Euros for the first time. But now it'll be even more incredible. Oh, maybe I should be getting in touch. Um, but for me there was something missing in it. There was still not an element, not enough about her, not really, not about her and her personality. Um, it could have gone deeper, I think. So that's just my opinion.

SPEAKER_00: 15:30

What about business and personal development books from that point of view? Are there anywhere where again you've loved the book, you've loved the learning, and then haven't liked the social or that stuff? Um, is there anyone where you think, or here's the thing that that I know can be a turn off? You maybe read the book, then look at their social feeds, and it doesn't feel aligned. Or you look at somebody's social feeds first. Yeah. Great things about the book, but their social feeds have given you the impression that they're only in it for the money and the ego, and therefore you don't want to read the book.

SPEAKER_01: 15:59

Oh, yeah, I've had I've had the touch of that as well, definitely. And maybe it's also, and again, this is something to discuss. I'm going to be a little bit controversial here, but maybe that's possibly where we've outsourced our social, and there's nothing wrong with that. I want to absolutely make that clear. I know if that feels right for you. As we grow, sometimes we need to do that.

SPEAKER_00: 16:18

We need to outsource our own social. Business is social, yes.

SPEAKER_01: 16:21

Business social, that's what I'm saying. But maybe if we've social if we've had that. Why is he doing that? Sorry. Oh, there's a police car. Okay, let's do that and get out of the way.

SPEAKER_00: 16:31

It's an unmarked police car with blue and white flashing eyes.

SPEAKER_01: 16:35

There you go. Somebody's gonna get it.

SPEAKER_00: 16:37

I'm the only one who's always disappointed in the UP when you see an unmarked police car and they never just reach out of their window and stick a light on the roof like they're doing the movies.

SPEAKER_01: 16:45

No, that was Starskin Hutch. I'm so old. Anybody else remember Starskin Hutch? And he used to he used to go over the bonnet of the car, didn't he? Yeah. And it was always were you a Starsky or a Hutch fan though, this is the thing. We're going off topic. Starsky or Hutch. For me, it was David's oh David's soul blessed him. I loved him so much. I always like blondes, see? Always like blondes.

SPEAKER_00: 17:06

I just like cars.

SPEAKER_01: 17:08

Where weren't we to us?

SPEAKER_00: 17:10

So, where you recognise there is there's a misalignment.

SPEAKER_01: 17:15

So maybe sometimes that, if it's not quite outsourcing, that's what we're talking about. Yeah, if it's not quite got the kind of the time with the voice and the flow and the and the you know and the way that we we write things, maybe it's not quite on on what's the word? On round. Thank you. It's that maybe sometimes, but what about you?

SPEAKER_00: 17:36

That for me, this is where I always use the analogy of I would expect Richard Brampton to be writing his own social post, but Virgin will have a team of managers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. Sometimes that's done really, really well. So I absolutely love, and I say this a lot, Aldi, Lidl.

SPEAKER_01: 17:51

Oh god, they're amazing, aren't they?

SPEAKER_00: 17:53

Especially on threads, and the banter between them and Marks and Spencer's, for instance. Oh, it's just genius. The the courage of those organizations to say, yeah, have at it, do the banter.

SPEAKER_01: 18:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 18:04

I think it's absolutely brilliant.

SPEAKER_01: 18:06

Can you imagine though, being in those planning meetings, the marketing teams? I bet they have so much fun with it. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00: 18:12

We would have loved when we were running it. We did used to run an agency where we did people social for us.

SPEAKER_01: 18:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 18:17

But that level of freedom is rare to find anything. Let's run right, let's do it. Yeah, yeah. And that's only gonna win the fans. Yeah. Only gonna do that. So, for me, um, and I'm gonna I'm gonna break hard and divide opinions here. Someone who has written some cracking books, and it's really, really well.

SPEAKER_01: 18:38

I know what you're gonna say. Oh, you little controversial.

SPEAKER_00: 18:41

I'm a little bit Rene Brown.

SPEAKER_01: 18:44

Oh, it wasn't who I thought you were gonna say. I was gonna say somebody with the initials of M and R.

SPEAKER_00: 18:50

Mel Robbins.

unknown: 18:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 18:51

With other controversy having their stealing let them. Yeah. Well, some of you will know, if you've read my So What book, um it's not the same format as many of my other books. In fact, you could really just read the cover and then you've got it. I'm shooting myself in the foot here, but complete transparency. The reason I wrote So What in the way that I wrote it is so it's some descriptions of how to use the technique, how it came up with the technique, and then essentially the rest of the of the book, it's only quite a short one, is testimonials and and chapters from people who've used the technique and are telling you how they've done it. You don't actually need to read the full book. But I remember reading the uh five-second rule when everybody had been well that was an on-audiobook actually, when everybody had been raving about it. And I was like, what? What was the fuss about? So 54321, I'd been doing something similar for for Yonks, except actually I've been doing it the other way around. I'd done a count up rather than countdown, but very, very similar, just something I'd come up with that helped me. But what did my absolute melody with that book was that it was a brief description of it, and then the rest of it was people going, this technique's brilliant, here's how I did it. And I thought that doesn't need to be a book, that's a real waste, and I didn't understand why people were making a big deal of it, unless it's classic Apple and Android and it's the marketing behind it. And then some years later, I invested in uh joining one of her coaching programs. And let's just say again, transparency, I didn't do all of it because I was so disappointed at the first session. Massive turn-off, all glass, no real interaction, um, everything everything filtered through an assistant, no nobody on screen doing direct one-to-one conversation or one-to-many conversation. It was so curated that honestly it just made me feel a bit sick in my mouth, and I thought this is so outside of my own value set, this is so not the way I run group. If I'm running a group coaching program, I want everybody to be on screen and to be able to talk and ask questions and contribute. To be fair, that was a massive, massive group that I was part of, but still not dropping that amount to be talking to an assistant and everything filtered through messaging. Um but then at the end of it, what really made me feel a little bit rebellious was this I've been doing this alongside you while you've all been working on your projects that we've been coaching, mentoring, supporting you through, I've been writing a new book. Here it is. And that's when Let Them came to be. And everyone who was in that group membership just got bombarded with marketing messages for Let Them. And it was full of sure they're lovely people, but it felt like it was full of sycophants where if she'd varnished a turd and Said, look what I've made, that I want to pay for a piece of it. And then I went, right, I'm doing exactly the same. That and I bashed out so what very, very quickly, in direct response to that, which is why it's that format, which is why it breaks my usual format. I.e., it's this is how you use the technique. Then loads of people talking about the technique. It was an exact if that's what she's doing, I'm gonna do the same. Yeah. And you know, I've got great feedback from the book, but it's not one I'm proudest of. I love the technique.

SPEAKER_01: 22:32

How quick it is to turn something around.

SPEAKER_00: 22:34

The technique is fucking genius. Yeah, that was such a brilliant download, and it really, really works. But that book is not my finest work. The teachings in it are brilliant, but it follows that exact Mel Robin's format of technique. There are lots of people saying how brilliant it is and how they've used it. So yeah, I'm a little bit disappointed there. Um yeah, it's amazing what you can do when you invest. And I actually, um, not too long back, I was having a conversation with a pal of mine who does an awful lot of marketing and PR over in the US. And he said, look, if you want to get to that kind of status, you've got to pay for it. That's how they've all done it. They pay for it. And I'm not doing that.

SPEAKER_01: 23:19

And that's um think making me think about another topic that we're gonna do on a future podcast about paying for things.

SPEAKER_00: 23:25

Yeah, uh, listen out for our Sunday podcast episode on Pay to Speak. Definitely listen out for that. So anyway, back to social media versus books. Um, what's another productivity hack? Because that's what we were talking about initially. How do you feel about batch creating social posts?

SPEAKER_01: 23:43

I think it can definitely work. I think so depends what the content is. There's timeless content, what I you know, we refer to as evergreen content, isn't there? Yeah. That you can create. Stuff that's pretty timeless that you can you can also, as I is my old phrase again, top and tail it, so something that you've got, repurpose it, that's always good to have, and you can batch that other stuff that you've got to be more spontaneous. Spontaneous.

SPEAKER_00: 24:06

Spontaneous, that's a good one. Hey, I've created a new word. You can spontaneously create a new spontaneous word.

SPEAKER_01: 24:11

Oh spontaneously, the yes. Spontaneously.

SPEAKER_00: 24:18

You're gonna get your t-shirt on. I'm spontaneous.

SPEAKER_01: 24:21

I love that. I am. If I could possibly say it, I am, I'm sure I am.

SPEAKER_00: 24:25

Yeah. Sounds a bit like a trump word, though, it could be like Confeffy.

SPEAKER_01: 24:29

Confeffe.

SPEAKER_00: 24:30

Confeffi. Bigly Bigley spontan spontanette What was it then?

SPEAKER_01: 24:35

I should get a a baseball a red baseball cat with that on, I think. Didn't I?

SPEAKER_00: 24:40

I can't remember what it was now.

SPEAKER_01: 24:42

Is that lost on you by saying the red baseball cat no that wasn't in the you know we can never go to America again now, you know that, don't you, with all this stuff we're putting on here.

SPEAKER_00: 24:53

I know the only way they're gonna make America great again is by getting rid of the person saying let's make America great again, but hey, that's a Or the people. That's a yes. It's very political, and that's not what's functional. I no, not at all, Taz. No, never. Never now we're in a queue. Batch creating content, Tasha, back on topic.

SPEAKER_01: 25:10

Okay, it's saying eleven fifteen and your appointment's eleven twenty. So it means I've got to find a parking space. We'll be fine. It's fine. All will be well. Yeah. Okay. So batch con batching content spontaneously, that's it. Batch creating content. I think we can do that. And it it's absolutely got to be part, particularly when you work for yourself, you know, you've you're trying to balance, juggle so many different balls, aren't you, in the air, with all elements of your business. Why would you not do that? It's what you choose, though, what type of content you're batching. Because there I for me there always has to be room, but maybe that's my ADH brain. There always has to be room for that spontaneity. Sponsignative that word.

SPEAKER_00: 25:48

Spontaneously.

SPEAKER_01: 25:49

Spontaneous Anyway, that spontaneity. You need that because that injects for me, so I'm a bit nasal today. Um that injects an energy, I think, that is much needed in our social sometimes.

SPEAKER_00: 26:03

So you're saying that your ADHD brain works best when you're batch creating content.

SPEAKER_01: 26:11

No, why did I say that?

SPEAKER_00: 26:12

So you just said that's my ADH brain, you're not the day off.

SPEAKER_01: 26:17

I'm really lost now. Sorry, I'm in a queue trying to A few minutes to manage the.

SPEAKER_00: 26:21

You're saying you you've got to batch create content. Why would you not batch create content? Maybe that's just the way my in air quotes stet uh ADH brain works.

SPEAKER_01: 26:29

I don't know, I'm completely lost now. Sorry. Carry on, carry on. Honestly, I need to focus on the road now. Well, I haven't been before.

SPEAKER_00: 26:36

To batch create content.

SPEAKER_01: 26:39

Because I like to be spontaneous, and it's one No, I do I do like that, but I but I know to be consistent because one of my things okay, give everybody here's a big confession coming up now, guys. I've not done any social since we came back from Christmas. I don't think. I think I've done two posts, maybe one or two posts, in all that time. What a terrible confession.

SPEAKER_00: 26:58

It's something that I've done on the show.

SPEAKER_01: 26:59

Probably I've only done a handful of things because I've been bogged down in verticomas with other stuff, with new client work, blah blah blah.

SPEAKER_00: 27:07

Anyway, and I haven't done as much because I've not been able to look at it.

SPEAKER_01: 27:09

But the point I'm making is if I batch the content, then obviously I'd have something that was going out anyway that I could program, you know, um schedule and make sure it was going out. And I get it, I get all of that, but m the way my brain works is also like you. I want to be spontaneous. I said it correctly then, Taz. So it must be there, must be something right in it.

SPEAKER_00: 27:27

Spontaneously said it spontaneously. I did.

SPEAKER_01: 27:31

But that sounds good. Um, but yeah, it's important to do that. And I said for for the way my brain works, that gives me excitement, it makes me enjoy my content if I can just go, oh, I've had this idea. I'm stuck in a queue in the middle of a town in on the outskirts of a town in Lincolnshire.

SPEAKER_00: 27:46

I know, let's do a podcast.

SPEAKER_01: 27:48

Yeah, let's do that. We were spontaneous. I've said it twice, Taz, correctly.

SPEAKER_00: 27:52

Yeah, spontaneously said spontaneously twice.

SPEAKER_01: 27:54

You know why? I think I'm bloaming it. We went past a here's a nice plug for Starbucks, went past a Starbucks just now. I thought I could just dry it's a drive-thru one, I could just pop in, just pop in and get one to take. But then of course I'd you know, then it'd make me want to wee when I was waiting. No, it's not good. Too much. Oh shut up, that does.

SPEAKER_00: 28:12

So I s I really struggle with batch creating content, and part of that is my impulsivity. If I write a post or create a graphic and think, oh I'm so excited about that, I can't wait.

unknown: 28:23

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 28:24

And even if I schedule it, the only ones I schedule, and and actually I need to schedule some more, they've probably run out. Sorry, Inspiration Tribe people, is are Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday posts for um Inspiration Tribe, because it's the same pattern every week.

SPEAKER_01: 28:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 28:40

Um kind of coaching what's good, what's going on for you posts. Um, if you're not in Inspiration Tribe yet, by the way, go find it on Facebook. Free to join. Feel free to come on in. Um they're the only things I batch. And it's it's one of the other reasons, and I I know this is not ideal for someone in my position, but it's one of the other reasons I struggle with sticking to a content plan. Because I can come up with a content plan without further ado. We talked about this, haven't we, before and then I go, oh no, I'm not in the room, mood for doing that today. And I know actually, this is one of the conversations I need to have with Dee about her nudging me for things because I know that I fall foul of my own ADHD brain and the spontaneity thing, because I'll go, oh shit, that programme's due to start like next week, and I haven't done anything to promote it. Classic, isn't it? And that really drops a mega big ball into my business. You know, it's it what it's one a hell of a one a hell of a wrecking ball, that one. Yeah. So yeah. Actually, speaking of D, that's another productivity hat.

SPEAKER_01: 29:46

Your VA or amazing VA, anyway.

SPEAKER_00: 29:52

Is the importance of outsourcing. And at the beginning, we all go, oh no, I can't afford that.

SPEAKER_01: 29:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 29:58

I was leaving a gap for you to Oh sorry, sorry, I was reading the sign over there. Stop reading a sign and fill my gap. Fill my gap, baby.

SPEAKER_01: 30:09

I'm completely lost now. Sorry, I'm still on Fill My Gap. What was the question there?

SPEAKER_00: 30:13

I was leaving a gap in the conversation.

SPEAKER_01: 30:16

Look, even my even my car is saying leaving vehicle is driving on, move. Now, this is not a good idea.

SPEAKER_00: 30:21

I was leaving the gap for you to fill in the conversation.

SPEAKER_01: 30:24

Right, okay.

SPEAKER_00: 30:25

Shall I just leave you that gap again? Yeah. So one of the things we learned we learned perhaps too late in our businesses, Asher. Oh, about outsourcing with VA. And at the beginning we all go, Oh goodness me, I can't afford to do that. However, yeah. We're leaving a gap for you to fill.

SPEAKER_01: 30:39

Okay, however, it doesn't have to be a huge amount of money. We've got an incredible VA that you you you know that you work with regularly, I work with fairly regularly as well. I'll be lost with it. But yeah, exactly. D Atkins, we love to make it happen.

SPEAKER_00: 30:51

D Atkins, best VA in the world.

SPEAKER_01: 30:53

Yep, definitely second that. Um, but great example. So yesterday was a great example. Taz has obviously been suffering a bit with this eye issue. This is why we're on the way to the hospital. Yep. Um and so screen time at the moment is supposed to be reduced a bit.

unknown: 31:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 31:08

Um obviously Taz puts out a newsletter every week. Twice every week. Um and Taz I do batch create the Saturday newsletters. Well, there you go. But this newsletter that goes out every week, and we were doing stuff, we were a bit late doing it, up some sauce on Wednesdays, and I was going to do it, but I was up to mirrors with deadlines as well. Um and Taz said, Well, shall we let Dee do it? Yeah. Um we checked with Dee, obviously, because she's such a busy lady, but she was able to fit that in as well for us.

SPEAKER_00: 31:34

We'd already folded load of the content together together, but it got to the point where I couldn't keep staring at a screen and you were up to your eyeballs.

SPEAKER_01: 31:40

And do you know what? For the cost of that, which is minimal, really, for her time, because she'll whiz through it and do it in like zero, you know, probably only two-thirds of time it would take us. Um and it's done, and it was done, and we didn't need to worry about it. That was another thing ticked off the list. So sometimes we have to do that. And I think there are certain things, obviously, the obvious thing is always accounts for me that I'm always going to outsource because I hate it.

SPEAKER_00: 32:02

That was another thing I was gonna say. I hear so many self-employed people tie themselves in knots over their accounts and getting them done. And I would have a cleaver. That's something we've always outsourced, isn't it? Two minutes you're a boy. That's fine. At first we used to outsource just bookkeeping, that cost you more money.

SPEAKER_01: 32:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 32:20

Um, and then we outsourced our bookkeeping and our accounts.

SPEAKER_01: 32:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 32:24

And I know for a long time I was still getting all my accounts ready, excuse me, to give to the accountant and sending them at the end of the year. And it dropped me in a lot of hot water, and I used to get so, so stressed out. Yeah. Whereas now I pay into that one of those systems where you can just you have a dedicated email, and every time you spend and the receipt comes through, you either snap a picture of it and email it, or you just forward the email with the receipt on it. Yeah. Job done. Yeah. So all I've then got to do is send them my bank statements um and PayPal statements and and mileage.

SPEAKER_01: 32:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 32:59

So it's such a time saver. And yes, it costs more to do it that way, but how much time do we waste getting ourselves in a tis overdoing our accounts?

SPEAKER_01: 33:09

I I'm just remembering because before we went digital tax and all the rest of it, I can remember years ago, I can remember the madness of sitting on the living room floor with twelve envelopes or envelopes, depending on your pronunciation. Not pronunciation, pronunciation. Yeah, that's another one about Pat hates. Yeah. Um, but I can remember us being there and just literally having all the receipts for all the different months into the, you know, in all these envelopes, and then having to go through um each one individually and mark it all up into an XL document.

SPEAKER_00: 33:46

I've not been doing that regularly down to it, or when you get a receipt that's faded and you can't read it properly. Yeah, exactly. And also before our ADHD diagnosis diagnoses, because you haven't been diagnosed, but we know you've got it. Undiagnose, but there's definitely something not quite right. Um, I remember you in with with all the best intentions saying, Well, give me the receipts, I'll put them somewhere safe. I'm good at that. I mean, there are fewer. Yes, well, I face that gave you all my receipts, and then at the end of the year going, Where are the receipts? And you went, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01: 34:21

I don't know. What receipts? So thank goodness that we're gonna carry it back somewhere. So thank goodness we don't have to do that then. No. So, you know, it's yeah, thank goodness for that. Yeah. And we're we'd better rhapsy, because we're nearly there. But one more time, do I depends on the traffic? We've got to kinda and then we'll have the oh we usually have the usual panic of the car park. Wondering where I'm gonna park because it's gonna be really busy, other loads of clinics on.

SPEAKER_00: 34:45

Just find the space and parking. Oh, you could not where are you going, mate? Get another area where Asher struggles to fill the gap.

SPEAKER_01: 34:52

What do you mean? Car parking places. Yeah, if there's too much to choose from, I'm like, oh.

SPEAKER_00: 34:56

Empty car parks going the furthest one away.

SPEAKER_01: 34:59

It's good for you, it's good to get your step count up.

SPEAKER_00: 35:02

One more point on outsourcing to VAs. I would say this actually. Please, please, please remember that VAs are not all created create VAs are not all created equal. They will all have different skill sets, they will all have different specialists. Yeah, that's a really good point, actually. One of the reasons I went with Dee is that she's got a very similar sense of humour to us, i.e., she walked. But also she's got a real handle on all things creative and digital. And I needed somebody that I could throw things like that at. And I also needed some somebody I could trust with that because I am so particular about my brand. And most of the creatives you see for me, I will have done. But I needed someone who was really OF with digital marketing and a generalist as well. So D was a perfect choice. But what you need to do, don't pick your VA based on price, pick your VA based on the skill set you need to fill. Um get yourself to a point where you have an idea of what you want to outsource, and then search for a VA whose skills match. And if you're not sure, find a good VA who will give a give you a call first and discuss with you what they could potentially take on. Because I know I didn't know that would be, and every now and then we still have a call going, right, this is where I'm overloaded. Which bits can you do? And you know, there are some bits where she's been desperate to get them from me for years, and I still won't hand them over. Again, things like that. Writing in the newsletters or writing them social. No, that's mine, it's my voice. Unless we're on holiday. I mean on a business trip. That's all of all of that going on. Um, I know quite a few people who've been burned by one of these apparently really cost-effective VA agencies who claim to have an expert in everything and they don't. And that's not to speak of all of them, but I do know a few people who've been burnt by doing it that way. Or by just taking a VA at you know, face value recommendation without checking to see if their skill set matches what they need. So do check into that. They're all generalists, they don't all do the same. Some have better skills in one area than another, like everybody else. So be sure about what it is you need before you outsource.

unknown: 37:20

Cool.

SPEAKER_00: 37:21

Asher, any more tips before we show us your tips?

SPEAKER_01: 37:26

I can't, I'm driving.

SPEAKER_00: 37:27

Show us your tips and then feel back out.

SPEAKER_01: 37:30

Don't we distract any other drivers with it? Can you say, honestly?

SPEAKER_00: 37:34

Any more tips? What have you been taking today?

SPEAKER_01: 37:39

I know, I know.

SPEAKER_00: 37:41

Um any more tips before we wrap, Ash?

SPEAKER_01: 37:44

Um, I don't know. Is there anything else that we need to talk about? I'm kind of I think we've done we've done some really good things there, and hopefully give you some food for thought. Well, hopefully this will have worked. Yeah. If it hasn't, we've just been chatting with each other, but that's okay. At least you're not on your at least you're not on your phone doing stuff and not talking to me when I'm driving. No, I'm on your phone. Talking to each other with it sitting in the middle of the company, aren't we?

SPEAKER_00: 38:06

Um, one more quick point about using the time twice rather than multitasking. For those of you who are still saying I don't have time for social media, remember that your phone fits into the smallest room with you. I'll just end it there.

SPEAKER_01: 38:20

Sounds about right. Hey, look, there's the sign for the hospital. We are literally coming. Now, this is we could stay on them, which would be quite funny. We can have that. Let's do that as I have a little panic as I go into the car park. Because that'd be quite amusing, wouldn't it? I'm sure they'd want to do it.

SPEAKER_00: 38:33

Do you want to hear Asher panicking about where to park in the car park? It's always amusing. Always, always, always.

SPEAKER_01: 38:39

No, let's see where we can go today. See how busy it is because I don't know if Thursday is a busy clinic day or somebody's going in before us. Follow that car.

SPEAKER_00: 38:48

Let's just go back onto batching for a minute. The one piece of content that we do both of us.

SPEAKER_01: 38:51

Oh look, it's loads around here if I get.

SPEAKER_00: 38:54

We're just going into the hospital car park.

SPEAKER_01: 38:56

Which is where I go. Which way do I go? Because it's got I've got work going on and blah blah. Right, okay. Where that silver car's going. Yes. Correct?

unknown: 39:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 39:07

Okay, I'm going, I'm going. Try not to run anybody over, that's always good. That's it. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00: 39:13

One area that we do always um batch create are our podcasts. We book out, we have the time scheduled out in our diary. Tends to be Fridays, we keep that clear for doing podcast recording, marketing, um, catch-up, video, things like that. So if you want to start doing batch-produced content, schedule the time out in your diary to do it, or you will get busy and not do it, or at least that has been our experience.

SPEAKER_01: 39:42

Oh, why is he going that? So he's gonna look for spaces on that side. I know, but I'm going 16 miles away. We know there's some at the back end.

unknown: 39:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 39:56

No, I know. I know you didn't, but there you go. Is that one down there? No, that's half a car. Half a car park. Space. No, God, it's busy today. Well, hang on. Oh, was there? Sorry. I've got a car right up my arse. Oh, sorry, I said arse. Sorry, guys. RC RC. RC Darcy. We have said four. Um, what happens now because I won't be able to get through, and then we'll have to reverse it and you can just go around into that next one. Oh no, you're right. Is that one there? No, it's not one there. Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 40:28

Or you could go through and there's one.

SPEAKER_01: 40:30

Oh, there's one on the end, I've just driven past it.

SPEAKER_00: 40:32

What an absolute plot.

SPEAKER_01: 40:34

Have I? Yeah. Where's the other one then?

SPEAKER_00: 40:36

In the thing before. The road before that one, and there's one there. There's one here, hang on. And there's one here.

SPEAKER_01: 40:42

Okay. He's got that one that I should have.

SPEAKER_00: 40:44

Just they're pointing to say there's loads up there. Where? There's one here. Okay, well I get in there then. Of course you'll get in there. It's car width space.

SPEAKER_01: 40:51

Yes, but I've got a wide car.

SPEAKER_00: 40:53

You've got just a car. It's a Hyundai Tucson, it's hardly a one's quite wide though.

SPEAKER_01: 40:58

Realise that. Right, hang on, watch on your side.

SPEAKER_00: 41:01

What am I watching?

SPEAKER_01: 41:04

It will beep at me anyway if I'm not in properly. Am I a bit wonky?

SPEAKER_00: 41:08

You're fine.

SPEAKER_01: 41:09

I don't know, I think I'm wonky. You're fine. Look at the back there.

SPEAKER_00: 41:12

It doesn't matter if you're wonky. Am I in the space? You're in the space.

SPEAKER_01: 41:14

Well you've just come out. That man, that. Okay. But you hate that when somebody just when you just go into a space or you just arrive at a space and then somebody's coming out at the same time, doesn't that happen?

SPEAKER_00: 41:26

Is it? Yeah. Right, shall we wrap the podcast?

SPEAKER_01: 41:28

Oh sorry everybody, I forgot you were still with us. I hope that was entertaining for you. I bet everybody that's listening is now thinking, for God's sake, never.

SPEAKER_00: 41:36

And that's where it cut us off, and we somehow managed to lose the end of the recording. You didn't miss much, but until next time, we will see you next Tuesday.

SPEAKER_01: 41:45

You've been listening to Awesomely Off Topic with Asher Clearwater and Taz Thornton. Professional over sharers and occasional business geniuses. Follow or subscribe if your brain also works leap to leap. We'll be back when the next thought strikes or when Mercury goes direct.