7 things I learnt by posting everyday for 25 days
Don't worry, na mujhe gyan lena aata hai na pelna, this is just some observations
Don’t get me wrong, I’m that person who has no idea when will I feel productive, I get ideas in my sub-conscious like around 2:52 when I close my eyes and motivation to work when a deadline is on my head, but something magical happened in the last few days, but first, let’s give a little backstory.
October 2016, I remember being so excited to go to work everyday at the Bandra office of East India Comedy, because my job was to literally go through news and make jokes about it. Everyday was exciting and unexpected because my job was as unpredictable as news, like literally.
I remember being hit by depression in May 2017 which drained the happy energy out of me. I came out of it strong with the help of my really supportive employers (special shoutout to Sahil Shah, my then boss) who not only gave me space in that mental space but also took me to parties because I had no friends I could hangout with after work everyday.
But yes, things got better but the spark of working never really returned like it has in the last 25 days. Don’t get me wrong, I was creative for the last 7 years in whatever I did, infact I thought of crazy ideas in the pandemic and even posted for 40 days straight. (Along with a full time job)
But since I left my job, there was an un-easiness of this risk that I took by leaving a job which not only paid my rent but also gave me the freedom to think freely for my own content.
Kabhi kabhi kuch cheezon mein tabhi maza aata hai jab vo side hustle hoti hain, main banate hi pahaad jaisi lagne lagti hain. That’s what happened to me since June 2022, when I left my job. I was doing okay work, also doing freelance work to make ends meet, but only after Bollywood Ke Meta Moments, I realised my core of a Bollywood fan and eventually when I started #MyFavGenre, a series about songs I liked.
Starting with 19th Feb, Last 25 days as a streak was never planned, it just happened that I had 3-4 things lined up and then I was like
WHAT IF
I
DO THIS
FOR A WEEK STRAIGHT?
I made an excel sheet to streamline myself and become my boss by giving myself deadlines (let me know in the comments if you’re a freelancer and need an empty template of it)
-cut to- we are here. 25 days. And I aim to do it for 30 days at least.
(Update: Today’s the 40th day)
Oh btw, what I learnt in these days is:
1. Posting daily gives you the room to experiment
Fine, do your regular things for 3 days straight but when you hit a block, experiment, nobody will unfollow you if 3 out of 4 posts of your are what they followed you for. And even if they do, next day, post what they want, and new people will join your journey. But this way at least you’ll find space for things you wanna do for yourself. That was the Udaipur mini vlog for me which I shot in December and eventually released in February to fill a lot.
I knew it won’t get the views of a regular reel but honestly I didn’t care.
2. Regular posting gives you the license to shitpost.
And you never know what goes viral. It’s like in an office meeting, before saying a REALLLY stupid idea you think 10 times, and most times you don’t even say it. But let me tell you, stupid ideas work. People like silly stuff, said in a silly way.
Sometimes it’s the stuff which you think everyone knows, but turns out, it’s unique, because like your insights, you are unique.
Your are forced to collaborate when regular
Remember discussing that collab idea with that creator, when you both agreed but never shot it? It’s time to do it now.
In fact, see every idea you have in your pocket and who can you do it with as a collaboration. It not only fills a slot but reduces the weight of writing and editing from you, so you can focus on the next day.
When you’re active and regular, you attract opportunities.
And I’m not talking about just brands approaching you, it’s also about right people noticing you at the right time and maybe calling you somewhere. Who knows? You might meet Shaan there and make a reel with him?
When you’re on a journey like this, make stuff that your core community will love.
When I met Shaan, I not only made a reel with him but I also documented my day because I knew how happy it will make the community that watches me work everyday. I know it won’t even get the 1/10th views of the reel, but that’s not the point. The point is to make sure you document a journey, also it fills a slot.
CAN YOU BELIEVE I GOT TO SING WITH SHAAN?
Everything is content when you have to fill slots.
Yes, a Google map screenshot, a whatsapp conversation, a chat conversation, everything becomes content when you’re looking for it.
Don’t forget to look out(of the screen) and breathe.
25 din ke josh mein itna likh to diya but thoda burnout bhi ho raha hai, because these 25 days I was not only working on my content but 5 other freelance gigs which came in the most random ways. So what I do to calm my anxiety and stimulation is look out, go out, as much as possible. Make sure you meet the people you genuinely like. Have a walk alone. Have a meal alone in a cafe you haven’t been in a long time and because now you’re working constantly, you won’t even feel guilty for having a meal outside.
In these days I made sure I won’t hamper my personal life, I did everything I’d do otherwise, attend events, gym (sometimes), premieres (All India Rank? I can’t believe I was invited😭) or even go for movies myself (btw loved Manjummel Boys and Laapata Ladies in that order).
BONUS point: You give less fucks about trolls who just comment on your posts because they don’t have a life and just want attention. You know why they comment and you still engage in anger sometimes, but when you’re regular, you simply stop caring about them to some extent.
In true sense, I felt like how Aditya Kashyap’s friend describes him here - “Ek din me itna kaam kar rahe ho jitne pichhle 6 mahine mein nahi kiya tha”
I even thought about posting it on story but socha nazar lag jayegi, but had saved the story I was gonna put:
Also, sorry for being inconsistent here, main beech mein bahut cheezein try kar raha tha apni dukaan chalane ke liye, ab thodi chal gyi hai, followers bhi badh rahe hain, thoda secure feel ho raha tha to socha aaj dil ki baatein share kardu :)
Also MAJOR LIFE UPDATE, met Varun Grover and he said he finds me funny? :’)
Life full circle moment as I used to go to his standup shows back in 2017-18 and that is when I had gotten a photo clicked with him :)
Sorry ye yaad aaya to excited hogaya bataane ke liye, chalo, jaldi aaunga!
Apna khyal rakho 🌻
Like my work? Feel free to support me:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/PulkitKochar
so happy for this guy yaar, he deserves all the love from core bollywood fans
💕💕the notification of your blogs and reading them afterwards makes me smile inspite of whatever goes on☺️☺️