This week, I thought I’d keep it simple and explain my work flow in terms of gardening.
Digging: Ironically, the idea gardening week begins on the weekend, particularly Saturday. During a time when no one is checking their email anyway, I pack my backpack and head to a local coffee shop to brainstorm. Sitting with my headphones on, I begin to write down potential guests I’d like to reach out to and start researching their background, coming up with a list of people that I’m both interested in and think might have an interest in coming on the podcast. On Sunday, I continue this process, adding on some bigger picture items, such as brainstorming potential series I may want to initiate, marketing approaches I may want to try, or potential guest pools I have yet to investigate. After my initial dig, I am ready to plant the seeds I’ve spent the weekend brainstorming.
Scattering: As Monday rolls around, seeds in hand, I begin to scatter. “Scattering” looks like sending out many, many carefully crafted cold emails, and these seeds are usually strategically strewn across different projects, such as a those mentioned above. This scattering continues to happen throughout the week, but Mondays and Tuesdays are the most planting-heavy because I need the rest of the week to see if any of the seeds sprout.
Sprouting: Wednesdays and Thursdays are for waiting and watching. An idea seed sprouts in the shape of an email reply. Yet, the sprouting of the idea is only the beginning. The heavy work comes in tending the sprouts, tending the garden.
Tending (the garden): I somehow managed to schedule my college courses so that Fridays are completely free for me. I spend this time mentally weeding out the ideas which never took off, the guests who never responded, the ideas which turned out to be unpractical. This weeding can be taxing, and often occurs in a journal where I can properly examine the emotions my deceased ideas may evoke or why they didn’t work.
The more exciting part about tending the garden, is cultivating the little idea plants which did sprout. Although this tending also happens throughout the week, Fridays, particularly the mornings, are reserved for responding to emails and mapping out projects, brainstorming the next move. Oftentimes projects need time to come to fruition much like seedlings. I love weekends the most because I get to focus on the positives, watering my idea plants, nudging them into the sunlight, watching them push higher and higher.