What to Do When You're Unmotivated to Podcast [Ep. 165]

 
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Here’s what to expect from this episode:

Last week, I shared some trends that I've seen with podcast downloads over the last several months, and I gave some explanations for why your downloads might be down compared to years past. When this happens, seeing your downloads stay stagnant or decreasing might leave you feeling unmotivated to podcast. This can also happen when life gets busy or you are just feeling blah about your business overall.

So what do you do about it? Today, I'm talking about what to do if you are feeling unmotivated to podcast but still feel that pull to keep going. And I'm not really referring to that short-term lack of motivation that may randomly appear when you sit down to record, but more of something that's grown over time.

I asked my Instagram followers at the beginning of the summer to share what has helped them when they've felt unmotivated to podcast, and four clear themes popped up. I'm sharing how getting clear on your plan, talking to your people, getting help, taking a break, and bringing some fun back could help you get out of that lack of motivation rut.

And if you're currently feeling unmotivated to podcast, I just want to cheer you on and let you know I'm proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself! This is not always easy, and if you're doing it, then you are doing amazing.

And how cool is it to live in a time when we can record a podcast episode from home in our jammies (or whatever we want to wear), publish it online, and boom, it's instantly ready for people around the world to listen to. It's a really cool opportunity, and I hope that this episode offers you some encouragement and ideas on how you can make this thing work and how you can keep going if you want to.

Topics covered:

  • Getting clear on your plan and direction for your show

  • The importance of talking to your people and your audience

  • Getting help so you can focus on the creative aspect and content of your show

  • How sometimes you just need to take a break!

  • Bringing some fun back into your podcast and business

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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  • Sara Whittaker 0:01

    Sarah, your podcast is a powerful tool that serves your audience and your business, but how do you manage it all bring in new listeners and convert those listeners into customers. That's what the show is all about. Welcome to podcasting for educators. I'm Sara Whittaker, classroom teacher turned podcast manager, and I'm here to help you get the most out of your show, all while making an impact on other educators. Well, hello and welcome back to another episode of podcasting for educators. Thank you for being here today.

    Last week, I shared some trends that I've seen with podcast downloads over the last several months, and I gave some explanation for why your downloads might be down compared to years past. If you're somebody who's had a podcast for a few years now, seeing downloads stay stagnant or even decreasing at times is not fun. When this happens, it might cause you to feel unmotivated to keep going to sit down week after week and hit that record button. Or maybe you have other reasons for being unmotivated. Maybe it's just because life feels extra busy, or you just had a baby, I can relate to that one, or you're kind of feeling just blah about your business overall, I would venture to say that most of us have probably all felt this way at one point or another. So what do you do about it? Today, I want to talk about what to do if you are feeling unmotivated to podcast but you're still feeling that pull to keep going. I actually brought this question up to my Instagram at the beginning of the summer, because that's definitely a time of year when it can feel hard to get work things done. So I want to share your responses. What you all said to me when I asked you, hey, what do you do when you are not feeling motivated to continue your podcast? And I think here I'm mostly referring to that feeling of of motivation that has disappeared for a while now, like it's not just one week randomly where you're not really feeling like you want to record, this is a feeling that has kind of grown over time. It's been a while now, and you're just not able to get that motivation back. What do you do? So when I asked you all this on Instagram, there were four common clear themes that popped up. The first big solution that came up in your responses was that if you're feeling unmotivated, that you might need to get a little more clear on your plan and the direction of your show. So one reason that you might not be feeling that motivation right now is because you're lacking a little bit of direction. Maybe you're feeling like you're kind of just throwing spaghetti at the wall week after week as you're putting out episodes. And you might feel the same way on Instagram or with your email, like this might be a bigger problem in your business. So taking some time to really get clear on what you really want your show to look like and what kind of results you want is going to be really helpful for you, and what could that look like? Sometimes that means getting better systems in place, like maybe you are really great at recording episodes, but you're not sharing them at all. So how can you put a system in place and a routine in place so that you're ensuring that you are promoting your episodes every single week? Maybe you feel like you need to get clear on who your ideal listener is. Maybe your ideal listener right now is too niche, or maybe it's too broad. So taking a look at that can really help, because that kind of has a trickle effect of okay, if I'm really clear on my ideal listener, I'm gonna be more clear on the topics that I'm gonna cover in my episodes. Sometimes getting clear on the direction for your show could mean that it's time to make some changes with your podcast and what your podcast looks like. I can speak to this for sure, because when I start to feel unmotivated or kind of like about my podcast or about other things in my business, making some sort of change, getting like a fresh, new feeling that helps me get motivated, I need some sort of change that's kind of like a signal to me, Hey, it's, it's, it's time to do something a little bit different. It's time to try something new. And that could mean you changing the format of your show. It could mean new cover art. It could mean a new intro or outro. It could mean, like, a full rebrand for your show. There's so many little and big changes that you can make with your podcast that will spark a new sense of excitement for you, and I just want that to be a reminder to you that the show that you started with doesn't have to be the show that you continue with. Okay, you can make changes at any point. Is your podcast, you can make it look however you want. Okay, so that was the big kind of first clear theme that popped up was getting more clear on your plan and the direction for your show. The second common theme that popped up was, if you're feeling unmotivated to podcast to talk to your people, one of the responses here was actually from one of my clients, who said that she surveyed her email list and she asked them, this is the exact question that she asked them, if I could answer one question for you, what would it be? And she got some amazing responses. And then she said she literally just plugged their questions into her content calendar, and then she just winged it when she sat down to record. So she just kind of sat down, looked at the question for the day or for that episode, and answered it. Okay, nice and organically. Doing this has so many benefits. I mean, number one, if you're going to use direct questions that you've gotten from your audience, you know that you are creating episodes about things that they specifically want to hear about. So that's number one. Number two, then you can once that once you've created that episode, you can respond back to that person or send it out to your email list and say, Hey, you said you wanted this. I created this for you. Here it is, go take a listen. And it's just, it's a great feeling to be able to create content, create specifically podcast episodes about something that you know somebody in your audience wants, versus like, I don't know. I'm sure most of us have sat down and recorded an episode and then thought, Hmm, I wonder if anybody is actually going to be like, be interested in this topic. No, in this situation, you know that people are going to want to hear the answers to their questions. Similarly, somebody else had responded on Instagram saying that when they feel unmotivated, they like to talk to a friend who is doing the job that this person is trying to help. So for example, if you are speaking to elementary teachers on your podcast, or you're speaking to coaches on your podcast, or you're speaking to SLPs on your podcast, whoever it is talking to somebody that you actually know in real life, and getting a feel for what they're struggling with at that time, that can be a really good motivator. Because again, back to what this person said. I didn't share their full response before I started rambling on, but she said I talked to a friend who's doing the job I'm trying to help, and listen to their problems, listening to where they're struggling, makes me want to help. So then I feel motivated. I love that. So again, kind of like what I was saying before, when you're sitting down to answer a very specific problem that you know your audience is struggling with. That's a great feeling. That's like that internal motivation for you. All right, the third theme that popped up was when you are feeling unmotivated to podcast. Some of you said that getting help was the answer for you. So getting some sort of help with your podcast production, whether that's a full podcast manager or somebody who's just doing the editing or just doing the show notes or just doing the scheduling, or maybe somebody who's repurposing your episodes for places like social media or YouTube or email. There's so many ways that you can get help when it comes to your podcast, but some of you said that this was helpful to you, because then you could you were feeling overwhelmed before with all of the different things that you were having to do to keep up with your podcast. So when you hired help, you were able to focus on your content, and like, on the creative side of your podcast, I can say, from personal experience that this is so true. I have Brandi who produces my show, so I'm able to just kind of, like, focus on the content, and then she is doing, you know, the editing and the scheduling and the show notes and all of that, which is a huge weight off my shoulders, and that's what we do for our clients too. We do full production for them. So if you are somebody who needs help, you can always reach out to me, and we can talk about how we can help you with your podcast. But this is definitely a really good solution for again, just breathing new life into podcasting for you, and if you cannot afford to get help with your podcast, that's okay. There's other things you could do. I would recommend getting yourself help by way of accountability partner. Find another podcaster or multiple podcasters, and you guys can be accountability partners for each other and keep that momentum out. Help keep that momentum up and bounce ideas off of each other, and, you know, hold each other accountable for staying on track week after week. Okay? And then the fourth and last theme that I saw your answers being grouped into is that, if you're feeling I'm motivated to podcast and maybe. Tried all the things, and it's just you're just still kind of struggling. Take a break. Okay, there is no shame in taking a break. There were several of you who shared about how you had taken a break, and that's what did it for you. That's what just got you, got you your groove back, and got you back into things. One person says that they took a break and really focused on some other things that brought them joy, so that they could kind of get that spark back. And they also took that time during their break to really better organize their space that they work in and that they're recording, because the clutter was just driving them kind of crazy and oh my gosh, that is so true. Having a nice, neat space, I know, for me, makes a world of difference. It makes it it makes it become a space that you want to be in and that you're excited to be in, and that can have an effect on your podcast, on where you're sitting down to record another specific response was they took an unplanned break and they returned when it was right. So I liked this answer a lot, because they were just kind of leaning in to how they were feeling. They didn't plan to take a break. They didn't announce it. They just they said, you know, enough is enough. Like I need to stop for a little bit and refocus and get my energy back and my motivation back, and when I feel like it's right to return, I'm going to return. And this person specifically has since returned. I'm happy to report, she took a fairly long break, and she did come back, and she came back with so much excitement to get started again. And then one more answer that kind of fell into this category was that they switched to only doing solo episodes and gave themselves a couple weeks off. So it sounds like maybe guest episodes were becoming a lot for them. Maybe it was like the planning that they were having to do with people, or finding the right time to record, or finding a quiet time to record. I know how that goes. It can be kind of stressful sometimes, especially if you have kids at home who are making a bunch of noise and you are trying to sit down because you found that perfect time that works for you and your guests. And it's just it can be stressful. So they found that switching to solo episodes and then also giving themselves a couple weeks off. So I do want to reiterate here that a break can mean whatever it means for you. It could be a week, okay, I

    did that just a few weeks ago. I went my first time in three years I skipped an episode because I just needed a little bit of time to get myself caught back up. And it was exactly what I needed. I just needed that week to skip so that I could get ahead again, because I like to be ahead by a few episodes. It could be a month, it could be three months, it could be six months, like whatever you need to give yourself the time to be motivated again. And maybe that, that's what it is, is you just need some time. You just need a break. Maybe you need to use that time for something, the time that you would usually be sitting down to record. Instead, you're going to sit back and use that time to think about the changes that you want to make with your show, or think about topics that you feel really excited about, or whatever. Okay, so again, those four themes, or four kind of like solutions that you might want to try if you're feeling unmotivated is number one to get a little more clear on the plan and direction for your show. Number two, talk to your people. Number three, get help of some sort if you can't afford help, get an accountability partner. And number four, take some sort of break and just a little teeny, tiny bit of tough love. Here, I'll also say that, you know, sometimes things like podcasting feel really fun and exciting in our business, and then sometimes those same things can feel really hard and really blah, and it's all part of the process. Like, that's, that's just life. Sometimes things might not always feel fun and easy and exciting, but if things continue to feel hard over a long period of time, make some changes so that it feels fun again. For you, this should be something that feels fun most of the time. For example, as I'm saying this like I'm thinking about laundry in my house, laundry can feel really overwhelming really quickly, and sometimes I just can't take it anymore and I let it pile up. But in the past few months, there are things that I have started to do that make me feel a lot better. Doing it. And dare I say, even look forward to doing laundry sometimes, which I don't know might sound really weird and crazy, but it's true. So number one, I love to either listen to a podcast or watch a Netflix show while I'm doing my laundry, while I'm doing all the folding. Another big thing that really has helped is that my husband redid our laundry room because we didn't really have a place to, like, sit and fold our clothes in our laundry room, because it's not super big. So we would, I would always, like, our guest room turned into our laundry room where, basically, our our clothes would go to die because they would just, like, pile up in there, and we used to fold them in there or fold them in some other random part of the house, but now he's redone our laundry room so that we can be in there and fold our clothes right there, which has made such a world of difference, because now it's a space that I really like to be in, and it's a lot more functional. That kind of goes back to what one of you were talking about with organizing your space so it doesn't feel cluttered, fix your space so that it's functional for what you need it to do. And then putting my laundry away was always the hardest. So my solution here was I now, after I fold the laundry, I put it on top of our bed, not the guest room bed, our bed so that at the end of the day, if I hadn't put it away, I couldn't ignore it, and my husband couldn't ignore it. It needs to be put away. Just do it takes two seconds. Why do we put these things off? I don't know, because it literally takes two seconds. Also, I put my daughter's laundry on her bed. She's seven now she can take that responsibility on I don't need to put her laundry away. She can put her own laundry away. That has helped tremendously, and then staying on top of the laundry and actually getting everything put away after being folded, it's that gratification of having it done so that not only do we have the clothes that we need or that we want to wear, but we have less clutter and less mental energy of like, I know the laundry is sitting there. I really need to do it. I don't want to do it. No, figure out these tiny changes that you can make so that it's easier to do and that you feel excited to do. So whether it's laundry or your podcast. I hope that this gives you some ideas of how you can get a little bit more motivated to do what you need to do. And if you are feeling unmotivated to podcasts, I just want to take a second to really cheer you on and let you know I'm proud of you and you should be proud of yourself. This is not always easy, and if you're doing it, then you are doing amazing. And I just want to remind you I think about this all the time. How cool is it to live in a time that we can record a podcast episode from home in our jammies or whatever you want to wear, publish it online and boom, instantly it's ready for people around the world to listen to. It's a really, really cool opportunity. And so I hope that offers you some encouragement, and I hope that this episode gives you some ideas on how you can make this thing work, and how you can keep going if you want to. All right, now it's time to head into what I'm loving and what I'm listening to this is something that I do at the end of our episodes. I like to share something that I'm loving might be related to business. Might not be related to business. Today it does not have anything to do with business or podcasting. And that is the game five crowns. It's a card game. If you've never played it, check it out. It's so much fun. I've probably played it 50 times this summer with my family. It's kind of like Rummy, and you can play it with a big group of people, or you can play it with just two people. So that's also what I really love about it, is you can always play it no matter how many people you have around you. We are a big game family. I don't know about you, but we've been doing a lot of card games lately. So five crowns, Sky Joe. If you've never heard of sky Joe, I'll put the links for these in the show notes. Sky Joe's a really fun one, because it is probably like a game that you would think is for adults, but our seven year old has been playing it with us for the last year. She loves it. She caught on pretty quickly, and it is so much fun. So five crowns sky Joe and then a kids card game that is hysterical. It will have you laughing with your kids, or if you're in the classroom, this would be a really fun game to have in the classroom for like indoor recess or morning meeting or something. Taco cat. Goat Cheese pizza is what it's called, taco cat goat cheese pizza, and, oh my gosh, it's so fun and it's silly, and it's just one of those games that will put you in a really good mood. So those are the three card games that we've been playing a lot of this summer. Like I said, I'll put the link for that in the show notes, and then something. That I'm listening to is related to these card games. Because we were, I was at the lake this summer for about three weeks at my parents house, and we, like I said, we love to play games. So after the kids got put to bed, we like to stay up and play five crowns. And we also love music, so I put together a little Spotify playlist that I just keep adding to. And I love it because it is, it is like the ultimate mix of so many different random things. So I'll put the link to the playlist if you want to take a listen to it. We put a lot of music that we listened to growing up until, like, 80s, 90s, early, 2000s I mean, I'll list out some of the artists so you can really see how random it is. We've got some country music in there, some like, you know, today country music. We've got Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Patsy, Cline, Tracy, Chapman, Alanis, Morissette, Avril Lavigne, the Dixie Chicks, Tom Petty, let's see. Who else do we have? Jody Messina, so good. Zach Brown Band, Bonnie Raitt, Natalie and brulia, no doubt. Cheryl Crow, Marshall Tucker. Band, James Taylor, Wilson Phillips, the list goes on, Hootie and the Blowfish. I mean, I could sit here forever and share all of the artists on here, but not to toot my own horn, but I think it's a pretty awesome mix. So if that sounds at all appealing to you, I'll put the link so you can check it out, and maybe you can listen to it the next time you're playing games with your family or your friends. All right. I hope that this episode is leaving you feeling motivated to go record your next episode. And as always, thank you for being here. I'll catch you here next week. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. To keep this conversation going, connect with me on Instagram at podcasting for educators. I'm always looking for an excuse to talk about podcasting. If you're looking for support in launching, managing or growing your podcast, check out my online course, the podcasting for educators prep school at podcasting for educators.com/prep school. I'll see you here next time you

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Podcasting for Educators is the podcast for TpT authors and other online educators. It's a show that will help you get your podcast in front of those who need it most - teachers, counselors, literacy specialists, SLPs, parents, and more! Each week, Sara Whittaker and her guests will share top tips and actionable strategies that you will need in order to launch, manage, and grow your podcast. You’ll learn how to leverage your show to build long-lasting relationships with your audience and promote your TpT resources, courses, and memberships, all while providing valuable and accessible content!

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