The Podcaster's Guide to Surviving a To-Do List From Hell
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So Many Tasks That I Can’t Decide Where To Start
(Before we start, I am aware that is one of the weirdest AI images I’ve made that didn’t include an extra arm or finger…)
As I sit here I need to do the following:
Promote my Akron Podcast on social
Clean the bathroom
Wash the Dishes
Record Monday’s School of Podcasting Episode
Declutter my house (big task)
Take the bike rack off my car
Cover the air conditioner
Watch training videos on YouTube
Make as many videos as possible for Podpage
Look familiar? I mean how do you do both create and learn? I feel overwhelmed. My best friend of 50 years is coming into town and my house needs some seriously cleaning and decluttering. I’ve get to get my podcasts recorded before Sunday.
Am I feeling overwhelmed? Only when I breathe.
Good Old Steven Covey
There is a book by Steven Covery (of the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” fame) called First Things First. He had four quadrants to help you make decisions.
Quadrant 1: Urgent and important — Do it
This is the work that genuinely cannot wait: a real deadline, a client problem, a broken website, a family emergency, or a commitment with immediate consequences.
These tasks deserve your attention first. But there is a catch: living here all the time is exhausting. If every day feels like putting out fires, you may be operating in reaction mode rather than leading your schedule.
The mindset: Handle genuine emergencies quickly—but do not confuse constant panic with productivity.
Quadrant 2: Important but not urgent — Schedule it
This is Covey’s sweet spot.
Quadrant 2 includes planning, preparation, or better said, “Doing the meaningful work before it becomes an emergency.” In podcasting, this could mean outlining episodes ahead of time, improving your workflow, reviewing audience feedback, building relationships with guests, or creating content that supports your long-term goals.
None of it may be screaming for your attention today. That is exactly why it gets postponed.
The mindset: Put your best work on the calendar before someone else fills the calendar for you.
The more consistently you invest in Quadrant 2, the fewer Quadrant 1 crises you create later.
Quadrant 3: Urgent but not important — Delegate, delay, or decline
This quadrant is tricky because the work often feels important. It includes interruptions, other people’s priorities, unnecessary meetings, routine requests, and messages that demand a quick response but do not advance your key goals.
You can spend an entire day answering email, reacting to notifications, fixing minor issues, and checking boxes—and still make no meaningful progress.
The mindset: Just because someone wants it now does not mean it deserves your time now.
Before saying yes, ask: “Am I the only person who can do this?” If not, delegate it, automate it, batch it, set a boundary around it, or politely decline it.
Quadrant 4: Not urgent and not important — Eliminate it
This is the category of low-value activity: mindless scrolling, busywork, unnecessary perfectionism, checking inboxes repeatedly, and tasks done mostly to avoid the work that actually matters.
Quadrant 4 is not about never resting or having fun. Rest, hobbies, and relationships can be deeply important. This is about recognizing the difference between intentional recovery and distraction disguised as a break.
The mindset: If it does not matter and it does not need attention, let it go.
The practical takeaway
When you feel overwhelmed, do not begin by asking, “What can I get done today?”
Ask:
What must be handled now because the consequences are real?
What matters most, even though no one is demanding it today?
What is merely loud, interrupting, or someone else’s urgency?
What can I remove completely?
For Me I’m Going to Start With the Things I Hate
I’m going to get on my hands and knees and clean the bathroom, declutter the house as I listen to the dishwasher do it’s job. Then either tonight or tomorrow afternoon I will record Monday’s episode (which I will be doing mentally as I clean). Things like learning, and wrapping up the air conditioner can wait a few days. If I stay focused, I can leave time to create some Podpage videos.
We often make bad decisions when we are overwhelmed because we are making decisions based on emotions and not logic.
I know if I follow this, in the long run, I will be happier (which is how you end up podcasting for 20+ years without losing your mind).
Podcast not growing as fast as you want? I’ve repackaged the “Podcast Hot Seat" (including a price change) and made it more ala cart. We all miss our own mistakes because we are too close to the content. Pull your car into the podcast garage, and let me take a peak at it. See www.fixmypodcast.com
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My Latest Content
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Rob Walch Nails it Again at Podcast Movement
Rob point out that in some cases people who use to listen to your show, and now see it’s available as video on Apple, may leave to go watch it on YouTube. So check your YouTube numbers and hosting numbers before adding Apple video. You may end up with the same audience split into two places
30 New Updates From YouTube
YouTube rolled out a ton of updates, and these super Youtubers share their thoughts on if these are good or not.
I Like Adam Ivy When it Comes to YouTube
There are TONS of YouTube Gurus. I discovered Adam Ivy, and I liked his NO BS approach. After watching most of the videos on his channel, I spent the $99/month to join his program. He has a tool called “Scriptinyte” which helps you write scripts, edit your content and more. It’s $27/month or you can get it for free when you sign up for his YouTube Revenue Lab. So far, both the tool and the training are pretty cool.
What’s Coming In The Future
The next episode is about the “little things” I’ve been talking about that lead one student to grow their show by almost 20%. I also heard some stuff on the latest episode of Podcasting 2.0 that leads me to believe the future of podcasting could go in many directions, but I think tools like Supercast, Patreon, are going to slow grow and replace the average podcaster thinking, “I’ll start a podcast and get some advertisers.”
I’m off to continue to clean my house! Thank you for being a reader. Currently .29% percent are paying members. You can be a subscriber for less than $5 a month!
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