A lesson from reaching 200K instagram followers
how to stay consistent at your craft
Over 800 hours and 200 thousand people.
I woke up this morning to these insane numbers.
Over 800 hours of watch time for my YouTube videos in the last 12 days of daily uploading.
200 thousand Instagram followers.
But I’m not writing this to brag. I’m humbled by the amount of support I’ve been receiving.
I’m sharing this because there is a more important insight behind these numbers. It’s an insight that would be immensely helpful, even potentially life-changing, for anyone trying to do some creative or intellectual work online.
The easiest way to put it would be to say the numbers I shared with you are irrelevant and not worth focusing on. But I would risk sounding ungrateful, so let me give some nuance before I move on to what truly matters.
There is one extremely cool thing about the 800 hours stat. Every single second of those 800 hours was spent focusing on true growth, not mindless entertainment and distraction. And this is a two-way street.
While recording my videos, my intention is uncompromisable: education and value. There are no cheap tricks and dopaminergic edits to get you hooked. That’s where a growth-oriented audience comes into play. Anyone who watched any of my videos did so with a focus on their growth and development. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be interested in my work.
So yes, there is something about those 800 hours of watch time we should be proud of together. Not all time spent online is equal, and we are together contributing to a healthier use of the internet.
The story is a bit different with the 200K “followers” (you know I hate that word) number.
The only meaningful thing I see about it is the incredible fact that people from all over the world decided to click that “follow” button because they want to read and hear more from me. Other than that, it’s probably the most overhyped, overrated number in the digital age.
Now that I’ve acknowledged these two milestones and, hopefully, don’t sound ungrateful, let me talk about the numbers that truly matter.
The input numbers. The number of hours spent reading, writing, drawing, or studying. The number of words written. The number of posts, videos, or newsletters published.
Seeing the input numbers steadily grow as a result of consistent effort is an infinitely better source of fuel than hoping and waiting for the outcome numbers (followers, views, likes, shares) to grow.
I know a thing or two about this from my 6-year journey of consistent online writing.
It took me almost 2 full years, averaging over 2 posts per day, to reach 10K followers on Instagram.
But then there is the dream of exponential growth, right?
Well, I reached my first 100K followers a little over a year after reaching 10K. Then the logical conclusion would be that it would take a couple of months for the next 100K. But here we are, reaching that number 3 years later. And I couldn’t care less, in the best way possible.
Even writing the last paragraph felt a bit draining. That’s how much focusing on these numbers takes away from you compared to how little it gives you. Imagine then living your journey, day by day, focusing on these numbers and waiting for them to grow. It’s like creating a state of mind that ensures you never fall in love with the process, which inevitably leads to giving up.
But now imagine getting genuinely excited about seeing the number of hours you put into your craft grow. Imagine getting excited seeing the number of posts, videos, or newsletters published grow.
Not only is this a more sustainable source of fuel - it’s the only real way forward if you want to play the long-term game. This is how momentum is built.
So the question to ask yourself is,
“What are the relevant input numbers that I will make an effort to grow in the next 30 days?”
Thank you for all the time, attention, and support you’ve given me. Some of you in the last couple of weeks, and some of you in the last couple of years. I will never take it for granted.
P.S. If you have ideas you want to work on but are struggling to take consistent action, book a free call to see how I can help.