This Simple Folder Trick Solves Your Project Overwhelm (and Keeps Your Action Pipeline Moving!)

When you're juggling a lot of projects, it can be overwhelming to have so many things going on at the same time and not really know what the next step is. Part of that paralysis may be that you lack clarity or a process to manage recurring tasks more efficiently.

I want to talk about how you can gain more clarity when creating your YouTube videos, from one video to the next, to keep the pipeline moving. This involves consistently recording, editing, publishing, and promoting your content. By breaking the process into smaller pieces, you avoid being overwhelmed by all your different projects.

From my own experience, this solution can help you not just with creating YouTube videos, but also with blog posts, newsletters, or any other recurring task. My approach is to identify all the steps in a process and then break them into smaller, manageable pieces.

My System for YouTube Videos

For YouTube videos, my process involves:

• Ideation/Discovery: Coming up with an idea and outlining it.
• Recording: Filming the video.
• Editing: Post-production.
• Publishing: Uploading to YouTube and potentially my website.
• Promotion: Sharing the video to reach a wider audience.

In Evernote, I've created folders for each of these steps. As I progress with a video, I simply move it from one folder to the next. For example, when I'm in editing mode, I can go directly to the "editing" folder and see all the videos that need editing. The same applies to the "publish" folder.

This system helps me stay organized and productive because I've thought ahead of time. I've created a system that manifests that thinking. The folders are a way of materializing the thought process and breaking it into actionable steps. I no longer have to think about what comes next; I just move the project into the appropriate folder, and I know exactly what needs to be done.

Benefits of This Approach

This approach keeps things moving and allows me, as a creative person, to adapt to my energy levels.

For instance, I might feel like recording at one moment, but later in the evening, when I'm tired, I might prefer editing. With this system, I can go to the edit folder and find tasks I can accomplish, ensuring I'm always moving something forward. I know exactly where to find what I need to do, based on what I'm capable of at that moment.

I apply this same system to my blogging, podcasting, and other creative endeavors. For larger projects, like writing a book, the concept remains the same, although it might involve breaking down chapters or sections into similar folder structures.

The core idea is to take recurring projects—like creating video after video as a YouTuber—slice them into manageable pieces, and then create a system to move your project through those steps.

This organization helps you stay on track and prevents you from forgetting about crucial steps, such as editing or publishing a video you've already recorded. You wouldn't want to put all that time into something only to forget to finish it because of disorganization.

I strive to keep a simple structure using simple folders, whether in Evernote or another tool. By slicing each step of the process as small as possible and moving your project through these folders, you eliminate the need to think. You can simply act. This helps me maintain momentum, get things done, and stay consistent over time.

When you remove friction—in this case, the mental friction of figuring out what to do next—you'll be surprised how much you can accomplish, especially in a short amount of time.

Identify where that friction is in your process, remove it, and add ways to smooth things out to keep your projects moving forward.