Pushing My Work Output
For context, I wrote this article while I was in Japan.
What was originally a 6-month working holiday became a 2-month solo travel adventure where I spent half the time editing YouTube shorts and exploring Tokyo.
With no job, and a bunch of savings, I set myself with task of spending a lot of hours in front of my MacBook in Premiere Pro and After Effects.
(They're video editing software btw)
Now being back in Australia, and having a full-time job and study, I haven't gone hardcore on the video editing side of things.
Nonetheless, I do intend to still sharpen my axe by uploading the odd video here and there.
So, for the following, enjoy a 19-year old Denzil Duke reflecting on his video editing work and thoughts on productivity.
18-04-2025
An observation.
After doing five hours of editing, I don't want to scroll on the short-form social media. Maybe because I am editing shorts myself for those 5 hours?
That I consume what I edit. And it actually provides value to myself and my audience.
I started measuring how long it takes for me to do a short. It takes about an hour to do 30 seconds of a clip. That's fast past edited content for YouTube shorts.
The liberating thing about it is realising how much more. I have in the tank in terms of my output.
What does it take? What does it take to become the best video editor that I can be?
Well, if it is dedicating every other hour to the craft, so be it.
I'm also slowly coming to realise is that the videos are important. But also creating the evidence that I can say to people when I look them in the eye that I have edited x amount of videos.
The skillset will come along with the quality of the videos. It's in the act of doing the edits that signals then dedication to the craft.
Looking at all my shorts library, I have edited 168 as of writing this article.
So, that's about, what? 84 hours dedicated to video editing?
The other day I was Dm-ing this Melbourne based real estate company on Instagram because they advertised a video editing position.
I DM'ed them. The way I did it was filtering the metrics they would care the most. And keeping it succinct.
1. 820k+ views on YouTube editing podcast clips
2. I have a background in sales: $1M+ retail, consultative residential construction
3. 270k+ impressions content writing on my website
The goal is to do so much volume that you become undeniable. That's the most amount of leverage I have a the moment. My skillset might not be there, yet.
But, if you keep doing the work, the results will follow.
I have a long road ahead of myself.
BONUS: The Cost of Making These Videos
I had a random thought of I could calculate the cost of each video by the total cost of my Japanese trip and dividing the total amount created during that period.
I'm paying for free time, essentially. To have the potential wasted idly is a mistake.
How much did the trip cost, maybe 5k, 6k? 45 total videos. $133/video. And a video might take 1 hour on average. So, my time is worth $133?
Is that so?
There's a mental model that I am using. Treating myself as the boss and the employee. Pretending that I am working for myself.
To a point where I'll start work at 9am, have lunch from 12-1pm. Then continue to work until the evening.
Changing that relationship with myself, I can push harder. The reason so is I have someone who is keeping my accountable. That's probably one of the harder things of entrepreneurship is not having the boss looming behind your back as you do your work.
I'm doing it to the extent that I track the actual amount of time it's taking for me to accomplish the outputs that I've set myself. Like, there's no point working for 6 hours and I only got one short done. It's like, was the amount of time spent proportional to the quality created? Yes, continue. No, reconsider the work being completed.
Then again, if I wanted to push, I could be willing to endure the pain for a loved one.
Sort of like a slave whipping myself to do the work. Like how I trick myself to do more work is rewarding myself with listening to music on Spotify that I find catchy. The break might be for 5 minutes. It at least gives me the feedback loop to keep going. Just I know it's not too fucking depressing to keep going. And I say that jokingly. Like I do the video editing.
When I'm walking through Japan, I play out a scenario in my head where a younger video editor, or a video editor who's starting out is stressing about doing the videos.
Then, I say to them,
"Bro, we're only just getting started."
And I look at the measured hours of editing that has been done, 30 hours. There is so much to learn from this software.
Also, long form editing as well.
That's another one.