At the start of 2025 my YouTube channel was faltering. I had been making videos consistently for four years and my channel had just under 4000 subscribers. However, my latest video called, ‘I bought a boat to visit the world’s smallest island’ had not performed well. It had been viewed 161 times in a week and it was the worst performing video on my YouTube channel. I had no clear idea about the way forward for my channel or what kind of videos I should be making.
I decided to double down on my efforts and produce a really personal 10 minute video which would share the insights and ideas I had gained from the last few years of journaling and forming positive habits. I called it, ‘The only thing that stopped me from infinite scrolling’. My goal with this video was to see whether I could produce something that viewers would respond to and engage with. A really good number of views for a video on my channel at this point would have been around 5000 views. Typically a video with this many views on my channel might have attracted 100 new subscribers. I went all out to see whether or not I could get engagement on a video with these kind of viewing figures and subscribers. I desperately needed a sign that my efforts on YouTube were not in vain and that I had something useful to share with the world.
One of the key challenges I faced with this video was to get the tone of it right by making it engaging with humorous moments. I decided not to script the video but to break it down into loose chapters. From there I would use my personal journal (referencing my Remarkable Paper Pro tablet where I keep all of my documents) as a prompt for discussing my ideas off the top of my head. High production values - good lighting and audio - are really important to me, so I also wanted to make sure that the video looked as professional as possible without sacrificing the honest and authentic tone that I wanted the video to have.
It was most important for me to be relatable in this video, so I wasn’t afraid to show my vulnerability. I read an extract from my personal diary in April 2023 where I talked about my frustration of eating badly, how this made me feel and how this sparked an idea for me to keep a food diary. I was conscious that I was reading an extract from my personal diary that I never expected anyone other than me to ever read. The messy handwriting from my diary hopefully added to the authenticity of this section of the video. By sharing personal examples from my other journaling exercises such as ‘AMWAP’ (As Many Wins As Possible) and stories from my ‘Storyworthy diary’, I hoped to come across as honest and relatable but above all, useful.
It was important for me to credit my sources. Some of the ideas which I spoke about in the video were taken from authors or filmmakers, and I have tweaked and developed these ideas to make them work for me. I wanted to make sure that I was not passing off all of these ideas as my own.
Perhaps the main challenge of producing this video was to distil the idea into a title and thumbnail that would spark curiosity and intrigue from the viewer and make them want to watch it. I decided to go with a simple image of my unique habit tracker as the thumbnail and I came up with the title, ‘The only thing that stopped me from infinite scrolling’.
When editing the video, I knew that I wanted it to be relatively fast-paced, but I didn’t want it to be so relentless that the viewer is bombarded with information. This is why I broke it down into short chapters. The opening 15 seconds of the video were essential in terms of laying out what the video was about, what the viewer could expect from it and why it was worth watching until the very end. I produced the entire video and came up with the thumbnail and title before I made the opening 15 seconds of the video.
To date, the video has been viewed over 1.5 million times on YouTube. My channel jumped from under 4000 subscribers to nearly 34,000 subscribers. But beyond the statistics and viewing figures, the response to the video from viewers has been overwhelming. There has been over 2000 comments. Countless people have told me that it has literally changed their lives. For instance:
“I suffered depression for many months and this was the only thing that made me start with yoga and reading again.” (@sunnyp2946)
“I tried this for 10 months and it's really turned my life around.” (@ninnymuffin2463).
“I work as a therapist and am always looking for new journaling ideas. These journaling habits could help with overcoming process addictions, binge eating, developing self-efficacy, and cultivating self-esteem.” (@sarahk802)
“This should be part of a comprehensive critical thinking curriculum for today’s students.” (@SN-sz7kw)
“This video has been life-changing for me.” (@simplyryleeroo)
“One of the most practical and informative videos I have ever seen.” (@eyyyy_yo)
Producing this video has given me a clear sign about the kind of content I should produce for my channel. I now share the things that I do to deal with overwhelm in a chaotic world. It has also given me a clear purpose for what I should do with my own life. It has not only been life-changing for some of the viewers, but for me as well.
