
I did it! I completed my 30 Day Podcast Challenge! Day 30 of 30 is here. Thanks for listening and joining me on this adventure.
In episode #35 I taught you why you should develop ways to tackle the regs in your games through skill #10 in Ed Miller’s book ‘The Course.’
30 Day Challenge Complete 100% =)
I’d like to look at my completed challenge in terms of it being a SMART Goal.
Specific
One new podcast every day was a very specific task. This is a poker podcast so it would have to be poker related. Plus, I developed a format for my podcast so I’d have to follow that, I couldn’t just record myself speaking for a minute and release that.
Measurable
Absolutely measurable in that I released one every day and I can see how many downloads each episode got. I can see which topics got lots of hits and which ones didn’t, and that gives me a small gauge on what the audience wants.
Achievable
Absolutely achievable, one podcast per day. It actually takes anywhere from 4-6 hours per podcast to create and release, and as long as I was dedicated to it, it was achievable. It did cost me in that I played hardly any poker at all in this past 30 days, but I’ll make up for that in the coming months to remain on track for hitting my yearly goal.
Relevant
Totally relevant in that the more time I spend podcasting now, the better I’ll get at it and sooner. This has been a great experience and it’s taught me a few things:
- I can do a podcast at the last minute, assuming I’ve got 3 hours or more to get it done and I’m motivated enough to do it.
- Having a plan in place really helps to keep on track. I created a topic list for the entire 30 days and doing that allowed me to just follow the plan. If I had to come up with a new podcast topic each day would’ve been very difficult.
- I learned the editing and posting process for my podcast very well, and I’ll be able now to teach it to others if I want to free up my time for other pursuits.
- I learned a lot about controlling my breathing and my pace of speaking to make my audio more palatable to listeners. (although this is still a work in progress)
- I increased my overall comfort of being in front of a mic and putting my thoughts out there for the world to hear. This increased vulnerability, putting myself out there, I believe has strengthened me and made me more confident in my ideas as well.
Time-bound
This is actually built in to every 30 day challenge. This wasn’t a challenge to just do 30 podcasts, it was a challenge to do 30 podcasts in 30 days.
Challenge
My Challenge to you is to develop your own 30 Day Challenge and start it soon so you can finish it by the end of March. Make it something that in doing so you’ll be a better person by the end of it.
- It can be something poker related like studying a minimum of 1 hour per day, not allowing yourself to limp into pots for 30 days, or to play 10 SNG’s minimum per day
- It can be fitness related like building your squat max from 225 pounds to 275, taking your kettle bell exercises from 10 minutes to 25 minutes, or getting up to 50 pull-ups per day.
- It can be health related like dropping carbohydrates from your diet, getting 8 hours of sleep every night, or even dedicating 1 hour a day to play with your kids.
Whatever challenge you do, make it SMART related. You’ve already got the “Time-bound” aspect of SMART goals built into this with the 30 day time frame, but make sure to build your challenge around the other aspects to SMART goals which were Specific, Measurable, Achievable and Relevant.
And, please include me in your challenge as an accountability partner. Let me know what it is via email to sky@smartpokerstudy.com and I’ll follow-up with you to encourage and help you along the way in your challenge.
- Smart Poker Study Audiobook Excerpts - March 4, 2021
- I Am Your Poker Coach - February 16, 2021
- Counting Outs and Making Profitable Calls - February 4, 2021
Sky Matsuhashi says
What challenge will take on for yourself to better your life?
Rufus says
Hey Sky. I read your book last month, I’m working my way up through your podcasts, and I’m am about to implement my own 30 day poker challenge. But I’m curious about what you think of the idea of having *multiple* challenges going at the same time. I realize, of course, it’s technically possible, but I’m wonder if you’ve found / heard / read that trying to do too many at once sets you up for failure because (assuming your actually challenging yourself) it might be too difficult to complete.
I’m actually considering doing four at once. They’re pretty standard and I’m sure are quite common for folks looking to improve their game. They are:
1) Post to the forums every day, whether it’s sharing a hand of mine or meaningfully commenting on someone else’s.
2) Study one hour from one of the various books I currently own … and have barely cracked yet.
3) Listen to one podcast episode (this one included!) or watch one video (from either The Poker Bank, GrinderSchool/PartTimePoker, or PokerVIP), all of which are free. 🙂
4) Make one journal entry at the end of each day.
What do ya think? Thanks in advance for you thoughts … and for putting out such a great book and an awesome podcast!
Sky Matsuhashi says
Hi, Rufus. Thanks for getting the book and reading it. Did you leave a review? Let me know which one is yours and I’ll read it on the podcast.
I think it’s totally possible to do multiple 30 day challenges at once, especially ones that relate. All 4 of yours work together. You study, share a meaningful hand, watch a video or listen to a podcast, then journal about what you learned. I love it. Good luck and please let me know how it goes.
Rufus says
Thanks, Sky. Tomorrow starts day 1!
Sky Matsuhashi says
Great! Let me know how it goes.