I have become painfully aware of time lately.

Or perhaps more accurately: my ever-dwindling supply of time, the speed at which it passes, and how I'm legally blind to it.

My inbox would like a word. So would the laundry. As would my teenage daughter’s inexorable march toward adulthood (she graduated from middle school this week, which feels…scientifically and mathematically impossible).

And, if we’re being honest, so would the newsletter you’re reading right now, which should have been sent approximately 56 hours ago.

It’s been 10 days since I set out on back-to-back business trips, and four since I returned. That should be more than ample time to handle my still-unresolved Spotify video-episode situation (namely that they haven't been publishing there since May; which is painfully on brand for June). Or to tend to the many followups flagged in multiple colors on my whiteboards (yes, plural), calendars (also same), planners (yep), and Post-It collection cluttering my desk.

But I never, ever have enough time. I'm certain you don't, either.

All of which underscored something that came up in this week’s episode of Talking the Talk, with Meredith Hudson of the Raised by Sports podcast.

We were talking about competition in podcasting–she’s a former D1 athlete so naturally I went there–and her answer blew me away with its utter and complete accuracy.

Her biggest competition, she said, isn’t other podcasters: it’s all of the things competing for her audience’s time.

(Btw my former Audible colleague Maggie Murphy pointed this out in a content strategy meeting and it permanently rearranged the molecules of my brain.)

Time is the hardest of variables to solve for, and it’s true on both ends of the podcasting equation.

Every decision we make as creators–from episode length to publishing cadence to whether we spend three minutes droning on before getting to the point–is really a question of the way in which we respect our audience’s time:

→ Are we earning their time by providing value in the minutes they give to us?

→ Are we wasting it by taking too long to get to the point (ahem) or not editing with them in mind?

Call it audience empathy. It’s something the best entrepreneurs and podcasters practice daily by subordinating our own “why” in search of the “why” that could motivate people to tune in to what we're putting out there.

The question goes from “what do I want out of this?” to:

“What does my ideal audience member’s Tuesday look like?”

Three sports-inspired things to try on next week:

1. Lower the stakes.

I knoowwwww “done is better than perfect” is overdone, but it’s true. Also true: “good is better than perfect." Because perfect never happens; perfect is what you're spinning on when you could be out there reaching your people. Stop obsessing about the shoulds and coulds and woulds and just let it rip. (#TheBear)

2. Redefine "a win."

Is it:

• A great conversation that happened because of your podcast (or eventual podcast)?
• A new system unlocked by rethinking your version of “good”?
• A “mistake” that ended up revealing a better way?

A win ≠ homerun. A win comes because via conversations, reframings, and learning from “mistakes," which set you up for homerun opportunities.

3. Track reps, not downloads.

1. Meaningful conversations started.
2. Insights gained.
3. Audience members who felt “seen" by what you create.
4. Episodes published.
5. Lessons learned.

Those are real numbers on the board.

4. Adopt the mindset of an elite athlete.

Don’t ask, “Was I good?” Or worse, “is perfect within reach?”

Ask, “What did I learn here that will make the next one better?”

Ironically, that’s how you'll become good.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

Learning to have “bye” weeks on sections like this one when there’s too much to catalog, I've already gone long, and there are family obligations awaiting.

(Speaking of: if anyone has access to the petition to move Father’s Day to another month, please send it my way. #Junecember may be the death of me.)