Love Your Work, Episode 39 – Embrace Constraints: WheezyWaiter

August 18 2016 – 07:34am

craig-benzine Craig Benzine hit rock bottom when he wasn’t getting any tables at his job as a waiter, and he feared he wouldn’t be able to pay his rent. So, he started making YouTube videos.

Okay, that’s not the first thing I’d advise you to do if you’re having trouble paying rent, but it worked for Craig. He’s built a life and living for himself making videos featuring clones of himself, imaginary whales, explosions, beards, and coffee.

Craig is known on YouTube and elsewhere as WheezyWaiter. And he also runs a channel called The Good Stuff where he teaches you all about things like renewable energy, robots, and albino squirrels.

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He also appears on a channel called Crash Course, where he’s the U.S. Government and Politics instructor.

If all of that weren’t enough, Craig is also in a band called Driftless Pony Club, and they have released 6 albums since 2004.

I dabbled with making silly YouTube videos myself several years ago, and that’s when I first discovered Craig’s work. I couldn’t figure out how on earth Craig was managing to make a video every single day before going to work. It was inspiring to watch, and at the same time it made me feel totally inadequate.

Fortunately, I got to sit down with him in Chicago, and ask him how he does it. You’ll learn about how Craig uses habit-building and constraints to increase his creative output. How does he manage to put out so much great work.

You’ll notice also how Craig works with his productivity cycles. He knows the best time of day for his creative work, and he makes the most of it.

And if you’ve been wondering: should you make your bed?, Craig shares his philosophy.