Echo Room: I can't launch in September (probably)

Lately I've been overly ambitious with podcasting. Over the last few weeks, I went from four podcast channels to five overnight, and even though I worked out what looked like a flawless workflow and plan, I don't think I can launch Echo Room in September.

Read also: I mapped out my podcast workflow. Turns out it's not that complicated

That's not an excuse. I just forgot to account for a few variables.

Moving is eating my time

Right now I'm in the middle of moving between homes. Even in my old house, I'm working from the sofa and the kitchen table, not behind a desk anymore.

When I recorded a few episodes for Story Valley, one for Story Brew, and a personal audio episode, it was because I was staying a few days in my new place, where I've got a halfway set-up office room. But right now I'm on the last stretch of moving, and it's interrupting my work.

Read also: I started recording again, and it was a disaster

My Monday preparation post from this week still stands. I just need to change the path for Echo Room specifically.

The site isn't ready either

I also realized the Echo Room website isn't finished. Some of it is still placeholders, and I don't even remember why I added a shop to the site. I have zero plans for apparel right now, but I clearly had a reason at some point, so I'll dig into that later.

On top of that, I need to redesign the site a bit and plug it into my Ryoka OS dashboard, so I can publish Spotify episodes and bullet points straight to the site. In other words, I need to sit down and spend probably two days doing a full check on the current site.

Saas is more important this week

On top of all that, I'm close to finishing my SaaS MVP, the private workspace, and that's a far bigger priority this week than anything else. Whatever time I have between moving, I'm putting into that.

Since we're near the end of September, I know I won't be able to properly launch Echo Room before the month is out.

I think that's fine. Nobody's fucking waiting for this podcast yet, and I haven't made a big fuss about it publicly. I only wrote about it on my blog for documentation.

Read also: Echo Room: I'm Launching a Long-Form Podcast

The plan

I do think this weekend I'll write my intro for the podcast and pick my secondary topic, for two reasons. If by some damn miracle I'm ready sooner, I can just hit record and go before the month ends.

If I'm not, I can launch in the first week of October, since that's when I'll be fully moved, and I'll be ready to do it without overthinking it.

I also think it's smarter to map out a realistic schedule now, two episodes a month, so the pace is sustainable before I burn out or get into trouble. The good news is all my recordings are unfiltered anyway.

It's just me with a list of bullet points I wrote down, rambling about whatever topic I picked. No edits. That removes a lot of the friction.

So the plan, simply:

• audit the website

• make the adjustments

• lock in a realistic public schedule

• write and record the intro and the first real episode

• celebrate with a beer

I'd rather push Echo Room two weeks and launch it in a state I actually want, than force something out in the next few days just to hit a date I picked before I knew I'd be living out of boxes. Nobody else will notice the difference between late September and early October. I will. So it waits.