Friday cool-off, close on the docs editor, more writing, and Story Valley: update #13

It's Friday, my last dev day of the week. Looking back, I think the call I made last week was the right one: recalibrate and put my focus on fixing the bugs in my SaaS docs editor.

When I wrote up my Monday prep, that was the general roadmap for the week, and I've read my own blog post more than once since. It's only fitting that I am doing my Friday before-the-weekend reflection.

Story Valley progress

The biggest milestone outside of the docs editor was Story Valley. Drawing out the entire podcast workflow turned something that felt impossible into something sustainable, once I mapped it out in a mind map.

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

I recorded 12 stories and was happy I managed it in a reasonable timeframe. But I'm also a little disappointed.

The numbers say it all. My first episode aired on September 14. Three are published, and nobody has listened yet, because the only plays in the stats are me checking the sound.

Unlike Story Brew, where I saw an immediate impact the moment a new story went up, even after pausing the whole thing for months.

At first that stung. Then I realized I haven't plugged Story Valley into Apple Podcasts or Amazon yet, so my distribution isn't there. I also haven't published it on YouTube, which I suspect could be where the listeners come from.

It's too early to tell. But even if there are no listens for months, the content is evergreen. I can keep optimizing it over time. My instinct says YouTube will end up being the better fit for this one, but we'll see.

I already wrote 34 blog posts this month

Looking at this week, I thought my writing would slow down. But there's just so much to share and tell.

My blog has accidentally turned into an endless chapter, and if I don't write things down ad hoc, close to when they happen, it blurs out in my head. That would be a waste for my digital archive.

Read also: 29 blog posts, traffic stats, and tweaks: update #11

But looking at the number, I wrote 34 blog posts this month. That's fucking maniacal. It never felt like 34 while I was writing them. It felt natural, and now I really know where I stand in content creation and blogging, and what to work on.

I'm genuinely convinced this could turn into an ebook eventually, with all the lessons I've picked up along the way. But we'll see when we get there.

Either way, I do plan to slow down soon, once I have more of a hold on podcasting and can balance it out with writing. But ever since I wrote down my workflow and started working in batches, I still seem to be able to write like a maniac.

Close on the docs editor

The biggest win this week was closing in on the docs editor. Once it's done, I'll probably write an entire post about it. My prediction was right.

Conservatively, I thought I'd finish by the end of this week, and it's Friday. But I don't want to rush it. I'd rather pick it back up Monday.

I'm close to finishing everything that needed fixing, and the UI is aligned across the whole app. I also made some critical changes and revamped the entire Studio part of the editor, but that's a whole post on its own.

Read also: Docs editor SaaS refinements: it's more work than I thought

My plan for the week was simple. There are 8 main sections in the app. Some were already stable and easy to verify. Others took a lot longer. Going in, my mindset was one section a day.

Don't mind the untitled docs or whatever test content you see. It is my real, personal account, but I also test heavily, hence why you see some weird stuff in my dashboard.

Home and docs were practically done, so I moved through those faster. Planner was only a 2- to 3-hour rebuild. I didn't want to rush it, so one section a day was the right rhythm for me.

By the time I'm writing this, I'm on my last section, Studio, which is now half done and probably the biggest pivot I made this week.

That's all going into its own post too.

I feel confident right now, and that's more important. Confident I can finish before Tuesday, and then finally move on to rebuilding the Mac app.

I found my balance

This week was ultra productive, and I found the balance between building, creating content, and doing the random stuff.

What I mean is, I try to avoid builder burnout. When you're constantly too close to the thing you're building, you miss things. That's why I had to find a different approach.

Read also: Claude said we fixed the SaaS MVP bugs, but I don't fucking know

Planning better now, deciding what to build and how, and doing proper research in Apple Notes over the weekend showed me a systematic approach just works better for me.

It's not a chore. If anything, it removed the friction that used to slow me down. I got more done this week than in weeks where I was just grinding without a plan, and it felt easier, not harder.

It also helps me juggle between things much better. When I finished a key section of the docs editor, I didn't jump straight into the next one. I let it sit, thought it through again, and made sure I hadn't missed anything.

Taking real pauses between different activities works better for me. It keeps my workload, speed, and accuracy where I want them.

It's Friday evening now, and I'm about to watch the new episode of Flex X Cop season 2. Tomorrow is content planning and writing day again. Not a bad way to close out a week where I actually stuck to my own plan.