Summary
Overview
Hank Green discusses his prolific career as a YouTuber, entrepreneur, and content creator, revealing how he manages an overwhelming number of projects including YouTube channels, businesses, podcasts, an iOS app, and a forthcoming book on cancer biology. He shares insights on his workflow systems, the evolution of his business ventures, why books still matter in the digital age, and his philosophy on using his platform for social good.
The Importance of YouTube and Content Platforms
Hank explains why YouTube remains his primary focus despite generating significant views on social media platforms. He doesn't trust view counts on platforms like TikTok that count views at three seconds, whereas YouTube uses more meaningful metrics. The quality of viewership and audience relationships on YouTube are fundamentally different and more valuable, making it his core platform where he edits videos on his Mac Studio rather than his phone.
- Hank primarily identifies as a YouTuber and has never edited a YouTube video on his phone, preferring Premiere on his Mac Studio
- Social media view counts are unreliable - TikTok counts views at three seconds while YouTube uses longer thresholds, making the numbers incomparable
- TikTok has two view metrics: regular views and 'qualified views' which have higher bars and are the only ones that get monetized
" They're not the ones you want, right? Like as such. I mean, it's not just that it's not the ones I want. It's that I don't believe them. "
Managing an Overwhelming Number of Projects
Hank reveals his surprisingly simple task management system using Google Tasks and Notes app, with ChatGPT for ideation. His assistant Erin manages his emails and creates priority lists, including a critical 'now' list for tasks blocking other people's work. He schedules two-hour unscheduled blocks regularly to prevent becoming a bottleneck and to maintain capacity for deep work, while also being strategic about when to say yes to new opportunities.
- Uses Google Tasks and Notes app for task management, plus ChatGPT for storing and developing video ideas
- Assistant Erin manages emails and creates two key lists: 'might want to respond' and 'now' (for blocking tasks)
- Schedules regular two-hour unscheduled blocks to prevent overscheduling and maintain flexibility
- Uses Airtable with 12 columns as a Kanban system for managing Hank's Channel content pipeline collaboratively
" I have a very hard time seeing an opportunity and not taking it. "
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