Hacks are bogus, unlocks are not

I don't believe in "hacks." I do believe in "unlocks" (ideas & choices that help the rest of the work seem clearer).

A podcasting “hack” might be to publish a daily episode when you first launch your show because Apple Podcasts’ charts reward velocity of downloads early on.

A podcasting “unlock” is to craft a concise, well-articulate premise that listeners actually consider original and irresistible. That premise then acts as a decision-making system for you, allowing you to work faster with greater focus of guest and topic selection, questions you ask and when/how, and communities you participate in. It helps listeners self-select that your show is for them, while eagerly anticipating the journey to come, so they stick around.

That’s an unlock. Things snap into place a bit more fully.

Hacks are about an atypical or unnatural tweak to the system. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a hack. But it’s a one-off.

Unlocks are like ironing out a kink in the system, such that things all connect and run smoother.

Hacks profess to make something happen immediately, with bigger results. Unlocks help you focus. The work will still be hard and take awhile, but you’re at least able to remove distractions and some friction in the system.

Whereas a hack seems to promise some kind of guaranteed response, an unlock just increases the odds. That’s the best we can ever do: increase the odds. Decrease distraction, remove needless friction and wasted time and energy, and increase the chances that your work will work, because you’re bringing your full self to it, in a very focused way.

Forget hacks. Look for unlocks. One is smoke that dissipates quickly. The other can spark a fire that rages awhile.

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