Is doing less actually more productive? If you have a streamlined workflow, you’ll get results and you’ll have more time focusing and building your goals.
Episode Transcription
Den Lennie (2s):
G’day guys! Den Lennie here, 30th of March 2021 episode of 169. So I’m in the middle of unpacking joy notice like you know see I’m unpacking hell, but I’m choosing joy because it is a joyous occasion to be unpacking and setting up your brand new office. I’ve got myself a brand new desk that I had specially custom-made that I want it to wait until they go into the new house. And it’s, it’s divine. If you, if you’re a connoisseur of workspaces, then I think you’re going to love it.
Den Lennie (43s):
It’s the Australian hardwood called blackbutt from new South Wales, but its 900 millimeters deep by 1800 millimeters wide. It’s a really oversized desk. And I’m hoping that, and later this year, Apple is going to release a 32 inch iMac, which is really why I designed it for. I was thinking of it, getting the XDR, but it is a fairly hefty investment and they don’t really need it, but it’s going to be nice to have the desk all set up with there, everything there’s Cahto in the cabins log in my head. And so one of the great joys of finally wanting a home again, as they can custom design the room exactly as I want it and not have to worry about putting stuff on the walls.
Den Lennie (1m 27s):
But one of the things that I’ve discovered during this process is I was able to check out a lot of stuff before the move and it’s so satisfying and it really compounds that idea that less is more and that I’ve been talking a bit about this recently on the podcast hosts this year alone, we’ve, we’ve doubled our business and I’m working four days a week. And by doing less with more suitable clients, I’m achieving more and living the life that I want to live. And then, you know, it’s a, it’s a choice. It’s always a choice, but you know, for many, many, many years it was just, you know, firefighting every day the week.
Den Lennie (2m 7s):
I mean it probably 10 years of fire-fighting and then finally 11 years of fighting the Nirvana. But one of the things I was leaking to do, and even though our previous rental was a smaller house in the house we moved into and I realize that there was a lot of stuff in the garage filmmaking gear that just hadn’t been opened for two years. And so I got rid of it all. And I got to tell you it’s I first went through this about five or six years ago when we were moving to Australia. I remember at this, this is one distinct moment when I went to a feat period where I had an F5 and Zeiss lenses and well Connor, 10 to 30, he had in our Conner, all the high-end, you know, filmmaking gear.
Den Lennie (2m 54s):
And I remember it being in one period where it was a bit quiet and I saw a staring at this fifty thousand dollars camera packaged sitting in the corner of the room gathering dust in. I was just like, well, what am I doing? And I had shot this project for a client and I shot it on the use of an ass. And actually the first time I shot for them, I do use the FS7 and a whole lot of gear. Second time I shot it for the most straight shot, A7S and I, there was no difference in the open it to the client’s mind and it was charging the same money. And so I got rid of the FS7 and I got rid of the F5. And for the longest time, just use A7S, I’m not saying that it’s the right solution for everyone, but, but what, what it got it highlights is that you just don’t need tons of gear to make great content.
Den Lennie (3m 43s):
And if you are running a business, it’s about having the right gear and making sure that gear is making you money. And I think that’s what separates businesses that grow really well in business, who Dawn is that. And I, I mean, there’s a whole, a horror story to us that it still makes me shiver. I had a call with someone a few months back and they had spent 128,000 pounds on camera equipment. And they were, they were using like a plat magic Zain, Ram 12 like complete overkilled for a corporate video in an original town and in England and yeah, they were charging 500 a day to go out and shoot with a two man crew. And it was just shocking really.
Den Lennie (4m 23s):
And this person was in a lot of denial about the fact that, you know, that’s the way they genuinely believe that that was the secret to success was having the right gear in the clients really don’t often for the most part care. And so what I found is that I got more creative with less. And so it takes me back to my newscamera days really, we used to have like B to come S P with a standard land. And it has to do is a wide angle that you could Book hope for the day. And if he didn’t get an hourly, you have to do everything with the standard lens. And that discipline makes you really focused on, on getting creative. And so I think the less gear you have, and then the more creative you are, and that goes through your workspace as well.
Den Lennie (5m 4s):
At one time, I have like a three monitor set up and look, I think, you know, we got to acknowledge that. I love, I love the gear. I mean, I know I talked about not making gear a thing, but I, it doesn’t mean they don’t love it. Of course I love it. But, but what I found is that it gets in the weeds too much gear gets in the way too much technology gets in the way. And, and you know, when you’ve got like multiple machines in multiple hard drives, and if it’s all plugged them, there are so many points of failure. And I found myself getting so frustrated with points of failure that last year I got rid of a lot more stuff. And I know, I know why I’ll have a Mac mini and one screen. I’m not in the grant that I don’t do a lot of post anymore so that it might not be the right solution for you.
Den Lennie (5m 47s):
But I found that there is simplifying my work floor and having Les points of failure make a huge difference that I had for the longest time promise raids. I still do the thunder brought to the great, but they wouldn’t mind. And so they might, at times I was starting and stopping and restarting machines to get DRS to me. And it was so frustrating. So I ended up buying a, a, a drawing board it’s D8B with a 12 terabyte drive. So I’ve got like a 144 of actual storage, but it makes me 96 of Rated storage and I started transferring everything onto that. And so I know they have the single connection from my Mac mini enter the back of the drawer ball And, and that’s it.
Den Lennie (6m 29s):
And its just so much more reliable. And so whilst we’re unpacking the, the house at the minute and a, you know, I I’ve been thinking about this new office for forever and I know I want to have to be minimal workspace because in my previous office I had liked my bike and I had two computers. Part of that reason was the fact that the iMac 2015 iMac had a Thunderbolt 2 the new iMac mini has Thunderbolt three on certain things can only be plugged in to the Thunderbolt two, and even with adaptors it was just a little bit challenging. So I’m, I’m simplifying everything into one system. I’m really hopeful that the 32 inch I might become a reality because then it can all be in one space again.
Den Lennie (7m 10s):
But if not, I’ll just look to get, ’em a nice big monitor and, and run off the, a Mac mini for a while. But I’d love to know what you think. I mean, is this something you’ve experienced Is having less, Actually more productive because I think it is. I think that when you have a streamlined workflow and for many years, I used to believe that, you know, messy, messy was creative. And I really believe that for a long time. And yet when I clear my desk and have a clear office, I feel so much better. And I think we got to be careful with some of the stories that might be running in our minds about, you know, the excuses.
Den Lennie (7m 52s):
You mean you can, we did this back in episode 161, you know, are you making excuses for why things are not doing better in your business? Are you sitting down with a story saying, Oh, well, you know, I know my desk is a massive, but that’s because I’m creative. These are the kinds of things that, that show up to kind of hold us back from achieving more in our business and life. And I’ve got to see being in this new, slightly larger space, I’ve taken a sec to, it used to a second desk. And when I was taking out a desk, I’ve taken the, the training Baker of the office. That’s in the garage though. We, it have to come to my studio and I’ve just taken the Sava rock out of my office.
Den Lennie (8m 34s):
I’ve literally got a desk and computer and I’m on a printer for my, for my, for my photography. Umm, and it’s like, wow, what a, what a difference. It’s just, and it’s funny how the, the, the longer your in business, the more you realize that less is more. And I dunno why I wish there was a shortcut about it as a shortcut. I I’m seeing it to you that clean everything out, have less to achieve more. But I know that when I, that myself was like, man, you know, I think, you know, and I’m creative, it’s, there are lots of mass. It means I’m being creative. So I mean a very short Shorty this week guys, cause I literally am still unpacking. And, but yeah, I’d love to know what you think is less or more in your world.
Den Lennie (9m 14s):
Talk to you soon. You’ve been listening to the How to Scale a Video Business podcast with me, your host Den Lennie. If you’re a Video business owner, it’s hit the ceiling, we’ve benefit from a mentorship support and coaching and check out how you can work with me over at denlennie.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the show over on iTunes. I mean, I really appreciate you taking a few minutes to leave review and don’t forget to share if you feel you’ve gotten value from this episode that you think it would be useful for other filmmakers, you know, and please do me a massive favor and share it on social media and in groups that you might be in. So thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.
