Ep 7: Same effort, better results | Micless [Micless](https://micless.com/) __ [About](https://micless.com/about) [Episodes](https://micless.com/episodes) [__Subscribe](https://micless.com/subscribe) - [Episodes](https://micless.com/episodes) - / - [Episode 7](https://micless.com/episodes/e7-same-effort-better-results) # Same effort, better results When I started this 30-day challenge a week ago, I assumed that skipping the microphone and the audio editor would make each episode take ten minutes. Instead, I'm still spending thirty to forty-five minutes every day. The difference is that zero percent of that time goes toward recording and audio editing, and all of it goes into sharpening my ideas. In this Week 1 check-in, I look at what happens when you flip the traditional production ratio and spend your best creative energy on the words instead of the software. Episode 7__3 min ![David Stack](https://micless.com/img/180x180-david-stack.webp)by [David Stack](https://micless.com/contributors/david-stack) · Updated Nov 7, 2026 ![Ep 7: Same effort, better results](https://micless.com/img/micless-cover.jpg) Micless · Episode 7 Same effort, better results 0:00 / 0:00 __ __ __ 0.00 1x [__All Micless Episodes](https://micless.com/episodes) [__RSS Feed](https://micless.com/rss) ## Show Notes When I started this 30-day challenge a week ago, I assumed that skipping the microphone and the audio editor would make each episode take ten minutes. Instead, I'm still spending thirty to forty-five minutes every day. The difference is that zero percent of that time goes toward recording and audio editing, and all of it goes into sharpening my ideas. In this Week 1 check-in, I look at what happens when you flip the traditional production ratio and spend your best creative energy on the words instead of the software. ### Links from the Show - [Ep 1: This should be easier](https://micless.com/episodes/e1-this-should-be-easier) — Day 1 of the challenge, where I first set out to test a script-first solo podcast workflow _This episode was fully produced and hosted with [Elora.fm](https://elora.fm)._ --- ## Transcript Today marks one full week of publishing this daily show. When I started this experiment, I assumed that cutting out the microphone and the audio editor would make each episode take about ten minutes to make. I was completely wrong. Seven days in, I'm still spending thirty to forty-five minutes on each one. In today's episode, I want to look at where all that time is going, and how shifting your effort from audio engineering to your ideas changes what you publish. In a traditional solo podcast workflow, forty-five minutes barely gets you through the logistics. The first ten minutes are spent plugging in the mic, running a test recording, and realizing the room sounds hollow, or your gain is set too high. Then, you record a couple takes because you lost your train of thought halfway through. And after that, you open an audio editor to cut out the long pauses, the stumbles, and the mouth sounds. By the time you export the file, eighty percent of your energy went into the mechanics. Only twenty percent went into what you were trying to say. Over the past week of producing Micless, that ratio flipped for me. Because producing the final audio with my Studio Voice inside Elora takes less than a minute at the very end, I get all of that production time back. What surprised me is that I didn't save the extra time and finish early. But I was pleased with how I did end up spending it. I spent it tracking down the original source of a quote instead of relying on memory. I spent it having my Studio Voice read a sentence back to me, noticing where it went on too long, and rewriting it until it sounded natural. I actually just did that with the previous sentence. On more than one occasion, I adjusted the beat between lines by half a second, so it would land right. I'm putting the exact same amount of effort into the show every day. All of it is finally going into the part that listeners care about. If you're feeling worn out by your podcast workflow, pay attention to where your time is going. Save your energy for the words, and let the software handle the rest. I'm David, and this has been day seven... of Micless. See you tomorrow. [creators](https://micless.com/topics/creators) [production](https://micless.com/topics/production) [script writing](https://micless.com/topics/script-writing) [Micless](https://micless.com/) Short daily thoughts on making a solo podcast without losing your mind (or touching a microphone). Show [About](https://micless.com/about) [Episodes](https://micless.com/episodes) [Topics](https://micless.com/topics) Connect [Subscribe](https://micless.com/subscribe) [Contact](https://micless.com/contact) [Elora](https://elora.fm?ref=micless)__ © 2026 Micless made with ❤️ by [David Stack](https://davidstack.io/?utm_source=micless.com&utm_medium=referral).From one creator to all others.