Musings of a hustling journalist: Ep 1
Hello, welcome to the weird musings of a journalist plotting his way into Nigeria’s tech space. I recently applied for a journalism fellowship, and I decided to recount my experiences from the last three years. Two days after I finished, I realised I missed some important milestones.
Well, that’s classic me. I don’t stop to celebrate the wins. I’m always about the next project, the next article, video, or podcast. In cases where I receive applause, I pause to think about what I could have done better, and ask for feedback.
So, this weekly series will follow my journey in a media startup. Expect to know what happened, and what lessons I learnt.
Starting the year
This week started with a quick team-wide meeting as our CEO shared a glimpse into his plans for the year. I did my best to shut down during the break, and my head is still trying to adjust.
I'm trying to set up a system that improves productivity, so the editorial meeting that followed renewed everyone's commitment from last year. Towards the end of 2022, the company worked on a balanced scorecard, and I set up a framework to break it down into smaller deliverables and invited my team to contribute from their own perspectives.
It's easy to spend time talking about lofty goals, dreams, and ambitions and get overwhelmed. That's for the company's CEO to worry about. While you can assist in strategy sessions as much as possible, I learned it's more important to complete those smaller tasks that will compound into that lofty goal you had in mind.
Stories
I feel like I'm out of a writing rut but there's no evidence yet. That place in my head preventing me from writing seems to be clearing, hence this journal. It hasn't translated to official work though. Thankfully, I'd written some stories before the break, so I'm good for two weeks at least. Unless there's breaking news of course. My block flies out the window when there's breaking news. Maybe I thrive under pressure? Naah, let’s not open that can of worms.
Podcast
I hosted the first episode of the Techpoint Africa podcast in 2023. It was fun to see all my guys and engage in friendly banter.
I still think my face looks weird on camera, and I can't get over the idea that I don't yet have a camera personality. A friend planted this idea, and I’m on a mission to prove him wrong. Let me get over the self-conscious phase first. Don’t judge me.
Still experimenting with different formats and learning a lot about video and audio production that I didn't think I would.
Events
We talked about the events we’ll be holding in 2023. We came up with some interesting ideas for events and our boss put his seal of approval on some of them.
I don't like thinking about events, but it can be fun and valuable for journalists. I just need to create a system that works for us in future events.
Oh, and our Head of Growth left the company. He left at the end of last year, but it didn't really dawn on me until I saw "deleted user" on one of his comments on a shared Google doc for events.
"No one to drag me about events again😭," I cried.
Finished Deep work and started another
I tried introducing deep work to the newsroom last year, in the middle of the book. I was fascinated by the concept immediately I started reading Cal Newport's best seller, and I thought, yes. This is exactly what we need in our newsroom.
After rounding up the book and digesting the 4 rules, I wished I hadn't rushed to introduce the concept to our newsroom. If I had read to the end, I would have presented it as an achievable target that takes our unique circumstances into account, rather than just the necessary tool for career excellence that everyone should figure out.
I think I've come up with a template that works. Will share it with my team, but I don't expect my template will work for everyone.
Interestingly, finishing one book set me in the mood for another. I started reading "So good they can't ignore you", another of Cal Newport's bestsellers. It confirms everything I suspect about my work, and makes me feel like I've been wasting the potential of my position.
I'll keep you posted on my findings about the new book, and the result of my experiment with Deep work.
I guess that's all for now. Musing from the first week of resumption in 2023.
