I took a shaky crowd iPhone clip of my band and turned it into a promo piece the next day. Not because I’m good at editing—because I refuse to lose momentum.

Perfection is a tax. Speed is a multiplier.

Simplify.

The rules

  • Speed > polish. A 7/10 asset posted today beats a 10/10 asset posted “someday.”
  • Timebox or die. 30 minutes forces decisions; unlimited time invites excuses.
  • Cut scope, not corners. Make the project smaller until it fits the deadline.
  • One outcome. One deliverable, one message, one CTA.

The 30-Minute Shipping Drill

  1. Decide the smallest version. Mine: one chorus, five best moments, band name at the end.
  2. Set a hard timer (30:00). When it dings, you publish what you have.
  3. Assemble fast. Line up the “money” moments; cut anything that needs defending.
  4. Polish light. Tiny trims. No rabbit holes. (Perfection is procrastination in a costume.)
  5. Package it. Clear title, one-line description, single call to action.
  6. Publish publicly. Reels/Shorts/YouTube—pick one, press post.
  7. Debrief in two minutes. What worked? What sucked? What’s the next rep?

Anti-Perfection guardrails

  • 70% rule: When it’s a 7/10, it ships.
  • 3-decision cap: Music, sequence, thumbnail—decide once. No swaps.
  • One pass, no backtracking: Move forward only. Future you can iterate.

The math that matters

  • 0 perfect videos × unlimited polish = 0 reach.
  • 1 decent video/day × 30 days = momentum, data, deals.
    Volume compounds. You can’t optimize what doesn’t exist.

Takeaway

Momentum prints money; perfection burns it. Simplify and ship it. Learn in public. Iterate tomorrow. Get better on the next one.

Check out the band here 👇

PS - this was my first ever video edit and my first YouTube upload! Here's what the original video looked like 👇 (ugh)

PPS - I did all this in CapCut in 1-2 hours including learning how to edit video and finding some awesome LUT packs (video preset "looks") with the personalized coaching from the custom AI "creator coach" I built.

If you want help harnessing AI for your creator business, holler.

– Daniel