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What the Heck am I doing?

2021-09-03 · letter vlog · Hank · 3:42 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Projects (also: Personal life) · mode: Personal update · tags: self promotion, community lore

Noting that the website counting the days since he last started a new thing has not updated in 81 days, Hank lists everything he is doing (shows, the microscope, Crash Course coins, TikToks, podcasts, Crash Course deals, the Awesome Socks Club, being a boss, family) and concludes he is overwhelmed for good reasons but it will all get done.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — The days-since-a-new-thing website; recording shows, the microscope Kickstarter, Crash Course coins, TikToks, Tangents, Dear Hank and John, a Crash Course partner and ASU

  • ★★ Hank noticed the website counting days since he last started a new thing hasn't updated in 81 days, but he hasn't been doing nothing, so he lists what he is doing. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Days Since Hank Green Last Started a New Thing
  • ★★ Every Monday Hank records Journey to the Microcosmos, every Tuesday he shoots SciShow and sometimes Bizarre Beasts; he no longer writes them and mostly reads aloud. — 00:00:00 · Journey to the Microcosmos, SciShow, Bizarre Beasts
  • ★★ The Microcosmos microscope from their Kickstarter is finally shipping, but a piece is missing, probably lost in transit; backers' microscopes ship now and the piece follows. — 00:00:00 · Kickstarter, Journey to the Microcosmos
  • ★★ In the evenings Hank assembles Crash Course coins himself, as a way to thank the people who supported Crash Course through them, though it takes longer. — 00:00:47 · Crash Course coin, Crash Course
  • ★★ Hank makes about 20 science and 60 non-science TikToks a month, why being a bit of a mystery to him. (playful) — 00:00:47 · TikTok
  • ★★★ Hank recommends SciShow Tangents, their 30-minute science trivia game show podcast (he writes science poems for it), which is climbing the science charts: try the new elephant episode. — 00:01:16 · SciShow
  • ★★ Hank always preps for Dear Hank and John, made easier by Deboki helping with the science editorial part. — 00:01:16 · Dear Hank and John
  • ★★ Hank is prepping for an important meeting with a potential Crash Course partner that could be very good; impressing them should be easy, because they are amazing. (playful, hedged) — 00:01:16 · Crash Course
  • ★★★ Working on Crash Course's partnership with ASU has given Hank insight into how US education really functions and where it lets people down. — 00:01:16 · Crash Course

00:01:45 — Contracts, shipping costs, the Awesome Socks Club's second year and being a good boss

  • ★ Hank is renegotiating a contract, not his favorite thing. — 00:01:45
  • ★★ Shipping costs have gone up a lot; Hank asks their UPS Mail Innovations rep, if watching, to budge a little on that one thing. (playful) — 00:01:45
  • ★★ Hank is preparing to market the Awesome Socks Club's second year and finished a list of TikTokers to work with on promoting the socks. — 00:01:45 · Awesome Socks Club, TikTok
  • ★★★ Hank thanks Sock Club members: they have so far raised over $600,000 for Partners In Health, and the socks are really good. — 00:01:45 · Awesome Socks Club, Partners In Health
  • ★★ Being a good boss to the many people helping him means clearly communicating goals, values and good ways of working, and figuring out how to make money to treat people well. — 00:02:14

00:02:39 — Pressure and focus, the delayed Christmas projects, a space mystery novel, Orin's pre-K, the 15th anniversary, Apple's SD card slots; sign-off

  • ★★ It is a lot of pressure: Hank doesn't always get it right or know what he is doing, and he isn't fantastic at focus, as this list shows. — 00:02:39
  • ★★★ Two other things Hank and John wanted out by Christmas won't be, which is frustrating; Hank says they will happen eventually and be greater for the wait. — 00:02:39 · Christmas
  • ★★ Hank may be trying to write a space mystery novel, but that doesn't mean it will happen. (hedged) — 00:02:39
  • ★★ It is Orin's first week of pre-K, which is cute, sad and scary. — 00:02:39 · Orin Green
  • ★★ Hank is planning his 15th wedding anniversary. — 00:02:39 · Katherine Green
  • ★ Not liking to focus, Hank's one daily task is checking whether Apple will put SD card slots back into its laptops: please! (playful) — 00:03:18
  • ★★ Listing it all made Hank feel better: he is overwhelmed, for good reasons, and everything will get done, not perfectly, but done. — 00:03:18

In the description and comments

  • ★ In a comment, Hank adds that the space mystery novel takes place almost entirely inside an asteroid. — creator comment
  • ★★ In a comment Hank says Orin's pre-K class has seven students, everyone is masked all day, and he is still nervous, though COVID is very rarely dangerous for kids. — creator comment · Orin Green
  • ★★★ The description says the ASU collaboration revealed failings of higher education: many people get loans but no degree, and there are better ways to include more people and lower costs and barriers. — video description
  • ★★ Hank occasionally has meetings about his books becoming a TV show, which mean nothing: just a fun time for people to say they like his work. — video description

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Days Since Hank Green Last Started a New Thing

Also: People: Katherine Green · Orin Green

Projects: Awesome Socks Club · Bizarre Beasts · Crash Course · Dear Hank and John · Journey to the Microcosmos · SciShow · SciShow Tangents

Works: Crash Course coin

Organizations: Apple · Arizona State University · Kickstarter · Partners In Health · TikTok · UPS Mail Innovations

Concepts: Microscope

Events: Christmas

Only in the description or credits: Deboki · higher education · Student loan

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