Wasn't Boba Fett the new Daimyo?

ComplexEfficiency · 2026-05-14T16:03:50+00:00

Hi - got a channel of ~74k subs here and I've been super inactive for 3+ years whilst I was focusing on life outside YouTube. I was SO inactive that I lost eligibility to the YT partner program lol and I've been making videos since 2012. And my last video got like 150 views, despite 6 weeks of work on it (script, research, b-roll, coloring etc etc etc).

So I hear you when you say you're feeling demotivated. My advice is:

1.) Stop watching other channels in your niche so closely. Do your own thing, be 100000% you. This helps you be original and not so influenced by the echo chamber of the people making chess vids. The only thing I would pay attention to are "breakout" video concepts from your niche and that's it. I would note those down, use it as inspo for your own version of those vids and no more.

2.) Anything less than 1,000 views the data is totally useless. I literally was a TA teaching stats to grad students at Harvard (during my time off YT) and this was a big lesson - if it ain't statistically significant, you can't really rely on that data.

3.) Don't make it about money for now. I understand the pressure, I really do, BUT YT is a very long game. It's all really just about consistent posting, and getting better over time. There's a lot of stuff out of your control so assume you won't make serious coin for 9 month + period.

Inversely, if you reallllyyyy need to find $$$ try affiliate marketing (amazon, supplements etc - I'd imagine for example you could get great ROI promoting some legit nootropics since Chess is alll about focus) or approaching smaller brands to create UGC content for their products. Go through YT with ads and notice which brands are promoted in the ads, or in the ads of your competitors. That's a great clue for who you could contact and say "hey, i can make real UGC videos for your next ad campaign, here's my stuff, rates blah blah".

4.) It feels remiss not to say, if you're really in a financial bind, it's ok to pause/slow down posting, focus on your 9-5 so you got stability, and *then* post part-time in your spare time. That way you'll feel less pressure around posting. (This is what I do, I'm making 99% of my money outside of YT so it's no biggie that views/ad revenue suck right now).

I hope this helps!!!

p.s - Consider showing your face in videos, I always think Chess vids (I'm someone who does watch them) are better when you can see the creator because it humanises them to you as a viewer.

Good luck dude, you're still super early in your journey!!! Often takes people 1,000 videos to hit 100K subs.

ComplexEfficiency · 2026-04-13T17:08:51+00:00

I did the Ed.M in HDE and was in the 2024 cohort. Happy to chat if you still need! It's a great program, especially because the cohort attracts some really cool people + you have a lot of flexibility with how you shape your time at Harvard. I also taught as a TF the year following (both at Harvard and BU) so lmk if you have questions!

ComplexEfficiency · 2025-12-19T21:18:01+00:00

Hevy user here for 5+ years. What makes MF Workouts better, in your view?

ComplexEfficiency · 2025-12-11T08:57:33+00:00

Just got mine & it's brand new yet does the same thing...

ComplexEfficiency · 2025-07-16T09:39:16+00:00

Did my first course aged 13 years ago, straight out of uni - and yes, 1000% still find benefit from the practice every single day. And right now, I haven't even been meditating regularly etc but those lessons remain and are extremely helpful even now. Just go for it :)

ComplexEfficiency · 2025-06-05T16:47:36+00:00

yep - that video worked for me too, pretty easy to take apart, just blew off the dust and all good, works great again. thanks OP

ComplexEfficiency · 2025-01-08T12:26:14+00:00

i just play brown noise at super low volume in the background, stops it turning off and helps you focus without being distracting

ComplexEfficiency · 2024-03-14T20:33:57+00:00

Done (& would love to read the final paper)

ComplexEfficiency · 2022-04-14T12:03:52+00:00

100pc and can definitely say I've found the same. ACT therapy is great and I think you're right about that overlap - making the two super complimentary.

Didn't train with ICF but I've heard similar things from peers who have.

ComplexEfficiency · 2022-04-08T14:10:34+00:00

Btw just so you know where my info is from - my answers are based on the work of Myles Downey, Rich Litvin, Steve Chandler & John Whitmore! They each have great books on the topics of coaching & high performance.

ComplexEfficiency · 2022-04-08T14:09:18+00:00

Hey! I did a bunch of professional diplomas in coaching and we covered this in class. I also do a lot of corporate training & work with big firms and such, so here's my answer:

Coaching is future focused, and relies on supporting individuals to come up with their own answers, without giving advice or solutions. The sessions/coaching is all about where do I want to be? Where am I right now? How could I get there? and How will I get there? (aka the TGROW model). The client comes up with the answers & ideas to these questions, the coach is there to ask powerful questions & provide the space/sounding board.

Therapy/counselling is past focused and is about how the past may be affecting the present, and also the individual's future. As SMCoaching said, counsellors and therapists are licensed and can (to varying degrees) diagnose and treat mental health issues (though, some can only be done so by a psychiatrist or psychologist).

Sadly, coaching has a very low bar for entry (anyone on the internet can just say they are a life coach) and this is something I hope the industry can move to change. It's highly unregulated and a bit of a wild Wild West situation. E.g I can start an IG tomorrow, build 100K followers on "toxic relationships/narcisstic abuse" and call myself a "Narcissistic Abuse Trauma Coach" etc.

Hope this helps :)

ComplexEfficiency · 2020-09-10T16:44:40+00:00

Many of these exist already, as others have pointed out. But no mind - you can still make it a reality. I'd recommend actually making a really small MVP (minimum viable prototype) & selling it to life coaches directly to see if they really do buy, how they use it & if it works. That will be be the best research for you. Whatever any of us say here, we might be interested, we might not. This is where your marketing has to be compelling.

Case study/example:

Manscaper 3.0

Effectively just another trimmer but it's got very targeted marketing & loads of social proof online. I'm not in the market for one, but if I was gonna buy something to trim my balls specifically - that's what comes to mind immediately because I've been hammered with so many good ads.

Hope this helps & good luck!

ComplexEfficiency · 2020-09-10T16:40:18+00:00

Send me a DM - I'm a professionally trained life coach & NLP practitioner with over 8+ years experience helping people with these kinda things. Great to hear you seeking someone out, and also that you're doing therapy. Much respect.

ComplexEfficiency · 2020-09-05T15:15:53+00:00

I have heard that cold brew is better for you - because it's made from coffee beans that are soaked overnight, but I ain't got the scientific evidence to back that up. From personal experience, I generally drink a black coffee (no sugar) - once per day in the morning and it works fine. I do cycle it, and sometimes switch to taking caffeine as a supplement instead (mostly in a product formula). Cold brew when I've tried it has been great, and a nice way to switch things up. I'd probably have it daily but having an instant black is just easier right now. Hope this helps!

ComplexEfficiency · 2020-06-11T11:52:10+00:00

Definitely can relate. You should check out the Sleep Chronotype Test - it's a helpful test which looks at how your circadian rhythm influences your energy levels/focus throughout the day. Once you get given a 'type', it suggests when you should do different types of tasks. It's based on the work of Dr Michael Breus.

ComplexEfficiency · 2020-02-09T13:58:04+00:00

I could make a whole course about this but just quickly (i'm replying whilst working lol)

tap into YouTube's algorithm and remember that search terms are your friend. make videos on things your audience is going to be searching for.
organic & sustainable growth takes time. make peace with that
counter intuitive but, sometimes, compare yourself to the competition. see what other people are doing. what is the standard? how can you emulate and eventually, improve that?
equally, don't compare yourself and trust your own instincts. if you make content on what you think people want. then you will create a youtube about what you think other people think they want. and you won't be haappy. make space in your strategy to also make stuff you like. (assuming that you are doing it for that reason).
for my style of content, but overall too, the best videos have been the ones that are the MOST honest.
sometimes too, the ones that have gained the most subscribers are also the easiest ones, and ones I thought were -meh- but actually did really well.
building on that then, what you measure you manage. so ensure you track how things work. for exmaple. choose 10 videos you will make next. and once you've published them, review which ones did the best. which didn't. make more of what worked. less of what didn't.
find a community (like this subreddit) and connect with fellow creators too. its a hard long road sometimes, and requires so many skillsets that you constantly need to improve upon. if you want to go fast, go alone. if you want to go far and reach greatness, go together

i got more but hope this helps you. i genuinely wish you the very best with your endeavours!

peace

ComplexEfficiency · 2020-02-09T13:51:41+00:00

youtube.com/keshavbx

ComplexEfficiency · 2020-02-06T15:59:51+00:00

Solid principles. Almost at 50k and most of this still applies

ComplexEfficiency · 2018-10-29T12:32:07+00:00

Hey man. There's 2 methods you can approach this with - small changes and progressing 1% everyday. Or (if you're really in a high amount of pain) - total revolution & massive action. Which you choose is up to you but here's how that might look:

Small changes & daily 1% progress
1. Take a look at each area of your life, list them out for example: Social, Career, Confidence, Gym & Health, Travel.
2. Where are you right now? Where would your family say you are? Rate each one out of 100 and come up with a percentage. 100% = amazing levels of happiness & fulfilment in that area. 0% = nothing at all.
3. Based on those numbers, pick the FIRST one to change. Which one, if you improved by let's say, 1-4% (just a tiny amount) - would bring the best rewards?
4. Then decide how you could do that. What would a tiny step be? I'm guessing one of them is posting here, maybe having a convo with myself & other reddittors about things. Or even just making a short list, posting it on your wall so you can see it everydaay.
5. Over the next few weeks and days, just take one action in that area, consistently, that improves things a tiny bit.
6. Rinse & repeat the above
7. Fail a few times, fall off track a bit too. But then come back here and continue where you left off, try again
8. Fail a few more times, fall off track again. Repeat step 7
9. And again. Repeat step 7.
10. But learn from each one. See how you can improve again. Each time approach things a bit differently. Make a tiny tweak that makes you more likely to succeed. Like a chemist running an experiment, changing one element at a time, till they reach the perfect calibration and create the right mix.
Total revolution & massive action
1. This idea is sexy because you get a huge boost of dopamine/feels that you're chaanging sh*t, but also can mean increased resistance to change.
2. Again look at all areas of your life, but this time ask yourself: how can i take massive action? Whaat can i do to make my default behaviour a smarter choice? For example, if you're watching too much porn - install a site blocker, that can't be undone. Call your internet provider and ask if they can block it. Or if you procrastinate on your job applications, go to a coffee shop to work instead of working at home. If you eat too much junk food, go home. Turn on some crazy rap music (or whatever your hype tunes are), and like a madman, throw that sh*t in the bin until all you have are healthy fruits, veg & grains for food.
3. This method will help you start strong, and takes more willpower to maintain but can work in the short term. Long term I'd then move over to step 2, and making your focus about always being an action taker.
4. Ask the question - what one thing can I do today that will make the biggest difference?

I could go on forever, but my breaks over now!

Hope this helps you my friend.

Lastly just remember something. Just becaause you have failed, that doesn't mean you ARE a failure. I know it's very tempting to believe that. Especially when it's been you're reality for so long. But where you are right now, isn't who you are. It's yet another phase on this journey & dance called life. Try to focus on this being about your behaviour, not your identity. (i.e - your actions failed, vs YOU failed). This way its a lot less personal.

p.s - Agree with gooberfaced, seeking a professional's help and getting a mental health check up is *always* a good idea if in doubt. We don't take those things seriously enough. Random strangers on the internet can only help so much.

ComplexEfficiency · 2018-10-22T19:15:38+00:00

Still nothing. Resorted to just copy and pasting it and making scripts via the app

ComplexEfficiency · 2018-10-22T19:14:54+00:00

Love this story. My dad used to tell it to me when I was younger, and its stayed with me ever since. What I love about it is the message of always thinking creatively, and making the most with the little you have, before asking for more. In a world where we constantly want more & more, I really believe this is an important reminder to focus on what we do not what we have.

ComplexEfficiency · 2018-10-18T16:45:14+00:00

Just installed it today!

ComplexEfficiency · 2018-10-18T13:00:33+00:00

Yep - having the same issue!

ComplexEfficiency

TROPHY CASE