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**(By Carey Green) **I have five podcasts. Three of them haven’t published a new episode in a long, long time. One of them — my main show, Podcastification — has been on a break for not quite three months.
Why have I published so sporadically? There are two reasons…
#1 - I’m one of those people whose mouth is too full because I often bite off more than I can chew.
But you can’t relate to that…
#2 - Life happened.
Yep, I got busy with other stuff. Other important stuff.
• I sold my house. • My wife and daughter and I moved into an RV full-time. • My oldest daughter got married (and I was the officiant). • I’m trying to figure out how to run the business and travel at the same time.
And it’s hard. It’s hard because I want to do all the things.
• I WANT to be dependable. • I WANT to continue bringing my podcast audience great content week after week, episode after episode. • I WANT to take advantage of the power of consistency.
But I’m learning something about that…
It’s okay to have a life that sometimes interferes with your podcast. It is, really.
That’s because a real life (not one that looks like an Instagram feed) is messy. It includes things like responsibilities, relationships, and personal limitations. (We only have so much energy, time, and devotion.) We’ve got to budget those things wisely in order to stay healthy — and productive.
And on top of all that, if I’m publishing an episode just because I’ve “got to” publish an episode, it winds up being much less than my audience deserves. I’ve done that before and it has served no one.
So, I’d rather publish great content when I can rather than push out drivel and noise every week. It’s not easy to know how to do that in a balanced way.
The decision depends on lots of things. Things like…
• Your temperament • Your lifestyle • Your health • Your support system (or lack of one) • Your level of commitment to other things
… and it’s a decision nobody can make but YOU.
Some of the gurus will tell you that you can’t miss an episode — that it’s the worst thing. Ever. That’s because they live, eat, breathe, and sleep podcasting. They get paid to. I think that approach is a bit imbalanced. And unwise. (Yes, I’m making a judgment here). Because, as we’ve all heard said, we are human beings, not human doings.
Sometimes it’s more important to…
• BE in the moment with your family • BE at a place of stability and health • BE taking care of yourself enough that you’ll one day be able to provide value to others
…than it is to be publishing a new podcast episode, as planned, without fail.
So… please, please, PLEASE don’t feel guilty about missing an episode of your show. You have a real life. And it’s not the one you post on Instagram.
Carey Green is the Client Happiness Guy and founder at www.PodcastFastTrack.com
Comments:
Great article. Thanks. Somewhat echoes the philosophy I already adopt but nice to hear someone in support! The nagging parrot perched evermore on my shoulder has just had its feathers clipped just that little bit!
#### [Harry Alexander](http://voicesofthewest.net "voicesofthewest@gmail.com") -
Interesting take on consistency. Yes, the reality is that sometimes we can’t do a show because of “life.” But, if you want to be consistent, I would think that producing and distributing the program would be pretty important. Our show airs live every Saturday afternoon with the podcast available immediately after. Coming from commercial radio, being consistent with your show is also part of “life.” Our listeners expect a fresh show every week. When one of us is sick or on vacation, we air a “best of” show and promo that fact as well.