Gary’s Q&A

Listener question & Gary’s response · Transcript passage

Steve Augustino asks Long-time Completionist Club member here. I continue to be fascinated by the 1000+ “future topics” list. Is it actually helpful in guiding new episodes? In my work, when I would compile “to do” lists, I always stopped at 12, figuring that others below that number were not important enough yet to pay attention to. Does this principle apply to your list as well? For example, is the fact that some topics have lingered on your list for a while perhaps evidence that they are just not worthy of an episode in this podcast?

The list currently has around 960 topics, and it ebbs and flows as episodes are recorded.

The purpose of the list is to keep track of items, so I don’t forget them. Ideas can come from anywhere. Articles I read, videos I watch, and movies I see are all fair game for ideas.

If I come up with an idea that is even remotely viable as an episode, I put it down. I don’t worry about if or when I’ll end up using it; I just write it down.

That said, you are correct that not everything on the list will make it into an episode. Sometimes, after further review, it just doesn’t seem like it will make a good episode. Other times, it might just wind up being mentioned in another episode about a broader subject.

There is also a recency bias. I’m far more likely to do an episode on an idea I just came up with, just because it happens to be top of mind.