Article
The point of writing down a workflow is to get more from the time you already spend.
A document that collects dust in a binder will not help much. A repeatable way of working can. It lets you group similar tasks, set useful constraints, and stop rebuilding the process every time.
Batch the work
I shoot 20 to 30 videos a week in a park.
That volume is possible because I batch the content. I follow a workflow for how I shoot, and I keep the format within clear boundaries. I do not arrive and invent the entire process from scratch for each video.
The setting helps too. I like recording in the park because it is peaceful. A train comes by once in a while, and that has become part of the experience.
The workflow protects the part I enjoy. It handles enough of the repeated decisions that I can focus on making the videos.
Put constraints around the format
Constraints can feel restrictive when you first add them. In a repeatable process, they reduce the number of decisions you need to make.
The format is already defined. The work can move in batches. The same block of time produces more because the setup and sequence do not need to be rebuilt for every item.
That is the practical value of a workflow. You put in roughly the same amount of time and get more useful work from it.
Decide what the recovered time is for
Buying back time only matters if you can use it for something you care about.
That might mean more time with your family. It might mean a hobby. It might mean doing a part of the work you enjoy, such as recording videos outside instead of wrestling with the setup around them.
Pick one activity you repeat often. Write down how you do it, group the work where you can, and set a few boundaries around the format. Then use the time you recover on purpose.