Maker-Obsession Fit Test
Choose work whose process makes you curious and compelled to create
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 90%
Evaluate motivation by examining the relationship with the process, not by trying to manufacture enthusiasm for a distant result. Strong fit appears as curiosity about every detail, an urge to make rather than merely consume, and sustained interest in why one attempt improves while another fails. Early work can still feel difficult and perform poorly, but the person repeatedly returns to experimentation. After roughly six months, there should also be some evidence of learning or audience movement beyond zero. If both the process and the feedback remain dead, reconsider the method or the field instead of forcing an average, disengaged career.
Origin
Extracted from Marketing Against The Grain after a listener asked how to stay motivated during the first six months of audience building.
Core principles
- 01Sustainable excellence depends on enjoying the process, not merely the outcome
- 02Obsession with consumption differs from obsession with making
- 03Curiosity about why attempts succeed or fail drives improvement
- 04Early progress should be judged through learning and some movement from zero
- 05A lack of process fit can signal that another role better matches the person
How to run it
- 1
Observe Process Energy
Notice whether doing the work itself creates curiosity and energy, even before meaningful external rewards arrive.
Pro tip Assess the feeling during creation, not only before starting or after receiving praise.
Watch out Enjoying the idea of success is not evidence that the process fits.
- 2
Separate Making from Consuming
Check whether the obsession produces artifacts, experiments, and published work rather than endless intake.
Pro tip Track completed outputs instead of hours spent reading or watching.
Watch out Consumption can imitate progress while avoiding public failure.
- 3
Investigate Results
After each attempt, ask what changed and why the result improved or declined.
Pro tip Keep a brief record of the hypothesis, output, response, and next adjustment.
Watch out Repeating without analysis does not create deliberate improvement.
- 4
Test the Pull to Create
Look for moments when an idea feels urgent enough that you want to make or share it immediately.
Pro tip Capture and execute these ideas while the specific curiosity is alive.
- 5
Review Six-Month Evidence
Assess whether the work has produced greater skill, a clearer method, or an audience larger than zero.
Pro tip Look for directional growth rather than expecting a large following.
Watch out No progress at all may indicate poor execution that requires an honest change.
- 6
Choose Fit Honestly
Continue when process energy and learning are present; otherwise change the approach or move toward work that creates stronger engagement.
Pro tip Use a mismatch as information rather than a personal failure.
Watch out Do not mistake one difficult season for permanent incompatibility.
In the wild
Kieran learned to code, read books, and built projects, but the construction process did not energize him. What excited him was the idea, the finished product, and figuring out how to get people to use it, so he moved toward marketing.
→ He selected work whose process better matched his curiosity and strengths.
Common mistakes
Optimizing Only for Applause
The creator relies on audience response for motivation and has no durable interest in making or learning.
Confusing Consumption with Craft
A person watches and reads obsessively but rarely creates anything that can generate feedback.
Using Enjoyment to Avoid Discipline
The person expects every session to feel easy and quits whenever deliberate practice becomes uncomfortable.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for creators, marketers, founders, and career changers evaluating whether they can sustain a difficult craft.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal as permission to abandon necessary work after a few uncomfortable attempts or before developing basic competence.
From the transcript
“Enjoy the process. I think that is the number one thing you have to do.”
“You have to be obsessed with making stuff.”
“Like, oh, like I did this thing and this got better. I did this thing and this didn't get better. Like the curiosity of like…”
From the episode
Answering Your Burning Questions On AI & Marketing