Good morning John! It's one of those Fridays again on which I make videos and today I'm going to be making a video unlike any other I've ever made on Vlogbrothers. It's a video that contains no cuts. I'm just going to talk. And I'm going to talk to you for four minutes and then it's going to be over. Everything's gonna stay in, confessional style.

How do you decide what to do at any given moment? It's a big important question that maybe we don't ask ourselves all the time.

I've had a system for the last ten years that's worked pretty well, and that has basically been 'do whatever you want?' [nervous laugh] It's more like a, it's more like 'do whatever needs doing,' right. Like, I feel very compelled by my obligations, and I have, like a, two main sources of obligation that I want to talk about. So there's, there's one that's like... 

This is a thing that I can do that not a lot of other people could do or pull off and it would be good and, like, I just want it to exist! And the obligation, it's almost to the idea itself, or to the universe itself; just to make this thing exist. And I; that's what pushes me to make new stuff, like-like create art, but also, like, make SciShow or CrashCourse, or like we recently relaunched How to Adult because I just think that's... that's a thing that should exist in the world.

And we made a podcast, HFS, Holy Frickin' Science, which is like an adult language podcast where we get really excited, like too excited about science, and, uh, hang out, hanging out with friends. It's really... fun. 

And like those are things that I feel like... th-these are [stutters] great! That should exists! And I can help them exist in a way that other people may not be able to, because I have tools that other people don't have access to.

And there's, like, the obligation to the existing ideas, kind of? Like, this is less exciting, but it's a... it's more... it's there's more... it's more compelling because there are people relying on it. There are people who love the thing and want it to keep existing... I have an obligation to, like, the attendees in Vidcon, I have an obligation to all the creators who come to Vidcon, I have an obligation... to Nerdfighteria, to you, John. And, like these aren't things that I resent. Like, they all push me to make things and make them well, and I need that.

And like, we just launched Wizard School. Like, Wizard School is a game now, it exists, people are playing and they like it. But, there's a bunch of Kickstarter perks that we haven't sent out yet, and I feel terrible about it. I'm sorry, if you are one of those people.

Like, those obligation I need to push me to do stuff. But also, two things happened at the same time this year. After ten years, I really just feel this way, that changed this strategy for me.

Like [babble], at the same time, weirdly. The election... happened, which made me think like there are lot of things that need protecting and that I might not be doing a good job, of... of like... making the world better in, in the best ways I can. And maybe I should have thinking about that before the election. I-I definitely should have. But, like, now I, I feel, I feel like it is more pressing than ever. And-and that has changed, sort of, like what I thinking about, like-like, how I prioritize things. 

And there's the baby! [more nervous laughter] And like-like, the like, the... at any given moment, he is, always for the rest of my life, my child is going to be my prime obligation. And that's a new thing for me, and, like a, any given moment, it's like, 'Hey dad, what are you doing?' and I'm like, 'I gotta a stuff to do,' and he's like, 'BUT ME! I got cheeks!', and I'm like, 'You're right! Impenetrable argument, child!'.

So, that's... it's the situation that I'm in. And it basically what it means is that, like, the system that I used to use aren't necessarily the best systems for my current life, and that's okay. I just have to create new systems. And that... is a little bit difficult and painful sometimes. But, figuring it out and, it's, hundred percent worth it.

John, I'll see you on Tuesday.