Want Money and still have Fun?

We all want to work on things that feel fun—or better yet, make work feel fun. Whether it’s your career or just life in general, finding that balance is key. But today, I’m talking specifically about having fun while grinding in your career.

Fun Projects are Hard

So, here’s the thing: I love making cinematic films for YouTube. It’s what excites me, and I could spend hours on them without feeling tired.
But the harsh reality is cinematic films and YouTube growth don’t really go hand in hand. I’ve tried.

If you want to grow on YouTube, you need to make videos that the algorithm supports and even if my cinematic films go viral, they take a lot of time to put together. That’s why they’ve become more of a “once in a while” thing for me (at least now)

But oh man, those “once in a while” projects are so much fun.

Let me give you an example. I shot one cinematic Flog (IYKYK) in October. I knew from the start that it will take a lot of time to edit, so I kept postponing it. I had other videos lined up that potentially could perform better on YouTube with way less effort. So I thought, why not focus on those instead? Logical, right?

But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t stay away from that cinematic project. It was so exciting that I kept coming back to it, editing little bits here and there. Finally, in January, I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. I dropped everything and finished it in just 7 days.

Money plus Fun is Important

While editing the project, It hit me that fun is important, but fun won’t pay the bills.

You’ve got to find the balance.

For me, that means doing the exciting stuff, like cinematic films, occasionally. And the rest of the time? I focus on freelancing-related videos that bring in the money. Are those freelancing videos always fun to make? Nope. But I’ve figured out how to add my own flavor—my stories, my cinematic touch—to make them fun for me and engaging for the audience.

This balance took time to figure out, but it works. I can share practical advice (even the boring stuff) while keeping it true to my style.

And this doesn’t just apply to YouTube, it’s the same for everything.

Take traveling. I love traveling, but I can’t spend the whole year hopping from place to place and still make good money (it’s not practical according to the goals I have). I need to sit down, grind, and build a solid base before I can travel again.

Or my agency. I enjoy taking sales calls, they’re fun for me. But if that’s all I did, who’s going to actually run the business? I need to focus on scaling it too, which sometimes means doing less exciting things.

But what about when things get too boring?

Here’s the trick: ask yourself, how can I make this more fun?

I learnt this from Feel Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal (A Good Read)

For me, outreach can feel boring. So I make it fun by listening to music while I work and setting a goal, like landing a $3,000–$4,000 client. That’s the kind of client who’ll help us hit our targets, get the team pumped, and teach us more about scaling the agency. Adding that little bit of excitement keeps me going.

Conclusion

If you only do things for fun, you won’t make money. And if you only work for money, it’ll suck the joy out of everything. Find that balance. Do the boring stuff, but find ways to make it fun. And enjoy the process, because honestly, the destination is never as fun as the journey.

The grind is necessary too to eventually have more fun but don’t just give up on fun altogether, have fun while grinding and that’s the best place to be at in your career.

Oh, by the way, I and Akash K Ravi have collaborated to make a 7 Day course on Davinci Resolve for free on Youtube. If you’re into editing, don’t miss it. We will also share project files for my Kasol vlog and the course for a minimal fee—details will be in the video description.

Cheers from my mancave,

Mradul