I get in the way of myself when I edit my podcast. Hearing the sound of my own voice for hours during the editing process is always unpleasant. Compound that with a penchant for sweating the small stuff (uhms, ahs, and likes), and editing my own pod can sometimes seem more of a task to get through than a process to enjoy. I also use Descript to edit my podcast, which is a great tool for editing conversational audio because it produces an computer-generated transcription of the audio files you upload. The transcription and accompanying script editing view are very helpful for quickly navigating hours of audio, but seeing yourself goof up in the written word reinforces the obsession with burying every blemish.

Not every mistake is worth fixing. Not every flub is something to destroy mirthlessly. Personalities are full of odd quirks; podcast hosts are full of random noises, missteps, less-than-perfect transitions. Sometimes it's just fine to allow your podcast speakers to sound a little more natural (our podcast follows a loose script and is conversational in style). I need to loosen up about my own editing process. To that end, I came up with a bit of advice to myself:

Edit with your eyes closed.

Editing with my eyes closed helps put me in a helpful headspace-- that of a listener of my own podcast. When I can't see the transcription or the waveforms (yes, I can tell that that particular shape is an "uhmmm"), I'm far less distracted by my own process. (And I'm also less distracted by all of the other things on or around my desk.) I get to hear the conversation as if it were new to me, without having to swat away visual reminders of slight imperfections. I can still catch any egregious errors this way, and I also get through my editing process more quickly.

Happy creating!