I had 43 video ideas in my notes app and couldn't make myself film a single one.
Not because I ran out of things to say.
Not because I stopped caring.
Because every time I looked at my tripod standing in the corner of my bedroom, my chest got tight and I thought, "Not today."
If you're serious about content creation like me and are wanting to stick to it and stay more consistent. And if you've ever blocked off a whole afternoon to film content and ended up recording nothing, this might be the most important thing you read this week.
Because I figured out why it keeps happening. And it has nothing to do with motivation, discipline, or burnout.
I'll explain in a second.
But first, let me tell you how bad it got.
How "I Love Making Content" Turned Into "I Can't Make Myself Press Record"
My name is Mia. Eight months ago I was posting four or five reels a week. My social media engagement and following was growing and cool brands I've always dreamt of working with were reaching out. I felt like I was finally building something real.
Then I felt myself losing motivation and getting more and more lazy.
Filming days started feeling heavier.
Not all at once. But definitely, slowly I was noticing this.
Sunday morning I'd think, "Okay, batching content today." Then I'd spend 45 minutes just setting up. Moving my tripod. Checking the angle. Walking into frame. Walking back. Checking again. Adjusting the height. Realizing the light changed. Moving everything to the other side of the room.
I was pretty much the walking, living definition of "procrastination"
By the time I pressed record, I already felt deflated.
Then I'd film a take. Walk back to check. Head cut off. Start over. Film again. Drifted left. Half my body gone. Start over. Stand perfectly still this time so I'd stay in frame. Watch it back looking stiff and weird.
Uhhh, you get the point, it was a lot of 'finicky' and 'pointless' changes, but no ACTUAL content creation happening.
Two hours later I'd have maybe 90 seconds of usable footage.
That cycle repeated every filming day. And slowly, I started avoiding it.
Sunday became Monday. Monday became "later this week." Later this week became "maybe I'll just post a carousel instead."
I went from five posts a week to two. Then to "whenever I can force myself."
I told people I was burned out. But I wasn't. I was still writing scripts at midnight. Still saving audio clips. Still collecting ideas everywhere. The creativity was fine.
I just couldn't make myself sit down and film.
What's Actually Happening When You Dread Filming (And Nobody Talks About It)
I found a study from a performance psychology journal that changed how I understood everything (yes it was annoying me that much i researched it 😂).
Researchers found that when a person has to perform a task and monitor their own performance at the same time, something breaks down in the brain.
Movements go rigid. Speech sounds unnatural. Creative instincts shut off. A different part of the brain takes over. The part that watches, judges, and evaluates.
Athletes call it "the yips." Musicians call it "the glass wall."
And that's exactly what happens every time you hit record and walk into frame.
You're not just creating. You're also monitoring. "Am I centered? Did I drift? Is my head cut off? Should I check?"
Talking, moving, thinking, being watchable.
Framing, tracking, checking, starting over.
So the dread builds, and filming becomes the thing you avoid.
You're doing two jobs at once. You're the talent AND the camera operator.
Your brain splits in half. And after weeks and months of that, it starts treating filming like something to avoid. The dread builds up. You think it's burnout. You think something is wrong with you. You think maybe you're just not cut out for this.
But nothing is wrong with you.
You're just trying to do two people's jobs with one brain.
Use the same tripod I'm using (that completely solved this for me)
What Happened When I Took One of Those Jobs Off My Plate
Once I understood the real problem, the question became simple. What if I could stop monitoring and just perform? What if the framing handled itself?
I'd seen auto-tracking phone holders in ads before but I just always thought to ignore and scroll past them. Figured they'd be gimmicky and laggy or just a complete scam tbh.
But now I understood what I actually needed. Not a gadget. Something that would do the camera operator job so my brain could do the creator job.
I found the Raiza SoloShot Pro. It uses face detection to rotate your phone 360 degrees and follow you wherever you move. It's honestly incredible.
First time I used it, I kept glancing at my phone out of habit. But it was following me. I stepped left. It tracked me. Walked across my kitchen. It followed. Bent down, stood back up, moved to the window. It stayed on me the whole time.
I filmed for 12 straight minutes without stopping to check my phone. That had never happened. Not once in eight months.
When I watched the footage back, I looked like a different person. Relaxed. Natural. Hands moving. Making eye contact with the lens instead of darting my eyes to the edge of the frame.
I looked like someone who forgot the camera was there.
Because that's honestly what it feels like, if you just turn it and forget, move around the room, have some fun with it, before you know it you have lots of great content.
11 Weeks Later, Here's What Changed
I've posted consistently every single week since I got it.
Setup takes about 4 minutes now. Phone goes in the holder. I tap the button. I do my thing.
If I need to walk across the room, I walk. If I want to grab something off my desk, I go grab it. If I want to film in the kitchen instead of the bedroom, I just move. It follows.
The Sunday dread around filming is gone. The walking back and forth is gone. That stiff, hostage-video energy I used to have is gone.
My content actually got better too. Same phone, same room, same ring light. But I stopped performing for the camera and started just talking.
Two of my friends saw the difference and asked what changed. I sent them the link. Both ordered one that week.
I'm not going to sit here and act like it's some big secret as to why it works though, it's really simple... It just makes making content ACTUALLY feel fun, which makes you want to do it more often. Or at least it has for me for the last few months.
Here's What You Get
The Raiza - SoloShot Pro Tripod comes with gesture control so you can start and stop recording from across the room. No remote. No running back to your phone.
It works with any smartphone. Sets up in seconds. No app required.
And right now, it's available at a price that's less than what most creators spend on one ring light.
They do sell out. I've already seen it go unavailable twice since I bought mine.
It also comes with a money-back guarantee. If it doesn't change how filming feels for you, send it back.
But honestly? Once you film one video without walking back to check your phone, you won't send it back.
You'll wonder how you ever filmed without it.
You've got two choices right now.
You can keep doing what you've been doing. Setting up for 45 minutes. Checking your phone after every take. Dreading Sundays. Watching your posting schedule fall apart and blaming yourself for it.
Or you can take the monitoring job off your plate, film like someone who has their own camera person, and find out what your content looks like when you actually forget the camera is there.
I wish I'd found this eight months ago. I almost gave up over a problem that had such an affordable solution.
Don't wait until "motivation" lands, instead get to work and create your own motivation and more importantly, start having fun again instead of content feeling like a chore!
Trust me, you'll thank me later once you watch your consistency go up, along with all your views and followers.
Film like someone who has their own camera person.