Martin Kollie



I've walked at least 10,000 steps every day for 60 days straight. At a leisurely pace, it takes around 90 minutes to complete the 10,000 steps. Sometimes it's spread throughout the day, and sometimes I do them all at once.

Some days, I didn't feel like walking, but I did it anyway. The hardest step is often leaving the house. Once outside, it's easy.

In 2018, I purchased a FitBit Charge 2, a fitness tracker you wear on your wrist that tracks your sleep, heart rate, steps, and exercise, and makes it very easy to be fit through gamification. Since I've purchased it, I've gotten a lot more active.

I've been on-and-off and noticed that when I'm active, I feel better. I find it easiest to walk every day and maintain a streak.

## Why I Walk
I started actively trying to reach 10,000 steps in 2020 during the pandemic. I found it immensely helpful. At the start, my legs and feet used to ache every night, but now I've built muscle, and I can do it with ease.

There is now a metric for the amount of exercise I do. It is important to find one thing to be consistent in. Every time I stay consistent, I notice benefits: more focus, clearer thoughts, and better sleep. I've also noticed that I don't get exhausted on inclines anymore.

## What I've Learned
I've tried walking with music, with podcasts, and without anything. I find that walking with no music is really good for self-reflection.

In the morning, it makes a huge difference. I've listened to Andrew Huberman's podcast, and he mentioned that going for a walk in sunlight shortly after waking provides a natural, consistent energy boost that does not diminish over time. Essentially, it can be as effective as coffee.

This month marks my longest streak of 60 consistent days. Not too bad. I'm going to keep going.




lifestyle

I Walked 10,000 Steps Every Day for 60 Days


## Introduction

I filmed a short-form video to promote my tech startup, <a href="https://tintage.com" target="_blank">Tintage</a>. It took a couple of tries to get it right, and I'm going to share my process and what I learned.

## How to Get a Ton of Views on TikTok?

To get views, your video must be promoted by the algorithm, which looks at:

- Viewer retention
- Engagement
- Likes and shares

TikTok provides these metrics, which can be used to improve your future videos.

## Filming the Video

Sound quality > Lighting > Camera quality

People won't continue to watch if they can't hear what you're saying.

Being on a tight budget means I don't have fancy lighting equipment or a camera. So, I decided to film in my car with my iPhone 7. I chose my car as it provides a good acoustic environment and natural light. I also taped my microphone to the steering wheel for better audio.

## Version 1: The First Attempt

I attempted to keep the video engaging. The first few seconds are the most important.
Despite my efforts, the first version didn't perform well.

I started it with a hook:

"Do you want a rare username?"

Looking at the statistics, this helped keep people watching, as the average view duration was **5.5** seconds.

It seems like TikTok stops promoting it on the "For You Page" after 24 hours.

<div class="flex justify-between gap-2">
<figure width="50%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2022-07-20-how-i-used-tiktok-retention-stats-to-increase-views/tiktok-results-11.png?width=1242&height=2208" alt="Tiktok results" >
<figcaption class="mt-1 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-400 font-light text-sm">Results for the first video</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure width="50%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2022-07-20-how-i-used-tiktok-retention-stats-to-increase-views/tiktok-results-12.png?width=1242&height=2208" alt="Tiktok results" >
</figure>
</div>

At the end of the day, it ended with around **67 views**, **2 likes**, and **0 shares** (the two likes were from myself :p). That's no good.

## Version 2: Re-editing the Video

I re-edited the video to make it more interesting. I added B-roll footage, captions, and cut out the boring parts.
I also added music (produced by myself) and a bunch of sound effects: swooshes, dings, and ca-chings to emphasize the points.
Half-way through the video, I stopped the music and added reverb to emphasize the point that "It is more than just a link in bio site".

I then looked at the analytics of the TikTok and discovered that the average view duration was **5.5 seconds**.

At this timestamp, I was explaining what it was:

"Tintage allows you to create your own page for yourself or for your business."

The part must've been boring, so I cut out that entire segment. It's understandable; viewers probably thought, "Ugh, I've seen this before."

<div class="flex justify-between gap-2">
<figure width="50%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2022-07-20-how-i-used-tiktok-retention-stats-to-increase-views/tiktok-results-21.jpg?width=1242&height=2208" alt="Tiktok results" >
<figcaption class="mt-1 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-400 font-light text-sm">Results for the second video</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure width="50%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2022-07-20-how-i-used-tiktok-retention-stats-to-increase-views/tiktok-results-22.jpg?width=1242&height=2208" alt="Tiktok results" >
</figure>
</div>

At the end of the day, it gained **320 views**, **8 likes**, and **0 shares** before the views finally stopped.

**All Techniques I Used**

* Use a hook to keep people watching.
* Use text to engage the viewer.
* Make sure something interesting is always happening on the screen to re-engage attention.

## Version 3: Final Attempt

The next day, I reduced the video from **23.3 seconds** to **19.6 seconds** by cutting out the part at 6.7s, which is when people stopped watching.

Now, before I share the final result, let's compare it to the previous videos:

Video 1: **67 views**, **2 likes**, **0 shares**, **5.5 seconds** average watch time

Video 2: **320 views**, **8 likes**, **0 shares**, **6.7 seconds** average watch time

Video 3: **370 views**, **32 likes**, **2 shares**, **7.2 seconds** average watch time

Here are the results after posting it:

<div class="flex w-50">
<figure width="50%">
<img src="/assets/blog/2022-07-20-how-i-used-tiktok-retention-stats-to-increase-views/tiktok-results-3.jpg?width=1242&height=2208" alt="Tiktok results" width="50%" >
<figcaption class="mt-1 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-400 font-light text-sm">Results for the third video</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>

It's an improvement as the average viewer duration increased, but it is still disappointing.

## Instagram Reels

Instagram recently released a new feature called Reels. It's basically a TikTok clone. I decided to post it there and see what happens. I <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd9sB7rFtrY/" target="_blank">posted</a> it to Instagram Reels and gained **18.8k views** and **643 likes**.

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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cd9sB7rFtrY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Tintage – Sell From Your Bio (@tintagehq)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>



Marketing

How I used TikTok Retention Stats to Increase Views


**Tintage**: Your All-In-One Platform for Online Presence and Sales

Tintage revolutionizes how you establish your online presence, sell digital products, and collect payments from your audience. In an era where time spent on platforms surpasses browser usage and social media profiles are limited to a single link, Tintage understands the value of that prime real estate.

**What is Tintage?**

Tintage is more than just a platform; it's your digital storefront, tailor-made for the social media age. It empowers you to:

- **Link in Bio**: Showcase all your links on one page with our 'Link in bio' functionality.
- **Integrated Online Store**: Comes with a comprehensive solution for order management and a dashboard for tracking.
- **Customization**: Brand your store exactly the way you want.

With Tintage, you get a personalized store page where you can list and sell your products. Accepting payments is seamless and secure, with options like Card payments, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

**Why Choose Tintage?**

I’m developing Tintage because I realized the need for a straightforward, quick solution to set up an online shop and community. It shouldn't take a week to launch your digital presence. With Tintage, anyone can set up a site in minutes, list their products and services, and start earning.

Tintage offers a direct sales approach, setting it apart from typical digital marketplaces. It's not just a selling platform; it's also a tool for influencers and content creators to share affiliate links and connect their digital profiles.

As of now, I’ve developed both an app and a web app from scratch, ready to welcome users and entirely bootstrapped.

**How Does Tintage Stand Out?**

Comparing Tintage with platforms like Shopify, eBay, Depop, and Etsy:

- **Increased Sales**: We make it easy for your customers to purchase items.
- **No Competing Products**: Unlike other marketplaces, we won’t recommend your competitors' products to your customers.
- **Ease of Use**: Get started right from your phone.
- **Full Branding and Customization**: Make your store truly yours.
- **Custom Shipping Rates**: Set shipping rates that work for you.

### How Does It Work?

1. [Create and customize](https://tintage.com) your store page. Choose your title, description, and background color.
2. Add your products. Define the price, title, description, stock levels, upload images, and set shipping rates.
3. Connect your bank account to receive payments directly through Stripe.
4. Share your unique link with your audience or customers, and start selling.



<div style="position: relative; padding-top: 56.25%;">
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        src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f4VJd1PPGaA?si=MGh2m8ZAvkHQ4rG7" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>

Startup

Introducing Tintage


As a programmer, the keyboard you use is important. Having the right keyboard can greatly improve your productivity.

Back in 2013, the keyboard I had at the time was a generic Logitech. I read online about mechanical keyboards and about how great they are.

The different types of switches:
- **Blue** - Tactile, clicky - Good for typing and gaming.
- **Brown** - Tactile, non-clicky.
- **Red** - Clicky.

Mechanical keyboards cost significantly more than regular keyboards. I discovered the [/r/MechanicalKeyboards](https://old.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards) subreddit. For my usage, I needed blue switches. I spent weeks searching for the best mechanical keyboards. Then, I saw Razer was doing a sale.

I managed to get my first mechanical keyboard, the Razer Blade Blackwidow Ultimate, at the Razer sale for quite a steal. When I got the keyboard, I was amazed at how clicky and responsive the keyboard is. It comes with extra function keys and backlighting. My WPM (words per minute) improved greatly. I headed onto [Typeracer](https://play.typeracer.com) and won a couple of matches. Also, it is excellent for gaming. The first game I played with it was Bioshock Infinite.

Maintenance was another chore you have to do when you own a mechanical keyboard. The spacing between keys allows crumbs and dirt to fall through and build up. Cleaning it was easy; I watched a quick tutorial online. Simply pull all the keys off and soak them in water, then clean the inside with cotton swabs. And you’re done (if you remember to put the keys back in the right order).

In 2015, I made the switch to Mac. I decided to get a MacBook Pro when I started university (sorry, PC) and have been using macOS as my primary operating system ever since. I hooked up my two monitors to my laptop and bought an Apple Keyboard.

I’ve been alternating between the Apple Keyboard and the Razer Black Widow. At first, I was a bit annoyed at the default keyboard mapping: Alt being mapped to Option and Ctrl being mapped to Command. I decided to remap them by swapping the keys in keyboard preferences. Perfect, now I was still missing something.

**Apple Keyboard vs. MacBook Pro 2015 Keyboard**

There is a noticeable difference between the two keyboards. The keyboard on the MacBook Pro feels a lot mushier, whereas the keys on the Apple keyboard are more tactile.


Blog / productivity

2017

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