My First Case Study: I Got Stuck Mid-Way But I Did Not Give Up

My First Case Study: I Got Stuck Mid-Way But I Did Not Give Up

Published: October 27, 2025 • 5 min read

I just published my first case study last night. When I committed to the thought of creating this case study, I did not realize how much work would be involved, but that's actually a good thing. If I had come to terms with the volume of work it required at the very beginning, my brain might have fooled me into thinking that it was not possible.

The Vision (And Why It Matters)

You see, my vision for the case study was to provide a proper in-depth analysis of concepts related to what I'm learning and working on (you may remember from my previous blog post) without making it boring. My goal was also to have it available in both English and French (this includes text and video content).

I wanted to include relevant images of observations made to make it more inviting to go through. I also wanted to provide relevant downloadable materials to the user.

I'm really glad I made that previous blog post where I promised I was going to do a case study, because as I began the process, the work started to seem like a lot. I started having doubts in my head even, you know, wondering: Is this even necessary? Probably no one is ever going to read it or find it useful, so why do it?

But here's why I should do it regardless: There was so much I learned in the process, and there's still much more to learn as I attempt to record videos in both English and French for this case study.

The Block (And How I Got Past It)

Thankfully, I moved past those doubts. But here's where things got tricky: after I set up the template and structure for how I was going to present my idea, I got stuck. I couldn't bring myself to sit down and write down my observations, and I was getting scared because I had already put in so much effort into integrating this section to my portfolio. I was excited for it, so why not anymore?

Then I started to pace around my room, trying to figure out why I was struggling.

Then, all of a sudden, it was almost like a light bulb turned on in my head. It was almost like this voice in my head said: "You realize all you have to do is write, right?"

And there it is. That's exactly how I got over that block.

The Realization

Calling it a "case study," creating a different template structure for how it'll be presented, adding a video section, etc., all of this made the work seem so big and different from the workflow I was already used to that I thought I'd never be able to do it. But all I had to do was write a review, just like I did as a reviewer at Outlier, except this was going to be more in-depth and well-structured for others to see my workflow.

But when that bulb turned on in my head and I realized all I have to do is write, everything changed and I got back into the flow state.

So if you're wondering how I spent my last Saturday and Sunday, it was on working on this case study.

The Bilingual Decision (And Why I'm Making It Harder for Myself)

There were decisions I made while working on it in an attempt to make it bilingual while still keeping it as a learning process for me.

"There are ways I could have structured the case study using real-time translation APIs to automatically translate content. However, as I am actively working toward C2 French proficiency, I chose to translate all content directly in my YAML structure. This approach not only helps me practice French but also ensures translation quality that automated APIs can't match."

Adding a French and English section for the videos is definitely a little crazy of me, as I don't have much practice speaking French. I especially have zero practice explaining complex concepts in French. But I'm gonna do it anyway... after all, for most things worth doing, you have to start before you feel ready, right?

The Video Challenge (Coming Soon)

I can't make any promises as to when the videos will be available. I have experience in video creation from my time at Cambium, where I worked with a combination of Microsoft Stream, Canva, ClipChamp, and OBS Studio for video creation. But that was in 2022-2023. Right now, I believe there are more tools available for better quality videos, so I'm going to spend some time researching and learning as well. They may even include some of the tools I've already worked with in the past.

But yeah, that'll be another challenge for me, but I'm up for it. And honestly? I'm really, really enjoying this learning and creation process. I hope to make the content I eventually create enjoyable and engaging, even with a potentially bad French accent.

What's Next: A New Project Emerges

However, I've also had this new project idea sort of banging in my brain, taking form so rapidly, begging to come to life to solve a problem that I am actively dealing with: "Practicing French Writing." I am going to work on that today, and when it's ready, you should see it here.

The takeaway? Sometimes the only thing standing between you and finishing something is the story you're telling yourself about how hard it's going to be. Once I stopped calling it a "case study" and started calling it "writing," everything clicked. Maybe that's the lesson: name your dragons smaller, and they become easier to slay.

Thanks for reading!