The time management epidemic ruining creators
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My old calendar had more meetings than a corporate middle manager. Client calls. Workshop planning. "Quick chats" that last an hour. By 2 pm, I was fried. The Irish monk's hairline wasn't helping with the stress either. But here's the thing nobody tells you about building a creator business:. Your calendar can become an enemy. Every yes to a meeting is a no to creating. I learned this the hard way after a fierce week where I said yes to everything. Seven Zoom calls. Three "Can I pick your brain" calls Two podcast interviews. Revenue? Marginally. Creative output? Dead in the water. That's when I remembered something my old triathlon coach told me: "Rest days aren't lazy. They're strategic." Creative white space works the same way. It's not about being idle. It's about protecting the void where your best ideas live. Here's my rule now: No meetings before noon. None. Zero. Zilch. Those morning hours? That's when I write emails like this one. Draft workshop content. Build new offers. The stuff that actually grows my business instead of just maintaining it. And here's the weird part – clients respect it more. When I protect my creative time, they value my delivery time. AI helps with this, too. I use Claude to handle the boring bits – repurposing content, generating outlines, and analyzing what's working. That frees up even more white space for the work only I can do. The work that can't be delegated to a chatbot or a virtual assistant. Pro creators protect their white space like it's the last pint at closing time. So, if your calendar looks like a game of Tetris, I've created a challenge for you.
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