The lazy creator’s guide to time management

I was weirdly obsessive about productivity for a few years. Name a productivity book or technique, and I’ve read or tried it.

One man who has a good approach is author Nir Eyal. He wrote the book Indistratable a few years ago. When I interviewed Nir for my podcast, he explained the concept of timeblocking.

Rather than keeping a mega to-do list that’s impossible to get through, schedule each part of your day based on what you want to work on. Don’t multi-task, either. When you get that calendar notification, focus on ONE thing until it’s time to stop.

Straightforward and practical advice.

I was hyper-obsessive about time-blocking and scheduling every part of my day. But that manic micro-level approach usually goes to hell and stresses me out.

The other morning, my daughter rang me because she was sick and wanted a lift home from school.

But timeblocking is a nice approach for most creators (remember to make allowances for, you know, life).

I still time-block but my calendar also has large pockets of space. I set aside chunks of time each morning for deep work. Usually, I’ll write or record videos for 90 minutes. Then, I take a break to eat or brew tea. I stick my phone in another room because it doesn’t take much for me to go down a rabbit hole on X.

I’m fresh and focused first thing, so writing and recording feels easy. Bonus points if I sneak in an early morning workout between blocks of deep work.

I set aside another chunk of time in the afternoon for client work. I also need less time (say 30 minutes) to write on social media and sometimes schedule my content.

It doesn’t always happen, but two to three blocks of 90 minutes daily is ideal.

When time evening rolls around, I’m pretty frazzled. Sometimes, I’ll try and push through a work project, but it inevitably takes FAR longer than in the morning.

It’s still a win if I can pick up any piece of tech and somehow AVOID doomscrolling. So that means a light workout, a walk, a book, or bed.