5 Tips for Creators With No Time

When life gets busy, how do you have time to create? This newsletter expands on 5 tips to help creators who have busy schedules but want a high return on what they create.

Hi everyone! Over the past couple of weeks, I haven’t been able to get a newsletter written up for several reasons that I would like to explain. Then give you some strategies to help you, especially if you’re a creator who is also working a full-time job, taking a master’s degree, and having a family which is all of the things I’m currently experiencing in my life right now. If you fit into any of these categories, then the 5 strategies below will help you to find your creative flow when your life gets busy.

But how does creation relate to learning? Well, one of the purposes of learning is to help you to become a better creator, whether that’s creating social media content, designing architecture, or teaching a class, creation comes into play for everyone.

So, let’s get into it.

1. When Life Gets Busy

We all have lives that are sometimes quite hectic. For example, right now I’m taking my Masters of Education, Teaching Preparation Program, creating content on BookMattic (including this newsletter), teaching full-time English Language Arts and History, and taking care of my lovely family.

That is a lot! You might have a similar situation.

The important thing to do as a creator is to slow things down when life gets busy and try to make time for things that are important to you. For me, all of the things above are important to me so I always make time for them.

When it comes to creating, I usually only have a few hours a day or less to create so I make sure that every one of those hours counts.

Consistency is key when your schedule is packed. If you are consistent with your creation, then all of the work you do on creating a few hours per day will add up over time. This leads me to my next point about prioritizing what is most important during the short amount of time that is available to you so that your creation can have the biggest impact.

2. Prioritize What’s Important

Your energy is finite as much as your time is. Therefore, you need to consciously think about what creation is going to get the biggest return on investment of your time and energy.

Taking for example, even though this newsletter is new (everything starts from scratch), I find that the time and energy I invest into writing it is highly impactful for both the readers and myself. The process of writing this is reflective and educational. When I find something that I think will be useful for you then I write about it and share it with you. We are all learning from this newsletter, hence the name Learn With Matt.

So everyone, really analyze what you are spending time and energy on so that you can figure out what gets the most return on investment not just for you, but for whoever you are creating for. When you realize what is really working well with the amount of time you have in your day, then double down on that and spend less time on what doesn’t work so well.

3. Quality & Consistency Over Quantity

I’ve been creating content and an online course, as well as writing since 2015 and, have realized that the quality and consistency (and sometimes length) almost always wins over quantity (volume of content).

The ideal would be that you could produce a quality creation in big quantities, but that is not always plausible for people who have a tight schedule.

Therefore, when your schedule is so tight, it is better to focus on the quality of what you’re creating rather than how much you can create. Then make sure to do it consistently rather than sporadically.

For example, I’ve had my YouTube Channel since the end of 2017 but didn’t create content on a regular basis until 2021. From 2017 to 2021 my channel grew to 400 subscribers. In the last year, since starting to create consistent quality content, my channel grew from 400 to 821 subscribers, over double the number of subscribers in a quarter of the time.

This example shows you how important it is to pick and choose carefully where you focus your energy and how quality and consistency are much more important than the amount you create. However, if you can achieve high quality and push it out faster that would be your ideal aim when your time and energy frees up to focus on it more.

4. Follow the Flow

Creation is a complicated process yet it is so much fun at the same time. One of the biggest reasons why I had not written a newsletter in the past two weeks is because I had so many ideas flowing out that it was hard to just focus on one of them. I had started several drafts on newsletter ideas (4 of them are still in draft waiting for me to write them) in the past two weeks but they have not gone past the draft stage because I was not in the flow for writing them.

When I was driving home today from lunch out with my family, the idea for this newsletter topic came to mind. As soon as I got home I sat down at my desk to write what you are reading now. It just came at me like an engorged waterfall, words flowing from my mind. So, I doubled down on the opportunity to write my ideas when the ideas were actually coming out so fluidly.

Creativity is a tangled web of threads that you have to continually work your way through until you find the thread(s) that will unravel it all. Once you find the thread(s) follow it and let it flow. Don’t wait to follow it before you lose it. Grab on and let it pull you in the direction of creativity.

And if you’re not in a position to work on your creation when the dam breaks, get a notebook or notes app on your phone and write your ideas down immediately before they slip away that way you can follow up on your notes when you’re in an ideal position to work on them.

5. Double Down On What Works

I may have mentioned this a few times throughout this newsletter because it truly is the thread that holds this together, but when you find something that is working very well, then double down on it. If you aren’t achieving the results that you want then you might have to reassess and approach the problem from a different angle until you find something that works then double down on it.

Always have the mindset of reassessing what you are creating even if it is working very well because creating is a fluid process and there will always be opportunities to improve upon what you create.

Always keep on moving.

Always keep on growing.

Continue Creating

Heck, I’ve been creating since 2015 and am still reassessing my work so that I can find out what gets the best return on investment for both me and the people who appreciate and learn from my creations.

Creation can be tough, but it is also very rewarding if you stick with it. So my last message for you in this edition of the Learn With Matt Newsletter is never to give up or surrender even when your schedule gets too heavy to handle.

Stay strong with the small everyday creations you build up over time.

Support your creations with further learning to enhance what you create.

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Do the community a favor and share the Learn With Matt Newsletter if you found value in this edition.

Thank you and see you soon!