Hello creatives! This week marks the return to Berlin after the last bit of sun in Spain and accepting that I won’t see it again for the next five months.
It’s also a return to the 9-5, to structure and routine. It had me thinking about which habits I have to keep my side projects moving. Also, a lot of the feedback I get from readers of this newsletter is that the biggest struggle is keeping energy and time aside for projects outside the day job. So I want to share what’s actually working for me right now.
First, the mindset: I try to accept that my todo lists will never be done. The calendar won’t ever empty. There will always be more emails, more chores, more ideas. That’s fine. That’s life. Knowing that helps. The goal isn’t doing everything, it’s doing the things that matter most at the right time, and keep showing up where/when you can. On that note, I’m a huge fan of Oliver Burkeman’s book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.
What I’m actually doing:
One goal per day: This is stolen from my day job where we follow lean processes. Every single person sets one goal daily. I now do this for my side-projects as well. Just one thing to do fully, no matter what else gets done. It’s amazing how much you can progress when you commit to this. This is by far the most important thing I do for my own work. Some days I don’t make it, or I need a break, but I try to stick to this as consistently as I can.
Separate planning from doing: Ali Abdaal calls this the the pilot vs. the plane vs. the engineer. Spend a little time setting the course, most of your time flying it, and a tiny bit improving the system. I review my calendar weekly and briefly each day (pilot), then I commit to what’s there and execute (plane). My source of truth is my Google calendar. When I’m overwhelmed with chores or it feels like too much is popping up ad-hoc, I dump everything into a temporary list, do as many as I can in one go, and schedule whatever’s left.
Capture ideas frictionlessly: For simplicity’s sake I use Apple Notes on my phone. Any idea that gives me even a tiny spark goes in there. Newsletter topics, podcast guests, book or product ideas, whatever. I don’t even filter or organise it other than putting “(newsletter)” or “(pod)” at the beginning of some notes. Sometimes I use Voicepal to walk and talk instead of sitting to write. The point is the same. Capturing thoughts should be easy. It’s the top of the funnel for everything else.
Never ignore a creative spark: Sometimes I should be doing one thing, but I get a random burst of excitement around another, so I go all in and ignore everything else. Yes it’s impulsive and chaotic, but I’ve found this works better than forcing my brain to do what it “should” do. As long as I come back to the important stuff when it needs to happen. Knowing the difference between urgent and important (one of my first posts!) is really helpful here.
Reflect regularly: Writing helps me sift and sort. I’m trying short monthly reviews right now. How I’m feeling, what I want to start or stop, finances. I do this on actual pen and paper because it forces me to slow down. I am doing it monthly because that helps me spot patterns and see how much time I actually spent working on the stuff I thought I wanted to that month and “piloting” ahead of the next one.
Commit to a cadence: I’m sure it’s not the same for everyone, but I make more progress when I commit to some kind of timeline. Having bi-/weekly schedules for my newsletter & podcast forces me to actually hit publish rather than endlessly tweaking my work or procrastiworking forever.
Use AI as a tireless assistant: I know AI is a divisive topic, but a lot of my side-project work I do solo, and having an assistant makes my life so much easier. I export all my content into a Claude project and use it to check typos, keep track of my guest list, do data analysis, and to brainstorm. I don’t write with it as the whole point of the newsletter is to have an excuse to write, and I don’t want to put out slop. But for grammar checks, quick summaries, and idea refinement it’s actually helping a lot.
The reality is that this not perfect and I still struggle making time and energy for everything I want to do. I’ve accepted I’m chaotically organised. I love lists and planning, but I can also be reactive and quick to act. I tend to write plans, do half of it (plus a bunch of stuff that wasn’t even on the plan), then come back and adjust.
It’s not perfect, but it keeps me moving. I’d love to know what works for you, so please do hit reply and let me know what your approach is!
On the pod
Last week: CouchPolyglot Laura on building a successful YouTube channel, language learning, and why she’s chosen to keep her day job at 80% instead of going full-time as a creator. Listen here!
I also wrote about what her approach taught me about sustainable creativity: “What if you don’t go all in?”
Worth your time
I really enjoyed this piece from
on the mental exercises he uses to confidently pivot into a new space, blending community, real-world learning, and playful building (in public) to find his groove.I just found out one of my favourite podcasts (Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat) is also on Substack through this piece about how we need to adapt to the new rhythms of work.
That led me to find this wonderful interview with Brian Eno on his book about art (“children learn through play and adults play through art”). A strongly recommended listen!