How prolific creators work with the time they have
A while back, I started asking every new email subscriber a single question at the end of their “welcome to the newsletter” email:
What’s the biggest obstacle keeping you from chasing your ideas right now?
I’ve gotten a variety of responses. People share super-specific circumstances, limiting beliefs, fears of rejection… but there’s one response that comes up time and time again:
“I don’t have enough time to pursue my ideas.”
On one hand, I hear you. I’ve got a wife and four kids (all of whom are involved in different sports and activities), plus a business to run, a house to maintain, and friends and family and community relationships that are important to me. It’s incredibly easy for these things to take up my whole schedule, which leaves no time for my own projects.
In fact, I would say that in my entire adult life, there has not been a season where I felt like I had the time, money, relationships, etc. to pursue my ideas.
But that’s kind of the point.
I don’t think any of us ever get to the point of feeling like there’s enough time. I don’t think any of us ever feel like we couldn’t use more money, or closer relationships, or better opportunities.
There’s a concept in psychology known as “Hedonic Treadmill Theory”, which describes the way that humans adapt to changes in their circumstances. Hedonic Treadmill Theory says that when people get more time, more money, or better overall life circumstances, they quickly adapt to it. The increase becomes their new normal, and they immediately set their sights on the next level.
This is why “I don’t have enough time” is a trap. Because if you were to get more time, you’d just want even more.
You’ll never feel like you have enough time, or resources, or connections… No one ever does.
The people who are able to make an impact anyway are the ones who ask “What can I do with the time I do have?”
Because the truth is, you do have time.
In order for “I don’t have any time” to be true, you would have to be optimally using every single moment of your day.
And I don’t know a single person who hits that mark.
You might only have ten minutes a day that you can devote to a project. You might have an hour a week you can cordon off from everything else that’s clamoring for your attention. You might have twenty minutes every third Tuesday between the time you get the kids home from school and the time you have to leave for soccer practice.
The question isn’t “Is ten minutes enough?” The question is “What’s the ten minute version of this idea?” In other words, “What version can I build with the time I do have?”
And if the answer isn’t up to your standards, then the next question is “Where could I find some more time?”
It might mean less doomscrolling. It might mean you order takeout instead of cooking. It might mean all sorts of different sacrifices and tradeoffs. But that’s what creativity is all about.
Everyone in the world has limitations. Prolific creators are the ones who figure out how to make stuff anyways.
- My friend Qian Julie Wang wrote the first draft of her bestselling book in the notes app on her phone while riding the subway.
- Beethoven wrote songs while actively losing his hearing (he reportedly sawed the legs off his piano so he could feel the vibrations through the floor).
- Frida Kahlo painted from bed after shattering her spine and pelvis in a bus accident.
Every one of these people (and countless more) would’ve preferred better circumstances: more time, fewer health issues, better working conditions.
But they didn’t let their current circumstances stop them. Instead, they built the version of their idea that fit within their set of constraints.
It’s so easy to focus on what you wish you had, but that’s a trap. Every moment you spend focusing on your lack of something is a moment you aren’t spending bringing your ideas to life. And those are moments you can’t waste.
After all, you’re short on time, right?
