Managing your time as a content creator is not that much about the tools you use.
But how your organize your day to get more of what truly matters done.
And when people look at how much content I create, they think I’m a cyborg.
But today, it’s all about working smarter, not harder.
The content game has dramatically changed.
And here are my 5 best tips to manage your time effectively as a content creator.
Let’s dive into it.
15 years ago, you needed to know how to connect to an FTP and invest in stupid expansive gear. Today, a 4-year-old can publish a video and have it go viral on social media. Yikes.
The barrier to entry is lower than ever.
It will only become harder, especially with the rise of AI-generated content.
Yet, one of the ways to set yourself apart from the crowd is to get more done in less time.
This is especially true if you’re working a full-time job.
1. Hack your mental states
The biggest lie is to think that a creator is only creating.
A creator needs to wear multiple hats.
You need to research, develop ideas, write about them, set up landing pages, create offers, launch products, etc.
Every task in your creative journey involves different mind states. And the biggest mistake I see 90% of creators make is to treat every task the same.
This is the fastest way to burn out.
Better managing your time as a creator comes down to 4 mental states
Understand that there are 4 different mental states that you need to optimize for.
First, comes preparation. This includes capturing raw ideas, outlining your next piece of content, and brainstorming about things you could implement in your business.
Second, comes production. This is when you actually create. This is when you crank out your raw piece of content. This is your first attempt, your first draft.
Third, comes polishing. This stage is all about editing, proofreading, and cutting out the fluff. This adds the final touch to your content.
Fourth, comes publishing. This stage is all about doing what needs to be done to get your content seen by your audience.
This includes:
- Uploading your video
- Creating a thumbnail
- Finding the right tags
- and all the other unsexy stuff
If you want to thrive as a creator, master the invisible. Master your mental states.
2. Show me your docs
I’ve been guilty of this one for too many years.
Every respectable business has processes. Processes (or SOPs) are the backbone of your content creation practice. It allows you to save time and blindly execute the tasks that need to be done.
As creatives, we often think that we can work with what we have at the top of our minds. Or because we know what needs to be done.
This may be true at some extend. But what you don’t realize is that this eats up a lot of mental bandwidth and prevents you from directing all your efforts to content creation per se.
A process is nothing more than a list of a series of tasks that have to be done to achieve a specific outcome.
Example: To publish this article, I have a process.
- First, I need to come up with an idea.
- Second, I need to create an outline
- Third, I need to write the first draft
- Fourth, I need to edit that draft
- Fifth, I need to get this into Medium
- Etc.
When you have processes, you’ll make fewer mistakes and be able to execute faster while freeing up more mental bandwidth.
Start writing down your processes today.
3.Never start from scratch
Many writers get caught in this one.
They’re more scared of writer’s block than of death. When you think about it, it’s completely irrational.
Staring at a blinking cursor causes anxiety and hurts your self-esteem. Especially if your income is based on content creation.
The solution to this dilemma? Easy. It’s called Templates.
Templates are ready-made structures that you can reuse for an infinite amount of time.
I use templates for almost everything in my business. I have templates for:
- Headlines,
- Introductions,
- Conclusions,
- Promotional emails,
- Courses,
- Sales Pages,
- Articles,
- You name it.
Everything that needs to be done has a template.
Templates act like mental crutches.
I don’t need to start with a blinking cursor. I simply fill in the blanks.
4. Clone your brain
Every content creator is an information trader.
You deal with ideas on a daily basis. You consume them, assemble them, and create something new out of them.
You’re an alchemist.
Most creators don’t give a damn about taking notes the right way. They create content based on what they have at the top of their minds. Most of the time, they simply regurgitate low-quality ideas they saw on social media. I feel pity for them. Because they’re going to hit the wall sooner rather than later or get annihilated by random AI-generated feces.
Taking notes is the backbone of your business as a creator.
It allows you to save the best ideas, create unique idea associations, and create content ridiculously fast.
The longer you wait to set up your second brain as a creator, the more you’ll regret it.
I say that because I’ve wasted 10 painful years taking notes the stupid way.
Don’t be like me. (This course right here will help you get started for free)
5. Use robots
The barriers to creating content are lower than ever.
You can create a social media account in 10 seconds, shoot 4K footage with your phone, and record podcasts with your watch.
Yet, creating content still involves a lot of manual and pesky tasks.
Those stupid tasks (like clicking on 14 different buttons to just send out a freakin’ email broadcast or uploading a video) are the devil.
This is why automation is a crucial tool under my belt to ship content faster than anyone else.
But you don’t need to learn JavaScript or Python to start automating. There are a bunch of low-code tools like Zapier that allow you to automate tasks without learning a single line of code.
The more you have to repeat a specific task, the quicker you need to automate it to free up more time.
Cheat the game by working smarter!
When you use those 5 simple elements in your business, creating content feels like cheating.
The creators who’ll thrive in the next decade are those who understand that it’s not just about putting in the reps but, more importantly, focusing on what’s worth their time.
Ignore this advice at your own peril.
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