Wake up at 5 am. Write 50 articles. Workout for an hour. Market yourself on all platforms. Now go to your day job and hustle until you can’t. Come home and get back to work!

Fail fast and fail… often, right?

How about a little less. Of everything.

I’m a minimalist in many ways. I also enjoy a beautifully organized calendar. The problem is this leads to over-scheduling myself. Burnout is real, and it’s always waiting at the door.

How do we handle that threat while still feeling productive and fulfilled?

1. Schedule Free Time

For those who live and die by their calendars, here’s a hot tip. Schedule time off.

Literal blocks of time with nothing planned.

Let yourself cruise into an evening or an hour where you don’t feel obligated to do anything specific.

These are what I label as “No Pressure Zones” on my schedule. I don’t feel bad for cruising Instagram or taking a walk outside.

2. White Space Wednesday

You don’t need to be in a creative role to enjoy white space. This is what many of us name our time to do free-thinking.

This may seem a bit odd to some, but we all need time to work and think without constraint.

Imagine a blank page or canvas. Only without pressure to create a masterpiece.

Just do. Write. Draw. Think. Relax.

3. Recovery Days

Treat your creative muscle the same way you would any other. Give it time off to recovery. You can’t be running at 110% every waking moment. At least not without negative repercussions.

I say all this a reminder. Many of us are happily digesting inspirational and motivational content. I’m a huge fan myself.

“Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way.”

— Edward de Bono

Sometimes that pattern is jumping from project to project without creative downtime. Recovery is still growth, don’t forget.

And please remember. You’re human. Take time off to relax and reflect.

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