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You don't have to be busy to be prolific | thesephist.com

thesephist.com · 1,030 words · saved by 20 readers

I get a couple emails every week asking how I manage to “do it all” or “balance my schedule”, or how I find the time and motivation to work on so many projects, which makes me think people have a really weird picture of how I spend my 24 hours. My calendar is actually pretty empty most of the time, though I’m pretty protective of my free time. I like having free time because it lets me make sure I read and consume more than I create, which I think is critical to creativity. I also leave space on my calendar because I don’t like feeling busy. “Busy” is what you are when you’re hopping from meeting to meeting, sprinting through a filled calendar or running up against a deadline. None of that is conducive to following spontaneous creative ideas or working on large interesting projects. When I feel at my productive best, what I feel is momentum. I like feeling like I’m on a roll, hopping from one interesting project or idea to the next, not wanting to put down the interest or inspiration.

I get a couple emails every week asking how I manage to "do it all" or "balance my schedule", or how I find the time and motivation to work on so many projects, which makes me think people have a really weird picture of how I spend my 24 hours. My calendar is actually pretty empty most of the time, though I'm pretty protective of my free time. I like having free time because it lets me make sure I read and consume more than I create, which I think is critical to creativity . I also leave space on my calendar because I don't like feeling busy . "Busy" is what you are when you're hopping from me

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