Have you ever noticed how some days ideas flow effortlessly, while on others, extracting a single coherent thought feels like pulling teeth?
For years, I approached this inconsistency as a problem to be solved. A personal failing, if you will. I'd force myself to stick to rigid schedules, push through creative blocks with sheer willpower, and feel guilty when my output didn't match my expectations.
It took me a while to figure out that the problem wasn't my creative process, but how I was trying to manage it.
The Creative Disconnect
Most productivity advice treats creative energy like a faucet that should flow on command. Wake up at 5am, follow this morning routine, use this project management system — and voilà, consistent creative output!
But creative work doesn't operate like a factory assembly line. It ebbs and flows like the tides, responding to rhythms both within and beyond our control.
This disconnect between how we naturally create and how we structure our work isn't just frustrating — it's unsustainable. It leads to:
- Projects that never see completion because we can't maintain unnatural working patterns
- Diminishing quality as we force creative work during energy lows
- The nagging feeling that we're always underperforming despite working harder than ever
- Creative burnout when we exhaust our natural resources
A Different Approach: Productive By Nature
What if instead of fighting against your natural creative rhythms, you designed systems that work with them?
This is the foundation of what I call Productive By Nature — a permaculture-inspired approach to creative work that I'll be presenting at the upcoming Autonomous Creative Summit.
In this short workshop, I'll share how to:
- Identify your unique creative energy patterns and design your schedule around them (instead of forcing yourself into someone else's "optimal" routine)
- Create systems flexible enough to adapt to your changing needs, rather than rigid structures that break under pressure
- Implement simple, sustainable practices that naturally guide you toward your most important work
- Build in regular reflection points that help your systems evolve alongside your creative practice
Just as a well-designed garden can produce abundance with minimal intervention, a well-designed creative practice yields meaningful work without constant struggle.
Join me at the Autonomous Creative Summit
If you're tired of productivity advice that feels like it was designed for robots instead of humans with creative rhythms, I'd love to see you at my Productive By Nature workshop as part of Jessica Abel's Autonomous Creative Summit.
It's FREE and there's a ton of brilliant humans who have powerful sessions designed to help you make great work and great money!
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You'll also get a copy of the Productive by Nature Toolkit - a simple Notion template to help inspire you and you give you ideas for leaning on the wisdom of permaculture principles to improve the way you work. |
On the Podcast
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Manifesting a More Beautiful Internet with Rob Hardy
In this episode, we dive deep with Rob Hardy, a writer whose "devotional pursuit of a more beautiful internet" has led him to craft powerful manifestos that challenge the status quo. Rob shares his transformative experience writing "The Source", an article on perfectionism that resonated deeply with Ben and I. This was a deliciously raw and vulnerable conversation!
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Other recent episodes
Navigating the Product Journey with Andrew Askins
LISTEN
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Exploring the Psychology of Success with Dr. Corey Wilks
LISTEN
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Building Experiences with Joel Hooks
LISTEN
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Coming Soon: A conversation with Jessica Abel of Autonomous Creative!
Elsewhere
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The Panel Podcast
I was on the Panel Podcast recently, discussing Youtube, online courses, and designing a business based on your unique way of showing up. It's a fun format hosted by Justin Jackson and Brian Casel, featuring two different guests each episode, discussing thorny topics normally had behind closed doors. This episode features myself and Aaron Francis of Try Hard studios!
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That's all for this week, hope you're doing well!