Hi Reader,

Do you ever find yourself feeling resistance when it comes time to create?

You sit down at your desk during the time you set aside to work, but you just aren’t feeling it. Everything feels forced.

There are different types of work we do each day and while some tasks are menial, and require relatively little focus, creative work takes a different kind of energy.

A lot of times, we find our calendar full of things we don’t really want to do, or maybe even things we want to do but that seem to be scheduled at exactly the wrong time.

We follow the calendar, because that’s what’s in front of us, but the cycle repeats, flow state is rare, and we find ourselves constantly stuck and feeling like we have to push ourselves.

It’s worth considering that maybe the time you have set aside to create is the wrong time of the day for you specifically.

If you’re not a morning person, and never feel energized when it’s early, try doing your most important work a bit later in the day. Or if you optimistically set aside time after lunch to write but always find yourself in an afternoon slump, try writing first thing before checking email.

Too many people try to optimize for time without considering how productive that time really is. Who cares if you “work” more hours if those hours are hardly ever fruitful because you’re never feeling it?

Instead of optimizing for time, map the times you create to when you have the most energy.

When do you do your best creative work?

Optimize your schedule around your most creative time. Wipe the slate clean and start with your most creative time. Build the rest of your day around that.

Don't try to force yourself into a schedule just because you think you "should"—whether that’s because other people do it, or someone said you need to wake up early to be successful. What matters is when you do your best work.

Figure out when your creativity flow is highest and map that out to when you actually create on a daily basis.

---

---

​

PODCAST

My new podcast: Billion Dollar Creator

Last week, I announced that I’m starting a new podcast with my good friend, Rachel Rodgers called Billion Dollar Creator.

Each week we're:

• Breaking down creator businesses
• Sharing interesting news happening in the industry
• Teaching how you can apply these principles to your creator business

The first two episodes are up now and you can listen here.

In addition to launching the podcast, we’re also going on tour to meet listeners and record the podcast live.

In each city we're doing a live recording, inviting a special guest, and hosting a creator meetup. We're starting with NYC, Nashville, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Austin (dates TBD).

Grab your tickets or listen to the podcast here:

​BillionDollarCreator.com​ »​

​

CONVERTKIT

Email notifications: Creator Network recommendations

ConvertKit's Creator Network is one of the fastest ways to grow your newsletter. As you can see, the vast majority of my new subscribers come from Creator Network recommendations:

Now, we've made it so whenever someone new begins recommendation you on the Creator Network, you'll get an email notification. This makes it easier to recommend someone back and help you build a connection with another creator.

You can learn more about the Creator Network and discover people to recommend, but the good news is if you already use the Creator Network, these recommendation notifications are enabled by default. You can of course manage your notifcations at any time:

​Manage Creator Network notification settings »​

​

TWITTER THREAD

Creator-led brands did over $2 BILLION in sales last year

Creators are playing a bigger and bigger role in the overall economy, and this thread digs into some of the reasons their share of the economy will continue to grow. I agree with all of this, especially the captive audience that creators have because of the trust they've built.

​Read thread »​

​

Have a great week!

—Nathan