Content Creation Is A Brutal Rat Race – Here's How To Escape It

Here's what no guru will tell you

Listen to the deep-dive version:

Writing this feels like dragging a sharp blade down my arm.

But let me tell you anyway…

When I first started creating content, I was candid.

I was sold on the 4-hour Workweek lifestyle:

• Make money while you sleep

• Work from anywhere you want

• Automate everything, hire a VA in the Philippines, and live the good life

But the reality was a disaster:

• Divorce

• Burnout

• Back surgery

• No weekends & holidays

• Grinding 8+ hours per day like a slave chained to my computer

Today, I get all my work done in a few hours in the morning. And it breaks me to watch creators sacrifice their nights and days chasing the hustle.

---

---

The best ideas show up when you’re doing this

Creating content is all about ideas. They’re your lifeblood. No ideas = no content.

Some of my best ideas hit when I’m:

• Exercising

• In the shower

• Playing with the kids

• Lying in bed about to go to sleep

Do you notice a pattern?

They strike when I’m not working and when I’m far away from a screen.

Life is the purest source of creativity. You just need to get out of its way*. And stop obsessing over publishing and content creation every waking second.

When you’re always on the content hamster wheel, your brain never switches off. You never let it breathe. You're constantly stuck in "on mode."

The best ideas come to you when you chill out and allow your mind to wander.

The antidote to boring content

Stop churning out content all the time.

I know. Crazy, right? Everyone screams about consistency. I'm talking about it, too.

What I mean is you can’t create content about the same ideas all the time. It’s a trap. It’s a rat race. It’s one of the reasons the internet is so boring. It's why you see the same "atomic habits" idea all over the internet.

Spend more time experimenting and exploring your niche. Learn new things and share what you’ve learned. But you can’t do that if you’re sitting down and creating content all the time. You need to follow your curiosity. Then try to find parallels between your curiosity and your industry.

I love writing. I love copywriting. But I also love:

• History

• Automation

• Mental Models

• …

I find things I'm hooked on and see how I can weave them together. A little bit like LEGOs.

Spend time exploring – not just creating.

Ditch the cheap work

AI is a game changer.

It can do all the cheap work for you like:

• Proofreading

• Writing a shitty first draft for your article

• Doing market research for your next product idea

• Recycling your content, like turning your podcast into an article (as I did here)

Cheap work is draining. The return on investment is pathetic.

To create content that doesn’t feel like a rat race, you need to focus on high-impact activities where no AI can replace you, like:

• Finding unique insights from your life and sharing them

• Telling a story that people haven’t heard before

• Sharing a fresh insight

Cheap work isn’t bad. It’s just a terrible use of your time.

Do (radically) less

The internet destroyed my brain. I have a hard time focusing. I might even have ADHD. Who knows.

There's always a new shiny thing to chase. There's always a new trend, platform, or hack YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT NOW OR YOU'LL BE LEFT BEHIND YOUR DAMN LOSER!!

The answer isn’t to work harder or to do more. It’s to do less. It's to eliminate everything.

And only focus on the content you enjoy creating.

For me, it's writing. So I write on platforms like this one. I also send daily emails to keep my subscribers engaged.

Then, pick a platform that resonates with your writing style. I hate short-form content. So I write long-form.

I use this:

• On my blog (and catch SEO traffic)

• On Medium & Substack (to find new readers)

• In my daily emails (where I sell my digital products)

I give the rest my straight middle finger.

Don't listen to the gurus who tell you to be everywhere. They can afford it because they have a team. When you're just getting started (or don't want to hire anyone like me) – you're doing it solo. You have to be wise about where you spend your time.

When you only focus on a few types of content, you'll get sharper and faster at it. You can build your own templates and systems.

That's how I write newsletters in 10 minutes.

I won't work afternoons

I was a slave to my online business for years.

It was worse than having a 9 to 5. I'd start at 7 am and finish at 10 pm.

As a result, I:

• Went through a soul-crushing divorce

• Broke my lower back

• And burned out

I've already told you that in the intro. But let me say it again.

So I’ve learned to take it easy. I only do creative work in the mornings. Usually in 2-3 hours a day. It helps me dodge burnout.

The afternoons and evenings are for:

• Naps

• Reading books

• Going for a walk

• Playing with the kids

• Watching documentaries

• Or a 40-minute Zoom call with a client (or another creator for my podcast).

The hidden system behind my content

When I first started writing, I had no clue what I was doing.

I’d write an article, hit publish, and pray a few people would show up to read it. Most of the time, nobody did.

From time to time, I'd also launch an online course that 2 people would buy. One of them would ask for a refund. It was a terrible disaster.

After years of trial and error, I’ve nailed down a system that works.

Each week, I focus on getting these things right:

• Create content that gets discovered (SEO, social, etc.) and makes people join my email list

• Send daily emails to build a relationship with the audience

• Sell products to that audience

It's what I call a content machine.

It's what allows me to create content in just 2-4 hours a day and make a nice 6-figure income.

If you want to know how to do it, subscribe to my substack (it’s free):