Multipassionates are often told to “pick one thing.” But what if our strength is that we can’t? What if creativity, family, work, and community all feed each other? The point isn’t to narrow yourself down—it’s to learn how to hold your passions in harmony. When you align your time with your values, you stop chasing balance and start living it.
If you’ve ever found yourself trying to write a chapter, prepare a client proposal, answer emails, and somehow also manage dinner, family, or that ever-growing to-do list—you know the tug-of-war of being multipassionate. It’s a beautiful chaos: so many ideas, so much energy, and yet, sometimes, so little time.
In my experience, the secret lies in shifting from survival mode to intentional living, and learning that good time management is less about discipline and more about design. The question isn’t how do I do it all?—it’s how do I do what matters most, without losing my spark?
First Things First: A Mentor’s Compass
When I first read Stephen Covey’s First Things First, I felt like someone had finally handed me a compass for the creative life. Covey’s four quadrants aren’t just about managing time—they’re about honouring priorities and protecting what really matters.
- Quadrant I: Urgent and Important (the looming deadline, the crisis you can’t ignore)
- Quadrant II: Important but Not Urgent (your novel draft, family time, long-term planning, meaningful projects)
- Quadrant III: Urgent but Not Important (the “urgent” email that isn’t really urgent, interruptions that steal your focus)
- Quadrant IV: Neither (scrolling until midnight, the busy work that fills space but not your soul)
Most of us live in Quadrant I, constantly firefighting, lurching from one urgent demand to the next. But the magic happens in Quadrant II—the quiet, often neglected space where we grow. This is where books get written, relationships deepen, and dreams move from ideas to reality.
The challenge is that Quadrant II never shouts. It whispers. And you have to train yourself to listen. For me, choosing Quadrant II was the beginning of real balance, and it required courage to step away from the noise of urgency and step toward what actually builds your future.
Everyday Living as Creative Fuel
For me, creativity doesn’t only happen at the desk. It shows up when you’re folding laundry, driving the school run, or cooking dinner. Life itself becomes the canvas where ideas spark and grow. Some of my best solutions to writing or business challenges have arrived while I was doing something utterly ordinary—tidying a cupboard, washing dishes, or walking through the shops. Those everyday moments create space for thinking, for connecting dots you don’t see when you’re staring at a blank page.
The secret is to stop thinking of “life tasks” as distractions and start seeing them as allies. The walk to the letterbox can be your brainstorming time. Washing dishes can clear mental clutter. Folding laundry might untangle that character problem or business dilemma. When we allow the ordinary to mingle with the extraordinary, we realise that life doesn’t pull us away from creativity—it feeds it.
In Scribbly’s early days, I remember sitting at my kitchen table with a stack of draft blogs, an unfinished client project, and the guilty knowledge that my household chores were piling up. I told myself I didn’t have time for anything beyond work. But one morning, instead of forcing myself to the laptop, I turned to the simple task of organising my pantry. By the time I returned to the desk, I had three new blog ideas, the solution to a client brief, and—most importantly—the energy to enjoy writing again – guilt-free. It was at that moment that I stopped treating life and creativity as competing demands. They became partners. And when they did, my days shifted from frantic to flowing.
This is what balance often looks like—not a perfect pie chart of hours, but a sense of synergy. The things you think “steal” time might actually be the things that give you more of it, if you approach them differently.
Make It Creative
I came across FlyLady.net – a housekeeping system – when I was lost in my guilt of not ‘doing it all’. However, her philosophy of progress, not perfection is gold for multipassionates. Small steps add up to monumental changes. Ten minutes on a draft. Fifteen minutes tidying a space. Five minutes clearing the mental clutter before you tackle a proposal. The creative life isn’t built in marathons, it’s built in moments.
FlyLady also teaches habit stacking. You don’t start by reorganising the whole house; you start by shining your sink. For writers and creatives, this translates beautifully: don’t commit to writing a book in one go—commit to one page today. Don’t aim to set up your entire business operation all at once—just take the next step. Each “baby step” proves to your brain that you are moving forward, and that forward motion creates momentum.
Rhythm Over Rigidity
Here’s what’s worked for me (and for many I’ve mentored):
- Batch your energy, not just your tasks. When your mind is sharp, write. When you need to reset, step into life—cook, clean, walk, breathe. Honour your natural rhythms instead of forcing productivity into artificial boxes.
- Colour your calendar. I literally colour-code writing, business, and life. Blue for words, red for business, green for household/personal time. It shows me balance (or lack of it) at a glance, and the visual cues keep me honest.
- Learn the graceful no. Every yes has a cost. Protect your creative energy and say no with grace when something doesn’t align with your values or season of life.
- Rest without guilt. Stillness is fertile ground. Don’t mistake it for laziness—it’s often the most productive thing you can do. When I step back, I step forward more powerfully.
Multipassionates are often told to “pick one thing.” But what if our strength is that we can’t? What if creativity, family, work, and community all feed each other? The point isn’t to narrow yourself down—it’s to learn how to hold your passions in harmony. When you align your time with your values, you stop chasing balance and start living it.
I often say that time management isn’t about squeezing more into the day—it’s about carving out space for what matters most. And what matters most is different for each of us. For me, it’s the words, the work, the laughter, and yes—even the laundry. For you, it might be family, travel, art, or service. The trick is to stop apologising for having many loves and start building a life where they can sit at the same table.
Quick Takeaways for the Busy Creative
- Protect your Quadrant II time (important but not urgent).
- Treat everyday tasks as fuel for creativity, not distractions.
- Embrace progress, not perfection—small steps build momentum.
- Batch tasks and honour your energy levels.
- Rest is part of productivity, not the opposite of it.
📚 Katy’s Library: 5 Trusted Books on Time and Focus
- Deep Work – Cal Newport
- First Things First – Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill & Rebecca R. Merrill
- Atomic Habits – James Clear
- Getting Things Done – David Allen
- The E-Myth Revisited – Michael E. Gerber
Like what you’ve read? Why not buy us a coffee to keep the ideas brewing? ☕ Your support means we can keep sharing free content with the writing community. You can show your appreciation at BuyMeACoffee. Remember, Scribbly, including The Scribbler, is run entirely by volunteers, so every contribution counts. Thanks for your support!