Welcome to the October edition of the Subscriber Q&A! I’m answering your questions about creative time, book club and what I choose not to prioritize. Paid subscribers can submit questions for next month through the link at the bottom of this post.

My disclaimer, always, with questions about making time for creative practice is that making stuff has been a part of my job for 15 years. I know it is much easier for me to make time for creative tasks because sharing my hobbies online helped me gain a following which led to sales of my products, workshops, etc. To deny this fact would be unhelpful.

But with that said, there are some things that worked for me as I came out of my most recent burnout season that I hope will help anyone — no creative Internet job needed.

The first thing to acknowledge is there is no quick fix. You can’t “hack” your way out of burnout. It just takes a long time. We have been re-watching Modern Family with the girls and Phil has a line he repeats for his family when he needs them to do something well: “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” There is no rushing back from burnout. The slower you go, the less chance of setback. Let it be a slow (smooth) process! You’re not doing anything wrong if it feels like it’s taking forever.