Being a content creator in 2024 can either be the greatest decision of your life… or your worst nightmare.

To achieve the former, here are 3 things I try my best to avoid.

They keep getting me, though.

Don’t be everywhere online because you can’t

To me, this is the most difficult yet straightforward of these tips.

Headlines constantly suggest you need to be on every platform – Instagram for visuals, Pinterest for bloggers, Twitter for writers, LinkedIn for professionals, and new sites like Meta’s Threads.

It’s all hype.

It rarely lasts.

Also, these shiny new things heavily fuel FOMO, making you feel that to succeed you must have a presence everywhere.

You don’t.

In reality, juggling so many platforms just dilutes efforts. I’ve found it’s best to commit to just one or two that work for your goals and audience.

Bruce Lee said:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

And who are we to question Bruce Lee?

Choose spaces where you can build a deep presence and excel with your content over the long term.

You’re going to suck at so many things

Today’s creators wear many hats — writer, marketer, social media maven, video editor, email specialist, and more.

It’s unrealistic to master it all.

In fact, it’s more realistic to suck at the majority.

For me, I’ll never be an Instagram expert or stellar marketer. God no.

But I can craft an essay.

As Oprah Winfrey put it:

“Everyone has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it.”

Rather than beating yourself up over weaknesses, focus on your creative superpowers.

I am really considering outsourcing that stuff I suck at. Can’t get any worse, right?

Play to your strengths rather than spreading yourself thin trying to improve at everything.

One great skill can outweigh a dozen mediocre ones when cultivating an audience.

24/7 is unsustainable

With the internet’s constant demands, it’s easy to feel pressure to produce content and network 24/7.

Man, it is.

But grinding endlessly only leads to burnout. All creators need space to recharge and refresh.

Anne Lamott wrote:

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Set boundaries around your work hours. Make time for other aspects of life beyond content creation.

The most successful creators integrate self-care along with career growth, I assume 😉.

Sustainability should be the goal, not maximizing every hour. Do less, but accomplish more by staying focused on your core skills. Avoid burning out from the myth of constant hustle.

The bottom line

Being a creator today is exhilarating but exhausting. The opportunities seem endless, yet so do the demands.

Avoid spreading yourself too thin or buying into hustle culture. Find your niche, outsource weaknesses, and take time to recharge.

Stay grounded in your purpose. Play to your strengths. The hype and noise will fade, but your unique voice won’t.

You’ve got this.