Finding Your Flow in a Busy Creative Life

Do you ever get that buzzing feeling, where your mind is juggling a thousand little things and your day seems to vanish before you’ve even caught up?

I know that feeling well. Running my own creative business, studying for my MA in Sustainable Fashion, and carving out time to actually design and make new things means I wear a lot of hats. On any given day, I might be:

• Photographing new fabrics for the website
  

• Planning and teaching workshops
  

• Writing blog posts and newsletters

• Researching regenerative textiles for my MA
  

• And, of course, trying to find a precious hour or two to sit at my sewing machine and create
  

Life is full, and most of the time I wouldn’t have it any other way. But there are moments when all the “must-dos” seem to crowd out the “want-to-dos,” and that’s when it can feel like I’ve hopped onto the hamster wheel of busyness. I know the feeling all too well, so I think I am now rather hyper sensitive to any growing swell of overwhelm. Fortunately I catch myself early now and can act quickly to bring back my sense of equilibrium.

A Little Reminder That Changed My Perspective

On one of those whirlwind days, I opened an old notebook and came across this quote:

✨ “You can do anything, but not everything.” – David Allen - he of the "Getting things Done" methodology

It stopped me in my tracks.

Because the truth is, when you run a business - or even just manage a busy life - you can do incredible things. But expecting yourself to do all the things, all at once, is a recipe for exhaustion.

Reading that line gave me permission to take a breath. It reminded me that my energy is best spent on the things that truly matter, and that it’s perfectly okay to let some things wait.

And with that little mental shift, I started looking at my workload differently. Instead of seeing a mountain of “too much,” I saw a path. One step at a time.

3 Ways I’ve Learned to Make Busy Feel Lighter

Over the last few months, I’ve tried some simple strategies that have helped me shift from frazzled to focused, and I thought I’d share them. If your to-do list is starting to feel like a pattern that never ends, these might help.

1. Prioritise the Things That Really Matter

Here’s the honest truth: not everything on my list is equally important.

Some things directly support my business and my creative energy, like workshops, email newsletters, and designing new patterns. Others… not so much. (Looking at you, fiddly website tweaks that I can lose an hour to.)

These days, I ask myself:

“If I only got three things done this week, which ones would really make a difference?”

When I focus on the big-impact tasks, I feel calmer and more accomplished. And the funny thing? Many of the “urgent but small” jobs magically stop feeling urgent when they wait a day or two.

2. Batch and Block Your Time for Flow

My old way of working was pure ping-pong: answer emails, plan out new workshop dates, pick up where I left off drafting a new pattern, scroll Instagram, make a coffee, start a blog post… and end the day feeling like nothing was finished.

Now I batch tasks together and block out time to protect my focus. For example:

• A morning for admin and emails
  

• An afternoon just for creative work - no inbox allowed
  

• A weekly block for MA research and writing
  

By giving my brain one “lane” at a time, I can slip into flow. And those creative afternoons? They feel like a little gift to myself.

3. Let Go of the Little Stuff (Eisenhower Matrix Style)

One of my favourite tools is the Eisenhower Matrix - a simple 2 x 2 square that sorts tasks into four boxes:

1. Urgent & Important - Do first
   

2. Important but Not Urgent - Schedule
   

3. Urgent but Not Important - Delegate or automate
   

4. Neither Urgent nor Important - Cross it off without guilt
   
   

The first time I tried this, I realised how much of my stress came from Box 3, things that felt pressing but didn’t actually matter long-term. Releasing those has been like clearing mental clutter.

Creating Space for Joy

Here’s the best part of all this: when I get intentional with my time, I actually create space for the thing that feeds me most - making.

Even 30 minutes to cut a new sample, play with a new design idea, or sew a seam gives me that deep exhale. It’s my reminder that my business exists because I love creating, not because I love ticking boxes and posting on social media! 

Those little creative moments re-energise everything else. I step back to the laptop with a lighter heart, and even the “must-dos” feel easier.

A Positive Spin on Busy

Life as a creative business owner (or just a busy human) will always have seasons where the wheel spins a little faster. But I’ve realised that being busy doesn’t always have to feel heavy.

When I:

• Focus on the work that matters most
  

• Protect pockets of creative time
  

• Let go of the little things that can wait
  
  

…I feel less like I’m chasing my tail and more like I’m dancing through the day.

So if your week feels full, take a breath. Remind yourself of David Allen’s wise words:

✨ “You can do anything, but not everything.”

Choose the things that matter. Protect your joy. And remember to step off the wheel, even just for a moment, and make something that lights you up.

Because that’s the energy that carries everything else forward. 💛

Jules x