The Now

One of the biggest obstacles to getting into a creative groove is that my brain refuses to stay in the present.

It keeps leaping ahead.

Launch a Patreon.
Offer an exclusive paid-tier newsletter.
Take the podcast to video.
Get invited to the Online Film Critics Society.
Write a novel.

None of these are bad goals. In fact, they’re exciting ones. They’re the kind of dreams that once would’ve made me feel energized. Instead, they trigger a second wave of thinking: the logistics spiral.

How do I balance all of this?
How do I offer paid creations without neglecting free tier?
How do I manage my time?
How do I do my best creative work and maintain a freelance career?

That’s where everything starts to collapse.

I stew on problems that don’t actually exist yet. I exhaust myself trying to solve a version of the future that hasn’t arrived. And in doing so, I sabotage the only thing that can actually get me there: the work I’m doing right now.

These aren’t now problems.
They’re someday problems.

What I’m realizing is that I do my best work when I focus on what’s directly in front of me. When I give my attention to the thing I’m already doing, instead of the five things I might someday want to do.

2026 needs to be a year of the now.

Do the work that’s here.
Show up for the projects that already exist.
Let momentum (not anxiety) decide what comes next.

The bigger plans can wait their turn.
They’ll matter when they become real.

For now, this is enough.

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