Creative Bandits: 4 Hidden Thieves Stealing Your Time, Focus, and Confidence

Day in and day out, we often face an invisible foe: “Creative Bandits.” These sneaky thieves silently rob our time and focus — and chip away our confidence.

So, we're left struggling to create on the clock. This week, we explore how to identify the most common Creative Bandits and how to mitigate them.

Plus, I share a short guided meditation, designed to help rekindle your creative spark. ?

So, can you flip your creativity on like a light switch? Or do you need time, space, and just the right conditions??

If you’re like me, chances are, it depends.?

Certainly, there are many factors that influence our ability to create on the clock.

In my journey, I've found myself wearing a number of hats: strategist, project manager, new business rainmaker, cheerleader, and, of course, creator.?

Yet, over time, I began noticing something unsettling.

Unlike my early days as a magazine reporter and then copywriter (where I could whip up 50 names for Tyson’s latest chicken tender in a half hour), I found myself struggling to shift gears and create with the same ease.?

Beyond simply having the right tunes on my AirPods, the challenge to create on the clock ran much deeper.

In working with teams in all sizes and types of organizations over the years, I realized I wasn't alone.

Because Creative Bandits quietly sneak up on us all.

Meet the 4 Creative Bandits

“Creative Bandits” is the term I coined to describe the external forces that steal our time, focus, and creative confidence.

They may appear in many forms — from the constant juggling of tasks and endless meeting requests to those deeper places we silently wrestle within ourselves, such as imposter syndrome or self-doubt.

Here are the 4 most common Creative Bandits we tend to struggle with...

Time is the most obvious thief. With never-ending meetings, tight deadlines, and constant interruptions, it’s easy to feel like there’s simply not enough hours in the day to create (or create well). And yet, we’re expected to switch on our creativity to deliver at a moment's notice.

How to Reclaim Your Time:

• Establish Time Blocks: Set aside dedicated time by blocking your calendar for creative work. And protect it fiercely.?Also, start noticing when you feel the most creative — at what time of day? Particular day of the week? Carve out that slot as your dedicated creative time.
• Plan for the Fires: Proactively schedule time in your days and weeks for the inevitable crises, so they don’t derail your entire day. And be proactive to let others know that you're going offline for an hour or two. Or you can have a back-up person available to triage issues during your creative block.

As communicators, marketers, and creatives, we're often the go-to problem solvers (or as it can sometimes seem, the order takers). Whether we’re navigating client requests or working cross-functionally with colleagues on projects, the demands on our time and energy can stack up...fast. This can leave us pushing our creative work for "more important" issues. But then we're the ones who end up scrambling later on.

How to Reclaim Your Energy:

• Set and Hold Better Boundaries: "No" is a complete sentence. Learn when and how to gently push back on requests. Having a clear sense of priorities can help you discern what must be addressed and when.
• Manage Expectations Upfront: This is perhaps the biggest challenge I've seen in my decades of experience: clearly communicating your boundaries and timelines with others. Making this a practice is what's helped save me from work streams and relationships going sideways.

(In case you missed it, I dive deeper into how to set, and hold, better boundaries in Level Up with Lara Issue 01.)

Confusion is one of the trickiest and most toxic Bandits. I’ve come to believe lack of clarity is the main reason we spin out in terms of wasted time and energy. Without clear direction or an understanding of critical priorities, we can be left second-guessing ourselves, which in turn, leaves us feeling stuck, overthinking, and worrying.?

How to Get Clear:

• Find Your Point of Power: If you're in a complex or layered situation involving many stakeholders, then take a step back. If you're unsure, be proactive to check in with leaders and colleagues to level-set your specific role and responsibilities. Then, focus on what you can control in your immediate work environment. In other words, own what's in your court.
• Constrain Your Focus: If you have a slew of to-do lists, then take time each morning to ask yourself, "what's the ONE thing I know I can finish today?" Narrowing your attention to focus on one thing at a time can help you regain a sense of control.?And that sense of completion breeds confidence. (And just a little reminder for those of us who are recovering perfectionists: done is better than perfect!)

Like confusion, comparison is also insidious. Our brains are hard-wired to compare and social media gives us endless opportunities to judge how others look on the outside to how we feel on the inside. But when it comes to creative confidence, nothing shuts us down faster than comparison.?

How to Rekindle Confidence:?

• Choose to Be Inspired, Not Intimidated: Reframe how you look to the world for inspiration. Follow creators or leaders who inspire and energize you. And rather than comparing yourself to them, which only leaves you spiraling, remember they are owning their world. You own yours.
• Give Yourself a Time Out: Just like kids freaking out because you cut their spaghetti, sometimes the best thing you can do is step away. Give yourself a time out. Go for a walk in nature. Focus on another creative outlet that feels life-giving and fun. Or spend some time in guided meditation like the one I created and share below.?

Own Your Creativity, One Day at a Time

The truth is, we may never fully eliminate Creative Bandits from our lives. As long as we work with and for others, there will be demands on us.

But by recognizing these Bandits and learning how to set boundaries, manage our time, and seek clarity, we can regain our creative confidence and protect our energy.

Most of all, be gentle with yourself. Focus on one day at a time. And above all, don't forget to have some fun.

You got this!?

Is Your Team Struggling on the Clock?

I offer two hands-on workshops designed specifically to address the issues internal and agency teams encounter, day in and day out.

• "Meetings That Matter" Empower your team to facilitate high-stakes meetings more efficiently, so work gets decided and done.
• "Unblock on the Clock" Dig deeper into which Creative Bandits are really wreaking havoc and how to level up creative confidence.

Both are customizable to your format (virtual or live), time, and needs. Head over to my workshops page to learn more!

Take a Breather with This Short Meditation