For consistency without burnout, create a marketing engine
Does this sound familiar?
You start the month with the best of intentions. You block out time on your calendar to write that blog post or schedule those LinkedIn updates. But then, reality hits. A client needs you, a project deadline looms, or a crisis pops up.
Naturally, the first thing to get pushed off your plate is your own marketing.
And then the guilt sets in.
I want you to know that you are not alone in this. We have all been there. The problem isn't that you lack discipline or that you aren't working hard enough. The problem is that we often treat marketing as a "Project"—a burst of effort we squeeze in when we have spare moments—rather than a "Process," a steady engine that runs whether we are busy or not.
If you are the bottleneck, consistency is impossible.
Why do we do this to ourselves? (The mental traps)
If we know we are the bottleneck, why don't we just stop?
In my book BIG DECISIONS, I detail the mental traps and cognitive biases that sabotage our best intentions. When it comes to marketing consistency, there are two specific groups of traps that keep us stuck in the mud.
Which of these is playing tricks on your mind?
Group 1: Do It Yourself
These biases convince you to keep doing the work, even when you are the most expensive admin assistant in the company.
Overconfidence Effect: This is the tendency to overestimate our own abilities. You think, "I can write that copy better than an agency," or "I'm a decent enough designer." You overestimate your skill level in tasks that aren't your core competency.
The Planning Fallacy: Distinct from overconfidence in skill, this is the consistent underestimation of time. You think, "I'll just whip up a quick graphic in Canva, it'll take 15 minutes." Two hours later, you are still adjusting font sizes.
"Not Invented Here" Syndrome: This is the bias that causes us to undervalue ideas or work that come from outside our own heads. You resist AI or ghostwriters because you believe that if you didn't type it, it can't possibly be authentic.
The No Limits Trap: The false belief that our capacity is infinite. You assume you can just "squeeze in" marketing on top of your owner/CEO duties, ignoring the reality that your time and energy are finite resources.
Action-Oriented Bias: When you feel anxiety about your empty pipeline, your instinct is to do something immediately (like posting a random article) rather than taking the time to build a system that works forever. You mistake motion for progress.
Group 2: Avoidance
These are the traps that help us rationalize our inconsistency and avoid fixing the real problem.
Wishful Thinking: This is the optimism that says, "This week was crazy, but next week will be calm." (Spoiler alert: Next week is almost never calm). We delay building a system because we believe a that magical abundance of time is just around the corner.
The Default Option: It's always easier to do nothing (the default) than to choose a new path. Even though the current situation (inconsistency) is painful, the effort to hire a VA or adopt and learn to use an AI tool feels like "work," so you default back to the status quo.
Sunk Cost Fallacy: "I’ve already spent three months trying to learn this video editing software, so I can't give up now." You cling to a bad process just because you've already invested time in it, refusing to cut your losses and hire a pro.
Three paths to freedom (and consistency)
So, for this quarter, I want to invite you to make a shift. Let's stop asking, "How can I do this and find the time to do this?" and start asking, "Who (or What) can do this for me?"
We have three levers we can pull, and I use all of them:
1. The "What": Let AI do the heavy lifting
This is for those of us who want control but just lack the time. I experienced this answer firsthand recently. As I shared in a previous post, starting in March of last year I have been working with AI to code my FastTrack™ Strategic Planning System into a highly professional web app. (Learn more here.) In the process, I realized the AI wasn't just a tool; it was my partner. It not only coded what I asked it to code but also helped me draft content, clarify my thinking, and speed up the "creation grind."
If you find yourself staring at a blank page for an hour, let AI draft 80% of the content for you. It’s much easier to edit a draft than to conjure one from thin air.
2. The "Who" (Internal): The "Kathy Model"
I named this solution after a client, Liz, who successfully moved from "Technician" to "CEO" by trusting her staff member, Kathy. The secret wasn't just dumping work on Kathy; it was building trust by developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and assuring that Kathy could and would follow them in executing the delegated tasks .
If you have a team, ask yourself: Can a junior staffer take over the "Distribution Chores"—the scheduling, the formatting, the website updates? When you move them off your to-do list, that delegation isn't abdication; it's empowerment.
3. The "Who" (External): Hire the outcome
This is where I practice what I preach. You might know that I work with my Ohio-based virtual assistant, Leigh, to do work for me and the company, including my LinkedIn posts. While I have been on LinkedIn since the year of its inception, I don't try to keep up with the LinkedIn algorithm and post accordingly - that's not the best use of my time. I rely on Leigh to handle the execution so I can focus on the strategy. I’m not buying her time; I’m investing in a resource who produces a consistent result for me and the company.
Identifying your bottlenecks: The "Engine" Menu
To make this work, you need to look at your specific marketing activities and decide which bucket they fall into. In my workshop on this topic, I break some of these activities down into three categories to help you spot exactly where you are getting stuck and where the "don't ask how, ask who or what" approach will pay big marketing dividends for you.
1. The Creation Grind (High Brainpower)
These are the tasks that require creative energy and often lead to "blank page syndrome."
Writing Drafts: Blogs, articles, or difficult emails.
Social Captions: Writing the text for LinkedIn or Facebook posts.
Visual Assets: Creating graphics in Canva, flyers, or editing short videos.
Case Studies: Turning a client project into a success story.
The Fix: Use AI (to speed up the draft) or an External Partner.
2. The Distribution Chore (Repetitive Tasks)
These are the tasks that are necessary but repetitive. They don't require your strategic brain; they just require execution.
Scheduling: Loading posts into Buffer, Hootsuite, or Meta or otherwise posting the right thing at the best time.
Formatting: Assembling the e-Newsletter (putting text into the template).
Website Updates: Swapping photos, updating hours, or posting events.
Cross-Posting: Copying the same info to local calendars and social channels.
The Fix: Internal Delegation (give to Admin/Jr. Staff) or Automation Tools.
3. Growth Maintenance (Admin Tasks)
These are the "hygiene" tasks that keep the engine clean but often get ignored.
Review Management: Asking for reviews and replying to them.
List Hygiene: Cleaning email lists and tagging contacts in your CRM.
Connection Requests: Sending standard outreach on LinkedIn.
Direct Mail/Swag: Ordering and sending client gifts.
The Fix: Internal Delegation (SOPs) or Automation (CRM workflows).
My challenge to you
Let’s get real for a moment. At what dollar amount is your time too valuable to be spending it resizing graphics in Canva?
Here is my challenge to you for this quarter: Automate the engine.
Start by picking one thing from the menu above that drains your energy or, conversely, is not getting done because you don't have the time or energy to do it.
Ask yourself: Does this really need to be done? If not, move on to evaluate the next task on the list.
Choose your lever to get it done: Will you use AI, a team member, or a pro?
Commit: Set a metric, such as "4 posts a month without me touching the keyboard."
Consider repeating this cycle for other marketing activities and then expanding it to all the things you are doing (or need to be done but aren't) that someone else or AI ought to be doing.
Stop beating yourself up for not "finding the time." You will never find it. You have to build an engine that creates it for you.
