How to Create Content Consistently When You're Ridiculously Busy

You know content marketing works. You know consistent presence matters. You've read the articles about building personal brand and thought leadership.

And yet, content creation keeps falling off your priority list.

Here's what I learned from Ertiqah's first year: I ghosted LinkedIn for weeks when I was focusing on videos. I abandoned YouTube when I was focusing on product design for months. I consistently skipped newsletters when I was working on new features.

And yet, zooming out at the end of Year 1?

• 10M+ views
• 7 platforms
• Thousands of users
• Consistent inbound

The takeaway hit me hard: You don't need to be consistent every day. You just need to keep returning to the game every week... or month, or whenever.

Most of your marketing activities continue to pay dividends even if you abandon them on a "weekly timeline," as long as the yearly stats look fine. Year 1 rewards persistence more than perfection.

Here's how I maintain consistent content creation despite being legitimately busy.

The Consistency Mindset Shift

First, let's reframe what consistency means.

Consistency doesn't mean:

• Daily posting
• Perfect content every time
• Hours spent on each piece
• Never missing a day

Consistency means:

• Regular presence over time
• Showing up predictably
• Sustainable pace you can maintain
• Patterns your audience can expect

Two quality posts weekly for a year beats daily posts for a month followed by silence.

Set expectations you can actually meet during your worst weeks, not your best weeks.

Strategy #1: The Capture System

Ideas are the bottleneck for most busy people. When you finally have time to create, you can't think of what to write about.

The fix: Capture ideas when they occur, create when you have time.

My capture system:

Voice notes: When an insight strikes, I speak it into my phone. 30 seconds captures what would take 5 minutes to reconstruct later.

Quick notes: Bullet points in a notes app for ideas too brief to speak.

Screenshot collection: Interesting posts, articles, or data that spark ideas.

Meeting observations: Notes from conversations that reveal content opportunities.

Customer questions: Every question someone asks is a potential content topic.

By the time I sit down to create, I have dozens of captured ideas rather than a blank page.

Implementation: Set up a simple capture system this week. The specific tool matters less than the habit of using it consistently.

Strategy #2: The Content Block

Scattered creation time produces scattered content. Batch creation is more efficient.

The content block approach:

Dedicate one focused block weekly (60-90 minutes) to content creation. This replaces scattered attempts throughout the week.

During the content block:

• Review captured ideas
• Select 3-5 for development
• Create drafts or finished pieces
• Schedule for publication

Why batching works:

Reduced context switching: You get into content mode once rather than repeatedly.

Efficiency: Tools are open, mindset is ready, momentum builds.

Protection: A scheduled block is harder to skip than nebulous "find time to create."

Consistency: Knowing content for the week is done reduces stress.

My content block: Sunday evening, 90 minutes. By Monday morning, the week's content is drafted and scheduled.

Strategy #3: The Minimum Viable Post

Perfectionism kills consistency. Good enough published beats perfect unpublished.

Minimum viable post characteristics:

One clear idea: Don't try to cover everything. One insight is enough.

Sufficient value: Readers should learn something or feel something.

Your voice: It should sound like you, not generic.

Appropriate length: Long enough to make the point, short enough to not require extensive production time.

What you're not aiming for:

• Comprehensive coverage of topics
• Perfect prose
• Extensive research
• Elaborate formatting

Many of my most engaging posts took 15-20 minutes to create. The idea was clear, the execution was simple, the value was genuine.

Permission granted: Create something good in the time you have rather than something perfect you'll never finish.

Strategy #4: AI-Assisted Creation

AI tools can dramatically reduce content creation time when used properly.

Here's a real comparison. When I type a prompt to AI, my brain does something frustrating—it automatically strips away context. Removes crucial details. Oversimplifies everything. Why? Because typing is painful.

Typed prompt:
"Write cold email to VP Sales SaaS company for [my product]"

Spoken prompt (via voice-to-text):
"Um, so I need to write a cold email to this VP of Sales I found on LinkedIn... she's leading this really interesting SaaS company that's doing employee engagement stuff. I saw they just raised their Series B, and uh... they're expanding into Europe, which is perfect timing because our platform just launched there..."

See the difference? The spoken version naturally included all the information a "good prompt" would have. Your brain knows all this context. But when you type, it gets filtered out.

What AI helps with:

First drafts: Generate starting points from your bullet points or voice notes.

Formatting: Transform rough ideas into structured content.

What AI shouldn't do:

Replace your ideas: The substance should come from you.

Remove your voice: Output should still sound like you.

Create without review: Always review before publishing.

Tools that help:

Contextli for voice-to-text content creation. Speak your ideas naturally and get formatted output.

LiGo Social specifically for LinkedIn content. AI assistance that learns your voice and helps create consistently.

The hybrid approach: Provide raw ideas (voice notes, bullet points, rough thoughts). Use AI to structure and polish. Review and personalize the output. Publish.

This approach takes 15-30 minutes per piece rather than 60-90 minutes of pure writing.

Strategy #5: The Repurposing Multiplier

Create once, publish multiple times across formats.

Repurposing chains:

Long-form → Short-form:
Blog post → LinkedIn posts → Tweets → Newsletter snippets

Conversation → Content:
Client call insights → Educational content → FAQs → Documentation

Event → Content:
Meeting notes → LinkedIn update → Lessons learned post → Framework article

One idea, many formats:
Core insight → Video → Written post → Carousel → Comment thread

How to systematize:

When creating content, immediately note repurposing opportunities. Create a simple checklist of formats and check off as you repurpose.

Example repurposing:

Original: "Our biggest customer churn problem came from poor onboarding. Fixing it doubled retention."

• LinkedIn post: Story of discovering and fixing the problem
• Tweet: Key insight in 280 characters
• Newsletter: Detailed breakdown with specifics
• Video: Personal explanation with emotion
• Carousel: Step-by-step onboarding improvements

One insight becomes five+ pieces of content with different audiences and formats.

Strategy #6: The Content Calendar Buffer

Always have content scheduled ahead.

The buffer approach:

Maintain 2-4 weeks of content scheduled in advance. During your content block, create content for weeks from now, not this week.

Why buffers matter:

Crisis protection: When emergencies consume your time, content still publishes.

Quality improvement: Creating in advance allows revision. Last-minute content is often rushed.

Stress reduction: Knowing content is handled reduces mental load.

Perspective: Distance from creation improves editing.

Building the buffer:

Start by creating this week's content plus one extra piece. Each week, create one more than you publish until you have your target buffer.

Strategy #7: The Good Enough Threshold

Define what good enough means and stop when you hit it.

Good enough criteria might include:

• Clear main point
• Value for the reader
• Your authentic voice
• Acceptable formatting
• No obvious errors

Once these are met, publish. Resist the urge to keep refining.

What you're fighting:

Diminishing returns: The first 80% of quality takes 20% of time. The last 20% takes 80% of time.

Opportunity cost: Time over-polishing one piece is time not creating another.

Paralysis: Perfectionism leads to non-publication.

The permission structure:

"This content provides value and represents me fairly. It doesn't need to be the best thing I've ever created. It needs to be good enough to help someone and keep my presence consistent."

Making It Sustainable

Content creation should fit your life, not dominate it.

Sustainability principles:

Schedule for reality: Plan content creation when you actually have energy and time, not when you wish you did.

Allow flexibility: If the content block doesn't happen one week, that's what buffers are for.

Match format to energy: High energy? Write longer pieces. Low energy? Quick posts and repurposing.

Track what works: Double down on content that resonates; stop creating content that doesn't.

Enjoy the process: If you hate creating content, it won't last. Find formats and topics you actually like.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time should I realistically spend on content creation weekly?

For most busy professionals, 90 minutes to 3 hours weekly is sustainable. This produces 2-4 quality pieces plus maintains some repurposing activity. More than 5 hours weekly typically isn't sustainable alongside a demanding primary role.

What if I miss my content creation time?

That's why buffers exist. Don't try to catch up immediately—this creates unsustainable crunch. Accept the miss, protect next week's content time, and rebuild buffer gradually.

Which platform should I prioritize if I can only do one?

Where does your audience spend time? For B2B, usually LinkedIn. Focus on one platform well rather than weak presence across many. Expand only after your primary platform is consistent.

How do I know what content to create?

Start with questions people ask you. What do clients, colleagues, or connections want to know? Content that answers real questions from real people is always valuable.

Is it okay to repurpose content extensively?

Absolutely. Most of your audience won't see every piece you publish. Repurposing ensures more people benefit from your insights. Vary format and adjust for platform, but reusing core ideas is smart, not lazy.

What if I just don't have ideas?

This usually means your capture system isn't working. Implement a consistent capture habit. Ideas occur throughout normal work and life—you just need to record them. If you're truly stuck, engage with others' content; reaction and response generate ideas.

Consistent content creation when busy isn't about finding more time. It's about using limited time more effectively through capture systems, batching, AI assistance, and sustainable expectations. Start with one strategy, make it a habit, then add others.