Why successful creators are putting limits on themselves

I think a lot about the concept of freedom.

Freedom’s the reason I got into this work in the first place. But like anything, too much freedom can be a bad thing.

Too much freedom can create complexity and feel overwhelming. Especially when you’re trying to build an audience or a business. So when it comes to creativity, productivity, and profitability, it’s helpful to embrace constraints.

Constraints may feel like the opposite of freedom. But in many cases, limitations are useful and productive.

And less really can be more.

So today I want to talk about how you can utilize constraints to grow your audience and build your business.

Let’s dive in.

The Problem With Too Many Choices

Have you ever been to The Cheesecake Factory?

It’s a restaurant that boasts a menu of 250 items to choose from. Yes, 250.

And you might think Wow, they’ve got something for everyone!

But consider the burden of actually picking your meal when the options are so vast. The freedom to get just about anything creates a difficult task.

This is a perfect example of The Paradox of Choice. This concept explains that when our brains are overwhelmed with options, it’s hard to choose anything at all.

And I see this “choice problem” play out with Creators and Solopreneurs all the time.

They have too many ideas, and layers of ideas under the main ideas. The possibilities are too many, and deciding what to do becomes overwhelming.

This problem plagues people with scattered focus, half-baked products, and content that tries to appeal to everyone but ends up resonating with no one. And worst of all?

It blocks action.

For a Solopreneur, too much freedom can truly be a curse. So I want you to start thinking about your freedoms within some constraints.

The Power of Constraints

Constraints force us to think and maneuver creatively within particular limitations. And when forced, we’re much more likely to make decisions, focus, and produce better results - all more efficiently.

Here are some examples of productive constraints:

1. X's 280-character limit: X has redefined the way people communicate with their signature character limit. Now, brevity is an art form that resonates across the world.
2. Basecamp's lean approach: Basecamp made an intentional decision to keep their team small, so every employee is forced to work strictly on things that matter.
3. ConvertKit's Creator Challenge: ConvertKit runs a 30-day challenge where creators  launch a product in one month. The time limit forces participants to make quick decisions and take action.

How to Apply Constraints in Your Work

So we see how constraints can be powerful.

‍But how do you translate this into something that actually helps you build your audience and business?

Here are some constraints that have worked well for me:

1. Building a product: Give yourself a strict deadline. For my first course, The LinkedIn Operating System, I gave myself 60 days to plan, build, record, and launch the product. I’ve sold this product to more than 25,000 students and counting.
2. Marketing yourself: Limit yourself to one social channel for a month, and see what happens. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn about one platform when you’re focused on it. If you're new to content creation, consider LinkedIn. It's the safest and easiest place to get started.
3. Content Creation: Try the 1-3-5 method. Create one pillar piece of content, find three main ideas inside of it, and turn each of those ideas into five micro-content pieces. Limit yourself to creating this way for 30 days.
4. Time Management: Try the Pomodoro Technique, where you work in 25-minute sprints followed by 5-minute breaks. If this doesn’t work for you, try other time management techniques until you find one that sticks.
5. Decision Making: When you find yourself facing a difficult choice, limit your options to only three. You’ll find that this speeds up your decision-making process and leads to equally good (if not better) outcomes.

Embracing Constraints in Your Business

Start small.

Choose one area of your audience growth strategy or your business, and introduce a constraint for just one week.

This could be as simple as limiting the number of hours you work, your budget, the social platform you write on, or the features you were planning to add to your product.

And pay close attention to how this change affects your thinking and your results.

I’ll bet you’ll be surprised by the creative solutions you come up with when you can't rely on finding more time, spending more money, or throwing more features at a problem.

Remember, constraints aren't about creating limitations just for the hell of it. They’re about focusing your efforts and creativity to achieve better results with less waste.

Well, that's all for this issue. I hope you enjoyed it.

See you next Saturday.