Work ≠ Hours

There’s a story about Hemingway, writing at dawn before the world woke up.

Another about Maya Angelou, who’d rent a hotel room to write from 6 A.M. to 2 P.M. every day.

And of course, Edison, who never kept a clock in his lab because his mind didn’t operate on one.

Creativity, progress, meaningful work — none of it follows a schedule.

And the older I get, the more I believe this:

Some of my best ideas don’t come when I sit down to “work.”
They come while I’m on a walk.
Or sipping coffee.
Or struggling to fall asleep at 2:03 A.M.

Because I’ve only ever worked freelance.
And now at beehiiv, the focus has never been when I worked.

It’s always been:
Was it good?
Did it move the needle?
Did it help someone?

That’s what matters.

When I think of “working hours,” I don’t just think of schedules.

I think of limitations.
Of treating inspiration like it works 9 to 5.
Of telling your brain to be brilliant between Google meetings and Slack notifications.

But life doesn’t work like that.
Neither does great work.

The truth is:

I’ve built a rhythm that works with me, not against me.
And in doing that, I’ve learned to let go of guilt.
Because guilt has no business in a life you’re designing from scratch.

This is the part that answers: “But how do you do this?”

Here’s what’s worked for me (and what I’d recommend to anyone trying to get off the clock):

For me, it’s writing.
Because I don’t need permission to begin.
I don’t need a team to review.
I don’t need to schedule a call.

Whether I’m on a flight, at my desk, or sitting in bed —
I can start anytime.

It could be coding, designing, building a product, editing, or speaking.
Whatever it is, the more your output depends on you,
the easier it becomes to let go of “working hours.”

Let go of the timeline.
That doesn’t mean don’t work — don’t limit the when.
Some nights, I’m writing till 3.

The goal isn’t just to work more.
It’s to find when you naturally work best, and build your days around that.

You can’t live this way if you’re lazy.
That’s the trade-off.

When no one’s watching, it’s easy to disappear.
But it’s also where you build discipline, self-trust, and consistency.

When you stop being tracked by the hour,
you start measuring impact in a different way:
→ Did I move the needle?
→ Did I create something worth sharing?
→ Did I make space for what matters?

That’s the work.

Some days I don’t “work” in the traditional sense.
I read a book, go on a walk, call a friend, and spend extra time at the gym.

But those moments often lead to:
→ A new idea
→ A new way to solve something I’ve been stuck on
→ A reset I didn’t know I needed

The world wants you to be always on.
But some of your best breakthroughs happen when you step away, just enough.

And when they do, you’ll be glad you weren’t booked in a meeting.

This isn’t an anti-work rant.
It’s a reminder that good work isn’t about how many hours you log —
It’s about how deeply you care
and how freely you can show up when your mind is ready.

Stop living by someone else’s calendar.
Start designing your rhythm.

Because once you delete “working hours” from your vocabulary,
you get to build a life that doesn’t need to ask for permission.

And that’s when the magic starts to happen.

Until then—take care, and talk soon, bestie 💌

P.S. I finally gave my website a glow-up.