The modern economy is built on attention, but sometimes the very tools that help us earn attention for our work can serve as a massive impedance to actually creating that work.
If you’re anything like me, your time is probably stretched across multiple avenues, all of which require your attention.
For me it’s my wife, my children, business, music, health—the list goes on.
So it’s important to maximize the time and attention I give to each area of my life by reducing the amount of time and attention spent on things that either matter less or don’t matter at all.
Here’s how generally go about that.
Remove distractions
Creativity requires focus.
It doesn’t matter if I’m producing, writing, or simply building out ads—I need an environment that removes the noise.
Unfortunately, every modern tool is built on interruption, so you either have to be a superhero to stay on task, or you can simply remove the distraction.
Because I’m not a superhero, I choose the latter.
Over the past year or so, I have removed all non-essential notifications from my phone and have turned off all notifications from my computer altogether.
I know myself, and if that email “ping” goes off in the middle of a session, it will wreck my flow state.
For bonus points, I’ll just stick my phone in the drawer, slap on headphones and completely tune out the world altogether.
I’m sure it will come as little surprise to anyone that this is when I do my best work.
Desktop only
I don’t use social media on my phone anymore.
Actually, I don’t use a lot of things on my phone anymore. I’ve been slowly turning my smartphone into a “dumbphone”.
I’ve sort of developed this rule that if I can’t use a work-specific tool on my computer in an effective way, then I don’t use it at all.
See ya TikTok.
“But Tom, TikTok is a necessity for musicians!”
Maybe. But also, maybe not.
TikTok is having its moment, no doubt, but artists and bands have been building careers for decades while TikTok has really only been around at scale for a few years.
One of the benefits of experience is that I’m old enough to remember when Instagram had its same moment. Before that it was YouTube. Before that it was Facebook. Before that it was MySpace.
You get the picture.
The point is there are a lot of options out there, and I choose to focus on the ones that allow me to create using the workflow I prefer.
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and, yes, even Twitter all have a “creator studio” option that allows me to create and connect on my computer without getting dropped into the dopamine feed to consume.
But it’s not just social media. My entire business is built on top of Google Workspace, which I use almost exclusively on my computer.
Keeping everything off my phone means that when it’s time to go home for the day, I can shut it all down and spend my time focusing on the things that matter most in life.
Automate and schedule
Getting stuck on the hampster wheel is a losing strategy.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to do.
That’s why, in my world, scheduling and automating are absolute necessities.
This is one of the reasons I have leaned so heavily into advertising. Ads allow me to leverage and automate my output by creating a little digital machine that works while I sleep.
Another primary way I automate my output is through social media. Because I use the “creator studio” option for every platform I prefer, I can schedule all of my content in advance, which leaves me with far more time and energy to focus on my work.
I also schedule time on my own calendar for things I need to do, even if it’s by myself. I know that if it doesn’t get scheduled, it’s far less likely to get accomplished, so calendar events and to-do lists are my best friends.
Having a clear schedule ahead of me and automating my output allow me to perform across multiple avenues in my business, and in my life, on a regular basis.
The modern economy is built on attention, but sometimes the very tools that help us earn attention for our work can serve as a massive impedance to actually creating that work.
If you’re anything like me, your time is probably stretched across multiple avenues, all of which require your attention.
For me it’s my wife, my children, business, music, health—the list goes on.
So it’s important to maximize the time and attention I give to each area of my life by reducing the amount of time and attention spent on things that either matter less or don’t matter at all.
Here’s how generally go about that.
Remove distractions
Creativity requires focus.
It doesn’t matter if I’m producing, writing, or simply building out ads—I need an environment that removes the noise.
Unfortunately, every modern tool is built on interruption, so you either have to be a superhero to stay on task, or you can simply remove the distraction.
Because I’m not a superhero, I choose the latter.
Over the past year or so, I have removed all non-essential notifications from my phone and have turned off all notifications from my computer altogether.
I know myself, and if that email “ping” goes off in the middle of a session, it will wreck my flow state.
For bonus points, I’ll just stick my phone in the drawer, slap on headphones and completely tune out the world altogether.
I’m sure it will come as little surprise to anyone that this is when I do my best work.
Desktop only
I don’t use social media on my phone anymore.
Actually, I don’t use a lot of things on my phone anymore. I’ve been slowly turning my smartphone into a “dumbphone”.
I’ve sort of developed this rule that if I can’t use a work-specific tool on my computer in an effective way, then I don’t use it at all.
See ya TikTok.
“But Tom, TikTok is a necessity for musicians!”
Maybe. But also, maybe not.
TikTok is having its moment, no doubt, but artists and bands have been building careers for decades while TikTok has really only been around at scale for a few years.
One of the benefits of experience is that I’m old enough to remember when Instagram had its same moment. Before that it was YouTube. Before that it was Facebook. Before that it was MySpace.
You get the picture.
The point is there are a lot of options out there, and I choose to focus on the ones that allow me to create using the workflow I prefer.
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and, yes, even Twitter all have a “creator studio” option that allows me to create and connect on my computer without getting dropped into the dopamine feed to consume.
But it’s not just social media. My entire business is built on top of Google Workspace, which I use almost exclusively on my computer.
Keeping everything off my phone means that when it’s time to go home for the day, I can shut it all down and spend my time focusing on the things that matter most in life.
Automate and schedule
Getting stuck on the hampster wheel is a losing strategy.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to do.
That’s why, in my world, scheduling and automating are absolute necessities.
This is one of the reasons I have leaned so heavily into advertising. Ads allow me to leverage and automate my output by creating a little digital machine that works while I sleep.
Another primary way I automate my output is through social media. Because I use the “creator studio” option for every platform I prefer, I can schedule all of my content in advance, which leaves me with far more time and energy to focus on my work.
I also schedule time on my own calendar for things I need to do, even if it’s by myself. I know that if it doesn’t get scheduled, it’s far less likely to get accomplished, so calendar events and to-do lists are my best friends.
Having a clear schedule ahead of me and automating my output allow me to perform across multiple avenues in my business, and in my life, on a regular basis.
The modern economy is built on attention, but sometimes the very tools that help us earn attention for our work can serve as a massive impedance to actually creating that work.
If you’re anything like me, your time is probably stretched across multiple avenues, all of which require your attention.
For me it’s my wife, my children, business, music, health—the list goes on.
So it’s important to maximize the time and attention I give to each area of my life by reducing the amount of time and attention spent on things that either matter less or don’t matter at all.
Here’s how generally go about that.
Remove distractions
Creativity requires focus.
It doesn’t matter if I’m producing, writing, or simply building out ads—I need an environment that removes the noise.
Unfortunately, every modern tool is built on interruption, so you either have to be a superhero to stay on task, or you can simply remove the distraction.
Because I’m not a superhero, I choose the latter.
Over the past year or so, I have removed all non-essential notifications from my phone and have turned off all notifications from my computer altogether.
I know myself, and if that email “ping” goes off in the middle of a session, it will wreck my flow state.
For bonus points, I’ll just stick my phone in the drawer, slap on headphones and completely tune out the world altogether.
I’m sure it will come as little surprise to anyone that this is when I do my best work.
Desktop only
I don’t use social media on my phone anymore.
Actually, I don’t use a lot of things on my phone anymore. I’ve been slowly turning my smartphone into a “dumbphone”.
I’ve sort of developed this rule that if I can’t use a work-specific tool on my computer in an effective way, then I don’t use it at all.
See ya TikTok.
“But Tom, TikTok is a necessity for musicians!”
Maybe. But also, maybe not.
TikTok is having its moment, no doubt, but artists and bands have been building careers for decades while TikTok has really only been around at scale for a few years.
One of the benefits of experience is that I’m old enough to remember when Instagram had its same moment. Before that it was YouTube. Before that it was Facebook. Before that it was MySpace.
You get the picture.
The point is there are a lot of options out there, and I choose to focus on the ones that allow me to create using the workflow I prefer.
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and, yes, even Twitter all have a “creator studio” option that allows me to create and connect on my computer without getting dropped into the dopamine feed to consume.
But it’s not just social media. My entire business is built on top of Google Workspace, which I use almost exclusively on my computer.
Keeping everything off my phone means that when it’s time to go home for the day, I can shut it all down and spend my time focusing on the things that matter most in life.
Automate and schedule
Getting stuck on the hampster wheel is a losing strategy.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to do.
That’s why, in my world, scheduling and automating are absolute necessities.
This is one of the reasons I have leaned so heavily into advertising. Ads allow me to leverage and automate my output by creating a little digital machine that works while I sleep.
Another primary way I automate my output is through social media. Because I use the “creator studio” option for every platform I prefer, I can schedule all of my content in advance, which leaves me with far more time and energy to focus on my work.
I also schedule time on my own calendar for things I need to do, even if it’s by myself. I know that if it doesn’t get scheduled, it’s far less likely to get accomplished, so calendar events and to-do lists are my best friends.
Having a clear schedule ahead of me and automating my output allow me to perform across multiple avenues in my business, and in my life, on a regular basis.
Whenever you're ready, there are four ways I can help you:
Subscribe to the Newsletter: Join our growing network of artists, creators, and entrepreneurs by receiving The One Thing directly to your inbox every week.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
The Spotify Traffic Accelerator: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Become a DuPree X Artist: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Whenever you're ready, there are four ways I can help you:
Subscribe to the Newsletter: Join our growing network of artists, creators, and entrepreneurs by receiving The One Thing directly to your inbox every week.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
The Spotify Traffic Accelerator: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Become a DuPree X Artist: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Whenever you're ready, there are four ways I can help you:
Subscribe to the Newsletter: Join our growing network of artists, creators, and entrepreneurs by receiving The One Thing directly to your inbox every week.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
The Spotify Traffic Accelerator: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Become a DuPree X Artist: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.