“I can’t launch my website until I know how to [ ].”
“I need to learn [ ], [ ], and [ ] before I’ll be successful.”
“No one will care what I have to say because I’m not an expert in [ ].”
You sign up for every free thing that crosses your feed. The folder where you store them has a name like “Stuff to Learn” and has a serious case of e-cobwebs because it hasn’t been opened in months.
You’ve got entire collections of webinar replays, free guides, and swipe files you don’t even remember downloading.
Sometimes you open them. You skim a few pages. Maybe you start to fill out a worksheet. Then you get bored, wander off, and tell yourself you’ll come back later. (You don’t.)
But that doesn’t stop you from grabbing the next one.
It feels like you’re doing something. But you’re just spinning your wheels. And deep down, you know that.
You’re not learning anything new. You’re just putting off the part where you have to start the thing.
And at some point, you gotta stop collecting other people’s ideas and start working on your own. (Because you definitely don’t need more input right now.)
So if any of this made you sit up straighter in your chair, here are three signs it’s time to stop consuming and start creating.
1 | You already know this stuff (but you’re still acting like a beginner)
You buy a class or open a free resource. You watch a YouTube video.
But halfway through, your brain checks out because you already know what they’re going to say.
When the content no longer surprises or challenges you, you’re not a beginner anymore. So why are you acting like one?
Because being a perpetual student feels safer than putting your stuff out there to be seen.
But you don’t need another course, worksheet, or free video. Because you’re not stuck at the beginning. You just haven’t realized you’ve moved past it.
And that doesn’t mean you know everything.
It just means you’ve outgrown the place you keep boxing yourself into.
You’ve reached the point where learning stops helping and starts turning into a hiding place.
2 | Your hard drive looks like a packrat nest (you’re hoarding resources instead of using them)
You’ve got a pile of templates, planners, guides, PDFs, and worksheets. You spend hours designing Notion dashboards or trying another to-do app.
You download a thing. You rename the file to something you think you’ll search for later.
You tell yourself you’re preparing. But you’re really just storing.
It’s easier to hoard resources than to make a decision. It’s more comfortable to bookmark ideas than commit to one of yours.
If your brain loves collecting information like pretty rocks, this can feel oddly productive even when it’s absolutely not doing anything to move you forward.
And pretty soon, the stack of things you save becomes heavier than the fear of the thing you want to create.
When that happens, your resources folders stop being a resource. Less of a library and more of a junk drawer.
You may feel like you’re missing out on some magic answer hiding in a video or worksheet. But if it hasn’t helped you by now, it’s probably not going to.
So if your archives feel like an anchor instead of a springboard, it’s okay to let them go.
3 | You’re already helping people (even if you don’t realize it)
You hit up a Discord server, Facebook group, or comment thread. Someone asks a question, and you know the answer.
You respond to them without overthinking the shit out of it. They thank you, and you move on.
It doesn’t feel like proof you know enough, but it totally is. You’re already showing up in ways that count.
Helping people. Gifting them your hard-earned knowledge.
You keep telling yourself you need more practice before you’re “ready.”
But what if this is exactly what ready looks like?
Ready looks like people asking you questions because they know they can trust what you tell them.
Ready is you explaining something to strangers on the internet without overthinking it.
Ready is when you have an opinion about how something should be done because you’ve gathered enough knowledge about it.
Think about it: What’s one thing you helped someone with recently, and what do you think it says about what you already know?
Start where you are (even if it feels unfinished)
You don’t have to set your computer on fire. You can keep your huge archive of good intentions.
But take note of what’s happening the next time you decide to sign up for a new course or resource.
Are you really missing important information, or is this another attempt to avoid sitting with your ideas for ten minutes?
My bet is you already know what that worksheet, checklist, or e-book says before you even open it.
So let this be your permission slip to allow yourself to stop consuming and start creating.
I know “start creating” sounds big and scary. But all it means is do one thing that gets you going but doesn’t set off every alarm bell in your head.
Open that document you keep avoiding and add a few sentences. Sketch a rough outline in Procreate on your iPad and then put it down for the day. Take one thing you can’t stop thinking about and give it ten minutes of your attention.
Because showing up for yourself will do more for your creative projects than any 5-day free challenge ever will.
Quick Recap (signs you’re using learning as a hiding place)
- You’re bored by the content you’re “learning.”
- Your hard drive is full of courses and free downloads, but your projects are nonexistent.
- You’re helping others learn without much effort.
What to try instead
Trust that you already know enough to start one small thing in front of you.
Let go of “someday” resources that only make you feel behind when you look at them.
Notice how often you’re sharing information with other people and take that as evidence that you DO know enough.
Still here? You must be drawn differently.
This is the part where I’m supposed to remind you there’s a newsletter, but let’s skip the pitch.
If you’re someone who’s still trying to figure out how to be a creative human after years of being told to be a productive one, Neurospicy Creative Collective might be your kind of space.
