"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot.”
Wasted time used to be easier for me to spot.
It was the “one more tweak” revision spiral that ate up entire weeks.
Now, there’s an assumption that if you aren’t simultaneously learning five new AI tools, building agents, developing websites, writing marketing copy, AND automating your entire business … you’re being “unproductive.”
The AI arms race has convinced super smart, non-tech business owners that they suddenly need to become agencies and software companies, instead of just getting really, really good at what they do.
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Case in point:
A connection on LinkedIn spent the better part of a month building an agent to manage his inbox. He got it up and running — doing bot-safe things: supervised sorting, drafting replies, prioritizing, etc.
Stoked with how well it was working, he gave it more autonomy.
Within a day, the thing had auto-replied chat dialogue to every email in his inbox. Hundreds of bizarre messages that he had to explain and clean up after.
His lack of expertise in terminal commands and file permissions (read: NOT a developer), cost him WEEKS.
So … was that a productive use of time???
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Here’s the truth: most of the “build it yourself” energy right now isn’t really strategy or even time-savings.
It’s fear.
And humans are definitely buying it.
The pitch is that you now can (and should) be your own designer, developer, copywriter, accountant, systems engineer, IT support, and growth strategist … all without hiring anyone, for the cost of a few monthly subscriptions.
“Why pay a specialist when you can just prompt one into existence?”
It’s a compelling angle.
It’s also a great way to become exceptionally mediocre at ten things, while neglecting the one people actually pay you for.
You wouldn’t tell your clients to do that.
If someone came to you stretched across six roles they had zero experience in, you’d help them refocus before they totally burn out.
It’s just a lot harder to hear that perspective when everyone is screaming about AI, the tool is sitting right there, and it genuinely does work. Kind of.
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The same is true for every discipline being “replaced.”
What AI makes available is wicked-fast output. No doubt about that.
What specialists bring is the framing — knowing what questions matter, which trade-offs are worth making, and what all of that means for real human beings.
I’d argue that in 2026, the best use of time is a brutally honest account of how you’re spending it.
And the confidence to shelve the bots … tune out the noise … and refocus your energy on the things you do best.
If you’re not sure what those things are anymore, I get it. We built a brand scorecard for exactly that — when you’re totally overwhelmed and nothing is landing.
Book a free call and we’ll walk through it together.
Time very WELL-spent. 😉
Get Your Brand Scorecard
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More 💰 from the marketing you’re already doing.
You have the offer, happy clients, and legit results.
So why does growth still feel like watching paint dry?
Here's what's usually missing. [ Hint: it’s not more leads or a new offer. ]
You need a system.
You probably have pieces parts, but pieces aren't a system unless they're actually working. Like, together.
My friend, and offer-whisperer, Holly Chantal is hosting a free webinar on exactly how to turn what you already have into something that earns revenue months in advance.
I know I’ll be there. Will you?
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Victory Points
By: Mike Shary
My board-game-loving, copywriter extraordinaire and mentor, Dad ❤️
The Gang: a quick, intense, cooperative poker game for 3-6 players
The Gang is a cooperative poker card game for three to six players, where your crew of thieves is trying to rank all of your poker hands from weakest to strongest … without ever talking about what you are holding.
Each heist plays out like a round of Texas Hold’em. Everyone gets two pocket cards, and community cards slowly arrive in the center. After each reveal, players grab a numbered chip that shows where they think their hand sits in the overall order. Best hand should end up with the highest chip, worst hand with the lowest.
You can steal chips from each other if you think someone is wrong, but you still cannot describe, hint at, or show your cards. When the last community card hits the table, you reveal your hands and see if your final ranking is correct. Get three heists right before three alarms and the whole gang wins.
The real game lives in your head. If you assume your hand is weak, you grab a low chip and drag the team down (even when you were quietly holding the winner.) If you assume you’re sitting strong with nothing to back it up, you wreck a heist with overconfidence.
The group only succeeds when each player learns to read the table honestly, trust their own judgment, and update that story as the cards change.
Your brand has the same mindset problem. If you keep telling yourself you’re “not that special,” you choose timid language and forgettable visuals. If you puff yourself up without proof, your audience feels the bluff. A good brand advisor helps you see your true hand, name your real strengths, and claim a position you can actually live up to.
If you like quick, tense games that twist something familiar into a fresh cooperative puzzle, The Gang is a clever little heist that will hit the table often with poker fans and non-sharks alike.
Make it a great week! 🙌
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