Building something from scratch — a creative business, a storytelling brand, or a passion project — feels overwhelming when you’re already stretched thin with kids, full-time jobs, and life. Most people never start because they think they need more time.
But here’s our reality:
We don’t have more time.
We’re just using it differently.
We’re building Captain PillowBelly — a cozy, global bedtime storybook brand — in slow, focused bursts of 30 to 60 minutes a day. That’s it.
This blog post is a practical look at how we manage our time, how we stay focused, and how we optimize output without falling into perfectionism — all while keeping our kids, our sanity, and our bedtime routine intact.
Why We Chose 30–60 Minutes Per Day
We have full-time jobs.
We have children.
We don’t have a nanny, assistant, or marketing team.
So instead of waiting for “more time” (which never comes), we created a system that lets us work on the edges of the day — and still move forward, one task at a time.
“If we only have 30 minutes, then that 30 minutes matters more than anything else.”
Our Weekly System (The Rhythm of the Beluga)
Each day of the week has a single focus. It removes mental clutter, reduces decision fatigue, and helps us stay consistent without constantly asking, “What should we work on today?”
| Day | Focus | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Financials | Revenue, costs, budget, pricing, forecasts |
| Tuesday | Marketing | Content strategy, engagement, growth experiments |
| Wednesday | Strategy | Long-term vision, story planning, branding |
| Thursday | Operations | Tools, time management, workflows |
| Friday | Product | Books, covers, formatting, uploads, sneak peeks |
| Saturday | Community | Responding to readers, soft engagement |
| Sunday | Reflection | Captain’s Log: what worked, what we learned |
When We Work (The Hidden Pockets of the Day)
We don’t have 8-hour stretches, so we make use of:
- 6:30–7:00am — Quick content check, post, or reply before the kids wake up
- Lunch break (20–30 min) — Draft story outlines, tweak design, prep social content
- Evenings (8:30–9:30pm) — Structured work session (1–2 key tasks)
Some days we do 15 minutes.
Some days, 90.
But the key is consistency, not intensity.
How We Allocate That Time (Task Breakdown)
Here’s a rough guide to how our 60 minutes per day gets divided:
| Task Category | Time Spent/Week | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Content Creation | ~3 hours | Story writing, Substack posts, book formatting |
| Social Media | ~2 hours | Instagram, engagement, captions, hashtags |
| Admin & Ops | ~1 hour | Budget, tools, Google Sheets, content planning |
| Creative Strategy | ~1 hour | Story worldbuilding, brainstorming, long-term goals |
We log time using a shared sheet, but we’re not obsessive.
We just want to know where the hours go — and what creates real momentum.
The Tools That Make This Work
Here’s the full tech stack that powers our work — with minimal cost and maximum simplicity:
Writing, Publishing, and Organization
- Substack – newsletter + public content hub
- WordPress – blog & SEO content
- Google Sheets – tracking goals, posts, followers
- Google Keep / Apple Notes – fast, frictionless idea capture
- Microsoft To Do – shared task lists
Design & Visuals
- Canva (Free) – layout, book covers, story visuals
- Photoroom – background removal and layout cleanup
- Gemini AI (Google) – image inspiration, photo prep
- DALL·E (via ChatGPT) – illustration generation
- Midjourney – testing higher-end image ideas (sparingly)
- ChatGPT – editing, writing prompts, social captions, productivity
Scheduling & Distribution
- Buffer (Free) – social media scheduling
- Substack Notes – community engagement
- Instagram – primary channel
- Twitter/X – light content, quotes, and links
Staying Efficient (and Avoiding the Perfection Trap)
Here’s how we make every minute count:
1. Time Blocks
We use timers to define every session.
Set it. Start. Stop when it rings.
No doomscrolling. No rabbit holes. No second-guessing.
2. No Draft Lives Alone
Every post or story idea gets a deadline.
No sitting on “almost finished” content for weeks.
We’d rather share a B+ idea today than an A+ idea that never sees the light.
3. Templates for Everything
We use:
- Social media templates for Instagram posts
- Weekly content themes for Substack
- Blog post outlines (like this one!)
- Book formatting guides in Canva
Templates = speed = momentum.
Protecting Our Family Time
Nothing matters more than the kids — so we designed this system to protect:
- Bedtime routines
- Weekend downtime
- Family meals
We never want Captain PillowBelly to become a burden.
It’s a gift — to ourselves, our children, and one day… to our readers.
This is why we chose slow growth over hustle culture.
5 Takeaways for Anyone Starting a Side Project
If you’re building something too — a book, a blog, a product — here’s what’s working for us:
- 30 focused minutes > 3 distracted hours
- One priority per day = real weekly progress
- Templates save time and sanity
- Tools don’t have to be expensive to work
- Build with your family, not around them
What’s Next for Us
We’re:
- Finalizing our first children’s book
- Growing slowly on Instagram and Substack
- Publishing 4–5 pieces of content per week
- Testing new engagement ideas like “Guess the Flag” posts
- Preparing free printable downloads for early readers
This isn’t fast.
It’s not flashy.
But it’s working.
And if you’re reading this, you’re part of it already.
Follow our story. Steal our systems. Build your thing too — slowly, intentionally, and joyfully.
– The PillowBelly Family
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