What counts as "work" when your work feels like... your art?

The blurry line between passion and output. This is more than just a “work life balance” thing.

Original photo by Pavel Danilyuk via pexels. Modified by Author.

This is something I’ve been sitting with lately.

Because entrepreneurship isn’t just what I do—it’s often how I process, play, and create. My interests (in a way, my hobbies) are so interwoven with my business that I sometimes catch myself asking: Is this still work… or is this just me being myself?

Those lines blur fast.

Especially on nights like this. It’s 8:21 PM. My brain is on fire in the best way—connecting dots, processing ideas, and feeling fully pulled into that one idea, all while wanting to get it all out.

And yet… this is also “after hours.”

So do I ride the wave?
Or do I press pause because “I shouldn’t be working right now”?

Here’s what others have said:

You can resonate, right?

What started as a curious thought about flow turned into a deeper question…

What should actually be categorized as “work”?

For me, writing, creating, and creative problem solving don’t feel like a dull task. They feel like an elixir. Not because I’m being “productive”, but because that adrenaline rush of creativity and curiosity makes me feel alive.

This is something so many driven creatives and entrepreneurs don’t talk about enough: The fact that our interests, creative impulses, and business ideas don’t live in neat, separate boxes. They’re interwoven.

We unconsciously made them interconnected. Because that seems like the dream, right? Live and breathe our purpose. Building a business that reflects who we are, what we care about, and how we think. BUT, that also means we don’t have the clear off switch that most people do… especially when that creative flow hits outside of traditional work hours.

So here’s where it gets tricky:
Do you push that inspiration away because it came “after hours”?
Or do you follow it, knowing how rare and valuable that clarity can be?

If you’ve ever felt on fire with an idea at night, while others are relaxing or asleep, you’ve probably faced this exact dilemma.

One path feels like honoring your energy.
The other can start to feel like a quiet form of overworking.

The hidden tension: Why this isn’t a simple answer

At first glance, following a spark of inspiration late at night or over the weekend might seem like an easy call—either you go with it, or you don’t.

But what most don’t realize is that there are deeper, more nuanced forces at play.

These aren’t just surface-level productivity habits. They’re tied to your Work Identity, your energy, and the beliefs you’ve picked up about what “counts” as work.

Here are a few quiet dynamics that often go unnoticed, but shape the way we respond when inspiration strikes…

[1] The identity entanglement boundary blur

Unspoken pattern: When your identity is so wrapped up in your work that you stop knowing where you end and your business begins.

Most entrepreneurs talk about “balance,” but what’s rarely questioned is how much of our self worth, meaning, and even joy is tied to the act of creating. So when inspiration strikes, it’s not just a business idea. It feels personal. That makes it harder to walk away, even when you know that time away from what you “do” is what you actually need.

Why it matters: Without awareness, even genuinely fulfilling work can start to erode your boundaries because saying no feels like cutting off a part of yourself.

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[2] The productive guilt override

Unspoken pattern: Assuming every spark of inspiration needs to be acted on immediately, or it’s wasted.

We don’t always realize how much urgency is baked into our creative response. There’s often a subtle fear: If I don’t follow this now, I’ll lose the moment. But what if that’s output panic in disguise?

Why it matters: This pattern turns creativity into a never-off switch. You stop choosing your timing and start letting ideas run the show.

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[3] The misdefined “work” distortion

Unspoken pattern: Categorizing “work” as something that drains you. So if something feels good or energizing, it doesn’t count.

This is sneaky. Because when creative flow feels enjoyable, it doesn’t feel like effort. So, you might keep going past your capacity, not realizing that this “fun” output could still be something that requires rest and recovery.

Why it matters: Flow is still some form of energy expenditure. It does affect your capacity over time, and you are choosing that over other areas of your life as well. Be aware of when you could be confusing overworking for alignment.

Let me be clear.. I’m not trying to paint honoring creative flow as a bad thing.
It’s one of the best parts of building something that feels aligned.

I would like to invite you to consider what could be unknowingly fueling your motivation, as it may carry hidden layers beneath the surface.

I’m not saying don’t ride the wave.
I’m inviting you to pause and ask—what’s really driving me in this moment?

What I’m learning is this:
It’s not just when the idea hits that matters.
It’s why I choose to follow it… or not.

When is it self abandonment? When is it inspired action? When is it workaholism? When is it honoring… me, and what feels so right at this very moment?

The truth is, I’ve lived through enough creative dry spells to know—when the muse shows up, I don’t want to send her away. But at the same time, I’m also no longer interested in defaulting to late night hustle disguised as passion either.

So what I’m practicing now is the pause.

Not a shutdown, not a rejection, not avoidance. Just a moment to ask:

• Does this idea need to be addressed now… or can it wait until later?

• Will this fill me up, or quietly deplete me without me realizing it?

• What am I choosing to sacrifice at this moment by following the muse?

It’s not about having the right answer every time.

It’s about building enough self trust to know when to ride the wave… and when to save it for later.

…and because there are times when spending quality newlywed time with my husband matters more than following the flow.

✨ Special thanks to

Jane Duncan Rogers

of Embracing Ageing,

Marni Battista

of Unscripted: Screw the Should Life, and

Maria Gamb-Lipari

of Full Life Collective for giving me permission to share your wonderful comments for this Post.

Check out their Substacks. If something resonates, you’ve got a new inbox favorite.

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4 Day Work Week Experiment ⟬ 2025 Edition № 02 ⟭ Apr 12-18

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Context Notes:

I’m still in this interwoven mix of everything above. None of this feels like a straight line. In fact, I’m hopping around different rabbit holes, wrapping my head around these brilliant ideas for where I’ll take this Substack.

Honed in on my positioning. Clarified my paid perks and offers. Then, revamped my Substack accordingly. I finally got A LOT of what I had wanted to get done, especially tasks on the back burner, because I hadn’t figured out those elements just yet prior.

Some of it was procrastination because I didn’t want to make a decision yet. Some because I didn’t have the framework or full perspective until I created the 4 Day Work Week Experiment and the Work OS Sandbox. Some just were not a priority until now.

I still have that to do list from hell, which I do set into flames every now and then. I can still feel that guilt of not doing “all the right things”, such as responding to amazing comments from you guys, engaging on Notes, interacting with other Substack creators, etc. Right now, I’m giving myself a lot of self compassion as I take things step by step.

Factors to consider:

• I was part of a Substack bootcamp this week, which meant super early mornings and plenty of followthrough after. It delivered everything I wanted to address, but that also meant I had to choose very wisely what to sacrifice, so I could do these clarifying, deep dives to convey my vision and mission.

Average work day hours:

7am to 7pm (- 2 hrs for meals - 1.5 hrs of personal time) « improvements from last week!

Work days per week:

5 days « one less day!

✨ Continual work in progress, and I loved diving into reading again in the evenings.

Focus of your Work OS - Your Work Identity

Reconsider…

Is this really creative flow—or just a more romantic flavor of overworking?

Ask yourself:

• Am I following inspiration… or chasing productivity dressed up as purpose?

• What feels urgent right now—and who decided it had to be?

• Can I trust this idea to still be there tomorrow morning?

• What would it look like to honor the spark without defaulting to action?

Sometimes our most “inspired” moments carry an undercurrent of pressure we don’t notice right away. Especially when we love what we do! But what if alignment doesn’t mean always saying yes to the muse immediately? Cultivate your ability to discern when to pause when it’s needed. You don’t have to earn your rest, even when the work feels good.

You can be lit up and walk away for the night. That’s self trust in action.

Experiments to explore

🧱 If you're feeling STUCK…
You might be caught in a cycle where every creative spark feels like something you “should” act on. The fear of missing the moment can become a quiet form of pressure, even when the idea is brilliant.

Try this journal prompt:
“What would trusting my creativity to return—on my terms—look like?”

You’re allowed to savor the moment without sprinting into output.

🧪 If you want to EXPLORE…
You’re noticing how your energy rises at unexpected times. What if you can find a way to hold those sparks without becoming beholden to them?

Try this:
Create a late night “idea drop zone.” Whether it’s a voice note, a Notion page, or a sticky note, the goal is to catch the idea without committing to act on it yet.

Observe how your body feels when you hold the idea without moving into urgency.

📐 If you're ready to REFINE…
You’ve started noticing that even aligned work can deplete you if it’s not time aware. This is your chance to build in subtle systems that honor your rhythms.

Try this:
Look at how you currently treat “after hours” time. Ask: “What boundaries would I need to protect both rest and creativity?”

Then try one small shift: a wind-down buffer, an auto-snooze on work apps, or a nightly reflection to reconnect with your body before choosing action.

P.S. If this helped you name and reconsider the nuance between flow and overworking, give it a 💜. Share or restack this post to support someone who’s quietly navigating the same blurry edge.