You have permission to stop using that platform...

Joanne Moorhouse

A calmer way to be visible. Remote brand photography & call free coaching for busy professionals. Neurodivergent & disability inclusive. Author, Trust at First Sight & Remote Stories Around the World.

September 25, 2026

Often those giving marketing advice assume you have hours to spare and a brain that copes well constantly switching between tasks. If this sounds familiar, most marketing advice is quietly setting you up to fail.

I recently capped my own marketing efforts at three hours a week. Not because I lack ambition, but because I've tried the alternative (many hours a week or late nights creating social posts, writing emails and blogs, and more), spreading myself thin along side admin, accounting, client facing work family commitments and time to rest, often producing scattered results instead of what I would have expected to see if done properly.

What I think gets missed in a lot of marketing advice is that overwhelm rarely comes from the actual doing. It comes from the deciding. What to post, where to post it, whether today's the day for a newsletter, whether you should really be on this platform or that. Every one of those tiny decisions costs energy, and if you're neurodivergent, or just stretched thin running a business on your own while also juggling family commitments, then you can only do so much before something has to give.

The fix isn't more discipline. It's fewer decisions. For me, this looks like scheduling marketing and admin hours in my diary and batching when energy levels are high so I don't feel so overwhelmed on those days when just going into the office feels like a struggle. Content gets written during these designated hours in one sitting, for weeks at a time, not invented fresh under pressure every day when I think about it. I post a couple of times a week, not daily, because that's what I can sustain without overwhelm. One newsletter a month, scheduled into my diary reminders and sent on the same week every time, so it's not a new decision each time it's due. Social posts sit well below email, blog, and actual relationship building in my priority order, because that's honestly where the real enquiries come from. Social media is great for nurturing, but not so much for client onboarding.

It also means being honest about what's actually working. If a specific platform isn't bringing in enquiries and you don't enjoy using it, that's permission to stop, not a failure you need to fix. Marketing that drains you without results is not a moral obligation, whatever others tell you, None of this is about doing marketing properly in some textbook sense. It's about building a system small enough that you'll actually manage to not only do it, but stick with it. It's also understanding that you work for yourself (or plan your efforts) and if your energy is low one day and your planned marketing does not get done that day, it is ok. You can always pick it back up when you have the right headspace to work on it and have the time to do so. Just make sure it is done during working hours and not when you should be spending time with family or friends.

If your current approach to marketing feels like it's running your life rather than the other way round, start smaller than feels comfortable. Pick two things and do them consistently. Drop the guilt about everything you're not doing. There is always another day and sometimes there are other things that are more important. The goal should never be to do everything no matter what. It should always be to just be seen, consistently, by the people who need to find you. That's a much smaller job than the internet makes it sound and easier to stick with.

👉 If this issue really spoke to you, I'd love to know what your biggest takeaway was. Share in the comments or send me a DM (if you prefer) and let me know so I can show you some support.

Joanne is the Founder and Creative Director of Joanne Moorhouse Creative and Joanne Moorhouse Photography. She works mainly with camera-shy, neurodivergent and time-poor professionals, helping them build trusted brands through simple visual strategy, photography and storytelling that reflect their personality and goals. Based in North Yorkshire, England, Joanne specialises in remote brand photography and call-free coaching, giving her clients worldwide a way to move forward when traditional methods feel uncomfortable or simply don't fit a full schedule. She also supports charities whenever she can. Away from work, Joanne enjoys exploring the countryside with her camera, listening to music and spending time with family and friends. In the office, she is often ruled by her two cats, who make their presence known and demand a dreamie or two from time to time. Joanne is the author of Trust at First Sight and Remote Stories Around the World. Learn more at joannemoorhousecreative.com.