64 | The Busywork Trap: Why You're Doing So Much and Still Not Moving Forward

Ever finish a full day of “working” on your author business… only to realize nothing actually moved forward?

In this episode of the Anointed Scribe Podcast, we’re talking about the busywork trap — the sneaky cycle that keeps Christian authors stuck in constant activity without real progress. If you’ve been tweaking, planning, researching, organizing, and “getting ready”… but not seeing results, this episode will bring instant clarity.

You’ll learn:

• What busywork looks like for authors (and why it’s so easy to fall into)
• The real reason you keep doing it (hint: it feels safe)
• The tell-tale signs you’re stuck in busywork mode
• A simple “Fruitful Filter” to help you choose the right next step with peace

If you’re craving a calmer, clearer, Spirit-led rhythm for your writing life — without pressure, burnout, or second guessing every move — press play.

🎧 Listen now and choose ONE fruitful step to finish this week.

👉 Want help building a peaceful author business with God at the center?

Check out Revive to Thrive Way

Chapters

• 0:35 Are you caught in a trap?
• 2:49 The Busywork Trap
• 3:53 What Busy Work Looks Like For Authors
• 10:35 Does This Task Bring Me Peace or Does It Feed Pressure?
• 12:50 This Weeks Assignment: Choose One Proven Task and Finish It
• 14:05 How to Restlessly Write (And Revive Your Life!)
• 15:36 How to Revive Your Author Business the Worlds Way
• 17:35 Become an Anointed Scribe

Transcript

Have you ever had one of those days where you worked on your author business all day long, like you were busy, busy,

but then you get to the end of the day and you're staring at the to do list and you can't check off most of the tasks on it,

and then you sit there thinking, what did I actually do that moved me forward today?

Like, seriously, what did I do all day that now has me exhausted with nothing to show for it?

Friend, if like me, you've had those days, then you're going to want to stick around for today's episode. Because I want to gently expose what's really happening here.

Because it's not laziness or being undisciplined.

It's simply something I call the busy work trap.

And I have absolutely fallen into this trap many, many times.

And what I've come to learn is that it's not a case of needing more hours in the day,

but more about needing clarity and a strategy that doesn't come with pressure and panic.

So today we are going to look at what busy work looks like,

why we fall into this trap, the tell tale signs that you are caught in this trap, and how to get your peace back without needing to overhaul your entire author life.

This is the Anointed Scribe Podcast.

I'm Urcelia Teixeira, ex real estate agent turned award winning Christian fiction author.

When I wrote my first novel on a bucket list whim, I had no idea it would spark a spirit spiritual journey that would redefine my calling. But you know what friend?

Self publishing wasn't easy. I got caught in the hustle, chasing rankings and sales while desperately trying to stay rooted in Christ.

Now, by God's grace, I'm building my author business his way. And now he's called me to help you do the same.

Welcome to the Anointed Scribe Podcast where faith meets business for Christian writers.

Lets write, publish and grow our author business God's way. Are you ready? Well then, let's get started.

Hey, it's your author friend, Urcelia. And welcome back to the Anointed Scribe Podcast.

The place where we talk about building a successful author business with God at the center, but. But without the pressure, without the burnout, and without copying the world's loud, chaotic strategies.

And today, today we're talking about busy work.

You know, the stuff that makes you feel productive but doesn't actually grow your readership, your income, or let's be honest, your peace.

Now, I know busy work might sound like a simple topic, but friend, this is One of those sneakiest traps I can see Christian authors fall into all the time, myself included.

Because unlike procrastination,

where you know you're avoiding work,

busy work makes you feel like you're being responsible,

like you're showing up, like you're doing the thing right?

But at the end of the week, you look back and realize nothing actually moved forward.

And that feeling,

that's frustrating. That's exhausting.

And it can make you question whether this whole author thing is even working.

So today, I want to shine a light on what's really happening.

Not to make you feel bad, but to help you see it clearly so that you can move out of it.

So let's dig in and let's make this super practical today, because I think we all know busy work when we feel it, right?

But we don't always know what it looks like in real life.

So here's what I think busywork looks like for us authors.

It's tweaking your author Bio for the 10th time.

It's redoing your website homepage again.

It's reorganizing your scrivener folders instead of actually writing.

It's making canva graphics for social media when you haven't emailed your list in two months.

It's researching Facebook ads for three hours straight, but never actually launching a campaign.

It's changing your Amazon categories every other week because maybe this one will be the magic combo, right?

It's writing down another marketing plan but not executing the one you already wrote.

Or creating a new reader magnet because maybe the first one isn't good enough.

I'm over here laughing because I have literally done all of these, like, not even joking, every single one.

And here's what's tricky about busy,

busy work isn't always pointless, right?

A lot of these tasks actually do matter at some point.

The issue isn't that they're bad tasks.

The issue is that busy work becomes a hiding place.

And it's so easy to get sidetracked because, let's face it, we wear so many different hats. So let's actually just talk about why this happens, because once we understand why,

you can stop being mad at yourself.

And we don't want that, because everything spirals from there on out, right?

So I've come up with three reasons why I think we bury ourselves in busy work.

If you have more or disagree, please shoot me a dm. I'd love to know.

Okay, number one, here's my list.

Busy work feels safe.

It feels controllable.

If you're feeling uncertain about your writing. Maybe you're a little stuck on what to write at the moment,

or you're unsure whether your marketing is actually working.

Or maybe you're scared to spend money on ads because what if they flop?

Or you're just afraid your next book won't sell as well as the last one.

Then Busy work gives you this feeling of okay, at least I'm doing something,

be it subconsciously or consciously.

And that's comforting, right?

It feels productive. It feels like progress,

even when deep down you know it's not really moving the needle.

Number two Busy work is often fear in a pretty outfit. Let me say that again because it is so true.

Busy work is often fear dressed up in a pretty productive outfit. It's fear of being seen,

fear of not being good enough,

fear of failing publicly,

fear of trying something and it not working. Perhaps even again after a previous bad launch, for example.

So we default to what feels productive but doesn't require courage, right?

We stay in the safe zone, the comfort zone, the tweak zone, the I'm working but not risking zone.

Number three. We've been trained to think more equals better.

Okay, this one is huge because we live in a world, especially online,

where it feels like you're supposed to be posting daily,

emailing weekly, launching constantly, writing faster, growing faster,

scaling now, and somehow also resting well,

like it's insane when you actually say it out loud, right? And all of this creates this subtle sneaky message that says if you are not doing everything, you are doing nothing.

How many times have we heard that saying which leads to, you guessed it, busy work.

Because if you can't do everything,

you might as well do little bits of random things and hope something sticks.

Now I want to give you a quick little self check moment because awareness is powerful and sometimes we just need someone to hold up a mirror.

So I've created a little list of the telltale signs that you are in busy work mode, friend.

So here we go.

You are doing lots of tasks, but avoiding the one task you know matters most.

Like you'll do 15 small things to avoid the one big scrap. Scary thing.

Number two the keep preparing for visibility but never actually being visible. You're getting ready to get ready, but you're not showing up yet.

Number three, you are spending more time organizing than creating,

reorganizing, rebranding, restructuring, but not writing, not connecting, not launching.

Next one. You feel scattered after working instead of clear.

Like you worked all day, but you can't even explain what you've accomplished I've definitely had those days.

The last one, you feel exhausted, but nothing is finished.

Everything's halfway done. Nothing's launched. You're tired, but there's no fruit. And if you're sitting there like, oh, oh, a Celia, that's me.

That's literally me right now. It's okay. Just take a breath.

I'm not telling you all this to shame you. I'm sharing this because guess what? It's fixable.

So how do you get out of this trap?

Here's what I've personally learned.

You don't need a new planner, friend. You don't need a new productivity system.

You need a new filter.

Here's the filter I want you to borrow from me this week. I call it the fruitful filter.

I love making up these names.

The fruitful Filter. Because before you do any task, and I mean literally any task, I want you to ask yourself these three questions.

Does this create fruit or just activity? Does what you are doing right now create fruit or is it just an activity? Because here's the thing.

Activity looks like work.

But fruit, Fruit looks like outcomes, right?

Fruit looks like more readers finding your book,

stronger relationships with your email list, more sales and income, more peace in your heart, more freedom,

consistent writing momentum.

So before you dive into that task, ask, is this going to create fruit? Is this going to move me forward and closer to my goals and my calling?

Or is this just going to make me feel productive?

Question number two.

Does this task bring me peace or does it feed pressure? Friend, hear me on this.

God does not lead through panic. He.

He just doesn't.

Pressure can push you forward for a season,

but it will not sustain you. And if you've been running on pressure for a long time, you're going to feel tired in your bones.

That bone deep exhaustion that no amount of sleep seems to fix.

And that's not your fault, but it's also not your portion.

So ask yourself, does this task bring me peace or does it feed the pressure I'm already feeling?

Question 3. Is this obedience or is it avoidance?

Okay, this one will tell the truth really quickly, right?

Because sometimes the thing you are doing isn't what you are actually called to do, right?

It's what you are doing.

Because it helps you avoid the thing that requires faith.

Examples.

Emailing your list even though your open rates are low and you're scared no one cares.

Or writing the next book even though you're afraid it won't sell because the previous one didn't write.

Or launching that ad campaign even though it might flop because you just don't have the head for numbers and for ads.

Those moments are tender, friend. They are vulnerable. But here's the thing.

They're also where the most growth happens.

And sometimes we need to gently ask ourselves, am I doing this because God said to,

or am I doing this because it helps me avoid the scary thing I don't want to do?

Okay, I promised myself I'll keep this simple and gentle this week because I'm not here to overwhelm you.

But I am here to take you one clear step forward because I genuinely ache when I read the quiz responses I've been getting in.

So this week, your assignment is not to overhaul your whole author business.

It's just this. Choose one fruitful task and finish it. Not five tasks,

not ten.

One.

So what do I mean by a fruitful task?

These are tasks that actually move you forward in your business.

For example, you could choose to write a thousand words on your next chapter.

Or you could send one email to your subscriber list, even just one short one.

Set up a simple reader magnet funnel, or launch one ad campaign, even if it's a tiny five dollar a day one.

How about updating your back matter? Call to action in your published books.

Or post one honest, vulnerable post that invites readers into your world.

These are all tasks that will move the needle for you. So just pick one this week. Just one.

And I want you to finish it.

Even if it's not perfect.

Especially if it's not perfect.

Because, friend, listen, Perfection is just another sneaky form of fear.

So don't get caught up in perfection,

because it will quickly spiral into procrastination. Right? And we know where it lands up from there.

Okay, I just want to speak to the author who's sitting there right now feeling like I'm doing everything and it's still not working.

Friend,

I can just say this gently.

Just because it's not going the way you want it to right now doesn't mean you're failing.

You're learning,

you are refining. And honestly, you are probably doing better than you think.

And I believe part of what's happening in this season is that God is inviting you into a simpler way, a lighter way, a more peaceful way.

Not a way where you stop showing up, but a way where you stop carrying your author business like it's an emergency. Because it's not.

God is not stressed. So guess what? We don't have to be either.

So this week, just do this. Pick one fruitful task and finish it. That's it.

And if you want help creating a peaceful rhythm in your author life where you know what to do and you're not constantly second guessing yourself,

you can check out the Revive to Thrive Way in the show notes. No rush, no pressure,

just an invitation.

And if today's episode helped you, I would absolutely love it if you would share it with a fellow author friend who needs to hear this too.

That's how we grow this little community of anointed scribes, right?

Because just like me,

for such a time as this,

you have been called to thrive as God's anointed scribe.

So let's step out of the busy work and into what he's called you to keep writing.

Stay rooted and I'll talk to you next week.

Friend, before you go, I want to tell you about something I've been working on that I'm really excited about.

If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you know I talk a lot about building your author business God's way.

But here's what I've noticed. A lot of Christian authors are doing all the right things.

They're writing the books, running the ads, building the list. But they're still stuck,

still burnt out,

still feeling like they're hustling hard but not getting the breakthrough they've been praying for.

And the problem isn't your work ethic. That's not your books. That's not even your marketing.

The problem is you are trying to build a business the world's way while hoping God will bless it. And friend, that's exhausting. I know because I did it for years.

That's why I created the Revive to Thrive Way, a transformational program specifically for Christian authors who are tired of the hustle and ready to build their business with God,

not just for Him.

This isn't another course teaching you tactics and strategies you've already tried.

This is about three fundamental spirit LED shifts that change everything.

How you show up, how you make decisions, and how you build sustainable growth that actually honors God and protects your calling.

The Revive to Thrive Way is the exact way God showed me to that took me from burnt out and struggling to anointed and flourishing.

Inside the program, you'll get the exact framework I used,

including video training, practical workbooks, and the three shifts that will completely transform how you approach your author business.

Doors are opening very soon. I promise you this program will set the course for your best year yet.

Not because you'll hustle harder,

but because you'll finally be building in alignment with how God designed you to grow.

So if you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start seeing real breakthrough, head over to anointed scribe.com/revivetothrive and get on the wait list right now.

That's anointedscribe.com/revivetothrive I'll put the link in the show notes so you can click straight through.

I cannot wait to see what God does in your business when you make these shifts, friend.

Because for such a time as this,

you have been called to thrive as God's anointed scribe. I'll see you next week.