Why most Creators quit too soon (and how to not be one of them)

The moment I hear the word "discipline" I run for the hills.

If I’m honest I started the 2Hour Creator Stack because I was tired.

Tired of trying to force myself into systems that didn’t fit. Tired of feeling like I needed to do more, post more, hustle harder — just to be taken seriously.

Tired of reading the same advice over and over and over again… and still feeling stuck.

Ten months ago, I had zero following. No niche. No strategy. No subscribers.

Just a few hours a week and a strong feeling that I needed to write things down, for myself more than anyone else.

So that’s what I did. I wrote. I reflected. I tried to make sense of what I’d learned from years of trying (and failing) to build creative projects — freelance writing, ebook publishing, YouTube, the whole lot.

This newsletter started as a way to process all of that. To slow down. To reconnect with my own rhythm. To build something real without burning myself out in the process.

Now there are over 2,850 people reading. And I’m still figuring it out. But a few things have become clear. Most creators don’t quit because they’re lazy, dumb or lack talent.

They quit because the reason they started wasn’t strong enough to carry them through the hard parts. And honestly that’s a big part of it. The reason most creators quit too soon is that they start for the wrong reasons. But it is never just that simple. So here are 5 key things I’ve seen first hand that make creators quit too soon and how to make sure you do not become one of them.

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1. The slow erosion. Prevention over cure

Most people don’t just decide to quit. It’s a long slow process that ends in frustration, shattered dreams and burnout. They just start to write less, post less and then the niggling doubts of: “What’s the point?” set in.

I see this all the time. In fact most people who started at the same time as me have stopped posting. One of the first people I connected with here burnt out and quit six months ago. The hard thing for me is that I saw it coming. The frustration came through in his writing and instead of taking a step back he started doing more. He went from posting weekly to daily in an attempt to try and push through and somehow gain more traction that way.

Take it from me, you will not gain more subscribers by writing more. Growth and writing are two separate things and you will do better if you think of them as separate projects.

This isn’t about motivation. It’s about meaning. You lose your “why” long before you lose your willpower. But if that’s too intangible for you here is what I would tell every new substack writer:

Pace yourself.

You wouldn’t go to the gym and start benching 200 KGs so why do you think you can just start writing and publishing everyday?

The moment I hear the word discipline I run for the hills. People talking about discipline are approaching this in the wrong way and they will inevitably burn out.

If you need discipline to write you are starting out with a huge disadvantage. Spend some time working on a process that gives you energy and that you naturally prioritise above other things.

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2. 3 Dimensional Consistency

Being consistent is important but it’s misunderstood. Most people think of consistency as posting to a particular cadence.

“Just keep showing up everyday for a year and your life will change”.

This is wishful thinking. Posting at a particular frequency is the absolute bare minimum. If you want to get fit then you need to go to the gym. But just going to the gym won’t change anything. The important thing is what you actually do when you get there?

You can lift weights for years and do yourself serious damage if you are doing the exercises wrong. Here’s a different way to think about consistency:

• Tone.

• Message

• Strategy.

You can post everyday and still confuse your readers. Cadence is not the differentiator.

Your tone of voice: This is what brings people back. Are you relatable? Witty? Contrarian? Most people don’t spend much time thinking about this but it is far more important than just posting everyday.

Your message: This is what gives you substance and depth. It is what will attract the right people. You have to repeat it over and over and over again. Just writing it on your about page is not enough. It has to shine through in every piece.

Your strategy: This doesn’t mean making a plan and sticking to it no matter what. That’s not consistent that’s just rigid. It requires running experiments and adapting the strategy based on the results you get. Consistent iteration is what will bring consistent growth.

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3. The work feels pointless right before it gets good.

Nothing happens, then everything happens.

I published into the void on youtube for two years before anything interesting happened. Now I’m having to turn down opportunites which just 6 months ago I would have killed to get.

It took me 3 months to get 100 Substack subscribers and one or two comments on my posts. Now I sometimes get that in 1 week. To be honest I enjoyed these first few months of obscurity. I was laser focused on me, my rhythm, my energy, my aspirations.

Calling it “beginners hell” is starting off on the wrong foot. If your goal is to “escape” a phase as quickly as possible you create a tight, high pressure high stress situation. The focus is on external metrics and validation and the worst thing is that its self imposed.

The deciding factor between those who quit and those who keep going is the reason behind why they are writing.

Make getting good at writing, finding your voice, and developing your strategy— the number one priority. Growth will come later.

There’s a strange moment — usually after a few months — when the posts get better, but the response stays flat. This lag is where most people give up. But this lag is also the final test. Can you keep going when you’re improving but not yet being seen?

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4. Choosing identity over growth.

You won’t grow in a straight line. But your sense of identity will. The first few months aren’t about building an audience — they’re about becoming someone who you respect, admire and trust.

That shift in identity is what makes the rest possible. Most creators quit because their identity is “growth”. The reason they start is because they want to build an audience and when they realise this is harder than they expected they give up.

There is only one way to succeed on this journey and that is to adopt the identity of the learner. If you tie your identity to learning then you become curious as to why no one is reading your work, why you’re not gaining traction or why you feel stressed out from posting everyday.

You don’t see it as a failure but as a series of experiments that need to be tinkered with. It seems self evident and yet 99% of people do not approach life in this way. If something is not working they seek someone to blame. If an experiment failed they try to deflect responsibility. The learner doesn’t care about protecting their ego. They just want to get better.

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5. There is no moment where it “feels like it’s working.”

Humans are highly adaptive. Even when you grow, even when the comments come in, the feeling of “is this working?” never fully goes away. Which is why the only creators who last are the ones who learn to love the process, not just the payoff.

if you get a sudden spike in subscribers it’s incredibly exciting for…maybe…one day. It then normalises and as soon as the spike dips you begin to feel like something is not working. That’s not just an emotional roller coaster it can completely derail your trajectory just when things are starting to take off.

So a quick recap: How to still be here in a years time:

1. Develop a rhythm and a process that complements your current lifestyle. Be wary of discipline, force, or “just getting it done.”

2. Rethink consistency. If something is not working, continuing “to just keep showing up” is madness.

3. What is your reason for being here? It needs to be deeper than, “build an audience”, “self expression” or “make money.”

4. Identity is the key driver behind behaviour. If you identify as “the expert” you have to constantly convince, prove and defend this position. If you identify as the learner you are grateful when someone proves you wrong.

5. There is no “I’ve made it number.” Those who gain energy and validation from the process will keep going even when the outcomes are not what they expected.

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Thanks for reading. If you are interested I still have a few spots left in June for a 1:1 Substack audit and strategy session. You’ll get Personalised feedback on your Substack. We’ll look at what’s working, what’s not, and why you might not be gaining traction —even if you’re posting regularly.

You’ll leave with clear, practical steps tailored to your writing and goals.

Check out availability and book your spot down below:

That’s it from me. Just remember. Take it one step at a time.