I've Been Thinking a Lot About Managers Lately

Not the ones at work — the ones in our heads.

The self-management side of things. Which can be tricky for creatives, and sometimes the "manager" running the show can make things harder than they need to be.

I've noodled out 5 types of self-management styles. Curious which one sounds like you — and I've included a shift for each, because knowing your type only helps if it points somewhere.

The MIA Manager
Nowhere to be found. You're flying by the seat of your pants every day, with no clear direction or plan. Wins aren't celebrated, and accountability? Forget about it.
The shift: Start absurdly small. One weekly check-in with yourself — even just 10 minutes on Sunday to name ONE priority for the week — starts building the muscle a MIA manager never developed.

The Ping-Pong Manager
New day, new plan. Goals and focus change constantly thanks to a healthy dose of shiny object syndrome. Progress feels impossible when you're always shifting gears.
The shift: Give every new idea a mandatory 2-week holding period before you're allowed to act on it. Write it down, then keep working your current plan. Most shiny objects lose their shine by day 4 — the ones that don't were worth the wait anyway.

The Micro-Manager
Obsessed with perfection. Every little detail is scrutinized, and plans are endlessly tweaked. But when it comes to execution? The big priorities never seem to get done.
The shift: Set a hard cap on revision rounds before something has to ship — two passes, max. If you're tweaking a plan for the fourth time instead of executing it, that's the tell.

The Tyrant Manager
Harsh and relentless. Nothing you do is ever good enough, wins are ignored, and your work is constantly criticized. This one is exhausting and just plain mean.
The shift: Borrow the "would I say this to a client?" test. If a friend or client showed you what you accomplished this week, would you tell them it was worthless? Probably not. Start applying that same standard to yourself.

The Balanced Manager
The dream manager. This one celebrates your wins, sets clear goals, holds you accountable when necessary, and prioritizes progress over perfection. Supportive but firm when needed, always focused on moving forward.
How to build one: Most people don't naturally have a Balanced Manager voice — it's built, usually by borrowing structure from outside yourself (a coach, an accountability partner, a simple weekly review ritual) until it becomes internal.

So — what type of self-manager are you? And is it the one running the show most days, or just the one you wish was?