Picture this: it’s 9pm, your laptop is still open, and your calendar looks like a game of Tetris gone wrong. Back‑to‑back Teams calls, chat and email pings, WhatsApp groups, and somewhere in the chaos, some bullet points jotted down that you’ve been mulling over for weeks that were meant to be your big idea. Sound familiar? For too many folks in our industry, this is the norm. And it’s killing creativity. 

We’ve confused activity with progress and built a culture where being “always on” feels like a badge of honour, but in reality, it’s a creativity tax. The habit of constant meetings and reactive work doesn’t just drain energy; it robs us of the deep-thinking time that breakthrough ideas demand. 

Why this matters now 

2026 will be another year of big changes. The industry will experience more seismic shifts, AI will keep accelerating, budgets will tighten and the pressure to deliver standout work will only grow. But here’s the truth: the best work of your life won’t come from being busier. It’ll come from being braver about how you spend your time. 

And if you need proof, look at what our industry is asking for. When NABS launched The Yay List, inviting our donors to share their hopes for the year ahead, a clear theme emerged... time. Not just more of it, but better-quality time. 

“Time to pause, reflect and reconnect with what really matters.” 

“Time to breathe, think and create.” 

“Time to rest and recharge.” 

“Time to reconnect with purpose.” 

“Time to celebrate the people behind the work.” 

Some imagined this gift as a “collective nap,” a “pitch pause for December,” even “January off.” These playful ideas point to a serious truth - in an industry that thrives on speed and innovation, the most valuable gift might just be the permission to slow down. 

Breaking the habit 

So, what do we do? We start by breaking the busy habit. Not with grand gestures or unrealistic resolutions, but with small, deliberate changes that protect the one resource creativity can’t live without - time and space. 

I don’t get it right all the time – far from it – but I do encourage my team to set their own pace with their time; to make use of ‘do not disturb’ mode on Teams and to set boundaries around when they can realistically deliver work. 

When we first moved completely online in lockdown, one of the first things I noticed was the impact that all the different notifications were having on our mental health (my own included), so we workshopped how we would communicate, on which channels, and when to make it more manageable. These are habits that we’ve carried through and have helped us collaborate successfully as a team ever since. 

Here are five habits to make 2026 your most creative year yet: 

1. Block thinking time like your life depends on it
   One hour a day minimum (preferably two), no meetings, no notifications. Guard it like a major deadline. 
2. Kill the 60 minute meeting
   Make it 45, or better yet, 25. If you can’t solve it in that time, it probably needs a Teams message or email, not another hour of your life. 
3. Swap “urgent” for “important” in your team’s language
   Urgency culture is a creativity killer. Start asking: does this move the work forward, or just keep us busy? 
4. Build a “no‑meeting day” culture
   One day a week for deep work. Radical? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely. 
5. Use tech to protect focus, not distract from it
   Mute notifications. Mute emails. Turn off the dopamine drip of constant alerts. 

What good looks like 

Imagine a team that spends less time talking about ideas and more time making them; a culture where thinking time isn’t a guilty pleasure but a strategic priority. That’s not a pipe dream, it’s a discipline. And it starts with leaders modelling the behaviour. If you’re in charge, your calendar sets the tone. Clear space, and your team will follow. 

Start small, think big 

The hype cycle will keep spinning in 2026. New priorities, new platforms, new tools, new trends. But the marketers who make the best work of their lives won’t be the ones chasing every shiny thing. They’ll be the ones who slow down enough to think deeply, challenge assumptions, and create with intent. 

So here’s your resolution: break the busy habit. Start with one change this week. Cancel a meeting, block out an hour, say no to the noise. Because the best ideas don’t happen in the gaps between calls. They happen when you give them room to breathe.