How to Actually Create Time in Your Busy Workweek for Strategic Email Marketing

If you’ve ever thought…

• “I don’t have time for email marketing,”

• “I’m not a tech person,” or

• “I can’t write a new email every week,”

…I want you to know: you’re not alone.

In fact, this is one of the most common roadblocks I hear from family photographers and creative business owners who genuinely want to grow sustainably… but feel like there’s never enough time.

That’s why in Episode 77 of The Systems and Workflow Magic Podcast (also repurposed from my Podcast— so you can read or listen!), I brought back Anna Dearmon Kornick, a time management coach and host of It’s About Time.

Together, we broke down the 4 biggest “time lies” keeping business owners stuck — and what to do instead.

Listen to the Podcast HERE🎙️

(Or scroll to read the entire blog post)

The Truth: Email Marketing Isn’t a “Time” Problem—It’s a Prioritization + Systems Problem

When something feels big, intimidating, or unclear (hello, email marketing tech!), our brains try to protect us by procrastinating.

Anna explained procrastination like a scale:

• One side is negative factors (fear, overwhelm, intimidation, exhaustion)

• The other side is motivation (your WHY + the payoff)

When the negative factors outweigh motivation, you procrastinate.

So the goal isn’t to magically create 10 more hours a week.

The goal is to:

1. reduce overwhelm, and

2. Take the next small step.

Roadblock #1: “I Don’t Have Time to Figure This Out”

If you feel busy 24/7 but you’re not sure where your time went… You need awareness first.

Action Step: Do a Time Study

Track your time for a whole week (yes, even the little stuff). You’ll uncover patterns like:

• hours spent tweaking social captions

• time lost doom-scrolling

• tasks that take longer than you thought

Once you see your time on paper, you can decide: What can I cut, adjust, or simplify to carve out 1 hour/week for email marketing?

Treat that hour like a non-negotiable appointment.

Roadblock #2: “I Don’t Have Time to Create New Lead Magnets”

This is so common—especially for high-achieving creatives who want to serve their audience well.

But here’s your permission slip:

You do NOT need 15 lead magnets.

You need 1–2 strong ones that solve a real, immediate problem for your ideal client.

A simple starting point:

• a checklist

• a short guide

• a private podcast episode

• a simple email template

Pick ONE. Improve it over time. And let it do its job.

More lead magnets = more tech to maintain, more links to break, more automations to troubleshoot.

Simple scales.

Roadblock #3: “I Don’t Have Time to Learn the Tech (I’m Not Techy)”

The first time you set up an automation might take hours.

That’s normal.

You’re building a skill — and skills take reps.

Action Step: Take It “One Rep at a Time”

Instead of trying to build a massive email funnel, start with:

1. a form

2. an automated delivery email

3. tagging/segmenting (later)

It gets easier the more you repeat it — and eventually, what took 3 hours will take 5 minutes.

Also: don’t be afraid to use resources (YouTube tutorials, help docs, community support).

Roadblock #4: “I Don’t Have Time to Write a New Email Every Week”

Good news: you don’t have to.

You can:

• write short emails

• batch 4 emails in one sitting

• reuse content from Instagram captions, blog posts, or podcast notes

• keep it simple and consistent

Email marketing doesn’t need to be fancy.

It needs to be steady.

A Simple Weekly Email Marketing Routine (Start Here)

If you want a realistic plan, try this:

• Week 1: time study + choose your 1-hour weekly email block

• Week 2: pick one lead magnet + draft it (messy is fine)

• Week 3: set up the form + delivery email automation

• Week 4: batch 2–4 weekly emails and schedule them

That’s it. That’s the system.

Want Help Building Your Email Marketing Foundation?

Anna is also speaking at The Systems and Workflow Magic Summit: Email Marketing Edition, where she’ll walk through creating a weekly game plan and a “winning week” framework so you can make time for the marketing tasks that actually move your business forward.

So here are your next steps (reader):

If you’ve been stuck on email marketing because of time, pick just ONE:

• Schedule 1 hour this week

• Choose one lead magnet

• Write one email

Progress over perfection, always.

Want 25% Off of my preferred email marketing platform? Check out Flodesk (my affiliate link)

Meet Your Favorite Launch Planner for Small Biz Owners & Marketing Strategist for Family Photographers (Dolly DeLong Education)