The Capacity Trap: Why Your Calendar Is Full But Your Capacity Is Empty
- Tarra Stubbins
- Dec 18, 2025
- 5 min read
Your Calendar is Perfect. You’re Still Struggling. Here’s Why:
You have a color-coded calendar. Time blocks for deep work. Buffer between meetings. And you’re still exhausted.
After 20+ years working with Mick Jagger, Lady Gaga, and 7-figure creators, I’ve learned something the productivity gurus won’t tell you
Your calendar is full, but your capacity is empty. And that’s why you’re struggling.
In this article, I’m going to explain:
What the capacity trap actually is (and why it’s not about time)
Why growing your audience makes it worse
The one equation that explains everything
What to do about it (starting today)
Part 1: What Is the Capacity Trap?
The Difference Between Time and Capacity
Time is what’s on your calendar. Capacity is what you’re actually carrying.
Your calendar shows:
9am: Content creation
11am: Brand call
2pm: Team meeting
4pm: Admin time
Your capacity is carrying:
47 unanswered DMs creating guilt
3 brand deals you need to evaluate
A product launch you’ve been “planning” for 6 months
Decisions about what to share publicly vs. keep private
The mental weight of being “always on” for your audience
Ideas you’re “going to get to”
Commitments you regret but can’t back out of
Conversations you’re dreading
The constant pressure to show up perfectly
Your calendar says you have time. Your nervous system says you are drowning. This is the capacity trap.
Why Time Management Doesn’t Work for Creators
Traditional time management assumes your program is how you’re spending your hours. But that’s not your problem. Your problem is what you’re carrying that doesn’t show up on your calendar.
Think about it. You could have a completely empty calendar and still be exhausted because you’re carrying:
The mental tab open for every DM you haven’t answered
The decision fatigue from evaluating opportunities
The cognitive load of managing your public image
The emotional weight of being visible 24/7
That’s capacity. And no calendar app can manage it.
Part 2: The Capacity Equation
After working with hundreds of high performers, I developed this framework:
Capacity = (Energy x Focus) / Cognitive Load
Energy = Your physical and mental fuel (sleep, healthy, recovery)
Focus = Your ability to concentrate without interruption (deep work, no context switching)
Cognitive Load = Everything you’re carrying mentally (decisions, open loops, commitments, visibility demands)
Why Most Creators Only Work on Half the Equation
Most productivity advice tells you to:
Get better sleep (increase energy)
Time block your calendar (protect your focus)
And those things help. But they ignore the denominator: cognitive load.
You can’t increase capacity by adding more energy or focus if your cognitive load is crushing you. It’s like trying to run faster while carrying a 100-pound backpack. You don’t need to run faster. You need to drop the backpack.
Part 3: Why Growing Your Audience Makes It Worse
The Visibility Paradox
The more visible you become, the more your capacity gets drained.
Every new follower brings:
More DMS you “should” respond to
More brand deals to evaluate
More people wanting “just 15 minutes”
More pressure to show up perfectly
More decisions about what to share and what to protect
More mental tabs open for things you’re “managing”
This is why so many creators burn out right when they are “making it.”
The Math Equation That Explains Creator Burnout
Let’s use the Capacity Equation to show what happens as you grow:
When you start:
Energy: 8/10
Focus: 7/10
Cognitive Load: 10 things
Capacity = (8x7) / 10 = 5.6
After you “make it”
Energy: 6/10 (you’re working more)
Focus: 5/10 (more interruptions)
Cognitive Load: 60 things (audience demands, opportunities, decisions)
Capacity = (6x5) / 60 = 0.5
Your capacity dropped by 91% even though you’re working longer and harder. That’s the capacity trap.
Part 4: What Your Actually Carrying (The Audit)
Here’s what I do with every creator client on day one:
The Capacity Audit
Open a doc. Brian dump everything you’re carrying right now. Not what’s on your calendar, but what is in your head.
Audience Management:
DMs you need to respond to
Comments you’re monitoring
Engagement you “should” be doing
Content Creation:
Content you need to film
Ideas you’re “going to get to”
Platforms you’re trying to maintain
Business Operations:
Brand deals you’re evaluation
Partnerships you’re considering
Products you want to launch
Public Image:
Decisions about what to share
Boundaries you’re trying to set
Reputation you’re managing
Personal Life:
Things you’re hiding from your audience
Relationships affected by your visibility
Privacy you’re trying to protect
Now count them. I bet it’s over 40.
The Truth About Your Brain
Neuroscience tells us that your brain can only effectively manage 5-7 things at once. Everything else is costing you capacity. If you’re carrying 30, 40, 60 things, you’re operating at a fraction of your actual capacity. And that’s why you are exhausted, even though your calendar looks “manageable.”
Part 5: What to Do About It
The Three Ways to Increase Capacity
Looking at the equation again:
Capacity = (Energy x Focus) / Cognitive Load
You have three options:
Option 1: Increase Energy
Sleep More
Exercise
Eat better
Take breaks
This helps. But it’s not enough.
Option 2: Increase Focus
Time blocking
Deep work sessions
Fewer interruptions
This helps too. But it’s still not enough.
Option 3: Reduce Cognitive Load
Kill commitments that don’t matter
Close open loops
Delegate entire categories of decisions
Stop carrying what someone else could carry
The One Question That Changes Everything
Before you say yes to anything (brand deals, collaborations, opportunity, commitment) - ask:
“Is this worth the capacity it will cost?”
Not “Is this a good opportunity”
Not “Will this grow my audience”
Because every yes is a no to something else. Every commitment is another thing you’re carrying. Every open loop is draining your capacity.
Your first Step (Do This Today)
Do the Capacity Audit. Brain dump everything you’re carrying. Count it. Then ask yourself:
“What would happen if I just stopped carrying half of this?” Because most of what you are actually carrying doesn’t even matter. You’re just carrying guilt about projects that literally no one else is thinking about.
Drop the 100 pound backpack.
Conclusion: The Capacity Trap is Optional
Your calendar is full, but your capacity is empty. Every time you say yes to something that costs more capacity than it’s worth, you’re choosing the capacity trap. Every time you carry something someone else can carry, you’re choosing the capacity trap. Every time you try to “manage your time better” instead of reducing your cognitive load, you’re choosing the capacity trap.
You need to ruthlessly protect your capacity. And you can start today.
What’s Next?
Step 1: Do the Capacity Audit
Step 2: Ask the Question
Before you say yes to anything this week, ask: “Is this worth the capacity it will cost?”
Step 3: Get Help
If you’re carrying 30+ things and don’t know where to start, let’s talk.
This is what we do at Take It Easy Group. We help creators reduce what they’re carrying so they can actually build something that lasts.
About the Author:
Tarra Stubbins has spent almost 30 years working with rock stars who protected their capacity ruthlessly, including Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga, as well as professional athletes.
Today she’s the founder of Take It Easy Group, where she helps public-facing creators escape the capacity trap and build businesses that don’t drain them.
Her newsletter, FCK The Fluff, delivers weekly lessons on protecting capacity and building legacy.
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