Please forward this to a high-impact leader who needs the energy edge. If this was forwarded to you, get plugged in here.

⚡ QUICK SPIN:

You blocked the day.

You promised yourself space.

You even called it your “recovery runway.”

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And then…

🔔 Dings

📞 Unexpected calls

📬 A few “just quick” things

🧠 One too many tabs open in your brain

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Welcome to The Creep.

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It’s what happens when your calendar says “recovery” but your life didn’t get the memo.

🛠️ MY TURN:

Last Thursday, I landed from our incredible family vacation across California.

Friday? Full recharge mode. I blocked the whole day.

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No meetings. No calls. Just space to reorient before the week and recover from jet lag.
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But by mid-Tuesday?

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🚨 I was on my sixth unplanned call.

🧠 I was answering DMs, chasing follow-ups, and trying to play catch-up I didn’t ask for.

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What started as white space became whiplash.

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And here’s the kicker:

Even with all I know about boundaries, energy, and recovery...The Creep got me.

🧠 THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE CREEP:

Let's unpack it...

📉 Schedule Degradation Bias

According to a study in the Journal of Applied Psychology, leaders consistently underestimate how quickly “buffer time” erodes, especially in digital-first work environments.

🧠 Cognitive Context Drift

Neuroscience confirms that interruptions—even “quick ones”—can derail your mental momentum for 23 minutes or more (Gloria Mark, UC Irvine).

⚠️ Solopreneur Fallacy

When you are the team, you subconsciously overcorrect to feel “productive” even during protected time...leading to boundary bleed without noticing.

So even when we plan our weeks right…

🛠️ STRATEGY: THE CREEP COUNTERMEASURE (v2):

Let’s update last week’s model with real-world calibration:

1: Call It What It Is

Name your blocked time like it matters:

• “Non-Negotiable CEO Energy Block”
• “Creative Priority Zone”
• “Do Not Derail Day”

2: Add a Creep Buffer

Instead of a full-day block, break it into 2 x 2-hour priority windows.

Leave 1 hour for “the inevitable.”

Now the unplanned doesn’t sabotage the essential.

3: The 4 PM Reality Check

Each day, pause at 4 PM:

• Did I lead my energy today?
• Or did the day lead me?

4: Visual Creep Audit (Friday)

On a sticky note or whiteboard, list:

• What did I say yes to that wasn’t planned?
• Why did I say yes?
• What would I do differently?

This isn’t rigidity.

This is self-leadership under pressure.

🤗 YOUR TURN:

What started as a recovery window…

Turned into your busiest day of the week?

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Yeah. I see you.

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So let’s ask:

Leave it in the comments...or better yet, book it on your calendar right now.

👊 LET'S TALK:

I help high-impact leaders protect the thing they need most:

Their energy.

And that means building real-world systems that hold up in the middle of messy, high-growth life.

If you’re done letting your boundaries leak and your power scatter, let’s fix it.

👉 www.adamwbarney.com​

Cheers, Adam

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P.S. 👉 Want to comment or share this post? Join the conversation on LinkedIn.

Finally, guess what? After years of “you should launch a podcast,” I finally did.

It’s called Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?

I’m pulling back the curtain on what’s actually working (and what’s BS) in the world of modern marketing. 🎧 Subscribe here if you’re curious.

🥚 BONUS EASTER EGG FOR POST-VACATION LEADERS:

If you’re coming off a break and already feel behind…

The answer isn’t to push harder.

It’s to lead smarter.