Strategist or Hustler?
Why you need to stop being one or the other to focus on being both ...
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 267
Whenever I talk to content creators I hear the similar stories from two different camps.
In the first camp, you have the Hustlers.
These are the people who are relentless.
They post every day, sometimes multiple times.
Their fingers are permanently glued to a keyboard, churning out tweets, Reels, and blog posts. They are drowning in output, but when they look up, they’re not sure if they’re any closer to their goals.
They’re busy all the time, but they’re not necessarily productive.
In the second camp, you have the Strategists.
They have beautiful Notion boards, intricate content calendars, and a library of unread marketing books.
They can tell you all about the latest algorithm update and the theory of pillar content.
But they have a paralysis-by-analysis problem.
They’re waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect idea, the perfect plan.
As a result, their output is a trickle.
Both are convinced the other has it figured out.
The truth is, both are stuck to one degree or another.
Real success—the kind that builds a sustainable business and a lasting audience—isn’t found in one camp or the other. It’s found in the untidy, messy, fertile ground between each camp.
It’s the constant, dynamic dance between Strategy and Action.
Strategy without action is a daydream.
Action without strategy is a nightmare.
Why your brilliant strategy is useless without action
Your beautiful content calendar is a work of fiction until you hit “publish.”
The market doesn’t respond to your plans, to your ideas; it responds to your output. To your action.
Every piece of content you release is a data set, a point in time if you will that tells you what resonates, what falls flat, and what your audience truly craves and connects with.
Action is how you pressure-test your strategy. That “sure-fire” idea you had might bomb. The off-hand remark you made in a story might go viral.
You cannot learn this in a vacuum. You can only learn it by doing.
Consistent action builds momentum, sharpens your voice, and—most importantly—builds a body of work. No one ever built an audience with a perfectly formatted spreadsheet.
Why your frantic hustle is exhausting without strategy
Posting for the sake of posting is like digging a hole without knowing if you’re looking for water or gold, or if you’re digging a foundation.
You’ll end up tired and in a deep pit with no way out. The “always-on” hustle leads to burnout, a scattered message, and an audience that doesn’t know what you truly stand for. Been there. Done that.
Strategy is your compass. It answers the critical questions:
Why am I creating this?
Who is it for?
What do I want them to think, feel, or do after they consume it?
Your strategy ensures that every Reel, every newsletter, every blog post is a brick in the same house. It aligns your content with your business goals, so your creativity actually drives growth.
The virtuous cycle: how action and strategy fuel each other
The magic happens when you stop seeing actions and strategy as separate entities and when you start seeing them as a single, integrated system.
The Strategist sets the stage: You block out a morning to plan your core theme for the month: “Client Onboarding.” Your strategy is to create three pieces of content that reduce customer support questions.
The Hustler takes the field: You execute. You film a quick Loom video walking through a common mistake. You write a short LinkedIn post with three onboarding tips. You create a simple checklist PDF.
The Strategist learns and adapts: The Loom video gets huge engagement, but the checklist is barely downloaded. This is your data. Your audience prefers video for process-based learning. Your next strategic move is to double down on short-form video tutorials. The strategy is now smarter because of the action.
The Hustler slows down to see what’s going on: You resist the urge to churn out three more videos in order to analyze the comments on the Loom video. What specific part of the onboarding process are people still confused by? You notice several questions about integrating with a specific software tool. This isn’t just a signal to create more video; it’s a signal to create a specific, problem-solving video. You use this direct feedback to script a hyper-targeted tutorial that addresses this exact pain point, ensuring your next action is not just fast, but precisely aimed.
This is the virtuous cycle: Plan → Act → Measure → Learn → Adapt. Rinse and repeat.
How to find your balance today
If you’re a perpetual Hustler, stop. Schedule one hour this week for strategic thinking. Ask yourself: “If I could only achieve one thing with my content this quarter, what would it be?” Now, look at your last ten pieces of content. How many directly serve that goal?
If you’re a chronic Strategist, start. Your plan is 80% good enough. Pick one small piece of it and ship it this week. Not next month. Not when the branding is perfect. This week. The feedback you get will be more valuable than another week of tweaking your plan.
Don’t just be a dreamer with a plan. Don’t just a worker bee without a hive.
Be the architect who isn’t afraid to pick up a hammer. Be the builder who embraces the art of planning. That’s where the real building begins.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: Stop waiting for New Year’s day!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.