The Infrastructure Behind Creative Flow
Clearing clutter, capturing data, and choosing what really moves the dial.
Some of the most meaningful—and creativity-supporting—work I do is the kind you can’t take a photo of.
In addition to my more visible creative work—websites, photography, branding—I’ve quietly spent years building custom project management systems for small teams. This is the kind of behind-the-scenes support born out of real frustration: endless message threads no one can keep up with, status updates trapped in someone’s head, and files scattered across a digital landscape that feels more like a scavenger hunt than a system.
Usually, this work begins when a client says something like:
“We’ve tried Asana / ClickUp / Monday / [insert tool here]… and we still feel disorganized, not everyone is using it, and it can’t do XYZ which is annoying.”
If you’ve ever been there, you’re not alone.
In fact, I’ve found that the smaller the team (think 2–10 people), the more important it becomes to keep systems simple, customizable, and centered in tools you already use. That’s why I’ve gravitated toward designing project management systems using the Google Workspace tools most teams already have (especially if you're on the Business Plus plan, which unlocks some surprisingly powerful features).
Here’s what that actually means:
It’s not just a spreadsheet. It’s a whole ecosystem:
A shared Google Drive with a thoughtful folder hierarchy that everyone uses (instead of each person making their own mini universe that later becomes a digital archaeology project).
A master project tracker that gives leadership a bird’s eye view and each person a “My Projects” tab.
Built-in task assignments that integrate with Google Tasks, Calendar, and Gmail—no new software needed.
A lightweight but powerful system of progress tags and weekly check-ins, so status meetings become optional.
And, optionally, pairing with a simple time tracker to help you or your team better understand how your time is spent.
That last piece is often the biggest game-changer. I’ve tracked my own time for eight years now, and some of the biggest insights I’ve had about my work didn’t come from gut feelings—they came from data. Not just how I felt about where my energy was going, but proof of it.
With enough data, time tracking becomes a kind of diagnostic tool. You start to see time leaks—those moments or projects where a disproportionate amount of energy goes toward things that aren’t really moving the dial. The 80/20 rule applies here: often, 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. But you can’t figure that out until you’re actually tracking what’s happening.
It’s like holding up a mirror to your business. Sometimes it’s affirming. Sometimes it’s sobering. But either way, it helps you realign.
It’s not about the tools. It’s about the time.
When you’re self-employed—or leading a small team—you want to spend as little time as possible trying to find things. When everyone’s saving stuff in different places, or creating their own project docs and to-do lists, it adds up. Eventually, someone (you?) has to pause everything and clean it all up.
A well-organized Google Drive, paired with a simple shared project system, can prevent that from happening in the first place. It gives everyone the same map. And when the map makes sense, people spend less time looking for the road.
This whole setup works especially well if you’re using a Google Business Plus account—which unlocks powerful features like assignable checkboxes in Google Docs, more control over shared drives, and deeper integrations that make the whole system hum in connectivity.
Organization as Creative Support
This might not seem like a “soulful” topic on the surface—but I’ve come to believe that organization is one of the most under appreciated forms of creative support.
I’m someone who nerds out on organization like Marie Kondo—but with Taylor Swift-level enthusiasm. Recently, that tendency was framed for me in a new light: as an essential tool for sharing creative ideas with the world.
Just yesterday, I was receiving a spiritual intuitive reading from my new friend Heidi (who just launched her own podcast and business doing intuitive readings—go Heidi!), and she pulled the Aardvark card for me: Seven of Crystals – Options and Results.
“You’re really good at sorting through,” she said.
“Like how the aardvark shuffles through the ground and picks up every little thing—they know exactly where to go. You’re someone who can sort through options and help others do the same. That’s your gift.”
That felt spot-on. Because this work—the quiet building of structure beneath the surface—isn’t about making things “perfect” or overly rigid. It’s about creating enough clarity and support that your energy can go toward what really matters, instead of leaking into confusion, delay, or digital clutter.
So here’s the bit to take away from this: Don’t underestimate the power of organizational infrastructure in ways that support you or your team in being more creative. Whether that means carving out time for your own DIY system building, asking your colleagues what tools actually work for them, or hiring someone like me to help you sort through the noise—support is available. And having even a simple, grounded system in place can unlock so much more freedom and flow in your work.
And as someone who’s often brought in to clean up digital messes and help teams build better habits, I can confidently say: a little upfront clarity and systemization can save you hours—and plenty of headaches—down the line.
With spreadsheets and soul,
Avi