Everything you’ve been told about consistency is backwards.

The most successful thought leaders I know don’t create content every day.

In fact, they barely think about content at all.

While everyone else is scrambling for Monday morning inspiration, burning out from daily posting schedules, and apologizing for “being inconsistent,” these experts are building unstoppable authority with a completely different approach.

They’ve figured out the answer.

Your content should work harder than you do.

Last year I was backstage at an event in Sydney, Australia – soon to hit the stage in front of over 1000 industry experts.

A few minutes before I went on, a brilliant woman pulled me aside as said:

“Can we speak later? I know I need consistency to build my authority, but I can’t keep up. I start strong, life happens, then I’m back to square one. I need the secret.”

The first thing I told her? There is no secret.

Life gets hard, curveballs happen, our energy and bandwidth disappear – and then the non-urgent parts of our life and career get put on hold.

What you need isn’t a secret. What you need is a system.

Here’s what I told her over coffee later that day – and why it changes everything.

The Problem with Traditional Consistency Advice

Most “consistency” advice treats you like a content machine.

Post daily. Show up everywhere. Never miss a beat.

But you’re not a machine—you’re a busy expert with competing priorities, real responsibilities, and a life outside of building your personal brand.

Relying on a predictable schedule to stay consistent is crazy.

The solution isn’t more discipline. It’s a smarter system.

Step 1: Master the 90-Day Content Cycle

Stop sitting down every Monday morning trying to think of something brilliant to say.

Instead, every 90 days, create one high-value piece of thought leadership content that solves an actual problem. This could be:

• A comprehensive industry analysis
• A detailed case study from your experience
• A strategic framework you’ve developed
• A series of hot topics Q&A’s

Then break that single piece into 8-12 shorter content pieces (short videos, articles, social posts etc.) that can fuel your consistency for the next three months.

Why this works: You’re pouring your expertise into one high-value piece, then maximizing its impact—not scrambling for new ideas weekly.

Step 2: Climb the Content Pyramid

Not all thought leadership content is created equal.

To understand this, let’s talk about what I call ‘The Content Pyramid’.

At the top of the pyramid is video content (masterclass), followed by audio content (podcast), followed by long-form written (article) and then finally at the bottom of the pyramid is short-form written (social post).

Imagine if once every 90 days you created one 20-minute video masterclass. Then you edited that into a series of high impact 1-2 minute videos, 3-5 short podcast episodes, 3 LinkedIn articles, 12 social posts, 5 newsletters and dozens of quotes.

Essentially turning one piece of content into 90 days of consistency.

Why this works: The higher up the pyramid you begin, the more options you create underneath. Rather than constantly building new content in different formats.

Step 3: Choose Consistency Over Control

Here’s where most high-performing experts sabotage themselves. They choose control over consistency.

“It has to be every Tuesday at 9 AM. It has to be exactly 500 words. It has to follow this exact format. It has to sound exactly like me. It has to be word perfect.”

Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, this is the No.1 issue I see keeping incredible experts on the sidelines or holding back from sharing their expertise.

Having high expectations is important, until they stop you from showing up.

Instead, the key is to adopt an experimental mindset:

• Try different formats and see what resonates
• Adjust your schedule based on your energy and circumstances
• Give yourself permission to start scrappy
• Tell your audience you’re experimenting—they’ll appreciate the authenticity

Why this works: When it comes to thought leadership, progress beats perfection every day of the week. The bar on impact is never as high as you think.

Step 4: Lead with Your Mission, Not Your Schedule

The most consistent thought leaders I know aren’t driven by posting schedules—they’re driven by purpose.

They share from a place of passion rather than obligation. You constantly feel as though they ‘just had to’ show up and contribute their experience – rather than simply creating another piece of content for social media.

Here are some questions to reignite your fire:

• When was the last time someone asked a question that got you fired up?
• What trends are happening in your field right now that excite you?
• What do you passionately wish people understood?

Why this works: When your consistency is fuelled by mission rather than obligation, showing up becomes natural, not forced.

The Strategic Truth About Authority

Building authority isn’t about being everywhere all the time. It’s about being somewhere consistently, with something valuable to say.

Your audience doesn’t need you to be perfect. They need you to be present.

So, what happened to the woman backstage?

Six months later, she sent me a message.

She’d implemented the 90-day cycle, started with video content, build her consistency, focused on passion over perfect – and had just been invited to speak at her industry’s biggest conference. All while managing a busy life and schedule.

Not because she’d suddenly become a content machine.

But because she’d become strategically consistent.

How can you start making your content work harder than you do?