“Guard your own spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson via ZenMoments
“Be ruthless with your time.” ~ Pam Slim
New projects take a tremendous amount of time to incubate, plan, and implement. To make the most of the opportunity, time alone creating and time collaborating with kindred spirits is critical. And in our often overly connected world we can feel guilty for being selfish with our time. We must put the guilt away if we intend to do something truly meaningful. Guard your time – it’s yours to spend as you see fit.
On Friday, I spoke to Poornima Vijayashanker, my friend and founder of Bizeebee. (Bizeebee is company that creates yoga studio management software.) She was one of the first employees at Mint and is a wise, generous person who’s been very supportive of Compass Yoga. On Thursday afternoon, a few of the board members and I had an interesting meeting with a potential partner that left all of our minds swirling. Poornima’s advice helped ground me and see what a gift this Thursday meeting was for our development. And then she gave me some personal advice: carve out Christa-time – entrepreneurs need it and so rarely take it.
Quiet time alone allows our minds to percolate as we develop interesting solutions to tough challenges. To tap our creativity and imaginations, we have to spend time on our own. “Being an entrepreneur is like being in a race by yourself,” Poornima said. “All that really matters is that you’re doing your own personal best every day.” It’s so easy, and harmful, to endlessly compare our business to others. There’s value in keeping our finger on the pulse of the market. It’s not valuable to be hopelessly consumed by what everyone else is doing.
To follow our path, we have to pay attention to our intuition, our heart. And the only way to do that is to know our path. And the only way to know our path is to sit and breathe, alone. We must guard our time like a precious jewel because it is.
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
“Guard your own spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson via ZenMoments
she is indeed a wise lady
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Thanks Christa 🙂 I wish you the best with Compass, please keep me posted!
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Will do, Poornima. And thanks for the pep talk and support!
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Hi Christa, I am writing a book entitled “Prescription for Peace”. I am including a section on Time Management. Could I use the picture of the hand holding the clock on on of the pages of my book? Thank you so much.
Judith Payne
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Hi Judi – the photo is not mine so I’m sorry that I don’t have the ability to approve it. I can’t remember where I got it 😦
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