You have a full-time job. You sit in Zoom meetings for four hours a day. You manage a team. You have a family.
When "gurus" on LinkedIn say you need to post five times a week and spend two hours commenting, you want to laugh.
Who has time for that?
If you have a real job, you cannot copy the strategy of a 22-year-old full-time creator.
The Problem: Hustle vs. Reality Most experts try to build their brand on willpower. They try to write posts during their lunch break. They try to reply to DMs at 10 PM.
This leads to burnout. You do it for two weeks, get tired, and quit.
You don't need to hustle harder. You need a system that fits into your actual life.
The Fix: The P.A.C.E. Protocol I work a 9-to-5 job too. I built my authority engine using a system designed for busy people. I call it the P.A.C.E. Protocol.
It requires about 2 hours on Sunday, and 45 minutes a day during the week.
Here is the schedule.
1. P - Plan (The Sunday Batch)
Never try to write content on a Tuesday afternoon. Your brain is fried from work. You will stare at a blank screen.
The Fix: Write your content once a week. Block out two hours on Sunday morning with coffee. Write three simple posts for the week ahead. Schedule them to go out automatically.
Done. You don't have to think about creating content for the rest of the week.
2. A - Automate (The Robot Assistant)
There are parts of LinkedIn that are just grunt work. Viewing profiles, liking posts, sending connection requests.
You should not be doing this manually.
The Fix: Use tools (like Taplio or Sales Navigator) to handle the low-value tasks. Let the software view profiles of your target audience. This puts your name in their notifications without you lifting a finger.
Let the robots do the manual labour. You do the thinking.
3. C - Check (The Morning Sprint)
Before your real workday starts, spend 15 minutes clearing the deck. Open LinkedIn at 8:00 AM.
The Fix: Look at your inbox. Ignore the spam. Only reply to real humans asking real questions. If a lead came in, send them a quick reply pointing to one of your resources.
Get in, get out.
4. E - Engage (The Lunch Loop)
Posting is not enough. You need to be seen in other people's conversations. But don't comment on random posts.
The Fix: Spend 15 minutes at lunchtime. Go to the profiles of 3 high-value people (recruiters or leaders in your niche). Leave one smart comment on their recent post. Do not just say "Great post!" Add a specific insight from your experience.
This makes you visible to their entire network.
The Takeaway
Building authority is not about spending 8 hours a day on social media.
It is about consistency.
If you use P.A.C.E., you stop relying on willpower. You start relying on a routine. Give it 45 minutes a day. In 90 days, you won't recognize your pipeline.
Your Homework: Open your calendar for this coming Sunday. Block out a 2-hour slot called "Authority Building." Commit to showing up for that meeting with yourself.