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In my last article, Just Do It! I shared 4 steps for getting unstuck in your creative endeavors, based upon my own struggles to get ideas out of my mind and onto the page. Here are a few more tips I've found helpful as I continue to work on my projects...
#5: Schedule It!
My plan for the day generally goes something like this: wake up, walk, be creative, see clients. It's a great plan, and most of it gets done. Except for the ‘be creative' part. Somehow, no matter how excited I am about the projects I'm working on, no matter how many great ideas I get while strolling through the park, a look back on the weeks and months show more walking and clients than writing.
And there's a reason for that... ‘writing' isn't on my schedule. ‘Being creative' is. And make no mistake, they are not the same thing.
Scheduling creativity is tricky for many people. For years I resisted it, whether working on music, articles, or books. It felt too technical, too contrived... how can you be creative in a rigidly structured environment? How can ideas flow free, easy, and outside of the box when you've drawn hard lines around when those ideas should flow?
Whatever your ideas about scheduling time for creative work, the reality is that if you want to move ideas from your imagination to the page, stage, or radio, you've got to take action.
And it's easiest to take action when you schedule the time to take it.
#6: Put It In Your Calendar!
Deciding that 9am to noon would be my ‘book writing' rather than my ‘be creative time' was a great first step. But the real difference came when I put it in my calendar as an actual daily appointment.
Intentions and ideas rarely trump plans and people. That I was intending to write didn't matter when other clients, projects and appointments would clamor for what looked like- and often was- the only open space during my day.
Now, that time is gloriously off limits. Like all other appointments, I arrange my day around it, show up on time, and bring a certain kind of resolve to the work. Because of that, the ideas that I once imagined had a mind of their own started minding when I was available to capture then.
#7: Turn It All Off!
Just as important as scheduling and keeping my daily appointment with writing was canceling all other activities during that time... including and especially the activities that masquerade as simple, little things. Like phone calls. And instant messaging. And emails. And Facebook.
What's a quick glance at a new message or a simple hello to someone on Skype or iChat? Everything. Distraction is distraction, no matter how insignificant it may appear. Those emails may look harmless lined up in your inbox, but imagine what they really are... a line of people waiting for your time. How can you expect to be productive- or creative- when every few minutes you stop what you're doing to listen and respond to the next person's question or concern?
Multi-tasking has become the norm in our culture. And many people can indeed flit and float between the various items on their to-do lists and get them all done.
But getting something done and getting something created are very different things. While many people are able to switch gears, research shows that there is a cost to constantly interrupting the flow of what we're working on: a loss in our ability to focus (in both the short and long-term), a decrease in work quality, and an increase in stress.
When I'm with a client, I don't check my email or answer the phone. I'm wholly, completely with that person. The same is now true with my writing. Whatever you're working on, try it and see for yourself. You'll not only get more done, the anxiety and overwhelming sense of busyness many of us feel will begin to dissipate as well. Give each activity its own dedicated time- including responding to voice and e-mails- and you'll be more productive, present for others, and at peace.
Happy creating!
