Sometimes I find it hard to concentrate, stick to practice schedules and form weekly habits. I write to-do-lists constantly and daily routines when I have the day off, or plan the night before so I have a productive day. When I decided that I needed to see more progress with my music skills, I decided to create a planner that takes the pressure off the overwhelming task ahead by setting small goals.
Part of being a creative person is realising that every day is different, and using that to work in the flow and work WITH your creativity not against it. Sometimes you have to push to make deadlines but if you’re not feeling inspired, accept it and do something else. There is nothing worse than trying to push something when it’s not going to happen. And if you’re like me you can be super hard on yourself if you don’t have a “productive day”. I’ve learnt to take time out now and curb that guilt.
When I am having trouble creating, I have made a list of other things I can do that will still make me feel productive or be good for my brain, such as reading, drawing, listening to music, watching a documentary or cooking.
I’ve recently been reading a book called Living With A Creative Mind and it talks about the creative tide. I think the planner I have made can give way to that, and instead of sticking to a strict minute by minute routine, it’s an idea to have looser goals in a weekly time frame. “There is an interrelationship between periods of intense energy and creative input. It seems that intense energy can bring on periods of creativity. During flow we are so immersed or involved in something that we lose track of time, and we can experience a complete sense of accomplishment or fulfillment. It is the experience of performing or working to our optimum.” Also taking into account our energy levels, sleep cycles and environment, there are a lot of things that can contribute to flow. Create a space that is a sanctuary for you to create and feel inspired, as well as not being distracted and away from temptations.
So… how to get started.
1. Decide what your weekly habits are or things you want to start doing more of on a regular basis.
2. Give yourself some goals to hit. Make them small and achievable. 2 things a day is a good start.
3. Take it week at a time, remember – baby steps. You can use this planner to plan ahead in the week OR tick the things off as you do them during the week.
4. You could take it a step further and plan your goals in 4 time slots during the day – morning, lunch, afternoon and night. Make your own and personalise it to work for you!
TIPS
1. If you get distracted like me, set short goals like 30 mins and stay focused. When the timer goes off, get up and walk around, get some water, take a break, then sit down for the next 30 minutes.
2. Instead of logging time spent running or walking, I have found that by creating a category simply named "exercise" means that however I am feeling on the day I can either go easy or push myself. Again, this is different if you have cardio goals etc. My main focus with exercise is for mental health and to start my day feeling energised.
3. Instead of trying to plan ahead, I thought that if I created an empty planner and set goals and log as I go, this will mean that on a daily basis I can judge my mood and do what’s going to make me feel good. It also means I'm not trying to do 4 things in one day (if you can do this yay for you). Sometimes dealing with anxiety, depression, fatigue or stress can impact your ability to get shit done. Maybe you're on tour or working a full time job. The days I teach I notice my mental focus is out the window, and my days off I am much better at creating. Some days I might only get around to practicing piano and writing a song, other days I might only be able to manage to read a chapter and go for a walk. YOU DO YOU GIRL.
See below an example of what your weekly organiser might look like. Feel free to use this one!
Comments