Creativity: Set the Schedule
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash
“You make time for what’s important to you…”
Ouch.
The first time my friend told me that, I immediately wanted to protest. I didn’t like what that did to my long list of excuses for why I couldn’t ______________. But there’s so much truth in that one simple sentence.
When I decided that I was going to write and finish a novel, I set a daily writing goal for myself. I determined that I would write 1,000 words a day. Some days, this looked like me waking up early and writing before work. Other days, I would be writing into the night because that was the only time I could set aside for this practice.
Writing was important to me, so I made time for it. Period.
The projects that are important to me will get done without excuse.
My priorities have a direct impact on my calendar, and my suspicion is that yours is the same way.
What does your calendar reveal about your priorities?
Practicing your creativity doesn’t happen overnight, but requires intentionality. You have to make margin in your schedule to be creative, and this is the key: you have to protect that space. Protect your creative time.
No matter your stage of life, you can carve out time in your week for you to create.
You might have to get up before your kids wake up to create. Or wait until the entire house is asleep before you can dive in. You might need to schedule an hour after you get off work a couple of times a week or use your lunch break for this precious space.
You know the rhythm of your life, and you can take control of your schedule. If you have zero margin in your life, I would encourage you to examine your priorities. If flexing your creative muscles is important, you’ll find room for it somehow. It might not be every day—once a week is a great way to start.
Reflection
Carve out a time on your calendar to create each week. Write down your frequency per week and make it a consistent schedule.
Once you have that done, share it with a trusted person who can help keep you accountable, or even do this with you.
When people know you’re working on ________, you’ll be more inclined to work on it even when you don’t want to.
