Those of us who lack the set of genes to have a true sense of intrinsic motivation in our creative pursuits must find ways to push ourselves to reach our goals.
Here are a number of techniques I am using to get myself to the creative finish line.
1. Have a Plan
Inspiration.
Create a simple-to-accomplish plan.
It is not enough to plan for ten minutes the activities you wish to participate in for the rest of your creative career.
Similarly, over planning can push you from the point of easy to achieve success to the brink of failure.
Surely there is a balance one must strike in order to reach that finish line.
Realizing your strengths and weaknesses, analyzing your schedule, finding the right time to create and balancing your social obligations with your internal goals are all essential in finding the sweet spot of creating a plan.
2. Make the Time Sacred
Easy Peasy.
When you get that itch to create, or you have set aside the time to sit down and work your creative muscles, you need to ensure that your distractions are set to a minimum.
Turn off the TV, radio or any other noise source. Go somewhere quiet and channel your thoughts from your brain directly to your medium of choice.
If you look toward music for an inspiring jolt, ensure that you find something without words or advertisements. Also ensure that setting this music source on autopilot is default functionality.
After all, you do not want to be skipping through songs on your playlist when you should be writing.
3. Wake Up Early
Hi Daddy, Whatcha Doin?
Having children cuts into your “me” time. It is not that this is a negative thing, but there is no balance between writing a novel and keeping an inquisitive, attention-hungry 3 year old entertained.
One of the benefits I have found with having a full time job is completely unexpected. Getting up early in the morning gives you two much-needed boosts to your creative flow: peace and quiet.
Even dragging yourself out of bed 20 minutes early can give you a quick boost in your goals.
Hidden Benefits
These three actions sound extremely simple to implement and turn into habit, but the benefit of applying them is without bound.
What kind of simple procedures have you implemented in your busy life that provide you with more benefit than you would have imagined to your writing habits?
