Just Do It! 3 Keys to Creative Success
Do you ever struggle with procrastination?
I am packing for my first trip to Europe. It took three days to start the process. After dragging my suitcase out of storage I placed it in the middle of my bedroom floor. I sighed, and then I muttered to myself throughout the day, “I need to start packing.”
I had a problem. Just the idea of making a packing list, washing up all the needed clothes, and tight-rolling each item to fit into a gallon-sized baggie to be layered into the carry-on seemed overwhelming. For three years I have planned this trip with my daughter, Lydia. We are joining her Spanish Club classmates for a trip to Spain and Italy. In an effort to keep it simple, we are all bringing a carry-on bag to avoid losing checked items en route. From Rome to Madrid we will be taking in the rich culture.
It sounds fabulously wonderful, but first…the packing.
Circling the bag for three days my dread invented new things to do like deep cleaning the bedroom. Later as I spied the empty bag, I felt guilt and anxiety. I knew what I should do, but procrastination is a convincing liar. What did I do instead? I baked a homemade pizza. Rolling out the floury dough I smiled thinking about how much my family needed me to do this. Later I decided to finally finish the puzzle on the table near our television that had been there untouched for the last three weeks. It just seemed like the perfect time.
Procrastination is not just keeping me from packing the suitcase, but more often, it stops me from working on my craft. Creative people often need help putting their ideas into action. Do you ever feel resistance pulling at your attention? Have you heard it whisper: Just do it later?
“Creative people tend to get bogged down by endless brainstorms (because they love ideas), perfectionist tendencies (because they care about quality), and endless distractions (because they can’t turn their brain off).”
It’s time to Just Do It! I am sick of the sting of putting it off. How about you?
I picture that term paper from high school. The one assigned on the first day of class. The one I crammed the night before to finish. With bloodshot eyes and wrinkled clothing, I surrendered the paper without a cover page. It slipped from my exhausted mind. Miserable I declared, “This will just have to do.” The problem was, I really cared about the class and had been thinking about the paper for weeks. I just couldn’t sit down to write it. By the time I finally did, I was too hurried to really put my heart and thought into it.
If you have been there then you know what I am talking about.
Procrastination is not our friend. He is a menace who tries to steal our success. He sounds just like us, so we often are fooled by his schemes. Still, we can find a better way.
“Resistance obstructs movement only from a lower sphere to a higher. It kicks in when we seek to pursue a calling in the arts, launch an innovative enterprise, or evolve to a higher station morally, ethically, or spiritually.”
How can we save our creative life from procrastination? Here are 3 Keys to Creative Success.
Make a short to-do list
Keep it simple sweetie! A list can help us focus. If it’s too long it can bring added stress. Remind yourself the project might take more than an hour or a day to complete. Focus on the 1-3 things you can do right now to work toward your goal.
2. Limit distractions
You know what needs to be done. Your concentration is critical. Set a timer to work. Turn off distractions that pull at your focus. Set down your phone, shut your door, and put other errands on hold for a specific am
3. Finish the thing!
Perhaps the first 2 steps were relatively easy to follow. That is great. Now there is one more hill. It's a big one, but at the end is the finish line. Don’t stop the work. Make a deadline, and complete the goal. Roll up your sleeves and grit your teeth until it is done.
With these three tips, I am confident we will be more successful in our creative processes and outcomes.
Let’s return to my trip preparations.
After telling three different friends about my problem with procrastination. Finally, I got fed up with myself and made a list to start the slow process. Thankfully I finished filling the suitcase with two whole days to spare before we depart.
Now on to the backpack…