I made a deal with my Creativity Partner to do something creative every day for 15 minutes. Simple, right? You set the timer, you be creative, then you get up when the timer goes off.
I’ve done it ONCE over the past two weeks. Once! That’s not a significant time demand, is it? What’s the problem?
Deadlines.
Right now I am overwhelmed with projects — which is a good thing — but my hours are eaten away by work…and sleep.
Yesterday morning, I cleared my calendar of the personal commitments I make to myself like creativity and exercise. I left only necessary conference calls and appointments for the next couple of weeks. And let me tell you, it was quite freeing.
I was extremely productive yesterday and kept all the commitments on my calendar. I didn’t feel I was letting myself down because I didn’t see any extra commitments that I couldn’t fulfill.
For right now, my priorities are my clients and my deadlines. I realized that while I enjoy being disciplined and make commitments to keep myself healthy and happy, they are still commitments that hang over my head and poke at the back of my brain. So occasionally, it’s okay to get rid of them.
And you want to hear the strangest thing?
Since I let go of creativity and exercise yesterday, I ended up squeezing in my 15 minutes of play along with a quick workout. Both of these refresh me so thoroughly that I’m excited about getting back to work!
If you’re feeling “scheduled-out,” why not let go of the calendar for a few days? The important things always work their way to the top, if you just relax a little. And for you Type-A personalities, breathe deeply and think, “It’s not forever. It’s just for a couple of days.”
Have a refreshing and productive day!
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