Time Management for the Creative Change your Mindset

It’s as if the two sides of my brain collide; the artistic, unrestrained, go with the flow crashes against my responsible self. 

Do whatever you want whenever you want wars with organize thyself. 

Chase after every idea butterfly as opposed to schedule a time to clean your toilet. 

Paint away an entire Saturday in contrast to stop and cook a meal. 

Sometimes I can combine the two—like right now I’m taking a much-needed walk while typing thoughts into a note on my phone. 

Mindset

Perhaps it’s all about changing one’s mindset.

I used to think that writing only visited if I journaled every morning. And then I retired and sat across the room from a husband who wanted to have coffee first thing. 

Now I know writing can magically appear at the oddest times: in my dreams, during a morning walk, while driving in my car (that’s when recording on my phone at a stoplight becomes handy). 

It’s similar for art. Often ideas grace when I’m vacuuming the floor, pulling weeds, or playing with my grandchildren. 

It doesn’t matter whether I’m in the flow. The flow finds me. Maybe it’s because I’ve dared to change my mindset about creativity. 

Sure, I’ve followed the guidelines of brilliant creatives, but I’ve also learned an important lesson: 

Each one of us is unique in terms of how we need to make time for creativity and how inspiration graces us. 

What works for someone else might not work for us. Just talk to a mom of young children who’s had to find creative ways to paint or write while child rearing. 

Time management for the creative must be creative, flexible, doable.

Time management for the creative requires a change of mindset!

If you’ve convinced yourself that writing can only happen at certain times, you’ll rarely write.

If you’re sure artistic inspiration only graces when you have a free Saturday, you’ll rarely create. 

I challenge you to change your mindset about creativity. Grab those free moments here and there to push your projects forward. You’ll be amazed at what results over time.