Lately I have been thinking about my writing schedule. It can be vague at times, a flexible structure where I can articulate what I’m working on and what I would do if an unexpected period of time suddenly became available. But I’m also aware at the moment that my writing time will be a bit squeezed by work and other demands and it is making me think about how to manage this without losing sight of the importance of creativity in my life.
It is tempting at times to give precedence to other commitments. I have been down that road before, giving work the top priority and letting it take as much time as it needed. But that, for me, is a fool’s game as work will expand to incorporate as much time as you have and then take a bit more for good measure. Sometimes I do get swept up in the momentum and will work beyond what is usual or reasonable, telling myself that it is the exception and not the rule.
But there is a growing understanding within me that if I allow the creative aspects of my life to be pushed into the background, my professional work suffers for it. It is a gradual revelation, showing itself in a growing irritation at others who don’t seem to be as dedicated (foolish?) as me. It also appears when problem solving lacks the zing that creativity brings to my working self. And my sense of fun tends to go missing as well.
So this time I’m going to prepare a different approach to ensure that time and space for creativity is given as much importance as it deserves during the next few weeks. My plan is to get up earlier of a morning to keep my writing routine and rhythm going, knowing that this ensures that I keep doing what keeps me happy without just hoping that I have enough energy left at the end of the day to get around to it. A comment by fellow blogger Real Life of an MSW recently about how to value your own time has helped with this approach.
How do you manage time for creativity when other pressures arise?
[Photo: part of a brief and beautiful rainbow in the Hartley Valley]
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