Erratic bursts of creativity followed by lengthy spells of creating very little or nothing at all is a recipe only for frustration and despair. But thats how most of us try to create, then expect to be creatively fulfilled!
The only true way to create as often, as consistently, and as rewardingly as you desire is to get the creativity habit.
So whats the creativity habit?
Its a way of creating regularly, easily, fluently, without endless painful analysis, debate and deliberation.
Heres the 3 steps you can take to get the creativity habit, starting today:
Step 1. Choose a time each day to create. When have you felt most creative and found it easiest to create in the past? In the early morning? Afternoons? Late at night when everyones sleeping?
You know yourself well enough to know when you create best. Choose this time of day as your creativity habit appointment.
Step 2. Choose a minimum period to create. Make it at least 15 minutes, preferably 30 minutes. This is the amount time youll spend creating each day in your creativity habit appointment.
Dont worry too much at this stage about setting a precise amount of time. Start with 15 minutes, you can always extend it later. Its more important to create for 15 minutes every day than for an hour every 3 or 4 days.
Step 3. Prepare your creative space. You want to be able to come to where you create your room, desk, easel, laptop and get straight into creating as soon as possible.
Make it easy for yourself to plunge into creating with the minimum of set up, distraction and reasons NOT to create.
Now youre ready to begin getting the creativity habit.
Commit to a minimum number of days to build the habit. Many experts say it takes around 30 days to form a new habit, others say longer.
If youre just going to try this for 7 days then give up, save yourself the frustration and dont bother starting.
You must give the new habit a chance to take hold and to embed itself in your daily routine and in your behaviour.
What youll also find happening when you develop the creativity habit is you naturally begin to give yourself more permission to create.
Because you clearly know that its always going to be less than 24 hours until your next creative session, you dont have to stop the flow of ideas.
As you develop the habit, try extending the time you spend creating.
Dont jump from 15 minutes to 90, thats likely to end the habit altogether if you cant make the 90 minutes and undo the work youve done up until then.
Get used to 15 minutes, then try 20 minutes for a week or two, then 25 and so on. Each day youre building the habit and reinforcing it by extending the time.
Stick to this formula for 30 days and youll notice a dramatic change in how you create.
The creativity habit is really the only way to be consistently creative.
Isnt it time your got the habit?
I invite you to kick-start your creativity today by downloading your free copy of the practical and powerful Explode Your Creativity! Action Workbook. Get it now at http://www.CoachCreative.com.
From Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin
What Do You Do to Get in the Creative Mood to Create or Write
Many authors, artists and musicians talk about the creative mood or the zone. And it is a very real thing for them. Some psychologists say that it is all in their minds and maybe it is, but to the creative mind it is as real as the sunrise in the morning, which they may not see if they have been in the creative mood all night the prior.If you are a super hypersonic creative person then the title of this article: What Do You Do to Get in the Creat...
Increase Creativity A-Z - X Is For X-Factor - Finding The Secret To Creativity And Happiness
So the elusive secret to being as creative as you want to be... Does it really exist..?Can there be just a single one-size-fits-all solution to being as creative as you want to be?Well, no, in that we are all individuals, we create different things in different ways and for different reasons.But also a resounding YES!There ARE methods that anyone who creates can follow to find that X-factor and be as creative as they want to be.Here are 5 of the ...
Increase Your Creativity: Identify Its Number One Enemy
When we think how to improve or increase our creativity, often we tend to look at the things we COULD DO.But what if we think about this from a different perspective?Instead of looking at the things we could add to our lives to enable us to be the creative people we want to be, consider what we could take away, the things that stop us from being creative.Put simply, what are the enemies of your creativity?And following on from this, what is the N...
Increase Creativity A-Z- S Is For Space- How Your Own Creative Space Is Essential To Your Creativity
Do you always create in the same place?Do you have somewhere you go to, where all your tools for creating are set up, somewhere that inspires you and makes it more easy for you to create?If you dont then you could be seriously stunting your creativity, and missing out on one of the crucial elements of a healthy creative life.We already experience enough resistance to creating, both externally from other people and internally from our own negative...
Be Creative And Proud Of It- 5 Reasons Why Being Creative Is Not A Dirty Secret
Do you proudly shout about your creativity from the rooftops? Or instead do you keep it hidden away and only talk about being creative with a few carefully chosen trusted friends, as if youre members of some secret taboo society?If youre more like the second description, maybe its time to come out of the creativity closet a little. At least open the door and have a peek around!Here are 5 reasons why your creativity is a NOT a dirty secret and can...