7 Steps To Create A Focused and Consistent Creative Practice
“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.”
Creativity and writing will always play a significant role in my life.
I must write to survive the constant battles between my mind and heart.
However, as most creatives know, it’s not easy to create a consistent practice free of distractions.
I’ve developed the following seven steps that have helped me immensely with my writing habit:
Get your creative work out first thing in the morning
The mornings are magical and quiet, making focusing on what’s hardest to do with a full tank of energy easier.
Stephen Covey’s famous large glass jar metaphor comes to mind. When filling the jar, always start with the big rocks, then add the smaller pebbles, grains, sand and finally water, in that order. Do it in a different sequence, and the jar will be half-empty.
The big rocks always come first.
On weekdays, I rise at 5 a.m., do my morning rituals, and start writing by 6 a.m. I usually wake up a little later on Saturdays and start writing by 9 a.m. On Sundays, I try not to write anymore. Instead, I spend the mornings reading.
Have a specific goal in mind
We all know that for goals to work, they must be SMART. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound.)
I will write for 45-60 minutes every morning, allowing a few minutes midway through my writing to stretch. This writing also includes my three-page journalling at the start, which then turbo boosts my creativity.
I aim for 500-750 words per day. This means that in a week, I can get one or two articles and some words from the current chapter of the book I’m writing.
If I keep honest with my practice, I’d be on target for 52 articles a year and one book a year.
Create a writing environment
I meditate (not always successfully) for twenty minutes when I’m up. I then make myself a double espresso coffee and sit my butt on the same chair facing a large empty desk overlooking the garden.
I then open the window to the sounds of the early morning chirping and twittering from the birds outside. Or, I put on noise-cancelling headphones and listen to neoclassical music. (It’s usually the same playlist I listen to repeatedly until months later, I finally get bored of it and find a new one.)
No distractions
To produce quality work, we need focus. Unfortunately, the deluge of information and nonstop interruptions we face in our current world have made focus a herculean feat of will.
Our brain has a limited amount of energy that it can use for focus. And as we use its resources for other less menial tasks, we get mentally tired. So how can you bring out what comes from deep in your psyche when you are stopped by something or another every few minutes?
Whenever I plan to write, whether for an hour or four, I turn off the internet and email and put my phone in another room. I also lock my door so no one can enter.
Prep for the next day’s writing and avoid procrastination.
After my day’s writing is done, I often leave a short note of what I’ll be writing the next day. It could be a sentence or a few bullet points.
The next day, I looked at my screen and knew what I would write about so I wouldn’t procrastinate and look for distractions.
Hemingway said it best when he said: “The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel, you will never be stuck. That is the most valuable thing I can tell you, so try to remember it.”
Write to Publish
From the outset, set an intention for your article, essay, or book to be published. Then, go through the process of a first draft, rewriting and finally, either posting the blog or submitting the manuscript.
We learn and grow through action and accountability. If there is no pressure to publish, we remain amateurs.
True, a lot of rubbish is being published everywhere on the internet, but at least the writers are putting themselves out there. They are in the ‘arena,’ allowing themselves to be mercilessly criticised. At least, if their work is not good enough, they have the chance to learn from it.
Reward yourself after writing.
Writing is not easy. Completing your ‘big rock’ task is no mean feat and needs to be celebrated. It need not be opening a champagne bottle or going on a shopping spree. Instead, something small, like dancing to a favourite song or allowing yourself ten minutes of free roaming on Instagram.
I am allowing myself to bask in the glory of my inner contentment while listening to my favourite song of the week (This week, it’s an old favourite: Travis’s Sing).
I’ve not been consistent with my writing practice for the past few months, and I can already see its negative effect on me.
However, when I stick to the above plan, I know I’ll quickly become more alive and feel purposeful in all my activities, not just writing.
However, everyone’s practice may look different. Some may drink tea instead of coffee and do Yoga before starting their writing. For example, a writer I know loves visiting a cafe daily to write and be amidst people and the noise there.
Whether you write, draw, paint, dance, or program, we all must devise a consistent creative practice that feels comfortable, focused, and consistent.
Now, what does your creative/writing practice look like?