Everyday creativity can be a struggle…

A strange thought sometimes catches up with me on Friday afternoons.

The wording will differ, but the idea is usually the same. On my way back from work – on my bicycle, or on the train – I would suddenly remember a great project I was hoping to work on that week. And then, with a bit of a bitter aftertaste, comes that thought: “Man, I didn’t work on that thing – not at all.”

I bet I’m not the only one. This kind of slightly-sad, sometimes-nostalgic thinking happens to a lifelong learner, a wannabe polyglot, an artist, or anyone who wishes to do more creative projects.

I’ll try to come up with a few ideas below that will hopefully help all of us get rid of that thought, at least some of the time. Everyday creativity is not always easy to reach. But it’s possible to approach it with a few small steps.

Do I need a lot to grow my everyday creativity habits?

Your mileage will vary, as usual. But for the steps I’m about to describe below, I tried to make sure that the requirements are low. Everyone deserves to have a go at everyday creativity, and so everyone should find this easy to start.

Daily creative practice: benefits of everyday creativity

You probably know this, but it’s worth saying again and again: almost every project benefits from everyday creativity habits.

It’s true about playing the piano – my personal project for this year. Watch how everyday practice improves this guy’s play.

It’s true about mindfulness – something I’ve found and experienced for myself. Read more about benefits from everyday practice in mindfulness.

And as you may know, it’s also true for creativity in language learning.

This is true for training your muscles, your brain, or your character. Everyday creativity needs to happen every day.

How much everyday creativity is enough?

There is no scientifically proven answer to this – but my guess is that you are a smart person, and you already knew that!

I’m about to suggest this to you: starting today, make sure you find five minutes each day to grow your creative habit.

Five minutes. That’s about as long as it takes for your tea to steep. Or your lunch to warm up. Or for your children to get ready for the school run.

It’s a tiny portion of time that you will find in your day, and will fill with something that is truly creative and truly yours. Here’s how we’re going to do it.

Five minutes of creativity: your habit-building recipe

 

• Pick the same time each day. Ideally, you will be able to find the same time for you creativity habit, regardless of what day of the week it is. The rest of your day, your body clock, your state of mind – they will all slowly adapt to this creative time.
• Pick a “stimulus” or a reminder. This could be anything – your alarm going off, the town clock chime, the end of the evening news, your second coffee…again, choose something that’s always there – so it will be easier for you to link this event with your habit.
• Adjust your distractions. People will sometimes urge you to “remove all distractions” – but perhaps you can’t work in complete silence! Whatever it is, make sure that when your five-minute creative moment starts, your environment is just as you like it.
• Get what you need, instantly. It’s no good setting aside five minutes for your guitar practice if you spend three of those minutes looking for your plectrum/notes/tuner etc. When your time starts, you get to work – not to admin.
• Set up a dopamine reward. Cross something off your list once you’re done. Or make a cross on your calendar to mark your creative chain. High-five the buddies/partners you’ve been practicing with. Email or text your dear ones to share how good your time felt. Dopamine rush is niiiiice – and addictive – so you will come back for more tomorrow!

I hope your creativity habit will develop with these five easy steps. Let me know if they work for you – or if you would add anything else!

(Photo by Agence Olloweb on Unsplash)