Your Minimum Creative Output
Your Minimum Creative Output
How to stay creative when life gets busy
Around Christmas, Austin Kleon wrote a great post on balancing work time with family time during the busy holiday season.
I thought it was great for navigating the holiday’s, but it was also solid advice for ANY time that life gets especially busy.
When you have a new baby.
When you’re put on a big project at work.
When life in general requires a lot from you.
For any busy season of life, it’s necessary to find a way to still get the work done that matters most to you.
In the post he talked about how when life gets busy, the temptation is to give in and say:
“ok, once the holidays are over I’ll get back to doing my painting/writing/drawing, etc.”
This is almost always a mistake… And if you’re anything like me, you know why.
Because after a few days without my practice, I don’t feel like myself anymore.
I can’t count how many times I’ve started to feel down or anxious, only to realize I haven’t been to the gym or written in my journal in a few days.
The second I get back on my routine, I feel night and day different… it’s that important.
So what do you do during these busy times, so you can show up at work or for your family, but still do the crucial creative work that keeps you sane?
Determine your minimum creative output, or as Austin Kleon put’s it,
“What is the bare minimum amount of creative work you can do in any one day and still feel like a whole person?”
(And I define creative work as anything that makes YOU feel creative. Whether that’s yard work, running, or painting, there is an art to everything.)
After reading that I immediately jotted this note in my phone:
This is a mini version of my typical routine, but still enough to feel good about what I’ve achieved for the day.
This is so important, because people often think that by sacrificing their work, they’re doing their family a favor.
The truth?
If you don’t get the work done that’s important to you, you can’t be fully present with your family.
The work will gnaw at you, you’ll feel unfulfilled, and you won’t enjoy the downtime… You’ll be there in body, but your mind will be thinking of the work.
You’ll feel stressed, and your family will feel your distance and distraction… it’s a lose-lose.
That’s why I love this idea of having a minimum creative output, because even when life is hectic, you can get some version of your normal practice done.
It might not be everything you usually do, but it’s enough of the things you love that you can feel good and enjoy your downtime.
So what is your minimum creative output?
What is the minimum amount of productive work you can do that will keep you happy, and advancing toward your goals?
Write that down and keep it somewhere safe for when life (inevitably) gets busy.
And rest easy knowing you never have to let the creative part of you starve.
You can always dedicate a small part of your day to your practice, and keep that creative part of you alive.
Thanks for reading,
– Josh