2 awesome ways to get more creative work done, in the time you have!

You have every intention of getting up early to write (or create), but inevitably something comes up…

  • Your boss texts you an urgent request that you must deal with ASAP.

  • A family emergency derails your schedule.

  • You stay up late watching Game of Thrones, and oversleep the next morning (or, is that just me every Monday?).

Sound familiar?

If you’re like me, you feel there’s just not enough time in the week to get everything done.

And that feeling can be overwhelming.

As creative people, our minds tend to buzz with ideas and energy (and sometimes go into overdrive).

Recently, I’ve come across 2 awesome solutions that might help you. They won’t create time for you, but these tips will dampen the overwhelm panic!

1. Sunday planning session

On a scale of 1-10 (1= never; 10= all the time), how often do you start your week with no plan of what you want to accomplish?

Maybe you have a to-do list in your head, but by Monday or Tuesday, you veer widely off the rails. By Friday, you forget what you meant to do in the first place and you’re treading water until the weekend.

Imagine instead that you spent 30 minutes on Sunday afternoon/evening to write a list of all the tasks trapped in your mind? Knowing you’re not the Energizer Bunny, you selected which 1 or 2 priorities for the week you really need to get done.

Then you blocked time in your calendar to focus (uninterrupted) on those important tasks.
You hit the ground running on Monday morning. Your magical gray matter processed your list while you slept and you feel more confident. Thank you, brain!

Studies show that people who write down their goals are more likely to accomplish them. Paring down your list also helps fight the overwhelm.

Don’t have 30 min on Sunday? Can you spare 15 or even 5? Get those tasks out of your head and onto the page (and into your calendar).

2. What Did You Do Today?

Recently, I listened to a podcast from author Dan Pink where he mentioned his favorite habit. At the end of the workday, he jots down what he accomplished that day.

He uses an app, but you can set a calendar reminder on your phone. Pink refers to his accomplishments list whenever he’s having a bad day.

So often, we get hyper focused on what’s right in front of us, that we forget the big picture.

◆ 1,000 words written every day adds up to 365K in a year (7 full-length novels).

◆ 1 new blog post each week is 52 new content pieces for your business or brand.

One day of lackluster progress can motivate us to do better the next day.

What do you think? Comment below. Tell us what you did today.