Saturday, June 12, 2010

A Sudden Influx of Creative Possibility

It seems that flying lessons has spurred me into an expanded creative orbit of possibility with so many ideas and actions I want to take that it's exhilarating and overwhelming all at the same time.

a braindump of creative goals

The past few weeks have been a flurry of creative ideas, opportunities, to-dos and micro-actions, followed by a few micro-crashes.
I'm not sure how to deal with it all, but until I figure out a system (or accept that I won't) I've been working through it as follows:

  • I write everything down: ideas, to-dos, what-ifs, questions, references, blog addresses, book titles, etc. Better have it clutter my desk than having it clutter my mind.
  • I write micro-actions on my whiteboard and erase them when they're done. Satisfaction ensues. (I seem to enjoy the soothing white space left on the board when I erase them vs. the increased clutter of lines when I cross them off.)
  • I set loose weekly and monthly goals. They may not always be realistic, in fact, they may be overly optimistic, but they give me a sense of focus and help me practice discernment and patience. Not all things need to be done immediately, some things can indeed wait.
  • I run with momentum when it's there. If I'm on a roll and the energy's high I go with it knowing that it most likely won't last. I accept the flow.
  • But I try to get to bed at a decent hour and allow myself time to unwind with a novel or some deep breathing to stop the creative monkey mind from taking over. I get excited about my creative projects and when the adrenalin's pumping could easily work on them late into the night - and sometimes I do - but it will catch up with me. I need to be aware of that.
  • I listen to my body and mind. If I'm feeling tired or struggling to focus or concentrate I stop and rest, knowing that the energy will come back. I remember my Basics and recharge. I accept the ebb.
This has been working for me for the past few weeks, but I'm not sure how effective it will be without injecting a bit of structure, whatever form that may take. Being a self-confessed productivity geek, I'm thoroughly enjoying the prospect of experimenting and figuring out what works to get things done.

How do you deal with an influx of creative ideas, possibility and to-dos?

3 comments:

  1. HI Steph,
    thanks for popping over to my blog today. And your post is a great reminder for me. I, too, have that monkey mind that won't stop (I've been awake since 3:30 am this morning) and this ecourse is only making it worse. I am going to try some of your tips to help get all this out of my head! And YES, I just try to roll with it when the creative ideas keep coming and write it all down so that you don't lose any of it. I really enjoy going back over my notes from those times and picking out the better ideas I want to flesh out a bit more..
    Have a great day,
    kellyT

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  2. You are a very wise woman:)) I need to take your advice on getting a full night's sleep.

    When I get an influx of ideas I jump in if I can on whatever seems to be calling out to me the most. I jot down the other ideas on a list for later. I am a believer in percolating -- I think the heart and mind are constantly engaged in a creative process of some sort, even when we are not trying. An idea we have one day may completely morph into something better or different by the next.

    Isn't it a wild ride?:)

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  3. I write down this down everywhere in my place as a lesson to myself, "Amy, do one thing at a time."

    Thanks for your lovely comment on Flying Lesson's ecourse with Kelly Rae Roberts.

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