The Importance of Developing a Routine
A lack of self-motivation can cause debilitation. Feeling debilitated, frustration follows. When frustrated then avoidance follows. Pretty soon endless time passes and in the meantime nothing has been captured, all that time is lost so far as pursuing your creative life style is concerned. A creative lifestyle depends on consistency.
How I think about this is that it is really hard to get things restarted once the engine gets cold so it is best to always at least keep the engine on idle.
So how do you do that?
I have for many years had a number of routines that I switch between. Sometimes I am working on paintings, sometimes I am working on collages, sometimes I am working on the computer. But I have tended to get absorbed in which ever one of those routines is currently in play at the detriment of the other routines.
So I might be painting for a week or two or even a month or two and then my collage table starts collecting dust and when I finish my painting projects it seems hard to get the collage table cranked up because it is a different scale of work, different ideas, different media, different approach and I have to reorient to that. The same with switching over to writing on the computer. Writing is in a different part of the brain. But once I get into it then I can keep going and then my easel and my collage table start collecting dust and it is hard to stop one thing and then crank up one of the others.
Currently my experiment this last year or so to solve this part of the problem is creating several intertwined simple routines and then switch between them fluidly during the course of the day including going out for a walk or two.
So I might start out with going for a walk just before dawn then sit down at the computer while I have my coffee. I write down in my journal what day it is and what time I got out of bed. That is all I have to write. Maybe I’ll check my email (or not) maybe I’ll upload an image to instagram, maybe I’ll have an idea for an article and note the title for an article and jot down a few notes about it so I can think about it for the morning.
Then I go over to the collage table as a warm up and make a collage or two or prepare papers for a collage. Then I’ll go to the easel and work on a painting for a while - work my way through one of the layers of the process.
Then maybe back to the computer or the collage table when I get tired or bored of working on the painting and generally keep switching between all of these routines.
Then around 2:00 I might have a bite to eat and go take a nap. After that, another cup of coffee and start the morning routine over again then at sunset go out for another walk.
In the evening after dark I might check my email, do some documenting, watch some youtube videos, write some stuff in my journal (I am trying to average 500 words a day), eat some dinner, and whatever else comes to me; read some things, gather lines for some collage poetry from my readings. Then at the end of the day I write down when I went to bed.
As the seasons change the pattern might shift a bit but stays in essence the same. I am pretty happy with this set of routines. But if I wasn’t, I would start tweeking them this way or that way to achieve whatever new goals I might come up with.
In this way the engine is always on, things are getting done across all core sectors of interest and there is no stress but I am always vigilant to make sure I keep myself on track. If I get off track, I always have the established routine as home base to come back to.
I go out very little beyond my walking routine and the occasional out of town trips I take except for the typical trip to the grocery store or doctor’s appointment. I should probably go out a bit more than I do.
Please click the comment button and let me know how you structure your creative time.
Inspiring and excellent article. Routines or rituals are an important throughout the day as long as they don't turn into ruts. Without them the day would feel weird to me and I'd even feel a bit lost. I let the dog out, feed the stray cats and my dog, coffee for me and a bite to eat to take meds, and spend way too much time on the desktop checking emails and watching a few youtubes. Shower, dressed, studio which I make myself do once I'm back from an absence in there. Sometimes I'll just sit in there and think and play with junk to get the wheels turning or I'll organize if it feels too messy in there. Eventually, when/if the spirit hits me.......I'll get into that Zone and not be aware of time or eating. I do keep a clock/watch in there but not obvious so I don't forget to feed the animals if I've been in there too long.
I’ve been reading all but haven’t had time to really take it in-we got to spend time with Grandgirl- unplanned overnight stay which was fun. Always creative. I’ve enjoyed your writing on motivation and routine very much. Thanks.