Creativity & Self-Discipline Mixed
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Janaine Arioli
Self - Discipline and creativity are two things that can be difficult to mix. If you are too disciplined you can feel as if you are not creative. If you are too creative you risk feeling like you can’t get anything done on time. Self-discipline as defined by Merriam – Webster as the correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement. Mixing the two however, can produce some magical results.
Make it fun: In my quest to build Adrenaline Torch Studios there have been moments of dullness. Writing the first draft of my book has its challenges. I had the day where everything seemed slightly off and banging my head against my desk seemed more productive than my writing. I took a slight break and then looked up some funny clips from That 70’s show. After a good ten minutes of laughing, I went back to writing and it went a lot better. Life is better when it’s fun. Sometimes you need a catalyst to change your mood.
Quotas: I’ve set myself a daily writing goal in a way to help me get to my goal of having enough words for a novel. I haven’t hit it every day. My Saturday and Sunday goals have not been met. Life has been busy on the weekends, and I haven’t made enough time to get the writing down. During the week though I have had days where I’ve gone over the daily count to help make up for them. I know I won’t hit that daily goal everyday but having it does give me something to work towards to continue pushing until it is done.
Breaks: Taking a break such as: taking a walk, getting a coffee, having a snack, reading a book, watching something entertaining. Think of your creativity like a fuel tank. You must fuel up your car to get from point A to B. You need to fuel your brain to have it produce what you want it to produce.
How to mix the two
You want to be able to have some creativity while being productive.
Life’s interruptions: Life is going to happen. You might have a spouse, kid, pets, family, friends or other people in your life that need things from time to time. Some more often than others. It can become a juggling act to get what you want done. I don’t really believe in work life balance. I find that to be successful in most areas of life you will have times where you are unbalanced. During the Christmas holidays more of my focus is on family. During the middle of February I will probably focus more on work because there are less events going on. You might have to make time sacrifice’s but if you keep looking for opportunities to get things done you will surprise yourself.
Environment: Building your environment can be a great way to ensure you stay inspired. It might be the smell of coffee in the morning or in the afternoon. It could be music in the background. It could be some strategically placed pieces of art and plants that help liven the room you work in.
Process: There are those that have their rituals every day to get them into the right frame of mind. You hear about athlete’s who have their routines every time to ensure they are constantly performing at a higher level. You might think you need a process and not having the right one might stress you out but take a deep breath. What works for one person might not work for you. You will have to do some experimentation and that can be the fun part. You can change things, add things, take things out and at times you might do something completely different just to shake things up.
References:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-discipline definition of self - discipline
