We’re living in an age where our resource for focused, undistracted creative time is being threatened!

There is a fierce assault on our attention all day every day with a steady barrage of rings, pings, dings, pops, clicks and buzzes.

We feel the enormous pressure to be always connected and available 24/7.

Leading to my belief that 2017 is the hardest time for a creative person to do creative work.

One could argue that it’s the easiest! With the many opportunities and resources for creative work that the internet has made possible, how could it not be?

Though, even with all the resources at our fingertips we still end up wrestling with our inability to focus on one important task for an extended period.

Multitasking habits, compulsively scrolling through social media sites, and reactive “knee-jerk” impulses to texts and email kill our attention span.

I have struggled with these distractions for far too long, and if you’re reading this right now, I’m sure you have too.

Initially, I set out to write this as a personal manifesto that I could use to get my butt in gear, but the more I researched and wrote the more I realized how many folks have these same problems.

I have found the following mini-strategies to be most useful in my life when building new habits that foster creative work and artistic growth.

I urge you to test the following in your life to find what works for you and your unique creative process and workflow!

(Related Reading; 20 Daily Practices That Inspire Creative Thought)

Determine Your Priorities

Sit down with a pen and paper and determine what your priorities are.

It sounds simple and in theory, it is, but in practice, it poses some hard to answer questions.

Writing down all your goals no matter how big or small on one piece of paper helps to visualize them.

Most of us have big plans to do all sorts of projects, but at the end of the day take no action for the simple reason of being overwhelmed on where to begin.

It’s so easy for the hustle of life to take over and rob us of our dreams.

The overwhelm creates a paralysis of creative pursuits.

Your creative goals deserve to be prioritized!

Without concrete goals, you’ll never develop concrete plans to achieve them.

Once you have written out your goals, ask yourself which one inspires and motivates you the most.

If possible, I would recommend choosing the most manageable and realistic goal.

Try not to choose a behemoth project off the bat.

Take baby steps in building the discipline and creative confidence.

Start by breaking your project down into various phases.

Take it a step further by making small and actionable steps to get your project rolling.

Make the steps dead simple to get the ball rolling and to build momentum.

Keep the long view in view. Write down your current goal on a sticky note and post it somewhere near your workstation. I love this trick, and I find it helps to keep the big picture in view.

Life is busy, but without priorities, for our meaningful creative work we end up full of regret and wishing we had done more when we had the chance.

It’s easy for life to take the reins and take control of your time.

Setting your priorities is the first step in putting your foot down and taking control of your life and what you want out of it.

Define What Success Looks Like

“Success to me is, “Yep, holds water. Someone else might dig this. I sidestep my ego to really look at this, and it still does not suck too hard.” Wrap your knuckles on the hood and send it out into the light of day.” - Henry Rollins

Determining priorities dovetails nicely into defining success.

Going into a project with a clear vision of what the finish line looks like is crucial for using time efficiently and keeping your eyes on the prize.

For too long I was diving into creative projects like making music without a clear idea of how the song would sound in the end.

I didn’t have a “checklist” so to speak of, as to what I wanted the music to accomplish.

After contemplation of the intention of the music, the creative decision-making process became much more simplistic and less hindered.

It’s a bit like creating a mission statement for the undertaking.

Try laying out in point form anything you would like to see, hear and feel from your work.

Refer back to the note on a regular basis to check in on your direction.

The picture of success might change as you move along. That’s okay.

Pivot and reimagine as you go along.

Block Out Time

Gaining clarity is a great first step to getting down to some creative work, but now we get into the meat and potatoes.

At the start of each week sit down and review your calendar.

Take inventory of the obligations for that week and tasks that you need to complete.

Schedule blocks of time where to be dedicated to the project that you aim to complete.

It is of utmost importance that you stick to the schedule that you make for yourself.