Are You Wasting Time?

Many creatives have Two Modes of Operation.

One is DO ALL THE THINGS!

And the other is GO  SLOW…TRY-NOT-TO-MOVE.

One of those tends to be a huge time waster.  And it might not be the one you think.

It’s been said that when Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling,  he stopped for several days and did nothing each day except stare at the ceiling and then go home.

Eventually, someone remarked that it was such a tragedy that he had stopped working. Michelangelo remarked, "I've been working very hard every single day!"

I have no idea if the story is folklore or fact, but it illustrates my point.

Often, the one thing that will save a Creative the most time, energy and costly mistakes is the one thing that they have the hardest time doing.

Sitting their butts in their chair for some strategic creative time.

Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.

~Robert Benchley

Strategy is not a word that most creative artists, writers, actors... (name your obsession) like.  It's a squirmy word that causes us to quickly look around for any available exits. Artists are doers, not thinkers. Any thinking will be done in the moment on the canvas, page or stage, thank you very much.  

We tend to fly by the seat of our craft.

It’s only when we are singing the  "Oh Sh#T" anthem because we realize we screwed up...again, that we think that maybe slowing down and thinking things through might have been a good idea.

Go ahead, ask me how I know?

I love nothing more than a blank canvas and a bucket of mismatched paints and brushes. No plan, just a wild rush of creative energy and splashes of paint flying around. Woopee! Once in awhile, it turns out amazing and I pat myself on the back and wonder at my incredible talent. (What imposter syndrome?)

However, more often than not, I end up with a soggy, brown puddle of mess that ends up being painted over.

Ever go to the grocery store starving and without a list? A sure recipe for spending more than you wanted and ending up with ingredients that wouldn’t live in the same region, let alone a plate.

The same goes for story writing, business marketing, planting a garden, (no, we don’t just throw seeds up in the air and hope for the best.) and every other creative adventure.

Sure, we might get away with it once in awhile. But for every time we do, there is a pile of times- with a waste of time and resources that we don’t. And when time is of the essence and productivity is the goal, then it would behoove us to slow down, make a plan, create a strategy and go from there.

It’s easier to plan ahead than untangle unfettered creativity and turn it back into a plan.

Want more time to enjoy your craft and do it well?

Slow down, sit your butt in a chair, and plan ahead.  It will clear up space in your brain for play. The busier you are, the more time you need for strategic planning, not less.

And oh by the way... Creative strategic planning is not code for making a giant list and then running around and DOING ALL THE THINGS!  That isn't strategic. That is crazy-making.

Strategic is creating a plan for taking small, manageable, not-overwhelming, efficient steps that move the ball forward. Just a bit forward. Not rolling down on you like a bowling ball aiming for a strike.

Just a little bit.

Then do some more the next day.

You can think of it as a "Slow Down to Speed Up" list.  Strategic yet tiny.

Ah.... doesn't that sound better?