Do you ever go to bed at night feeling regretful that you didn’t spend any time being creative after work? But at the same time completely understanding why you had no time or energy left to do so?
I do.
It is much easier to be creative when we are younger because we have fewer responsibilities and we have more free time. When we are adults with partners, pets, kids, and jobs, it makes things much more difficult and it spreads our time much more thinly.
When it comes to the end of the workday sometimes all we can think about is lying on the sofa, kicking off our shoes, and watching some TV. Sometimes we head straight for bed, depending on how bad the day was.
Sometimes being creative is the last thing on our mind.
But staying creative and having a hobby or project that keeps us in our creative mindset is a wonderful thing. It helps us mentally and emotionally, keeping our brains sharp and relaxed at the same time. Having a bad day at work and then spending some time doing something creative is, in fact, one of the best ways we can care for ourselves and one of the best things we can do in that situation, even if we don’t feel like it at all.
Sound like something you want to do?
Well, you’re in luck, because we have some tips and tricks to help you do just that.
Starting with:
Have a creative space set up and ready to go
Often, one of the hardest parts of getting into a creative zone is setting everything up. Getting out all of your materials and starting the process can feel far too laborious sometimes and it simply puts us off even starting.
You can give yourself a head start by having a designated space in which you spend your creative time. This will be good for developing the habit too.
Schedule free time
It might seem counter-intuitive but as adults, we usually need to schedule our free time in order to actually do it. Try and schedule a couple of hours each week to spend time just on your creative hobby or project. If you see it in the schedule and you prepare for it, you will find yourself much more likely to go and do it. You will also have it to look forward to, too.
Do something you enjoy
When it comes to being creative, the best way to keep your creative juices flowing is to engage in something you truly enjoy. If something becomes too much of a chore, is it really a break from work anymore?
Try and pick something that brings you joy and you will be much, much more likely to develop a habit of doing it.
This will also increase the desired benefits of being creative in the first place.
Know that it will feel better once you start
One of our biggest mistakes as humans is deciding our behaviour based on our moods. If we feel rubbish after work, we might assume that doing something creative will feel just as rubbish. But we need to do something proactively to get out of this mood, and then things will get better.
It’s important to recognise this behaviour – mood pattern so that we can break out of these negative cycles.
If we can fit even 10% more creativity into our busy weeks, we can be much more than 10% happier, I guarantee it.
