Stop Working and Start Creating

I was on a plane the other day watching a woman knit for the entire duration of the two hour flight. And as I watched her, I found myself thinking about the benefits of creation, and how important it is that our work lives involve creation on a daily basis.

If you're like me, you likely find yourself spending hours doing things that arenot creation-based, and rather are instead all about the hamster wheel of work. You may have days that look like a running stream of email, phone calls, email, conference calls, meetings, email, phone calls...ad infinitum. Although these things may be important, they don't lend one

to feeling one has created, and therein lies the problem.

To feel productive - and to truly beproductive - we need to create.

Here are four ways to better create, each and every day:

Set Aside our Best Times for Creation

Morning people have long found that their first task of the day should be creation. Are you a morning person? Do your most important thing upon waking. If you're not a morning person, do it whenever you are at your best. When your energy is at its peak, it's time to create.

Schedule Creation Time

Sure, creation time may not have the deadline that a 4:00 PM meeting does, but it is likely far more important to your long-term goals. Go ahead and schedule your creation time into your day. Block it off, guard it well, and do everything you can to keep others from encroaching upon it.

Be Present in Creation

When you're creating, try hard not to think about the next thing on your to-do list. Instead, be in the moment as much as you possibly can. Even if you're creation isn't about your next blog post, but is about your new sandals in Vietnam;) Your creations will thank you. (Go here to download a free ebook all about how to better live in the present.)

Allow Time to Consider Future Creation

The act of creation is one thing, but the art of dreaming about creation is another one entirely. Think about how you can snatch a few moments of each and every day to think about future creation.

Finding time to create can be hard, but its one of the most important things we can do each day.

What do you think? Do you create on a daily basis? How do you remind yourself to do so?

--

For more from Claire, read her blog, follow her on LinkedIn, or find her on the Twitters via@claire.