by Vienda | 30 Sep 2011 | Biz + Blogging
I’ve been writing about creativity and productivity lately and to continue on in that stream of thought I wanted to write about the lists we make to keep a mental check on everything.
You’re having a creative influx yet are feeling the impending of your TO DO list. Everyone loves a good to do list yet there are list makers and there are list makers. I belong in the first category: to do lists are beautiful written out, neatly forgotten about and re-written at some later date. I keep most of it in my head – it’s effective up there. Lists only work for me if the tasks at hand are too huge to handle at once and need to be broken down into many smaller parts in order to function.
Then there are some of you who make incredible, fabulous and seemingly endless to do lists using incredible programs and platforms to organise them (yes, I am looking at you Virgo’s!) and keep their lists in check.
I find that to do lists never actually end, we always find something additional to include as we juggle priorities. Or we entirely avoid certain tasks which remain on that list for months on end finding a multitude of other MORE IMPORTANT things to do such as scrubbing the tiles in the bathroom (yuck) until one day we finally scrape up the courage to tackle them only to find that it wasn’t that bad after all, was it?
There is however, an extraordinarily simple and radically different approach to the to do list. The NOT to do list. It works effectively under the premise to give you the time to actually focus on the things that are important and add value to your life and to your work. It’s about clearing the clutter from your mind, absolving unnecessary extra duties and simplifying your life so it runs smoother, better, easier. And you have more time for the beach or to go out for wine.
The NOT to do list helps you get out of your own way and allows your creativity to flow more productively. Let’s cut to the chase by focusing our energies on what is truly beneficial for us.
My current NOT do list goes a bit like this:
- Don’t check emails more than twice a day. The same goes for Facebook + Twitter. Any more is truly a waste of my time.
- Don’t try to multi-task. It’s such an easy trap to fall into and it FEELS so productive but in fact it does the opposite. It’s important to remain present with each task at hand.
- Don’t rush. Ever. Rushing causes me to come off balance.
- Don’t say YES when deep down I actually want to say NO.
- Don’t expect to get it right or perfect or excellent the first time, every time.
- Don’t push myself when things aren’t flowing. Step away. Breathe. Do something else. The best work unfolds on its own. Resistance means NO. Stop. Effortless inspiration means YES. Go.
- Don’t worry about what other people are thinking. It’s none of my business anyway.
- Don’t worry in general. It is futile and wastes precious moments.
- Don’t indulge in negative self-talk. When doubts and insecurities cloud over, it’s time for a change. Take a nap. Walk in the grass. Smile.
- Don’t expect to know everything. You always know exactly enough of what you need in every moment.
- Don’t do things the way other people do them just because they say that’s the way things are done. Think it over and find the best possible solution. Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are not.
- Don’t feel guilty. About anything. Ever. You and everyone else is always doing the best they possibly can.
by Vienda | 23 Sep 2011 | Biz + Blogging
As I scrounge the web for information and tips for creating and developing a business, marketing and brands I often come across articles + support programs for time management, scheduling, to do list and so on.
What would happen if you stopped pushing your way through your to do list every day? What would happen if you trusted yourself enough not to forcefully keep to deadlines? Would your productivity drop? Would you never ever get anything done?
There is a fine line between definitively compartmentalising your life and keeping appointments.
Creative impulses work the best when we allow them to flow from us in their own time. The most delicious, juicy and inspirational stuff comes from us when we least expect it. How often do you come up with that next fabulous great idea when you have written in your calendar: Tuesday 27th of September, 9.45am: Come up with new inspired fabulous idea. Does it not make you want to cringe in a way? Since when and how is creativity schedue-able?
All activities in which you create something, be it writing a project report, a meeting, an email, a conversation with a client, friend or family, a piece of art, jewellery or getting dressed up for a night out are creative impulses. Scheduling them into small timelines and compartmentalised blocks renders them without the natural attribution of flow.
Some people may argue that this is the most effective way for them to flourish + support their productivity however it can also argued that this doesn’t allow for an inspired distribution of creative impulses. The creative process is akin to an external byproduct of your existence. What you create is something that flows through you not something that you can contain, claim as purely your own, since all great ideas a built on other great ideas, nor structure into a timetable.
You are a human being, not a robot, how can you truly cut your day, times and life into many different compartments each holding within it a specific and essential part of yourself?
Therefore it is important to create the space and time with your daily life where you don’t have to schedule in specific things at certain times. There are just areas in each day where you are free to allow the creative process to come through you.
Without devaluing the ability to maintain appointments and get things finished, when you are passionate and deeply entrenched in your creative process then no deadline will speed up your productivity. You will find that the created will turn up on its own accord without you trying or forcing or pushing for it at just the right time.
The author of Eat, Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert shares a wonderful TED talk on creativity here.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA[/youtube]
Image source.
by Vienda | 10 Mar 2011 | Biz + Blogging
Photographer: Anna Mad
I always say that the ultimate dream job incorporates two distinct and important elements: to be creative and to help others. There is a famous quote, and I don’t know who said it but it is:
If you want to be rich, innovate and help people solve their problems.
And although this is a very broad and simple concept I truly believe it accurately reflects every single human beings desire, in that we all want to be creative and to help others. Every single job, niche, position, role that we fulfil is both creative and in support of others.
Creativity means so much more than painting a pretty picture or singing a beautiful song. Creativity is problem solving, communication, presentation, writing, thought, ideas conversations, numbers and so on. Excel sheets are creative, accountants have to find creative ways to help you pay less tax (or at least they should) boring consultants (sorry, you’re not all boring) have to find creative ways to relate to their clients, banks have to find creative ways to keep money flowing through their institutions. The list is endless.
So, having illustrated how it is possible to find the creativity in every single task we perform, I want to reflect back to my statement on how this relates to helping others. Often people think that helping others is confined to the work of doctors, therapists, mothers however in fact everyone is supporting one another. Think about it deeply. Every single thing we do helps at least one other person to achieve something that they couldn’t do on their own.
At my day job, both our clients and my boss rely on me to connect the two, to make communication possible, efficient and to have an understanding where each side is coming form. I am the padding between the two sides. Am I helping them? Yes. Perhaps not in a personal or emotional sense but the connection that occurs in our company wouldn’t occur if I wasn’t there to help both parties. Am I being creative? Definitely. I have to approach each client and situation with fresh ideas in order to deliver the expected result. I have to be flexible in my skills to give what is actually required.
Additionally, I write posts that not only intrigue or concern me but one’s that also bring value to my readers. They encourage you to think differently about yourself and life and add to your beliefs about what this is all about for you, and they give me a creative outlet to express the many different ideas I have and information that passes by me on a daily basis. I hope that this helps you! There is a sense of self-fullfillment when you know we have given another person an effective solution, there is a sense of purpose and understanding that comes from both helping people and doing so creatively.
How do you do it?
