Motivator: Space and Routine
Sacred Spaces
I’m a big fan of creating a “sacred” space for your creative work and then building a small routine you can follow to consistently get you in the mood to do the work.
So, what’s a sacred space? It’s a place—a room, a corner of a room, a certain chair, a nook, a table—that you reserve solely for your creative work. A chosen space like this can serve two really valuable purposes:
You know—not just consciously but also unconsciously—that when you’re occupying that space, you are working. Not surfing the internet; not listening to the news out of the corner of your ear, not texting…working. Step into that space again and again and your creative mind starts to act like a dog going for a walk; oh boy, oh boy, oh boy…let’s go!
The other thing about having a special work place is other people around you will also get used to the idea that, when you’re sitting in that chair, you’re working—and they’ll start to leave you alone so you can focus on that work.
Making Creative Work Routine
Creating a routine goes hand-in-hand with having a special place to work. It’s all part of setting you up to be productive. Humans are creatures of habit, so come up with a simple sequence of small actions you take to signal to your unconscious that it’s time to do the work.
Here’s an example: Let’s say you like to work in the early morning. On those days that you are going to do some songwriting:
Get up at the same time, say, 6:30am;—early, I know
Brew and savor some coffee or tea
Put on a favorite piece of music
Watch the light subtly shifting on the scene outside a window as the sun rises
With pen and paper, write a short poem—maybe four lines in length—snap a photo of it and text it to someone you love
Pick up right where you left off last session
I can’t tell you how useful and effective these two tips are in supercharging your creativity. You’ll need to discover that on your own. I encourage you to start today.
