Jack Canfield makes a compelling case for planning your day the night before. This way it gives your subconscious time to work, so that you come prepared and ready with fresh ideas about how to accomplish what you set up the previous night.

Try and see if it works for you. I would love to hear your experiences.

Making big batches of food ahead of a major project and freezing it, can also reduce the workload. It may require more planning but it is well worth it.   Also in the last hectic days before a big project’s completion date, consider a few takeout meals as a way of getting you through the hump.  If you are somebody who enjoys cooking you may make your regular food preparation far too complicated. It’s great to create a really delicious and elaborate meal for family and friends on occasions.

But make things simple for your daily life and you will free up a lot of time for other ways of expressing your creativity.  I find batching my coaching calls on one or two days a week, works well for me. It allows me to get into my coaching mode, and have my client files on hand. Then on other days I can focus on my other writing or arts projects, or schedule other business or family activities.  You can also batch your work to promote your projects in a few days or half days spread over the months you have scheduled. Batch together the telephone calls you need to make, or the trips to pick up materials for your project.

Batch together the creative part of the process too. Find out what amount of time you need to get into high focus on your artwork, and then what time your energy starts flagging either take a break, or to go on to something completely different.  I find I work best on a project when I have about three or four hours or even a day, or a weekend, where I can completely get into a project. However if I spend too much time in a row, I go into overload.  I need to schedule breaks to go for a walk or have a meal or snack, about every one hour and a half, although sometimes I get so wrapped up in my work that hours pass without me noticing.

What about you?  Where are you wasting time by not batching together similar tasks?  How often do you need to change activities completely, so that you keep refreshed and productive?  Journal your activities for a few days, and see what time you can free up just by putting similar activities together, or planning better your errands. While you make think you already know what you are wasting time on, you may make some interesting discoveries about how you can free up your time.

Much may be done in those little shreds and patches of time which every day produces,

and which most men throw away.

Charles Caleb Colto

Where do you have small enclaves of time that can be used for your artistic pursuits? Do you spend too much time watching TV or checking your e-mail? Do hours get sucked up by distractions on the internet? Is your day interrupted constantly, so that you have no time to focus and actually get your main tasks done?

One of my clients, a writer found that she was having trouble finding time for a writing project, and the deadline had suddenly got moved ahead. After discussing this with me, she decided for the remainder of the week to only check her e-mail once a day, and not answer the phone while she was working on her writing.

Now this wasn’t making any dramatic changes. It did however take discipline to resist the temptation to answer the phone or check her e-mails. These small changes allowed her to finish the project without putting a major strain on her life.

Tim Ferriss in the “The 4-Hour Workweek:” has some brilliant strategies for cutting down on the work that tends to consume your time without giving you what you truly want. He has many good tips for eliminating time wasters, and advocates the radical approach of only checking your e-mail once a week, and then replying to all of them at once.

What distractions take you away from your art work? Whaf time can you free up for doing the work you are passionate about? Resolve to reclaim some of your time for what matters most. Little step by little step you can train yourself to resist  the many  distractions of daily life, and carve out more  time for your creative self.

Themes are great because they don’t apply only to one area of your life, but provide the framework for your whole life, a way to explore, and a perspective to use when looking at goals.  You don’t achieve a theme, but it helps you achieve things, and also look more deeply into issues that are holding you back.  Here’s an example from my theme last year- which was “Completions”, where I put my focus on completing projects in all the different areas of my life. This theme has led to a lot of learning.

Being a “modern renaissance soul” I love to start projects but often I find I’ve bitten off more than I can chew and have trouble finishing  them. So the theme of “completions” led me to look at this pattern, and how to go about changing it.  It led me to examine deeply what were the elements of successful projects that I did, what made the difference between abandoning a project  and taking it to the finish line.  I managed to complete a lot of projects that had been hanging over me for some time, as well as some new projects I took on.  For that I feel a real sense of accomplishment.

However other  creative projects like my book, I did not complete.  I recognized that I needed to pull back and rethink my book, so that it truly reflected some of the deeper discoveries I have been making this year about creativity, and getting one’s projects out in the world.  I also made many mistakes and took on too many things, continuing some of the behavior that I was doing my best to get away from. However having the theme of  ”Completions” allowed me to be more conscious when I strayed, and to stay on track more of the time.

Last years theme of Completions” will be with me this year too. All the discoveries I made, I am using to help me plan out my goals and projects for this year.  I also am ready to embrace my new theme “ Frivolity and Fun,”  because I am feeling the need to balance the work on my big projects , with time off and joy breaks.  There’s an old saying all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and I think too much work has made me a “dull girl,”  and has taken me away from the kind of balanced and joyful life, I really want to live.

Like “Completions” this theme is a challenge for me. I have a lot of family conditioning and belief systems that get in the way of me letting loose and having fun.  So paradoxically at first, I will have to work a little at bringing more fun and frivolity into my life. I will be using the energy modalities I have learned to release my puritan work ethic and all the other beliefs that keep me from enjoying life to the full.

I’d love to hear from your ideas on this. Do you find it easy to take breaks and have fun. What kind of things do you do to have fun? Or do you have a hard task master in your head that you keeps you chained to your desk or other work.  Please write and tell me.

I also will be blogging on this topic with some of my insights and discoveries  as I journey to bring more fun into my life.

Artwork by Erin Kenepp

Katie Curtin is a Creative and Innovative Projects Success

Coach, who inspires and motivates people to get their dream projects done, so  they can make a difference in the world, while fulfilling their own needs for a balanced, sustainable and joyful life.

When you’re a creative and innovative type of person, it’s often  hard to know which ideas to prioritize, and where to put your energy. It’s also difficult sometimes to keep yourself inspired, motivated and focused.  Often the projects that would help transform your life, never get to the finish line.

Over the years I’ve worked with clients and organizations to get hundreds of creative and socially innovative projects out in the world.  In the process I’ve discovered a lot about what works and what doesn’t.

I will  be sharing my secrets on how to launch and successfully complete your projects, in a FREE teleclass todayy and I really hope you can make it. 

TOPIC: How to Get Your Dream Projects Out in the World
DATE/TIME: Monday, December 13, at 5:00 PM Pacific/8:00 PM Eastern
PLACE: The comfort of your own home or office–by teleconference

Click the link below to reserve your seat now:
http://katiecurtin.com/how-to-get-your-dream-projects-out-in-the-world/

You’ll walk away from this call with powerful and fun strategies and tips that can make a huge difference in getting you started and keeping you on track with your most cherished projects.  In this free and content packed teleclass you will learn:

• Twelve powerful questions to ask yourself before you begin (the answers to which can make or break you project).
• Three simple methods to create the time you need for your dream projects.
• The five essential elements to keep you inspired and moving ahead with your projects.
• Ten easy and cheap ways to use social media, and the internet get project funding and promotion.
• How traditional time management methods may be getting in the way of you finishing your projects, and what to do instead.

Whether you are just starting out with a project or stalled at some part of the process, you will get at least 3 big insights and practical actions, that can help you find the time, material resources and motivation to make your dream project a reality.

Click the link below to reserve your seat now:
http://katiecurtin.com/how-to-get-your-dream-projects-out-in-the-world/

Look forward to “seeing” you on the call,
Katie

Artwork by Erin Kenepp

When you’re a creative and innovative type of person, it’s often hard to know which ideas to prioritize, and where to put your energy.  It’s also difficult sometimes to keep yourself inspired, motivated and focused.  Often the projects that would help transform your life, never get to the finish line.

Over the years I’ve worked with clients and organizations to get hundreds of creative and socially innovative projects out in the world.  In the process I’ve discovered a lot about what works and what doesn’t.

I will be sharing my secrets on how to launch and successfully complete your projects, in a FREE teleclass next Monday and I really hope you can make it.

TOPIC: How to Get Your Dream Projects Out in the World

DATE/TIME: Monday, December 13, at 5:00 PM Pacific/8:00 PM Eastern
PLACE: The comfort of your own home or office–by teleconference 

Click the link below to reserve your seat now:
http://katiecurtin.com/how-to-get-your-dream-projects-out-in-the-world/

You’ll walk away from this call with powerful and fun strategies and tips that can make a huge difference in getting you started and keeping you on track with your most cherished projects.  In this free and content packed teleclass you will learn: 

• Twelve powerful questions to ask yourself before you begin (the answers to which can make or break you project).
• Three simple methods to create the time you need for your dream projects.
• The five essential elements to keep you inspired and moving ahead with your projects.
• Ten easy and cheap ways to use social media, and the internet get project funding and promotion. 
• How traditional time management methods may be getting in the way of you finishing your projects, and what to do instead.

Whether you are just starting out with a project or stalled at some part of the process, you will get at least 3 big insights and practical actions, that can help you find the time, material resources and motivation to make your dream project a reality.

Click the link below to reserve your seat now:
http://katiecurtin.com/how-to-get-your-dream-projects-out-in-the-world/

Look forward to “seeing” you on the call,
Katie

Geri Weitzman

Is there a group you really want to be part of but can’t locate anywhere?  Is it an association or group around something you are passionate about?  Is it you who you’ve been waiting for all this time? Then create it.  You can start small, and experiment.  You never know what might come out of it.

Maybe it’s a neighborhood jam session every Friday night that you can host at your place.  Or maybe it’s local club you organize for holistic healers to hang out and help each other building their practices.  Or maybe it’s a book club held at different people’s houses each month.

Often great things have come from people who are frustrated with not finding what they are looking for, and digging in their heels, and saying “There’s gotta be a way and I’m doing it.”

Do you have something you want to be part of?   If there was something you could get for Christmas, which would really make a difference in your life what would it be?  I’d love to hear your comments.

Recently I did a survey about what stops creative people from getting their projects off the ground. I bet you can identify with some of the things they said about negative mindsets. I certainly can!

Later I’ll tell you some great techniques to use when confronted all those doubting inner voices. But first I’d like to share with you some of the things that stopped the people in my survey from getting on with their projects. Check which one(s) apply to you:

1. NOT GOOD ENOUGH: “I fear it won’t be as good as I imagine, that it won’t live up to my fantasy.” “I wonder if I am capable”
2. NO TIME!: “I feel that if I unleash my creativity, I might go crazy with all the other things I have to do!”
3. NOT ENOUGH MONEY: “I am afraid I’ll be cool and creative and starve to death if I go ahead.”
4. TOO MUCH VISIBILITY:  “I’m afraid to be out there and be really visible. I feel that something bad might happen,”
5. OTHER PEOPLE’S OPINIONS: “I’m scared other people won’t like it”

Whenever I start a project that goes beyond my current comfort levels, I still have to battle the “creativity demons”. Two things I find which don’t work well are repeating affirmations or trying to use willpower!

Personally I find repeating endless affirmations boring and a waste of time! Willpower works up to a point. Both methods are unable to effectively battle powerful unconscious beliefs systems.

Luckily today there are a huge range of techniques that can virtually short circuit negative conditioning. NLP, EFT, Z-Point for Peace, andThe Healing Codes – these are only some of a multitude of methods that have proven track records in this respect.

Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of half of these. You can easily access information on many of these techniques on the internet. For example, you can find lots of instructional videos for EFT (the Emotional Freedom Technique) on Utube.

Like with anything, it’s great to educate yourself about the options, and then use the techniques that most resonate with you. Choosing to work with an experienced coach or energy practitioner is also a great option, and money well spent. Their in-depth knowledge and expertise can help you identify and work through your blocks quicker than you can on your own.

Interested in experiencing some of these techniques? I will be hosting a one day workshop in Toronto on October 17th, where I’ll be sharing some of the methods I’ve found most effective in releasing negative beliefs. It will certainly help  you melt inner resistance to doing your creative projects, as well as teach you techniques you can use to improve all areas of your life.

Price should not be barrier as it’s pay-what- you-can. And hey, what’s one day’s time, to get you well on your way with the creative projects you’d love to accomplish? ! For more information contact me at katiecurtin@mac.com.

Is there a creative project that’s been on your mind for awhile? But you wonder if it’s worth taking time out of your busy life to even begin.

You think of all the unknowns. You don’t know if you will succeed. You wonder if you are good enough or up to the task. You wonder if you will have to sacrifice too much.

Will it will be worth the effort? And if you make the effort will anybody really care?

At the beginning of every creative journey, it is natural and almost inevitable that you pause before committing. After all, it does involve a big engagement of your time and resources.

Here are some other questions to ask to help clarify things. What will be lost if you don’t do anything about this project? Is it something you feel you “should” do, or is it something that you are being called to do at a profound level?

Is it the time now to begin? Or are there some other things you just have to get through, before you can truly engage? And if you decide to go ahead, how can you best set up things for success?

And here’s a big one to ponder. How would you feel at if at the end of your life if you still hadn’t done it?

Would you regret that you hadn’t summoned up the courage to face possible failure? Would you regret that you never got to know whether that idea could have really shone in the world? Would you regret that your life got too caught up in insignificant busyness?

The most successful creative people have been the ones who have been prepared to fail the most. They’ve been the ones prepared to sacrifice “the comfortable life,” motivated by their visions of infinite possibility.

So summon up your strength and courage. If it’s a project which you are longing to do, make a resolution to go ahead. For only by braving the challenges and fears, can you reap the treasures of a realized creative life.